A downtown block will close on weekends for a while. Construction will start at 7 a.m.
Some 60 downtowners learned those and other details Wednesday night about what to expect when the state starts building the new $187 million downtown campus of Gateway Community College. The state expects to break ground within a few weeks.
The preview came at a public meeting the Omni Hotel’s ballroom. It came from officials of Dimeo Construction, the company overseeing the work.
They described a four-phase construction job lasting until May 2012.
Dimeo’s Douglas Peckham (pictured) said work for the most part would take place between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with some extended hours.
“We’re very excited to start,” Peckham said. “We’ve all been looking forward to it.”
Some in the audience had questions; overall people appeared satisfied with Peckham’s answers. Peckham said this is why he wanted to have this type of meeting and plans to have more.
One audience member suggested that people in the area should be alerted beforehand of when the noise will begin.
“People get upset when things like that happen and they haven’t been told,” she said. If people are at least aware of the noise beforehand, she said, they “can live with it,” even if they’re not happy about it.
Peckham said he understands the concern. He said construction can be a difficult operation, but “when it’s planned properly and effectively, and we understand the concerns of the neighborhood there are things that we can control.”
Peckham said his company has made some precautions to limit noise, such as using drilling instead of driving.
From November 2009 through August 2010, construction crews will shut down the underground tunnel used by downtown businesses for truck deliveries. As smaller trucks are diverted through the Omni garage, Peckham said, his company will have made precautions in the case of power outages.
“We’ll also be working with UI [United Illuminated],” said Peckham, “to preposition some electric transformers. In the event within that 10 months there’s a power failure in this [former] Chapel Square [Mall], we’ll have a way to keep the businesses running.”
Also during this phase, Peckham said delivery points will be set up so that business can get packages.
“We have protocol set up with businesses we’ll be meeting with weekly,” said Peckham, with a point person to monitor deliveries.
He said the Omni, being the largest delivery point, has been working with his company on the delivery issue.
Peckham said that after November 2010, 600 new parking spaces will be ready, easing congestion in the area.
Starting in September of 2010, George Street will close between Temple and Church streets on weekend days for at least three months. (It will reopen at night.)
The final phase, slated to begin in June 2011, will involve interior work and landscaping design.
Peckham encouraged everyone at the meeting to sign up to receive updates regarding the construction. He promised email updates so that people can be “well aware of what’s going on.”
Please add yourself to the webpage listed in the commenter name (http://groups.google.com/group/DWSCMT) to add yourself to the notification email list. Last night at the meeting Alderman Clark asked the Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team to be one of the outlets used by the project managers to get in contact with the residents. Join the google group to receive updated project information, as well as other important community information.