New England 20, September 28, 2022

Edoardo and Carlo Fragale are very proud of their company’s rich heritage.

Their father, Paul Fragale, emigrated from Italy in 1964. He established Fragale Building Corporation in 1971 and incorporated the company in 1992.

When Paul founded the company, it had a primary focus on the masonry trade, which he had learned from his father, Paolo Fragale, in his hometown of Calabria, Italy. During the company’s humble beginnings, Paul would work doing Clifford

Sammy Petrowsky, well-known in New England as the founder and president of Sammy P Auction Services, has wanted to get into the aggregate business for some time; in 2020, the right opportunity came along for him to make his move.

Petrowsky found the right property located at Millbrook Road, Plainfield, Conn., and he found the right individual to run his operation, Richard Cheney, who has decades of experience in construction equipment and aggregate

First Phase of R.I.’s Offshore Wind Terminal Work Begins

A plan to make East Providence, R.I., a major player in the burgeoning offshore wind industry kicked off on Sept. 12 with the groundbreaking of a new wind turbine shipping and staging area along the city’s waterfront.RhodeIsland

Gov. Dan McKee and East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva were on hand to help kick off the first phase of the South Quay Marine Terminal project, designed to become a support site for offshore wind projects in the Northeast.

Additionally, the new terminal will have priority access to New England, Midwest and Canadian markets that will improve the supply chain for the offshore wind industry, according to a news release from McKee’s office. It added the state believes the port will sustain jobs to Rhode Islanders and other workers across the region as well as benefit the environment by helping to supply clean, renewable energy production.

The South Quay Terminal’s construction is supported by $35 million in funding that McKee allocated to the City of East Providence in his FY2023 budget and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), according to Offshore WIND, an industry news

Theoutlet.project will see an undeveloped parcel of land in East Providence being transformed to build a large integrated intermodal shipping hub to support the offshore windUnderindustry.thefunding provided for Phase 1, the city of East Providence, along with RI Waterfront Enterprises LLC and RI Commerce, will complete the design activities and develop the waterfront portion of

the South Quay Marine Terminal.

Multi-Faceted Construction Ahead

The project’s initial phase of work includes building a 525-ft.-long berth, with a cofferdam bulkhead and concrete platform to allow for a large ship, such as an offshore wind installation vessel or two barges, to berth. To accommodate these ships, crews also will work on fendering, bollards and water service at the bulkhead.

In addition, the offshore wind terminal is

slated to have a large laydown area in the uplands behind the bulkhead after the Phase 1 construction is finished to allow for storage of materials and components.

Offshore WIND noted that the project is to receive other grading and land improvements throughout the site, located along the Providence River.

“We are thrilled to see shovels in the ground on this project,” DaSilva said in a news release. “Thanks to our public-private partnership with the state of Rhode Island

and the RI Waterfront Enterprises, this parcel of land, which sat idle for more than 40 years, will be a game-changer for our city and the region both for the offshore wind industry and the number of local jobs it will create.”

Rhode Island Wants to Ride the Wind

America’s eastern seaboard is set to become home to multiple offshore wind farms by the end of the decade as the BidenHarris Administration aims to have 30 gigawatts generated from turbines installed in federal waters, according to Offshore WIND.Make no mistake, Rhode Island’s leaders do not plan to see their state left out of the growing offshore wind industry.

The South Quay Marine Terminal is within 75 nautical miles of the Massachusetts and New York Wind Lease Areas, which will rely on East Providence for manufacturing, storage and construction, according to Rhode Island’s state government.“TheSouth Quay project has the potential to transform our state’s future,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey. “Creating a central hub to support the region’s growing offshore wind industry will keep Rhode Island on the cutting-edge of the blue economy, help us meet our critical renewable energy goals, and open new doors of opportunity for thousands of Rhode Islanders. This is a wise investment of once-in-a-lifetime federal funding and an example of how much we can accomplish when we work together.”

Crews Top Off Phase One of Life Sciences Campus in Mass.

The Davis Companies and Boston Development Group (BDG) on Aug. 26 celebrated the ceremonial “topping-off” of Phase One of 66 Galen Street in Watertown, Mass., a 224,000-sq.-ft., purpose-built, Class A life science building.

Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston, the 66 Galen Street development marks just the first of a two-part campus plan which will encompass more than five acres of land, 40 percent of which will be dedicated to open space, Boston Real Estate Times reported Aug.

31.Upon final buildout, the campus will include more than 450,000-sq.-ft. of lab space across two new buildings.

The latest major milestone marks the completion of the structural phase of construction and positions the project to be delivered on schedule and available for

occupancy in 2023.

“It is great to see 66 Galen taking shape and finding its place on the streetscape of Watertown,” said Mike Cantalupa, chief development officer at the Boston-based Davis“TheCompanies.prominence of the building and its relationship with the Charles River is what we had planned for. With the exceptional views, first-class amenity package and easy access to transportation we have an extremely attractive home for our clients’ businesses. The [John Moriarty & Associates (JMA)] construction team has executed flawlessly, putting us in perfect position to begin lab user occupancies as early as the fourth quarter of 2023.”

“I would like to thank the team at Davis for our successful partnership along with the Elkus Manfredi Architects and JMA,” added BDG President Jodie Zussman.

“Together, we will be able to meet the growing demands of many discerning life science tenants who are looking for properties like 66 Galen Street in a crowded market where Class A, purpose-built lab space within a growing, vibrant life science cluster can be scarce.”

Boston Real Estate Times reported that the 66 Galen Street project will differentiate itself from the market in several ways, including its significant upgrade to the public realm along the Galen Street corridor. Besides the large amount of land set aside to be green space, substantial transportation infrastructure improvements — including traffic signalization, lane widenings, dedicated bus lanes and sidewalks — are set to be built as part of the Phase One development.Thebuilding itself will offer six private tenant outdoor spaces and a common

rooftop balcony with panoramic views of the Charles River. Among other high-end amenities are a fitness center, locker rooms with showers, a 45-space bike room, on-site retail/café space, a hotelstyle building lobby and ample indoor parking directly beneath the building.

A 25,000-sq.ft. rooftop solar array also will contribute sustainability to the building’sLocatedpower.along the easy-to-access Galen Street corridor, connecting Watertown Square to the Massachusetts Turnpike/Interstate 90, 66 Galen Street is just a short drive to downtown Boston and Kendall Square via I-90 or Soldiers Field Road. The site also is next to the MBTA’s Watertown bus terminal and is accessible from a variety of residential communities, including Boston’s urban core and its western suburbs. 

Photo courtesy of Gov. Dan McKee

A delegation of local, state and federal officials take a shovel full of ceremonial dirt during a ground-breaking ceremony at the South Quay Marine Terminal.

Brown University Raises $100M to Build Residence Halls

Brown University, an Ivy League college in Providence, R.I., will fund the construction and renovation of three ongoing campus projects through $100.7 million it raised through a bond.

The Providence Journal reported in August that the biggest projects will be two new residence halls being built on Brook Street, near the Power Street parking garage and the Vartan Gregorian Quad. The buildings will house 350 third- and fourth-year students, according to Brown’s website.

Combined, the two buildings will encompass 125,000 sq. ft. of space.

Initial plans, according to the news source, called for Brown to build a 375-bed dormitory, which was later trimmed down to 350 beds, and a retail space was added to one of the Likebuildings.muchof the Brown campus, the buildings are made primarily of brick, with texture and detail at windows and corners, along with accents of terracotta and wood. The interior structure includes cross-laminated timber, which minimizes the environmental impact of each residence hall, giving the interior ceilings a warmth visible from the street, according to a description on Brown’s online project page.

The two new dormitories, under construc-

tion at 250 and 259 Brook St., replace a small strip mall and a parking lot.

The final steel beam was set into place in July.

Brown Utilizing Funds to Buy Other Properties

The Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corp. (RIHEBC), a self-supporting state agency that aids nonprofits finance school and health care building projects, closed on the $87.2-million bond for Brown in July.

While the university only borrowed $87.2 million, it was sold at a $13.5-million premium, generating a total of $100.7 million for the university, RIHEBC Executive Director Kim Mooers said in a news release. Since 1968, the corporation has facilitated a total of 27 bonds for Brown, worth $1.3 billion, RIHEBC noted.

Rendering courtesy of Brown University

The Providence Journal reported that the biggest projects will be two new residence halls being built on Brook Street, near the Power Street parking garage and the Vartan Gregorian Quad.

174-unit River House apartments on Point Street, also in the Jewelry District, for $75 million in 2021. That building is intended to become housing for graduate students.

Churchill House to Get More Space

A portion of the money that Brown received also will be used to construct an expansion to Churchill House, at 155 Angell St., that is to include space for the university’s Department of Africana Studies, and the Rites and Reason Theatre, the Journal

Accordinglearned.toBrown’s website, the building, first constructed in 1907 for the Rhode Island Women’s Club, will undergo an extensive renovation, including a two-story addition that will add 3,000 sq. ft., a new terrace, and an updated entranceway.

A comprehensive study by the university concluded that the addition and renovation to Churchill House are needed due to the growth of the Africana Studies

In a separate deal, Brown recently bought 10 properties in Providence’s Jewelry District for $16 million from Care New England, with plans to build a new lab in that part of the city.

In addition, the university purchased the

Brown was a central player, as well, in the redevelopment of the old power station next door to River House in Providence’s South Street Landing complex, which hosts Brown offices and a nursing education center for the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College.

Brown’sprogram.Lincoln Field Building on the Simmons Quadrangle is another beneficiary of the multi-million bond sale as it will pay for a new addition to the structure, the Providence newspaper reported. The building is home to the university’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.

True Poowwer

Powerscreen’s Titan 2300 Shines for Sammy P Inc.

production.Thecompany was named Sammy P Inc.The next step called for putting together the right spread of aggregate processing equipment to maximize efficiency and production levels. Several different aggregate plants were brought into the site in a search to find what setup would be ideal for the type of aggregate, the conditions at Millbrook Road, and the type of product whose goal it was to produce, namely a high-quality sand for asphalt production.IncameGraham Wylie with the new Titan model 2300 from Powerscreen New England. The Titan 2300 was so new that the plant that ended up in the Sammy P Inc. plant was the first of its kind to ever arrive in the United States.

Powerscreen is among the world’s leading providers of mobile crushing and screening equipment and the new Titan 2300 is a new scalping screen designed to provide a cost-effective solution for larger applications.

The Titan 2300 is a completely new machine to Powerscreen in terms of concept and design. The massive 64in. oversized belt feeder, which moves material from the 6- by 20-ft. deck immediately gave Sammy P’s operation significantly higher production levels. Powerscreen of New England had promised an increase of production of at least 50 percent. In fact, the production levels increased significantly more, which also resulted in an over 50 percent cut in fuel consumption.

“The new Titan plant had the same engine, thus the same fuel consumption as our old plant, thus the direct savings in fuel cost versus production,” Cheney

said. “Our production levels increased, and our fuel consumption stayed the same. It was a win all the way around.

“The screening deck on our previous screener was 5 by 16. The difference between the 5 by 16 and the 6 by 20 on the Titan 2300 was astounding,” Cheney added. “ We see even additional fuel savings with the number of cycles the excavator has to make to feed the hopper and the number of trips the loader has to make to carry away materials.“Wefinally have our excavators and loaders paired up with the right size plant. Under the right conditions with dry material, we can open up the

Another key element to the high production levels of the Titan 2300 is the 60-in. primary conveyor that moves materials from the screen deck, the largest of its type in the industry.

Richard Cheney (bottom L), Sammy P Inc. plant manager, and Graham Wylie (bottom R), Powerscreen New England sales rep; with Sammy Petrowsky, president of Sammy P Inc.

A Komatsu PC490 with an oversized bucket is perfectly matched to keep the Titan operating at peak efficiency.

For Sammy P, Production Rises, Fuel Use Holds Steady

hopper extensions on the Titan and increase our production levels even more.”“What’s really ideal about this machine is that the 60-inch screen conveyor to the screening deck is perfectly paired to handle the volume going into the hopper and the screens in the lower deck are perfectly paired to handle the volume coming from the upper deck,” Petrowsky added. “So, you can really maximize your production levels.”

According to Cheney, “Depending on type of material, before the Titan their plants were producing 750 ton of sand in an 8-hour day compared to their current production levels of 1,250 ton plus in a typical 8-hour day. With a hopper capacity of 14 yards the ability to increase production levels was immediate and substantial.”TheTitan

2300 is primarily producing three products, most importantly a dry screened sand that is Connecticut DOT

approved for direct asphalt use. They also produce a 1-1/2 (+/-) in. stone and an 8-in. to 2-in. minus gravel. The 8-in. to 2in. minus gravel is sold in bulk for recrushing for many other uses.

According to Cheney, “It’s quite plausible that the Titan could hit significantly higher production levels, perhaps as high as 200 to 250 tons per hour of sand if the material fed was less rocky. Unfortunately, their sand condition is quite stony and is always going to limit the production levels. Because the new machine has 42-inch side conveyors, the plant is now capable of handling much larger volumes of rock. The term for our type of sand is bony and bony material takes longer to process.

Wylie added “When I evaluated Sammy P’s situation one of the challenges I identified was precisely the

amount of stone in his sand, and the width of his conveyors on the existing plant. His existing plant had 35-inch and 55inch stone conveyors, and they were running at full capacity. My research showed that the Titan machine had stone conveyors measuring 42 inch and 64 inch with twin drive. Therefore, the Titan machine would be able to process a much greater volume of sand for Sammy P because it could handle removing a greater volume of stone.”

Cheney continued “There were a lot of factors in determining what plant to buy. This decision was relatively easy. The Titan was by far the best engineered plant to handle the type of material we are processing and to achieve the spec we are looking for.”

“We’ve known Seamus Sheelan, president of Powerscreen New England, and Graham Wylie, his sales rep, for a long time. Certainly, more than 20 years. So, I was confident I was dealing with people who are stable, who have a great reputation, and were going to be here when I need them,” Petrowsky concluded. CEG

(All photographs in this article are Construction Equipment Guide. All

An overhead view of the Sammy P Inc. spread.

The Titan deck material for Sammy P Inc.’s dramatincrease production levels.

The quarry’s primary product is dry screened sand that meets Connecticut DOT specs for asphalt.

The 1-1/2 in. minus product is stockpiled.

Stockpiles of dry screened sand that meets Connecticut DOT specs for asphalt.

With the the hopper width can be expanded volumes of material. from

Contractor Contends With Challenging Building Regs

FRAGALE from page 1

construction during the days and then as a dishwasher at night. Edoardo and Carlo joined their father’s company after completing their college educations.

Most of the work that the company does falls primarily into one of two categories: masonry or excavation. Edoardo focuses his energies on the masonry side of the company while Carlo focuses on the excavation and civil side of the business. The vast majority of the company’s work is in the metro Boston area, and for the past decade or so, much of their work has been in the building segment of theToday,market.

Fragale Building Corporation has diversified its business supplying services at every phase of the building process, adding construction management services, excavation, landscape design and a sister company — Eastern Mass Crushing — which does custom mobile crushing and recycling. They operate today with 20 to 25 Fragaleemployees.recently worked on a project located in an upscale historical community in Newton, Mass. Because the homes in the community are deemed historical, building a new home is virtually impossible and reconditioning an existing home is uniquely regulated. In this particular case, a home that was built in the 1800s has been completely torn down except for the bare structure of three original walls and the original roof line. The local zoning rules dictate that you

The three remaining sides of the original home were jacked up and the original basement of 7.5 ft. was excavated to 10 ft. The new residential area also will have a 10-ft. basement ceiling.

One of the workhorses recently purchased from Equipment East is a Doosan DX63.

pleted project, along with all the hardscape work.

leave three original walls in place but you can do virtually anything you want building and expanding off the home’s original footprint.

In the case of this home, an addition is being added to the side of the home, along with a lower-level garage. The structure that was originally approximately 2,800 sq. ft. will exceed 6,000 sq. ft. when completed.

Fragale Building’s responsibilities on this project include all the site work, foundation work, civil engineering work, water and sewer drainage and the construction of a pool house for the swimming pool that will be a part of the com-

The terrain of the property has a downhill grade from front to back. The original basement of the home was 7-1/2-ft. Fragale has excavated out the original basement and has excavated in tiers the area of new construction with terraced levels of foundation in a manner that the basement area of the new structure will have a 10-ft. ceiling. To do that, the existing floor and corners had to be jacked up prior to full demolition. After putting shoring staging in place, new concrete walls were poured against the existing walls. Crews then jackhammered out the old wall, lowered the building back into place and demolished the rest of the house.Asignificant part of the project is an extensive drainage field, which collects the runoff water from the driveway, as well as water from the courtyard. The overall drainage for the property includes (32) 4x4 galleys. All roof leaders run into a maze of 8-in. ADS N-12.

Most of the earthmoving equipment fleet owned by Fragale Building is made up of Doosan machines purchased from Equipment East. “We started working with Dan Clifford at Equipment East early on when we first started looking at expanding our excavating business,” Carlo Fragale said. “Dan actually showed up at one of our projects; his timing was perfect, and he got us to try a Doosan DX225

In accordance with local zoning regulations, three walls of the original 2,800-sq.-ft. home in Newton, Mass., had to remain intact so that an expanded 6,000-sq.-ft. home could be built.

Fragale Building Corporation, Equipment East Grow Together

FRAGALE from page 16

excavator.”“Wewere thrilled with that machine and soon after we asked him to send us a DX235 zero tailswing machine that we purchased shortly after,” Carlo added. “Transitioning to doing business with a smaller dealership and the Doosan product line was initially a tough sell for my dad. He had always done business with ‘the big guys.’ Dan arranged for us to meet the owner of Equipment East, Giovanni Albanese, and that made a difference for

“Doingus.business

together, one small business owner with another small business owner who was fully vested in our success just made a difference. Doosan also does a tremendous job putting together the financial packages to make the financing work for us.

“Every time we have shopped the financing, Doosan has been much better than anyone else’s. Specifically, great lease programs with great buyouts at the end of the lease. Currently, we own Doosan DX235, DX225, DX140, DX85 and DX63 excavators. We

also own two Doosan DL220 loaders.”

In addition to the Doosan equipment, Fragale Building has purchased a Wacker Neuson tracked loader, two Wacker Neuson rollers and three Ramfos hammers from Equipment East.

“Once we made the decision to grow with Equipment East, we really have never looked back,” Carlo said. “Our business has experienced tremendous growth and we have watched their business grow from a single location to three locations. I know when I pick up the phone and need them, they are almost immediately here. As an example, we were working on a project at Endicott College, and we had a machine blow a pressure relief valve. I put a call in to Dan and literally within 45 minutes they were on our site with the part we needed, and we were back to work shortly thereafter.”

For more information, visit www.fragalebuildingcorp.com and www.equipmenteast.com.  CEG

(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2022 Construction Equipment Guide. All Rights Reserved.)

Fragale’s tri-axle dump gets loaded from a Doosan DX140 zero tail-swing excavator.

WEBSTER 30508-949-0005BirchIsland Road Webster, MA

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