PEDA Awards $9.8M Bid for Redevelopment of Site 9By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Friday, December 29, 2023 | |
 The site will be cleaned up and prepared for the potential development as seen in these illustrations. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A contract has been awarded for the redevelopment of Site 9 with an expected completion date in fall 2024.
On Friday, the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority approved William J Keller & Sons Construction's $9.8 million bid. The company was chosen over JH Maxymillian Inc.'s $11.2 million bid due to its lower price.
The Castleton-On-Hudson, N.Y., company plans to have the rough surface ready for development in October and will start in mid-January.
"This is one of the most exciting milestones to happen to PEDA since I've been here," Chair Michael Matthews said.
"This was great support from the local administration, the mayor's office, and all the people that have gotten behind this. It's really mixed leadership to make this happen all together so now, we really have something to market over there and I'm excited."
Site 9 has been called a "scar" and described as looking like the surface of the moon by Mayor Linda Tyer. The 16-acre parcel at the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and Tyler Street Extension previously housed a General Electric factory and is the largest and most prominent section of the William Stanley Business Park.
Final plans include green space and roadways for traveling within the parcel.
Fourteen parties expressed interest in the job but only two submitted bids. Business Development Manager Michael Coakley explained that the job's complexity is likely why many dropped off.
"One of the things that is an unknown is really what's underneath there," he said. "Those foundations were built over 100 years ago so no one is exactly sure what they will find there."
Matthews was impressed with how Keller and Sons looked to construction practices in the era that the site was built and engineered its bid around that. It was also pointed out that Keller will outsource to local companies to bring economic development to the area.
Representatives from the company will give regular updates to PEDA.
The project was fully funded earlier this year. The last of the funding includes $400,000 of Pittsfield Economic Development Authority foundation funds, $1.3 million in GE landscaping funds, and $4.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The panel also voted to obtain the services of commercial real estate brokers to assist with marketing and obtaining developers for the site.
Matthews sees the efforts as a three-legged stool that includes cleanup of the site, marketing, and financials.
"When you look at what's happening at Site 9 is real positive energy that's going to be happening there and we have to capitalize on that," he said. "That can either build or it can become stale very quickly."
Former chair Maurice Callahan pointed to PEDA's work to revitalize the Tyler Street corridor to make it a Transformative Development Initiative District.
"As we go up and down that street, which we all do frequently, think about some of the things that we've done that are not always so well known but appreciated," he said.
With this, board members are feeling positive and cannot wait to see what is in store for the parcel and the park as a whole.
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