Q2 2021 Q2|| 2021
Pandemic Project
SHOUT OUTS! NEI is giving recognition to two projects finishing on schedule despite the pandemic: Walker School Apartments Originally built in 1895, Walker School will soon be home to 40 units of housing for seniors. Granite Lena Apartments After the City of Boston shut down construction due to the Pandemic, Granite Lena was one of the first
built for good
QUARTERLY
Historic Rehabilitation
of former Indian Motorcycle Factory NEI has completed the historic renovation of Mason Square Apartments II. The project involved the conversion of the former motorcycle factory plus an adjacent firehouse into 60 new units of affordable housing.
Pandemic Project
SHOUT OUTS!
NEI would like to give special recognition to two projects that are finishing on schedule, despite facing extreme obstacles during the COVID 19 pandemic. This is really unprecedented, and quite a remarkable feat.
Walker School Apartments Taunton, MA | Historic Rehab/New Construction The Walker School was originally an elementary school, designed by a local architect and built in 1895. A brick Georgian Revival building, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A plan to demolish the school was proposed in 2005 but was postponed. The Walker School closed in 2010. 1
Brian didn’t remember any of his losing words, but when asked, he said that his current one was Masonry. This is where Walker had enormous challenges, as the foreman and majority of the crew had to quarantine due to exposure, creating ripples of labor force issues throughout the project.
Decades later, its purpose was redirected, and the former elementary school received funding for the development of 40 affordable housing units for seniors. 2
As the Walker School was a historical rehab project, the Historical Commission required that NEI leave all chalkboards in place for authenticity, to remain intact behind the new walls. Everything that was previously written on the chalkboards, was left as is. 3
Interesting backstory: The Project Executive on the Walker School project, NEI’s own Brian Porter, actually attended Walker back when he was in elementary school. Brian recently shared that for the duration of the project, every time he went into his old homeroom, he had flashbacks of always finishing second place in the Spelling Bee to his long-time 4th-grade nemesis, Jack Simms.
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Somewhere in Walker School, this chalkboard remains…perhaps in Brian’s old homeroom, a note left to his nemesis after one of his fateful bees? 4
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Thank You to the Team Thanks to all who made it happen! HONORABLE MENTIONS: PM: Wayne Silvia Superintendent: Eric Newcomb
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Asst. Superintendents: Fran Boucher, Devon Kraemer-Roberts
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Granite Lena Apartments Dorchester, MA | Occupied Rehab ALEX MAHEGAN, Project Manager: After the City of Boston shut down construction due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, Granite Lena was one of the first projects in Boston to start up again. A large part of this success was due to NEI’s relentless approach to develop and implement a very comprehensive COVID site plan, that was received and approved by the city in short order. Also due to the 45 day shut down NEI was able to convince the Owner, Lending Agents, and our building officials, via conference calls, Zoom meetings, emails, and letters, to allow a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for half the completed buildings. This allowed residents to re-occupy half of the building while NEI continued renovation work in the other half, which allowed us to start consecutive buildings sooner and gain back lost time from the moratorium shut down.
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GRANT BARNUM, Superintendent: Each of the eight buildings had to get a different sitespecific COVID plan created and approved by the city. In general, this consisted of setting up a construction fence around the buildings and creating a central checkpoint for each, including a computer hookup to thermal cameras, a hand wash station, a changing room, swing gates on stairs, multiple hand sanitizer stations, and multilingual signage at every checkpoint and throughout all corridors. Since we needed to demo the existing boilers, we also hooked up a temporary electric hot water heater, as the hand wash stations were required to have hot running water. After setting all of this up, it needed not only to be maintained but continually modified, as each building had different areas we were renovating. This required constant redirection of field staff to drop what we were doing, in order to comply with the required protocols.
Each morning, NEI would man the COVID checkpoint, which funneled workers into a single line, six feet apart. After being temperature checked, each worker got a Cleared for Work hardhat sticker, color-coded by the day. This got increasingly difficult when we were working at multiple addresses and it typically took over an hour each morning just to check in the workers, at the same time when subs are starting their day and requesting critical information to complete their daily tasks. It became a challenge to maintain the gate while also having these essential morning meetings. But then, we had to face another obstacle: the increasing unpredictability of available materials. Lead times doubled or tripled, and costs increased. Storage was limited in the buildings so we rented three vacant lots to be able to place storage containers and pre-order materials, which worked well in some situations but also added a layer to the handling of materials. Instead of having appliances brought directly from the delivery truck and into the units, we had to have the delivery company load them into containers. Then when we were ready for the appliances, we had to hire a moving company to transfer the appliances from the container into the units. NEI enlisted a COVID enforcement officer who would pop up onsite for surprise weekly visits, to make sure everyone was wearing their protective gear and to ensure we were all following the necessary protocols. In addition, various city COVID inspectors required that the buildings be totally emptied out and for all surfaces to be wiped down before entering. When I received a call that an inspector was en route, we would sound an air horn to evacuate the building. The subs would then wait on the opposite side of the street, six feet apart from each other, a line of workers snaking down the sidewalk. Then we would sound the horn again when the inspection was done.
A large part of this success was due to NEI’s relentless approach to develop and implement a very comprehensive COVID site plan... The PPE requirement that workers wear tear-resistant gloves, face masks, and protective eyewear made it far more difficult to complete simple tasks. Working with small hand tools, nails, pencils, tape measure, as well as using an Ipad, suddenly became very challenging. Dust would get lodged under the masks and on hot days, perspiration as well. Eyewear would constantly fog up. The limitation of only being allowed one trade in a building at a time, with workers maintaining six feet of distance from each other, oftentimes in tight spaces, made coordination that much harder. At one point, the subs’ motivation visibly took a dive. Some workers were worried to be at work but needed to earn a paycheck. Others had co-workers or family members that had tested positive for COVID, which weighed on their minds. This was a big problem that had one of the greatest impacts on the job, as there were constant situations where a subcontractor would have one or two people not show up, due to feeling symptoms or actually having COVID. This was one of our biggest hurdles on a daily basis and disrupted the workflow considerably. Many were now working with a skeleton crew and felt the pressure of having to try and pick up the slack for their diminished workforce. We had to walk a fine line to continue to keep the pressure on without adding too much that would cause the subs to make costly mistakes or produce inferior work. It was a very delicate tightrope, but the team all worked together and made it happen!
Thank You to the Team Thanks to all Granite Lena team members who helped bring this project home! HONORABLE MENTIONS: PM: Chris Carucci Asst. Superintendent: Chris Hanson Carpenters: Javier Velazquez, Eddie Flores, Fausto Silvestre Laborers: Clarita Maldonado, Jack Federer, John Lowery And a double down shout out to Brendan Driscoll, who was promoted to Assistant Superintendent while working on this project. Trial by fire! Congratulations Brendan.
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COVER STORY
Historic Rehabilitation of former Indian Motorcycle Factory NEI is proudly adding another historic rehab in Springfield, MA with First Resource Development Company to the portfolio. Mason Square II at Indian Motorcycle involved the historic rehabilitation of an existing 55,000 SF mill building and an adjacent 15,000 SF firehouse. Located in the McKnight National Historic District at 837 State Street, the existing historic building is best known as the original home of the Indian Motorcycle Factory where the famed motorcycles were built and distributed nationwide. Despite the impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic, the project was completed on time. Mason Square II at Indian Motorcycle consists of 60 affordable rental units ranging from one bedroom to three bedrooms which were fully occupied shortly after completion. The property appears as a gateway to its neighbor, the American International College (AIC), and is located on a major bus route that allows easy access to the surrounding area. The Square is also nearby to banks, parks, restaurants, and major commuter routes including I-90 and I-290. “We have a long-standing relationship with NEI General Contracting, and this is our eighth project together. They share our commitment to historic preservation and affordable housing to improve and create communities that are secure and appealing, vital and revitalized,” said Gordon Pulsifer, President of First Resource Development Company. “With every project, we are mindful of neighborhood history; we are committed to building on the positives that each unique history conveys to a community. We also look to the future, serving as a catalyst for improvement and change.” NEI General Contracting started by renovating the existing site drainage systems and new site utility work to support the renovation of the mill and firehouse buildings before demolition of existing structures, the addition of drainage system, and site improvements to create an accessory parking lot to support future residents. The mill building was renovated to include 45 apartment units. NEI left most of the timber beams intact to reflect the mill aesthetic. In addition, the historic renovation of the façade included large 4′ x 8′ windows and the repair of existing masonry. The firehouse also underwent interior and exterior renovations to create 15 apartment units.
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NEI’s continued dedication to the preservation of historic and landmark properties is evident in the company’s expansive portfolio of successful projects. As a direct result of its unwavering commitment and leadership to restoring historic properties, NEI was awarded the Preservation Massachusetts Paul Tsongas Award for Construction Planning in addition to eight other preservation awards for its work in the New England community. The renovation was designed by The Architectural Team (TAT).
Thank You to the Team OWNER: First Resource Development Company ARCHITECTS: The Architectural Team. Landscape Architect: Schadler Selnau Associates NEI PROJECT TEAM: PX: Antonio Tenreiro. PM: Del Laluc. GEN SUPT: Bill Young. SUPT: Carl Sheinhost. ASST SUPT: Carl Gambardella. ADMIN: Lynn Bailey. COMPLIANCE: Jordan Pomare. RISK: Tiffany Stahl. ENGINEERING: MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL: Acorn Consulting Engineers Inc. SITE: Merrimack Engineering Services Inc. STRUCTURAL: Szewczak Associates INTERIOR DESIGN: Boston Hill Design WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM: Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund Board, The Property and Casualty Initiative, LLC, WNC Holdings, LLC, Department of Housing and Community Development, MHIC
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built for good
27 Pacella Park Drive | Randolph, MA 02368 | (781) 356-7666 2707 Rew Circle | Ocoee, FL 34761 | (407) 347-4417
www.neigc.com