NETCO Construction Project Managers

Norton’s Point Bridge Restoration

Chris — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:10:07 +0000

Cost: Undetermined
Architect: McGinley Kalsow and Associates, Inc.
Project: Renovation of 1912 vehicle bridge

The Norton’s Point Association, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, has retained the services of NETCO to act as Owner’s Representative for the renovation of the Norton’s Point Road Bridge. The bridge was constructed around 1912 and spans a right of way controlled by the MBTA.

NETCO’s role in the project began with the search for an Architect and Structural Engineer to design structural improvements and architectural restoration of the bridge. Communication and coordination between the owner, designer, MBTA and the contractor are the primary tasks for the duration of the project. The project is currently in the design phase. Construction is scheduled to be completed by late fall of 2013.

Lowell Green Repair Projects

Chris — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:53:10 +0000

Cost: $1,800,000
Project: Window Replacement

The City of Lowell is participating in the Massachusetts School Building Association’s program to upgrade the energy efficiency of several of their school buildings. While some of the projects have been completed, the Moody Elementary School and the Washington Elementary School are scheduled to receive new energy efficient windows later this year. Both schools are in historically sensitive areas and special care will be taken to match the original units.

NETCO was hired as the OPM to coordinate between all parties and monitor the entire process of the project as a representative of the City. The project has been designed, the general contractors have been signed, and the windows have been ordered. Construction will occur during the summer break in 2013. The projects are scheduled to be completed in late September of 2013.

Berkley Town Office Building

Chris — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:04:07 +0000

Cost: $2,600,000.00
Square footage: 10,000
Architect: Johnson Roberts Associates

The Town of Berkley has been operating out of a partially condemned building, the original Town Hall building and a series of trailers for several years. The voters finally appropriated $3,500,000 to hire a project manager, architect and general contractor to provide the Town with a new Town office bulding that will consolidate all Town offices in a single building. The voters also asked that 2,000 square feet of the new building be dedicated to the Council on Aging to be used by the Town’s seniors.

NETCO was hired to help guide the Town Office Building Committee through the entire building process. The architect, Johnson Roberts Associates, has just been hired and the project is about to enter the schematic design phase. Once a schematic design has been approved the Project will quickly move into and through design development and on to construction drawings. The building is presently scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2014.

Wetland Replication

Chris — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:59:38 +0000

NETCO Construction Project Managers recently completed a large wetland replication project for the Town of Weymouth, Massachusetts. The wetland replication involved expanding an existing wetland area over a 1,000 lineal foot area covering 16,000 square feet of new wetlands. The wetland replacement work was required due to another area of wetlands taken for a sewer line project.

The work involved extensive clearing, grubbing, tree and stump removal, excavation (4,000 cubic yards), placement of a wetland soils mix material, temporary stream diversion, a vegetative planting program (845 shrubs, trees, saplings, and ferns), site erosion control during construction, and restoration seeding of the entire area for both dry and moist sites. The project required six weeks to complete.

The engineering firm for the project was Weston and Sampson. Inspection of the work was performed both by the engineer and the Town of Weymouth Conservation Commission. No problems were encountered during the project and the work was completed just before Hurricane Sandy impacted the area.

NETCO Coir Gabion Mattresses

Chris — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:12:56 +0000

Gabion mattresses have long been used as an erosion control product to stabilize and reinforce coastal banks, stream banks, hillsides and beaches undergoing surface erosion. Traditional gabion mattresses have been made from either steel wire or plastic. In the last three years, NETCO has developed and tested a biodegradable coir fabric gabion mattress as an alternative product to traditional gabion mattresses that use high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic materials or steel wire. The NETCO coir mattress design can be fabricated to meet almost any project configuration requirement. The mattress is a three layer 1,000 gram/layer coir system with an inner liner layer of jute/burlap and comes with internal baffles to hold the rock and sand from shifting. As with traditional gabion mattresses, the coir gabion mattress can be filled with sand, rock, or a combination of the two.

The standard NETCO coir gabion mattress is 9 feet long by 5 feet wide by 1 foot in thickness. A common alternative mattress is 9 foot long by 5 feet wide by .5 feet (six inches) in thickness. NETCO will also fabricate the NETCO gabion mattresses to fit any project design

The coir gabion mattress was designed by NETCO to meet the increasing interest by property owners and regulatory bodies in placing sturdy, but biodegradable coastal and shoreline erosion control products in coastal environments. The durability of the coir mattress is outstanding in that it is normally deployed in project configurations where it will remain continuously covered with sand or other cover materials, thereby minimizing UV deterioration. NETCO has utilized the coir gabion mattress system for beach surface drainage layers under other, above ground beach and coastal bank erosion control materials (e.g., coir envelopes, gabion baskets, coir logs/waddles), walkways, as a coastal bank protection system, and as terrace structures on sandy/unstable soils.

Contact NETCO at 781-863-6270 or email info@netcomanage.com for additional information and quotations on the coir gabion mattress product and/or installation services.

Click on any image to view as a slide show.

Massachusetts School Building Authority Green Repair Program

Chris — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:17:13 +0000

The MSBA’s Green Repair Program is designed to provide funding for the repair or replacement of windows, roofs, and boilers in structurally sound school buildings. The Green Repair Program requires designs based on high performance sustainability requirements.

As approved Owner’s Project Managers for the Green Repair Program, NETCO is currently providing Project Management for projects in the following communities:

Lowell Public Schools: 7 projects in 4 elementary schools
Sandwich Public Schools: 4 projects in 2 elementary schools
Nauset Regional High School, Orleans: 2 projects
Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical School, Bourne: 1 project
Toy Town Elementary School, Winchendon: 1 project

Jerusalem Beach, Narragansett, RI

Dave — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:04:22 +0000

Several properties in the Jerusalem Beach area had been experiencing extensive erosoion to the point where foundations of the homes were becoming exposed. Due to regulatory restrictions, rock and gabion installations were not allowed. Thus, the homeowners evaluated a series of “soft” solutions to reduce both the rates of erosion and stabilize the coastal bank. With the help of their permitting consultant, the bank stabilization method slected was to install a series of coir envelopes (both straight line and “scalloped”) including use of white oak toe anchor posts. In addition, the installation involved sand nourishment to reestablish the slope of the coastal bank and provide coverage over the coir envelopes. NETCO completed the installation of the coir envelopes and stabilization system in four weeks, including the use of oscillating post driver. Close to 350 white oak posts (4″x4″x 12′) were used as toe anchor posts.

Wetland, Salt Marsh and Shoreline Restoration

Chris — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:38:49 +0000

Ecological restoration projects encourage the reestablishment of natural shoreline, dune, coastal bank, wetland, salt marsh, and buffer zones that have been lost or damaged due to natural forces or human activities. NETCO has completed several projects in sensitive wetland and salt marsh environments where we have applied our expertise in the use of biodegradable materials, plant relocation, bank and dune stabilization, and natural wetland/salt marsh plantings. We work with permitting and other wetland scientists and consultants to provide recommendations for the most economical, effective and “constructible” restoration program.

Fencing

Nina — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:31:22 +0000

Different types of fencing have evolved over the years to help protect and encourage accretion of sand on coastal beaches and dunes. The type of fencing product used depends on the wave environment. In very low or no wave environments, the wood-slat sand fence, in some locales also known as snow fence, is a low cost method of encouraging wind blown sand accretion. In low to medium intensity wave zones, the sand drift fence is used to encourage wind blown sand accretion, as well as sand accretion/wave energy dissipation, from wave up-rush on the beach face. Sand drift fencing can be constructed of either wood or synthetic mesh products and is anchored with 5 to 8 inch diameter posts. NETCO’s vibro post driver facilitates the installation of fence posts with both speed and accuracy.

Additional fencing products offered by NETCO include livestock and deer fencing as well as standard wood guardrail fencing.

Photos: top-left: duneguard sand drift fence; top-right: vibro post driver; bottom-left: wooden guard rail; bottom-right: livestock and deer fence.

Boardwalks, Bridges, Stairs, Walkways

Nina — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:21:24 +0000

A necessary element in many shoreline, coastal bank, wetland, and salt marsh areas, are walkway and bridge structures. NETCO fabricates and installs boardwalks of all types and sizes, pedestrian bridge structures, coastal stair structures, and wetland/salt marsh walkways. We use non-intrusive installation methods, including helical anchors, to preserve and protect existing wetlands and vegetation, and we employ both natural and synthetic building materials as each project may require. We will design, fabricate, and install such structures to fit individual site, regulatory, and aesthetic requirements.