The Quonset Development Corp. (QDC) is moving its administrative offices and maintenance garage into one consolidated building in the Business Park to clear the way for $230 million in private investment and creation of almost 3,000 new jobs.
The relocation signals the ongoing successful transformation of the old Navy Base into a thriving business park. We'll be moving QDC administrative offices and storage space from a 1972 Navy building and indoor firing range to make way for the Quonset Gateway mixed use development. The $144 million project with office space, community space, pedestrian walkways and retail will serve as the front door to the Business Park. Site preparation is underway with construction expected to begin this spring. The Gateway developers will demolish the old Navy buildings to make way for a new office building and hotel. The Gateway is expected to provide employment opportunities for 2,160 workers, most of them in targeted high wage sectors and office and research and development fields.
The QDC maintenance garage is moving from a vintage Quonset hut structure that will be demolished by Ocean State Job Lot as it continues its $87 million expansion. Already Ocean State Job Lot has expanded its workforce to over 500 and expects even further growth with the ongoing development. The massive 54,000 s/f Quonset hut used by the QDC maintenance staff to garage and services its vehicles was built in 1942.
QDC has taken the opportunity to design an efficient combined administration building and maintenance garage. The $3.4 million building is one third the size of our existing space, but it consolidates staff in one location which will streamline operations and communication.
The new building also incorporates innovative environmentally savvy designs. Not only are there low flow toilets, we've also installed two massive cisterns to collect rainwater for use in irrigation. The landscaping includes drought resistance plantings.
The heating costs for the new building will also be reduced. The maintenance garage has a state-of the art furnace system that will utilize the used oil from our fleet of 16 vehicles. The use of recycled motor oil for heat is the latest development that has led to major changes in the way people think about used oil. The oil from our snowplows, construction trucks, law mowers, and port security vehicles will be drained into an on site tank, filtered and burned. A gallon of used motor oil can generate about 140,000 BTU's of energy- about the same as home heating oil. This system takes motor oil that would normally be discarded and converts it into a valuable energy source. The recycling of the used oil l saves on energy bills, eliminates hauling fees and helps preserve the environment.
The new QDC building is 18,900 s/f, not including a new 1,680 s/f salt storage shed. The construction is concrete and corrugated metal siding.
The relocation of the administrative building and maintenance garage was included as part of the Business Park's development plan and in fact it is funded by an infrastructure bond issue passed by voters in 2004. While the move involves some logistical relocation and space downsizing, it is a tangible indication of the QDC's success in creating an infrastructure environment that attracts millions of dollars in private development that brings with it thousands of new jobs.
Steven King, P.E., COO Quonset Development Corp., North Kingstown, RI