On October 21 , 2010 , DCC employees Jeffrey Hopkins ( from left ), Tony Ambrosio , James Paul and Frederick Hart attended a sod turning ceremony to mark the upgrade at CFS St . John ’ s .
Project : consolidating CFS St . John ’ S
With the awarding of the largest single building contract in Newfoundland and Labrador ’ s history , the Corporation is not only helping to consolidate DND ’ s facilities at CFS St . John ’ s , but is also preserving a location and presence significant in Canadian military history . The property known as Pleasantville was used as a training ground for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I . It later operated as an American military base , chosen because of the largely ice-free deep harbour in St . John ’ s . It has been operating as a Canadian Forces Station for more than 40 years .
Its history , however , is working against it when it comes to the state of the buildings on the site : deteriorated , dysfunctional and widely dispersed over 25.5 hectares of land . Now , DCC has awarded a $ 117-million contract to Bird Construction to replace 13 buildings with a single building . The contract involves demolition , site remediation and new construction , as well as finding space for and relocating more than 700 station personnel during the process .
The new four-storey , 28,000-square-metre , multi-use facility will house vehicle maintenance garages , warehouse space , a gymnasium , a medical unit , a mess hall and offices , and will be constructed to a LEED Silver standard . A second project will improve roads leading to and within the site , and includes a Military Family Resource Centre .
Complicating the process are the need to ship construction materials into Newfoundland and the challenge of procuring construction tradespeople , who are in short supply in St . John ’ s due to a hot building market . In addition , the project has been developed as a “ draw / build ” rather than a “ design / build ” project . This means that many elements of the project , including the footprint and look , were already decided on , but the contractor had to design others , such as details of the electrical and mechanical systems , before submitting a bid .
Completion is expected in fiscal 2013-14 — a welcome development for those who work and live at CFS St . John ’ s , who have been anticipating the project since 2006 .
130 BREAKING NEW GROUND DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA