John F. Cutter Jr. Fire Station Project
The City of Newburyport is building a new fire station at 153 Storey Avenue to replace the outdated 1970-era station in the same location. The old facility was inadequate in nearly every respect, including health risks from no separation between the living quarters and the potential carcinogens of the Apparatus Room and equipment area, no insulation, no cooling system, no fire protection sprinkler system, no handicapped accessibility, no accommodation for a multi-gendered fire service staff, no storage space, and almost no parking. Construction of the new 6,600 square foot facility to replace the 2,258 SF old facility is anticipated to take about 15 months, with completion in the fall of 2024. The project includes a solar photovoltaic panel system which is anticipated to generate as much power as consumed by the new facility, making it “net zero.” The general contractor is Construction Dynamics, Inc.; the Owner’s Project Manager managing construction is CBRE Heery, Inc.; the architect is Winter Street Architects.
Updates:
April 19, 2024:
A. Current Construction Status:
The construction project is on schedule and has made significant progress. The contractor has installed the Glulam engineered wood structural beams in the Apparatus Bay along with the cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and the whole facility is watertight and has all the windows installed. The interior rooms have been roughed in, and the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical tradespeople are on site roughing in the piping, wiring, and ductwork. Submittals are largely complete except for sheet rock, signage, and landscaping. National Grid has installed the facility’s transformer equipment and executed the Interconnect Service Agreement with the city for the photovoltaic system, which should be installed in the early summer. Looking ahead, the contractor will soon be installing the concrete slab in the Apparatus Bay and beginning the exterior siding and base granite veneer.
B. Photos:
February 27, 2024:
A. Current Construction Status:
The contractors have framed out the roof and walls of the living quarters side of the new fire station, as well as welded continuous structural steel plates at the top of the walls, installed vapor barriers and waterproofing. The living quarters is now closed in and watertight, and the team has coordinated the fine-tuning of the location of various interior doors and interior walls. The team also figured out a third-party inspection approach to confirm the consolidation of the concrete poured behind the ICF insulation. In addition, we have worked back and forth with National Grid on the solar photovoltaic power plan and the location of the meters and disconnect equipment, and are waiting for the utility’s review of the city’s interconnect application. We have also extended an annual permit with MassDOT for work in the road during 2024. Work on installing the structural support for the Apparatus Bay roof is next.
B. Photos:
January 16, 2024:
A. Current Construction Status:
After completing the forms and rebar reinforcement for the building’s walls, the contractor and subcontractors brought in two truck-mounted hydraulic concrete boom pumps on 1/12/24 to pour concrete into the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) walls in a single day. Concrete boom pumps have a crane-like design with long remote-controlled arms that allow precise and easy access and placement of a high volume of material. See the link on this page to a short drone video of the boom pumps in action. Removing the walls’ bracing allows the contractor to install a precast concrete pad for the building’s electrical transformer along with the associated trenching, conduit, and bollards in order to initiate the long-lead time process of getting in line to be approved for securing a transformer for the facility from National Grid. There are, unfortunately, continuing supply chain shortages for transformers, which are mostly manufactured abroad, and which are critical components to interconnect the energy produced by the facility’s anticipated 246 solar panels to and from the electrical grid. With the completion of the walls, the contractor is also shifting to installing the framing for the roof in the coming weeks.
B. Photos:
December 21, 2023:
A. Current Construction Status:
The contractor and subcontractors are continuing to install and brace the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) building blocks for the walls as well as installing rebar for the concrete. In early January, concrete will be poured for the walls. The city and its consultants and contractors have worked through various submittals and change orders, and has applied to National Grid for an interconnection agreement which is required for the solar photovoltaic panel system. The construction is currently several weeks behind schedule due to several factors such as the full extent of unsuitable soils requiring over-excavation, considerably more concrete required in the ground as foundation than anticipated, subcontractor staffing, etc., on top of weather conditions, but is proceeding well now.
B. Photos:
October 13, 2023:
A. Current Construction Status:
During the past couple of weeks, the site contractor has continued to excavate the trenches for the new building’s footings in this very tight site, removing unsuitable bearing material and bringing in gravel fill. There has been more over-excavation than originally anticipated due to the unsuitable soils, including a large old stump/log/brush dump that was uncovered. The concrete contractor has followed by sequentially installing concrete footings, rebar, and then begun installing the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) building blocks for the walls which will maximize the new facility’s energy efficiency. The general contractor has lost a few weeks from the original schedule due to rain days and other factors, but is currently still on schedule overall.
B. Photos:
September 21, 2023:
A. Current Construction Status:
The process of the contractor’s submittals for the rebar (the steel reinforcing rods in the concrete) and review and approval by the city’s consulting structural engineer took longer than anticipated. However, the submittals are now approved, the rebar fabricated and delivered to the site, and the site contractor has begun excavating the building’s footings. (See photos below.) Next steps will include forming and pouring the concrete footings and backfill.
B. Photos:
August 30, 2023:
A. Current Construction Status:
The city hosted a well-attended ritual ground-breaking ceremony on 8/24/23. The contractor has completed the stormwater detention system adjacent to Virginia Lane and throughout the site. National Grid has recently braced an existing utility pole with a new temporary stub pole and cable in order to facilitate adjacent excavation and pouring concrete for the new building’s footings. Next steps include installing sewer manholes. The rebar submittal for the concrete needs to be finalized and approved this week, and then it will take a week to fabricate the rebar. Excavation for the footings has been rescheduled to the week of 9/11/23.
B. Photos:
August 16, 2023:
A. Current Construction Status
The contractor is continuing to install utilities and do site work prior to addressing the footings for the new building. During the past two weeks, the contractor installed stormwater drainage manholes and pipes within the site and connecting to the main line in Virginia Lane, as well as a water line. They have staked out the building corners, and excavated and removed an old septic tank from the 1970s. They are currently installing a large stormwater detention gallery that will operate underneath the station’s new parking area adjacent to Virginia Lane. The heavy rains of the past week have impacted the site and slowed progress, but the contractor’s schedule has not been significantly impacted. Next steps include determining the logistics for excavating the building’s footings, and then excavating, forming and pouring the concrete footings and backfill.
B. Photos:
July 31, 2023 (Monday):
A: Current Construction Status:
A short segment of Virginia Lane at its intersection with Storybrooke Road (near Route 113) is temporarily closed for approximately three days Monday through Wednesday this week while the contractor works in the street to install a drainage manhole, a large underground precast concrete structure, plus a water line connection that will tie into the main lines in Virginia Lane. There are traffic cones and signs, no driveways are impacted, and there is a short simple detour around the block for the neighborhood’s traffic. Traffic appears to be flowing smoothly. After the underground drainage work and water line work is completed, the excavated area will be backfilled, compacted, paved, and returned to service.
B. Photos
July 25, 2023 (Tuesday):
A: Current Construction Status:
The contractor has completed the demolition of the old fire station and its slab foundation – please see the photos below. The contractor is finishing the asphalt demolition and site preparation in preparation for installing utilities at the rear of the site and then excavating for the footings. Subsequently, the contractor will begin forming the new concrete footings. The contractor recently uncovered the water main line that runs along the western edge of Virginia Lane and found some unexpected conditions which need to be addressed along with the location of drainage pipes, prior to opening a portion of the road to install a drainage manhole, a large underground precast concrete structure, to tie into the main drain line in Virginia Lane. The project is on-budget and on-time.
B. Photos:
July 18, 2023:
A. Current Construction Status:
The demolition of the old facility was delayed by approximately a week due to waiting for National Grid to disconnect the electricity and the gas to the old building. That has now been accomplished, however, in addition to the abatement of the asbestos in the old fire station. Demolition is scheduled to begin on Wednesday 7/19/23. The demolition contractor’s excavator will scrape off the exterior brick and block and remove it for recycling, and then collapse the building inward and remove everything down to and including the slab. Demolition will take approximately a week, and traffic will be maintained at all times. Erosion controls have been installed along the edge of the site. Once demolition is complete, the site will be ready for laying out the new building and excavation of the footings during the following week towards the end of the month of July. Then, during the first week of August, the contractor will begin forming the new concrete footings.
B. Budget and Scope Changes:
The project is on budget and the city is processing the first pay requisition from the contractor. A small change order has been approved for the removal and backfill of the old oil-water separator tank discovered during site clearing, which will be covered by the project’s approximately $350,000 contingency account.
C. Timeframe:
The demolition phase of the project has been delayed by approximately a week, but that time should be made up during the rest of the construction project. The long-lead structural beams are anticipated to arrive in December, which should allow for the project’s timeframe to stay on track.
D. Photos:
June 29, 2023:
- Current construction status:
The City has contracted with Construction Dynamics, Inc., and the team is finalizing subcontractors and suppliers and providing submittals for review and approval to confirm that plans and materials match the design details. The contractor mobilized to the site at the end of June, 2023, and has installed a job trailer and portajohn, begun clearing the site, conducted pest management at the building, and begun asbestos abatement of the old building. The contractor is installing temporary construction fencing, and continuing to clear and grub the site. The contractor plans to cut and cap the utilities during the first week of July, and then demolish the old building during the week of July 10. Please see the short-term look-ahead bar chart schedule here.
- Budget:
The project is on budget and the first payment requisition from the contractor is expected at the end of the month.
- Timeframe:
The project’s timeframe is generally on track at the beginning of the construction phase. The contractor and design team are working diligently through submittals, and the contractor is mobilizing to the site at the end of June. However, after three years of global supply chain issues, there continue to be several critical long-lead time items that have the potential to impact the project and its schedule later. Examples include the structural engineered wood “Glulam” beams and columns that will support the roof in the Apparatus Bay, as well as the switchgear controlling the transmission of electricity for the facility, and other items. The team is working at this early stage to determine suppliers and options that will minimize the impacts to the project’s schedule.
- Scope changes:
No changes in scope.
- Expected status at end of next month:
The contractor will have fully mobilized to the site, the asbestos abatement for the old building will have been completed, all of the utilities to the old building (water, sewer, gas, electric) will have been cut and capped, the old building will be demolished and the building materials recycled, and the site will be cleared and grubbed and ready for foundations.
- Photos
May, 2023:
A) Current construction status:
The City is currently contracting with Construction Dynamics, Inc., including securing bonds and insurance certificates; construction has not yet commenced.
B) Budget:
The low bidder Construction Dynamics was exactly on target with the design team’s cost estimates and the approved budget for the project. The design phase is on budget, and construction phase expenditures have not yet commenced.
C) Timeframe:
The project’s anticipated timeframe is generally on track; contracting is anticipated to be completed in May, with a Notice to Proceed issued shortly thereafter, and a pre-construction meeting is being scheduled.
D) Scope changes:
No changes in scope.
E) Expected status at end of next month:
The contract will be executed, Notice to Proceed issued, pre-construction meeting held; the Fire Department will have moved out of the facility; the contractor will begin providing submittals to the design team, for review and approval, to
F) Photos:
Staff Contacts
| Name | Title | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Geordie Vining | Senior Project Manager | (978) 465-4400 ext 6 |