IN-PROGRESS: Main Post Office Expansion

[Garris]

I'm not sure if it had its own thread or not, but it appears as if the huge expansion of the Main Post Office on West River Street has started. It'll take up the rest of the available land there and will be entirely mechanized (i.e. no new jobs). I haven't seen a render but I'm expecting a big, flat, windowless box myself...

I only start the thread now since it appears that prepping the ground has begun in earnest. It was supposed to start construction in March but was delayed a bit.

[Frankie811]

I'm not sure if it had its own thread or not, but it appears as if the huge expansion of the Main Post Office on West River Street has started. It'll take up the rest of the available land there and will be entirely mechanized (i.e. no new jobs). I haven't seen a render but I'm expecting a big, flat, windowless box myself...

I only start the thread now since it appears that prepping the ground has begun in earnest. It was supposed to start construction in March but was delayed a bit.

[Frankie811]

FSS Building Expansion

Providence Main Post Office

West River St

This project was suppose to start in mid-February but the USPS and the main contractor, Whiting-Turner, were in dispute over costs. It took untill May to come to a settlement. The project calls for a 153,00 sq ft building which will sit on over 8 acres of land, some of which belonged to the former Quebcor Printing Company. The USPS bought their building and land from them in 2000 for $ 2.75mil. The building will house three FSS machines, each the length of a football field. It will be connected to the main plant via the 1996 expansion building. Some or possibly all operations from the Cape Cod and Brockton plants will move here, meaning the possible closing of one or both plants. The project is expected to be completed in 2010.

From Projo: Major expansion planned for Providence post office

The federal agency wants to build a 153,000-square-foot structure next to the existing 245,000-square-foot building to house three enormous machines used to sort large envelopes and magazines.

[Frankie811]

Some photos of the land. Currently, inspection of the sewer system is in the works, and there's rumors of sink holes.

[Frankie811]

Batch 2

[mental757]

Assuming there will be new/additional jobs (good/secure fed. gov't jobs) this is great news. Filling in some more density although low-rise, is good too. Thanks for the photos!

[Garris]

Assuming there will be new/additional jobs (good/secure fed. gov't jobs) this is great news. Filling in some more density although low-rise, is good too. Thanks for the photos!

[jencoleslaw]

This was one of the last things I saw at CPC and they didn't have to come in for our approval but they did anyway. I don't remember it being awful or ugly. we tried to talk them into making sure they kept all those big trees that are in the current parking lot...I don't know how that was ever resolved.

[Frankie811]

we tried to talk them into making sure they kept all those big trees that are in the current parking lot...I don't know how that was ever resolved.

[Garris]

Have you tried that cafe yet? Any good? What time do they open up in the morning?

[jencoleslaw]

Apparently it wasen't, because they've all come down. At least the ones close to the fence near the building. And all those trees were full of birds.

[quente]

From what I've read, no new jobs, unfortunately...

[Frankie811]

I don't suppose the USPS pays any property taxes do they?

[Frankie811]

Too bad about the jobs.

[Cotuit]

So Garris and Frankie work in the same neighborhood? Am I smelling a lunch date?

[Garris]

Construction seems to be moving... It looks like foundation work has begun.

[Frankie811]

Construction seems to be moving... It looks like foundation work has begun.

[Sam H]

are there any renderings of this?

[Garris]

are there any renderings of this?

[Frankie811]

I haven't seen any... Right now it's looking like one big, very rectangular box...

[mental757]

PBN 2/21/09: "Postal Service takes next step in automated service"

http://pbn.com/detail/40465.html

snippets:

"The Postal Service is constructing a 151,000-square-foot building alongside the existing 245,000-square-foot sorting facility to pave the way for the installation of three enormous new machines that will streamline the sorting of large envelopes, magazines and other nonletter items, which are known as

[Cotuit]

"The Postal Service has also discussed the possibility of shuttering its Cape Cod sorting facility and consolidating its operations with those in Providence."

[Frankie811]

I guess that would spell the end of the "Cape Cod" postmark that such a big fuss was made of in the early 90s. The facility is in Sagamore and all mail from the Cape had a "Sagamore" postmark on it. Someone made a big fuss and they changed it to "Cape Cod."

[Cotuit]

Uhm, there is no "Buzzards Bay Bridge."

But yes, I think it may have been the Buzzards Bay mark. The Sagamore controversy was maybe about closing that office that is technically in a Cape town but on the other side of the bridge. As if people in Sagamore couldn't go to Plymouth or Buzzards Bay.

There's been lots of little controversies like that all over the country, which makes it seem rather obvious why the Postal Service is in the mess it is in now. Every time they've tried to save money in the past, they've been shot down.

[Frankie811]

There's been lots of little controversies like that all over the country, which makes it seem rather obvious why the Postal Service is in the mess it is in now. Every time they've tried to save money in the past, they've been shot down.