All work and no play makes conference attendees dull boys and girls. Fortunately for them, when Hyatt Hotels’ latest resort complex is completed conferees and other guests will be able to avail themselves of a number of relaxing amenities, including a health spa and the opportunity to play golf on an l8-hole championship level course.
Hyatt’s Chesapeake Bay resort is being built on a 342-acre site on the Choptank River in Cambridge, MD. The land was purchased from the state for $5 million by Chesapeake Resort LLC, a partnership comprising project developer Quadrangle Development Corporation of Washington, D.C., the Hyatt Hotel group based in Chicago, IL, and Clark Enterprises Inc. of Bethesda, MD. The conference center and resort hotel will be owned by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) but managed by Hyatt.
According to the Maryland governor’s office, the Chesapeake Bay project will create more than 500 construction jobs over the next two years and when completed the resort is expected to generate $34 million annually for the state’s economy.
Construction costs of $l52 million have been financed by tax-exempt revenue bonds sold to private institutions. Because of the site’s location in an environmentally sensitive area, it was subject to wetland regulations and the planning process included regulatory reviews by, and permit applications to, 10 federal and state agencies. However, work on the two-part project finally began in November l999.
Phase I consists of construction of a 400-room hotel and surrounding resort. Facilities will include an l8-hole championship level golf course, a 24,000-sq.-ft. conference center, a marina offering l50 slipways and a 15,000-sq.-ft. health spa. Completion is scheduled for December 200l.
The second phase will involve building 350 upper market residential units that will be a mix of single-family and villa lots with an approximate total value of $47 million. Phase II development is expected to start in 2003.
General contractor Clark Construction Group Inc (parent company Clark Enterprises Inc.) subcontracted construction of the golf course to Wadsworth Golf Construction Company. Founded in l958 by golf course architect Brent Wadsworth and based in Plainfield, IL, Wadsworth specializes in building or remodeling courses. Other services offered to its clients include planning, construction, irrigation, grading, draining and grassing.
A member of the Golf Course Builders Association of America, Wadsworth has completed projects in Mexico, the Philippines, Guam and Japan as well as in all U.S. states.
For the Hyatt contract, Wadsworth handled earth moving with its International Harvester quad track tractor and pan. Company Vice President Brian Cunfer noted that, “We also used a John Deere four-wheel-drive tractor and pan and in all, we’ve moved a total of 409,000 cu. yds. for this job.
“We began this project in December l999,” he recalled. “Apart from earth moving, Wadsworth has carried out sedimentation and stabilization, involving silt traps and fences, perimeter dike swales and the building of temporary roads. For that part of the job, we used our Caterpillar D5H dozer, John Deere 120 track backhoe and Caterpillar 426 combination backhoe, D25 off-road truck and 936 wheel loader.”
Cunfer noted that despite the sensitive nature of the project, no problems were encountered and added that the grassing of the course will be completed in June 200l. According to press reports, Hyatt anticipates approximately 33,000 rounds of golf will be played each year on the course.
The Hyatt resort is being built on a property that formerly housed the Eastern Shore Hospital Center and part of the proceeds from the sale of the site to the hotel chain are being used to fund the construction of a new hospital nearby. That job also is being handled by Clark Construction Group Inc.
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