It comes as no surprise that unsuitable, rocky soil was one of the biggest challenges that P&G Pepper of Torrington, CT, faced when doing the site work in Winsted for the new CVS Pharmacy and the additions to the Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC) on opposite sides of Route 44. After all, stone walls criss-cross throughout the state of Connecticut for a reason. It is estimated that some towns have stonewalls containing over 6,000 tons of rock left over from glacial debris.
For both jobs, a large number of piles had to be driven, explained Gordon Pepper, vice president of the contracting firm P&G Pepper that was founded in 1985. The projects were difficult because of the unsuitability of the soil. River Pile and Foundation Company of Stratford completed the pile work. The firm drove more than 80 piles for the CVS job and will drive approximately 120 for the NCCC project by the time it is completed.
P&G Pepper had a $350,000 contract with Borghesi Building and Engineering Company of Torrington for the site work at the CVS drugstore. During this job, driving piles was not the only concern. In the middle of the site work to get ready for the 10,000-sq.-ft. (929 sq m) building, P&G Pepper found a buried oil tank from a gas station located there approximately 60 years ago. Another surprise also challenged P&G — the discover of tons of concrete slabs left over from the state’s 1955 flood.
In the summer of 1955, hurricanes Connie and Diane arrived less than one week apart and passed over southern New England. They caused record levels of flooding and wreaked widespread havoc on the area. Connecticut experienced more than $350-million worth of property damage and an extensive loss of lives. The Housatonic, Naugatuck and Quinebaug Rivers experienced record flooding. The rising waters hit towns and cities in Hartford County particularly hard and completely washed away the downtown section of Winsted.
Despite these unexpected problems that could have caused delays, P&G completed the CVS job on schedule. Greg Roy of Borghesi said he has been very pleased with the excellent results. Although P&G Pepper had done smaller jobs for Borghesi Building in the past, this was the first major project. “The work was very professionally done with good communication between P&G Pepper and us, their customer.”
During this project, P&G Pepper also widened Route 44 by 500 ft. (152 m) in length and added drainage along the road. When completed, it had added 9-in. (22.8 cm) thick paving.
For the NCCC job, P&G Pepper demolished several older buildings including the cafeteria and storage area. The company used a hydraulic hammer to remove the foundation and carted the debris with its Cat D4 and Dresser TD8. The company also has a whole line of Link-Belt excavating equipment. It owns and services several Link-Belts, such as the 5800, 4300, 3400 and 2700 models and the Volvo L120 and L190. Because of the soil problem, P&G unexpectedly had to build a 200-ft. (60.9 m) restraining wall as well.
Gar-San Corporation of Watertown, CT, is the lead contractor on this job for the State of Connecticut Department of Public Works. The contract with P&G Pepper for site work totaled $300,000. The total cost for the additions and renovations to NCCC is $9 million. The project, scheduled for completion in spring of 2003, includes a New Learning Resource Center and renovations to Founders Hall and the Annex.
What got off to a rocky start will soon be transposed into a brand new building and renovations for college students.
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