Columbia Const. breaks ground for Special Olympics Mass. hqtrs.

Columbia Construction Company celebrated the groundbreaking for Special Olympics Massachusetts' (SOMA) new headquarters, the Yawkey Sports Training Center, 512 Forest St. The new 25,000 s/f training facility and athletic fields will be located on a five-acre site. This building will house their executive offices, support facilities and 4,000 s/f of flexible classroom space that will provide a suitable venue for fundraising and banquet functions. The new "SOMA Central" will enable the organization to better serve the more than 10,000 athletes, in more than 118 athletic competitions in 26 sports. It will also enable SOMA to consolidate disparate and expensive field operations, and provide top-notch and more frequent training for its growing base of volunteers, coaches and athletes. SOMA has already raised $5.8 million for the new center, and a capital campaign is currently underway to raise the remainder of the funds needed to make the project a reality by fall of 2009. The total cost of the building will be $10.8 million. The project team includes DiGiorgio Assoc., Inc., B.R.T. Management and Consulting, owner's representative; Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, civil engineer; and Engineers Design Group, structural engineer.