KITTERY, Maine — The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is celebrating more than $200 million worth of projects and expansion. On Friday, two U.S. senators including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) joined Navy officials for a groundbreaking ceremony at the shipyard located in Kittery.
The goal of the projects is to boost efficiency and continuing to modernize the nation’s oldest continuously operated public shipyard.
Together, the projects at the Paint, Blast and Rubber Facility of more than 65,000 square feet and a consolidated warehouse of about 29,000 square feet. are worth nearly $80 million.
The event took place hours after the Navy announced the award of a nearly $158 million contract for critical improvements at Dry Dock 1.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to optimize and modernize facilities and infrastructure at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” Cmdr. Doug Herrin, public works officer, told the assembly.
Attending the event was Sen. Collins and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, along with Capt. Daniel Ettlich, the shipyard commander, and officials from contractors Methuen Construction and Cianbro.
Sen. Collins was a speaker at the ceremony. She said she’s proud to have been apart of championing this funding. She says she will always advocate for these projects and is thrilled to say they are “now ready to go," followed with cheers from the crowd.
Shipyard officials said the new Paint, Blast, and Rubber Facility will include low-rise construction, consisting of high and low-bay industrial shop areas, as well as offices, break rooms, locker rooms, training and support spaces.
That facility was designed by Colby Company Engineering of Portland, Maine, and was awarded to Methuen Construction of Plaistow, New Hampshire, for a Base Price of $61,692,000 with a contract completion date in August 2022.
The DLA Consolidated Warehouse facility will construct a new 29,200 square foot addition to the existing warehouse of Building 170A at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
That facility was designed by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic. The contract was awarded to Cianbro Construction of Pittsfield, Maine, for $17,338,100 with a completion date set for January 2021.
