BOSTON – The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a task order to the Minnesota-based M.A. Mortenson Company for the construction of a new boathouse at Coast Guard Station Menemsha in Chilmark, Mass., Friday.
The contract to design and build the boathouse followed a competitive solicitation to National Multiple Award Construction Contract Design-Build suppliers.
The approved scope of work includes construction of a 5,000 square-foot single-bay boathouse. The facility will include boat maintenance and crew support spaces as well as a new boat ramp. With the previous boathouse, Coast Guard crews had to drive 30 minutes to use a local boat ramp for routine maintenance.
The original 6,000 square-foot boathouse, built in 1941, was destroyed by fire on July 12, 2010. A joint investigation, completed in 2011 by local, state, and federal authorities, was unable to determine a cause for the fire.
Throughout the planning period to replace the boathouse, Coast Guard officials met with Chilmark residents and town selectmen to solicit input about the building process.
“The team of designers, along with our crews, got together early in the process to make sure we did this right,” said Lt. Joe Klinker, 1st Coast Guard District Public Affairs Officer. “We wanted to honor the history and heritage of Chilmark while building a boathouse equipped for protecting its future.”
Francis Brito, project leader from the Coast Guard’s Facilities Design and Construction Center, said that there are two key goals. “First, we want to provide a functionally effective boathouse to meet current Coast Guard operational requirements” said Brito. “Second, we wanted to accomplish that while retaining the historical character of the original boathouse.”
The solicitation for bids on the project asked companies to propose ways to decrease the size of the building while maintaining its functionality for 21st-century missions. It also sought proposals that would minimize impact on the community during the construction process. Pre-constructing components of the structure before delivery to Menemsha is one example of how M.A. Mortenson Company may accomplish that task.
The contracted completion date is April 19, 2014. A construction start date will be determined as the design and build process moves forward.
Coast Guard appropriations included $10 million to plan, design and rebuild the boathouse.
