Work continues apace on the city’s new senior center as contractors overcome the weather-related issues which have arisen this winter. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – P3 Inc., the Norwell-based planning firm handling the nuts and bolts of the new Westfield Senior Center on Noble Street, released a progress report this week highlighting the project’s completed steps, along with the next phases in the project and some of the minor snags hit thus far.
According to the report, the installation of aluminum storefront doors and PVC beadboard in the building’s eves has been completed, while numerous other installations will be completed by the end of the month.
Exterior siding has been installed on 80 percent of the building, while 70 percent of the building’s rough ductwork has also been completed.
“The entry and doorway areas need to be completed,” said Daniel Pallotta, project manager for P3, Inc. yesterday. “It’s been a rough month, weather-wise, but we’re right about on schedule. We don’t have any delays that are concerning the project team at this point in time.”
The installation of the closed-cell spray foam insulation on the underside of the roof decking has started and will continue throughout the month along with the installation of the fire protecting sprinkler system.
“There’s going to be quite a bit of insulation. This is going to be an extremely energy-efficient building,” said Pallotta. “Rather than rushing to finish the building, we’re taking our time and making sure that everything is done to the Mayor’s satisfaction with regard to quality.”
Rough plumbing, electrical and heating, and ventilating and air-conditioning services will be arriving later this month, along with the installation of the facility’s kitchen freezer and cooler.
Only the installation of the project’s architectural asphalt shingles has been put on hold for the project, with P3 Inc., stating they will return to the shingle work when the weather warms up enough to melt all of the snow off of the roof.
Pallotta said that the shingle work will not be the final job to complete on the facility, as the interior work will be the last hurdle to jump for the project.
“After the permanent shingles go on, the actual finishes will start going up – the sheetrock, the trim work, the millwork, along with painting and flooring,” said Pallotta.
Pallotta added that Forish Construction, the general contractor for the project, is responsible for plowing the entire site until they have finished the project and hand over the keys of the new senior center to the City of Westfield, a transaction estimated to occur later this year.
“At the beginning of the project, the general contractor furnishes the city with a start-to-finish schedule,” he said. “Within that schedule they build in an appropriate amount of down time for weather-related delays based on the average weather of the past 5 years.”
He praised Forish’s efforts during the construction of the senior center, which Pallotta believes will be “the most beautiful senior center in the state.”
“They’re doing an awesome job and the city is lucky to have them,” said Pallotta. “It’s going to be an awesome place. It’s exciting and good for the city.”
Forish Construction President Eric Forish said this morning that he is anticipating his workers will be hanging drywall within the next week or two and added that all of the accumulated snowfall hasn’t impeded the project’s progress.
“It’s been more of an inconvenience. It doesn’t affect us inside because the building is airtight, but outside we obviously clean up the snow and get it out of the way so out contractors can carry on,” he said.
Forish said that he is sticking with the original projected completion date of around Labor Day but added that he wouldn’t be opposed to finishing early.
“If we can do better and improve on that (date), we’ll certainly do our best to see it happen,” he said, which is music to the ears of Westfield Council on Aging Director Tina Gorman, who concurred that “everything is on schedule” this morning.
“We looking at a September opening still, but once construction is complete, we’ll have to move in our furniture and set up our technology,” she said after a sip of coffee in The Press Room Coffee Shoppe this morning. “It is looking great and every one of the contractors says that it is going to be a very energy-efficient building.”
In response to Pallotta’s claim that the building will be the most beautiful senior center in the state, Gorman smiled with satisfaction.
“We certainly feel that way, too,” she said.
Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik stated this morning that the official naming process is underway with the city council and city officials are “awaiting the grand opening this fall.”
