Delivering excellence in construction since 1980, Sligo-based Donlon Civil and Building Services Ltd. stood up to be counted during the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic when bringing their invaluable expertise and experience to bear on numerous essential healthcare projects. Building Ireland had a chat with director Leo Donlon to get an update on this exceptional, industry-leading, family-run contracting company.
Over the past four decades and counting, Donlon Civil and Building Services have established themselves as one of the premier building contractors in the North West, successfully delivering a wide range of high-quality construction, civils and infrastructure projects across the residential, commercial, industrial, education, leisure and healthcare sectors.
In recent months, since the pandemic visited Irish shores, the multifaceted Sligo-headquartered contractor’s activities within the vital healthcare setting have been very much to the fore, with a number of critical projects completed under the most demanding of conditions, including a rapid-turnaround extension to the emergency department (carried out in a live environment) at Sligo University Hospital.
In light of their tireless service to the community during the Covid emergency, Donlon were officially commended by the Health Service Executive for the diligence, cooperation and professionalism they demonstrated above and beyond the call of duty in delivering additional capacity for HSE services across Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim in a short timeframe and under challenging circumstances.
Never before was the value of construction to the greater good of society projected more firmly into the spotlight than over the past 18-20 months and, to their eternal credit, Donlon Civil and Building Services stood up to be counted when it mattered most.
“We had done a good bit of healthcare work in the past and were already on the framework with the HSE so we had experience in that sector and were confident we could deliver,” reflects director Leo Donlon, who oversees the business alongside his father John Joe and brother Keith.
In fact, on the day construction shut down for the first time in March 2020, Donlon had already 90% completed the impressive Covid-19 drive-through test centre at Finisklin, which they were of course allowed to finish immediately as it was deemed an essential project. The speedy completion of this facility represented a massive accomplishment not just for their own internal team but also for all the local tradesmen involved, including Ronan Gallagher Electrical, LS Decorators, Gallagher Plumbing, Atlantic Fire, AMG Doors, Superior Signs, WG Paints and PB Flooring.
In response to the Covid crisis, Donlon also delivered the Community Assessment Hub on Clarion Road, Ballinode. Meanwhile, to increase the capacity of Sligo University Hospital, Donlon Civil and Building Services completed an extension to the hospital’s emergency department. This new two-storey modular building at the front of the hospital provides additional waiting and treatment areas as well as more space in the emergency department whilst also facilitating separate areas for patients attending the hospital for any reason.
“These were challenging times as obviously there were new guidelines in place for construction, especially when you were working for the HSE,” says Leo. “We were working literally at the front door of the hospital and we had to very quickly get into the mind set of working with Covid. We were onsite there for 18 months in total, working in a live environment at the main entrance to the hospital, where the ambulance bays are set up. It was a test of our capabilities but we have assembled an outstanding team here and the lads really did themselves proud.”
Donlon boasts an excellent track record for working onsite at Sligo University Hospital. They installed a beautiful new staff carpark there a few years back and, pre-Covid, were the main contractor on a value-added energy upgrade at the hospital, installing a new LPG compound to convert the facility’s energy source from coal to liquid gas. This was a complex project involving multiple temporary infrastructural interventions as well as the upgrade itself.
The new gas compound (including a 30 tonne, 60,000 litre LPG tank), gabbion walled embankment and gas line to the new boiler house were constructed on the site of the old chimney at the back of the hospital, which was demolished. As a result of the works, it is estimated that SUH will achieve savings of circa €160,000 a year off their heating bill. “This was a cost-saving / environmental project which will offer cheaper heating of the hospital as well as significantly reducing their carbon footprint,” Leo adds.
At the time of writing, Donlon – who are members of Homebond, the CIF, CIRI and SEAI – were also working on the renovation of the orthodontics unit at SUH for the HSE – a standalone building located on the hospital campus. Generating direct employment for a crew of 15, Donlon Civil and Building Services are main contractor for the ongoing redevelopment of the Greenstar Recycling Depot at Deepwater Quay in Sligo town, which was destroyed by fire last year, and are regularly engaged on a variety of civil works with both Sligo and Leitrim County Councils, including car parks, kerbing, groundworks, roadworks, footpaths, pedestrian crossings, road alignments, etc. On the construction front, they cover everything from residential and commercial new builds, renovations and extensions to fit outs, foundations and structural repairs.
How important is it to be flexible and versatile? “You have to be if you want to keep getting work. You have to be able to adapt and carry out different types of work. If there is no HSE budget in the morning, you need to have other options,” Leo points out.
“Today, a contractor needs to be adaptable, as fluid as possible and to be able to provide solutions. When a customer comes to you, they expect you to meet their requirements, which as a minimum includes coming in on the price you agreed at the start and also within the stated timeframe. You have to keep every client happy.
“It’s vital that you keep your finger on the pulse of the job because things can get out of control price-wise very quickly. So you need to be continuously assessing the work, controlling it and keeping everything within budget. The price of materials has gone up drastically over the past 18-24 months but cost isn’t the biggest issue … actually getting the materials is the biggest problem. The roof has to go on regardless of the price of the timber.
“We are in a good position going forward as we have 12-18 months of work ahead of us. One potential issue for the industry as a whole down the line is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find workers. In fairness, the FAS centre here is Sligo is training electricians and plumbers but they can’t get them out into the workplace quickly enough. The reality is that there are are easier environments to work in rather than being outside onsite exposed to the elements, but as an industry we certainly need to do more to entice people into a career in construction.”
Donlon Civil and Building Services Ltd.,
Far Finisklin Road,
Finisklin,
Sligo.
Tel: 071 91 45784
Mobile: 087 6137658 / 8668543
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.donlon.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2022, Vol 8 No 1
Donlon Civil and Building Services
