Posts from the Projects Category
WMUR Visits Church Landing Project to Report on Made In America Challenge
Posted by Ross Currier on January 24th, 2012
WMUR New Hampshire visited the Church Landing Expansion project in Meredith to report on the Made In America Challenge taken on by the Inns & Spa at Mill Falls and Conneston Construction. Click on the link below to view the video and article.
http://www.wmur.com/money/30278473/detail.html
Made in America Challenge at Church Landing Phase II Expansion
Posted by Ross Currier on January 4th, 2012
CHURCH LANDING AND CONNESTON CONSTRUCTION, INC. TAKE MADE IN AMERICA CHALLENGE WITH CHURCH LANDING PHASE II EXPANSION
Project will be 95% Made in America Without Significant Increase in Cost
Meredith, N.H. – The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls in Meredith, in conjunction with Conneston Construction, Inc. (CCI), of Gilford, have taken on the Made in America Challenge with the Church Landing Phase II expansion project. The Made in America Challenge, an initiative of ABC-TV’s World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, is based on the simple concept of buying products that are made in America and help put Americans back to work.
“ABC World News Tonight and Diane Sawyer have been touting the virtues of this idea on the show for some time and it sparked our interest here in Meredith as we are in the construction phase of the Church Landing expansion,” said Rusty McLear, president of The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls. “We thought ‘Wouldn’t it be great to take this challenge, make this construction project Made in America, and help create jobs for Americans?’”
CCI began construction this fall on the Church Landing expansion, which features two new buildings with a total of 17,000 square feet of guest rooms, lounges and an in
door-outdoor pool.
“In a construction meeting in October, we went around the room and asked ourselves ‘Would it really be that hard to make sure as much, if not all, of the project was in fact manufactured in this country?’, “ said Ross Currier, Vice President of CCI. “We wondered that maybe a lot of what we’re already buying meets the definition of being Made in America. So that’s just what we did.”
According to Currier, all subcontractors were tasked with analyzing every single material to be used in the construction project to determine if everything being used is Made in America.
“If we determined it wasn’t Made in America, we asked ourselves, can we switch to a product that is domestically made? Is there an option to buy it in the US? If there is, will we have to pay more?,” said Currier. “These were the questions we asked ourselves, and what we discovered is that this expansion project could be 95% Made in America.”
McLear hopes this effort will help to serve as a blueprint for others looking to take the Made in America Challenge and help put Americans back to work.
“While it has taken some effort, this initiative has been well worth the time spent,” said McLear. “We are proud to say this project is 95% American made. Everything from the nails, the steel, the staples, the lumber and the bathtubs are domestically made. The remaining 5% that we weren’t able to buy American included the limited access elevator that we plan to install. That particular type of elevator is just not made in the U.S., but we are working with a manufacturer in Canada to supply that. Additionally, a small amount of the electrical panels, breakers and other switching gear, as well some of the screws, nuts and bolts are made outside the U.S.”
Currier added that the team was able to realize that in some instances products were the same price, yet provided better quality.
“By creating awareness of this effort, we have been able to create a Made in America development, and have not added substantially to the total budget, just $2,000 or so to overall cost,” added McLear. “Even though certain goods are more expensive, in total, the cost of the project is nearly identical. An effort well worth the time, awareness, and minimal increased expense, especially if we can contribute to putting Americans to work.”
McLear noted that while several New Hampshire projects receiving federal stimulus funds are required to buy American made products, this construction project is the only privately funded project in New Hampshire to be Made in America. According to findings on ABC-TV World News, if every builder bought just 5 percent more American materials it could create 220,000 jobs.
ABOUT THE INNS & SPA AT MILL FALLS
The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls broke ground in September 2011 to begin construction on Phase II of its Church Landing expansion. The new development will add 15 deluxe lake view rooms and suites in two new buildings. Named The Birch Lodge and The Boathouse Lodge, the new buildings are being constructed on either side of the existing Lake Shore Cottage which resides on the South end of Church Landing. The new buildings will be connected to the existing Church Landing by a semi-covered cedar walkway. The construction is expected to be completed in May 2012.
All rooms will all offer spectacular lake views, balconies and screened porches. In addition, each room will have a fieldstone fireplace, indoor whirlpool bath, wet bar, double glass and tile shower, and a bathroom LCD TV.
The Inns and Spa at Mill Falls are located in the historic village of Meredith, New Hampshire on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. The Inns family includes the four Inns; Mill Falls, Bay Point, Chase House and Church Landing as well as the Mill Falls Marketplace, the Cascade Spa and Meredith Gas Station. Church Landing was voted 3rd Most Romantic Hotel in the U.S. by Trip Advisor, 2011.
For more information, visit www.millfalls.com or call 800-622-6455.
Surprise Guests Join Spaulding Youth Center Students on New School Tour
Posted by Jeff Downing on December 12th, 2011
Jeff Downing, President of CCI displays the ‘Our New School is Cool’ shirts given to all students on a recent tour of the new school under construction at Spaulding Youth Center.
Pictured with Santa are Plymouth Elementary School 5th Graders (left to right) Ben Downing, Jane Fitzpatrick, Ethan Whitman and Hayden Dahl. Santa’s Elf is first-grader Emily Downing.
Excitement was in the air as students and teachers lined up recently for an inside look at the new school under construction at Spaulding Youth Center. Jeff Downing, President of Conneston Construction (CCI), led the students to the ‘Town Hall’ area of the school where after reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’, an unexpected guest- Santa Claus – arrived carrying a sack of ‘Our New School is Cool’ shirts for the students. 5th Graders from the Plymouth Elementary School joined Santa and added their musical talents and big hearts to the event bringing Holiday joy to the students at Spaulding. “This was wonderful fun for everyone involved and a great bridge between the two groups of kids. We are all kids at heart at Christmas!” commented Downing.
Spaulding Youth Center is a leading provider of educational, therapeutic and foster care programs and services for children and youth with autism, neurological, or behavioral challenges. Spaulding proudly serves youth and their families – transforming lives and helping children and youth achieve their full potential.
For further information contact Joanne Piper Lang, Marketing and Communications Director, 603-286-7500 ext. 534 or jlang@spauldingyouthcenter.org or visit www.spauldingyouthcenter.org.
Spaulding Youth Center – Board of Directors and Trustee Tour
Posted by Jeff Downing on November 9th, 2011
In early November with the exterior shell and site work one hundred percent complete and the interior work well underway, CCI President and Project Manager, Jeff Downing led a tour for the Spaulding Youth Center Board of Directors and Trustees, accompanied by Spaulding Youth Center CEO & President Susan Calegari.
Despite starting the project over one month late due to spring road bans, the project is back on its original completion schedule and CCI estimates that the job may finish several weeks ahead of target if the last four months of construction go as planned.
CCI Superintendent Mark L’Heureux, reports that mechanical and electrical rough-in is 90% and drywall is well underway. Permanent power and HVAC systems should be operational by the end of the month, allowing finishes to begin as scheduled.
Stay tuned for more construction updates as progress continues over the next few months.
GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY AT CHURCH LANDING
Posted by Ross Currier on September 16th, 2011
CCI is pleased to announce that we will soon be breaking ground on the next phase of expansion at the Church Landing Hotel in Meredith, NH. A ground breaking ceremony will held at the hotel on September 22nd, marking the beginning of construction of the new Birch Lodge and Boathouse Lodge at Hampshire Hospitality’s flagship resort located in Meredith, NH. Construction on the $3.2 million project will take place over the winter for a June 2012 opening. Stay tuned for future construction updates on this exciting project.
Spaulding Youth Center – Student & Faculty Tour
Posted by Jeff Downing on September 15th, 2011
Just before Labor Day Weekend, the 180 faculty members and 68 students at Spaulding Youth Center got a sneak preview of their new 22,800 SF school during a special tour guided by Jeff Downing, CCI President and Project Manager and Mark L’Heureux, CCI Project Superintendent.
CCI volunteered to stop construction early on Friday, so the students and faculty could safely walk the job site and see the construction firsthand. A few faculty shed tears for joy after visiting their new classrooms and the students were awarded for their excellent behavior by getting the chance to sit on the bulldozer parked at the entry by site subcontractor, D.A. White Excavating, LLC.
A good time was had by all and CCI would like to thank all the students for the creative and wonderful thank you cards received. Another tour is planned just before the Christmas Holiday for the students and faculty.
Plymouth Elementary School (PES) Construction 2010 Video
Posted by Jeff Downing on October 1st, 2010
Click here to view the Plymouth Elementary School 2010 Renovation Video
After the successful bond vote in March 2010 on the $3.5 million dollar, 75,000 square foot renovation was approved; CCI began working closely with the construction team planning for the fast track project.
The school district and administration of PES wanted to involve the students, faculty and community in this major project, but didn’t know how to best accomplish this goal.
At the suggestion of CCI, the administration agreed to organize a team of students, lead by Don Hyde (PES parent) of EVP Marketing & Media located in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, to make a video to document the construction that could be viewed by the students and community.
Along with this project, CCI also spoke to elementary school classes and the PTA about the project, helping to educate students and parents about the ongoing planning, challenges and goals associated with the construction.
Once construction began, CCI worked with the student film crew to provide them safe access to the construction site and construction personnel doing the work.
The attached video is a result of this collaboration. It was a really cool project to be involved with and CCI would like to recognize Don Hyde for his leadership skills, middle school students Alexander Browne and Noah Mauchly, who did the heavy lifting and 4th graders Hyden Dahl and Ben Downing, who all contributed to make this video production possible.
We hope you have as much fun viewing it as we did making it!
Video provided by EVP Marketing & Media
Waterville Valley Elementary School To Get New Roof
Posted by Jeff Downing on March 17th, 2010
Beginning in May, CCI will replace the existing roof system on the Waterville Valley Elementary School with a new standing seam metal roof. Work will include new sub-framing, trim and over-framing. The work will be completed before the students return in September.
Town of Waterville Valley – Rey Cottage Improvements
Posted by Jeff Downing on March 17th, 2010
While CCI is up in “the Valley” working on the Waterville Valley Elementary School roof project, we will also be relocating the Curious George/Rey Center Cottage from its current location to the site of the elementary school. In addition to the relocation, parking lot and playground improvements will also be completed.