On Saturday, December 15th, Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston led the parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Weymouth in the dedication of their new church, built to replace a landmark four-story brick structure built in 1882 that burned to the ground in June 2005.
"When you build for the Archdiocese, you have to book the Cardinal well in advance," said John Galasso, project manager for TLT Construction Corp. of Wakefield, Mass., construction manager on the $9.9 million project. "In October 2006, we committed to opening Sacred Heart Church in the first week of December 2007. Although the last four to five weeks is always a push to the finish, we made it with time to spare, well in advance of Christmas."
Designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative Architects of Boston, the project was built with 100% union participation and was completed on time and within budget. The small footprint of the site, located on two main streets and abutting the operating Parish school posed a significant challenge to construction sequencing and operations. During the final weeks leading up to the dedication, TLT used day, night and weekend crews to coordinate last minute construction activities with vendors installing the 14,000-pound, hand-crafted marble and granite altar from Italy; pews; sound systems and a new pipe organ.
TLT's experience at Sacred Heart Church has strengthened the 32-year-old firm's reputation as one of the region's most dependable construction managers and general contractors. Sacred Heart Church may now be counted among many church and school projects successfully built by TLT for the Archdiocese.
"TLT brought everything to the table on this project," says Rev. Daniel J. Riley, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church. "John (Galasso) and Bruce Bourgeois (TLT Field Superintendent) had a great team-centered approach. Tom (Kostinden, TLT President) made frequent visits to our site. Throughout construction, it was clear that our project was as important to TLT as it was to our displaced parishioners."
"We enjoy high-visibility projects that contribute to the growth and well-being of communities," says Ed Dann, TLT's Director of Business Development. "Our work on schools, churches, YMCA facilities and medical centers have a positive impact on peoples' lives. Our responsibility is two-fold on these projects, to the owner and to the people who benefit from its services."
TLT has been engaged with United Teen Equality Center in Lowell, Mass. on a sustainable design proposal for the renovation of its new location, the former St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The mission of the UTEC organization is to curb street violence among gangs. TLT is also the CM on a housing project at the Germaine Lawrence School for troubled adolescent girls in Arlington Mass.
Tom Kostinden, president of TLT, is an active proponent of Construction Management at Risk (CM-at-Risk) wherein TLT acts as a general contractor during construction, assuming the risk of subcontracting the work and guaranteeing completion of the project for a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). The Construction Manager must assume the risk in completing the project as agreed for the GMP - thus "at Risk."
"In the private sector, clients are seeking predictability on matters of cost, quality and schedule," says Kostinden, whose company has been awarded several projects as CM-at-Risk, including an Urgent Care Facility for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Lee, New Hampshire and the Seacoast Cancer Center for Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH. The awarding of the contracts closely followed two successful CM-at-Risk ventures: an addition to Wentworth-Douglass' Ambulatory Services Building in Dover, New Hampshire to house its new Pediatric Regional Institute and a stand-alone Central Utility Plant, and the Peabody-Lynnfield YMCA. Both efforts delivered projects of exceptional quality under budget and months ahead of the anticipated opening. A collaborative value engineering effort retained all planned facilities despite inflationary pressures on the budget.
TLT is currently under contract on a $70 million master plan at Wentworth Douglass Hospital and design/build proposals with Dennis Mires, P.A. The Architects of Manchester, NH for St. Joseph's Hospital in Nashua, N.H. and Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.
TLT has grown into a leading Construction Manager/General Contractor by specializing in Educational, Recreational, Commercial, Housing and Healthcare construction projects.
The foundation of TLT Construction Corp's business focused culture is it's committed drive for excellence in striving to deliver success to each and every client for which they work. This is their mission, and it also explains why TLT Construction Corp. has remained in business for so long. They are focused on this commitment and unwavering in their attention to stay focused on this commitment.
Integrity is the cornerstone of their client relationships: their clients know that they can trust TLT. What they say they can do, they will do. Thanks to their employees' determination and passion, they will always stand behind their actions and results.