Wise Construction and East Boston Neighborhood Health Center break ground for $3.5 million Winthrop Community Health Center renovation

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) broke ground on a $3.5 million renovation project to create a new Winthrop Community Health Center at 12 Somerset Ave. Wise Construction is the general contractor and Martin Batt of Isgenuity is the architect. "We are excited to be starting work on this project, which will provide a much-needed and much-anticipated solution to a physician shortage in the town" said Jack Cradock, president and CEO of the Center. "We are grateful for the support we have gotten from the community, which helped to make this project a reality, and the cooperation of local officials in the planning and permitting of the project." Construction of the facility will be completed by early 2012. The restored building, a long vacant, c. 1929 anchor block in the town center, will house the new 7,400 s/f health center that will provide primary care to adults and children and will be fully integrated with the Center's flagship location in East Boston. The new will include examination rooms as well as a lab for point-of-care testing. The structure will also include 3,000 s/f of retail space, bringing the total size of the building to 10,400 s/f. EBNHC has received $500,000 in tax credits from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The project is financed by TD Bank.