First of three public safety projects completed for the town of Brattleboro, VT. Officials from the town of Brattleboro and DEW Construction Corp. celebrated the grand opening of the new 4,415 sq. ft. West Brattleboro Fire Station on Saturday, April 22. The new West Brattleboro station is part of a $12.8 million project to improve health and safety and address space issues for the town’s police and fire departments. Currently under construction is an addition at Central Fire Station downtown and renovations at 62 Black Mountain Road, where the police station will be located.
DEW
Grass Fire Doused by DEW Employees
A roadside grass fire halted construction of DEW’s new U.S. Port of Entry project on Tuesday, April 12th. Thanks to their quick actions, DEW employees doused the fire before any damage could happen. A small fire started on the grassy edge off I-91 but winds pushed the flames down the embankment and into several small trees and bushes. Subcontractor Dalton Lefevre (SD Ireland) was first to discover the fire and immediately notified DEW and fire authorities. DEW foreman Tom Langlois and carpenter Tim Menard grabbed fire extinguishers and were able to douse the flames before they spread to the project. The fire was almost out by the time the fire department arrived.
Safford Commons Housing Celebrates Opening
Officials gathered on September 22nd to celebrate the grand opening of the Safford Commons housing complex. The Woodstock Community Trust, Twin Pines Housing Trust and Housing Vermont partnered to develop the new affordable housing located just outside of downtown Woodstock, Vt. The project, located on an 8-acre site, included the construction of 10 buildings with 24 apartments and the redevelopment of a former Grange Hall/church building into four apartments. Twenty-three of the apartments are available for low-income households. Safford Commons consists of 10 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom and 2 three-bedroom units. The apartments feature front porches and energy efficient design and materials. Duncan Wisniewski Architecture was the architect on the project, and DEW Construction Corp. served as the general contractor.
Bright Street Housing Co-op Underway
Burlington, VT– Two local nonprofit housing developers were joined by Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, Vermont’s Speaker of the House Shap Smith and DEW Construction Corp to mark the beginning of construction of a new housing co-op in Burlington. “The Bright Street Housing Cooperative will create greatly-needed new affordable housing opportunities in Burlington, and will continue the recent progress of a substantial new investment in the Old North End,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “We know that community centers and downtowns are what many young families seek out as they search for places to work and grow a home. The Bright Street Housing Cooperative provides housing opportunity in this neighborhood in a way that reflects local needs and values. It was created with community involvement. When complete, it will offer housing that people need and can afford,” added Vermont Speaker of the House Shap Smith. Two nonprofits- Champlain Housing Trust and Housing Vermont- are collaborating to build the development that will create 40 new homes on the one and a quarter acre brownfield site. Construction is underway, and occupancy is expected in September 2016. Four old, blighted buildings are to be removed to make way for the new housing in three buildings. Land is set aside for the possibility of installing a community garden at a later date. “While this project will bring long lasting housing and community development benefits to residents, […]
UVM Miller Research Complex Breaks Ground
Today marked the official start of construction for two new barns at the University of Vermont Miller Research complex. One barn will be used for research, the other for instructional use by the CREAM program (Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management). This is the first phase of a three-phase $10 million upgrade of the farm. Tom Vogelmann, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences says a lot has changed since the old facility was built back in the 1960s, including the size of the cows. They have been bred to be 30 percent larger than they were 40 years ago. And more space will allow the program to grow. With agriculture becoming increasingly important, the university would like to see the farm complex become the “farm for the future.” One of the challenges for modern farms will be to become as energy-efficient as possible, Vogelmann said. The new barn will be built with a goal to become energy neutral down the line. The new barns will be structurally equipped for solar panels, to be added at a later time, and they’re looking at methane digesters to create bio-gas. DEW Construction Corp. was hired as general contractor for the project and S2 Architecture is providing architectural services. The project is slated for completion in September of this year.
