Count Down

Quincy Center T garage is being demolished one floor at a time.  This view is taken from an empty Burgin Parkway looking south.

Bridging the Gap

The steel vertical lift replacement of the temporary Fore River Bridge is taking shape at an estimated  cost of $244 million.  It is scheduled to open for traffic at the end of 2017.

Outfall

One of the stormwater outfall pipes is being repaired on Wollaston Beach.  This pipe helps prevent some flooding from coastal storms.  The Quantum peninsula can be seen in the background.

Restoration Work

Restoration work  has begun in and around Quincy's old City Hall building.  Built in 1844, this is perhaps one of the oldest city halls in America. 

Out With The Old . . . In With The New

The 1922 version of Quincy High School is 99% gone, except for this pile of rubble and lots of memories for those who walked the halls there for the last 91 years.  It's state-of-the-art replacement school is seen in the background. 

School Work In Progress

It is "back to school" for many students in Quincy today.  There's a lot more work to be done at the new Central Middle School before students and teachers can take possession of it.  I'm sure the wait will be well worth it in order to get the finishing work done properly and safely.  You don't want to cut any corners at this point of construction.

Laboring

Today is a day to celebrate workers everywhere.  These workers are renewing the brickwork and facade of Coddington Hall as part of an $18 million preservation and renovation project.  Coddington Hall was designed by renowned architect, Charles Brigham, who helped in the design of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Happy Labor Day!

Stairway to . . .

This stairway used to lead to the east entrance to the old Quincy High.  You can see Bethany Church in the background.  I believe this stairway will eventually lead to a landscaped open-space area and parking lot.

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Another day of demo at the site of the old Quincy High School.  Plans are to have the 1922 structure down before the start of school next week at an abutting property.

Going, Going ...

There is not much left of the old Quincy High School sign . . . or building.
"This Old House" feature will be back next week.

New Construction

This is the new Central Middle School, view of the main entrance on St. Ann's Road.  The school is scheduled to open in September . . . looks like lots of work ahead.

Face-lift

The Coddington School, on the National Register of Historic Places, is undergoing a million dollar plus renovation for future use as school administration offices and other city services.  This colonial revival building was designed and built by Charles Brigham in 1909.  It's great to see these solid structures with so much character fixed and repurposed for many more years of service.  The old Quincy High School in the background is being readied for demolition.

Window Work

This view of the new Central Middle School is taken from St. Ann's Road.  Opening is scheduled for this September.

Conservation Corps

Some young stewards of the land spent part of their school vacation pruning at Squantum Park.  Conditions were icy, cold and blustery.  I hope they return here to enjoy a warmer day.

Tracking Progress

Turf is being sprayed at Quincy's new track site (the former Faxon Field).  I was surprised to see the yellow goal posts installed at the new track site ... those are some high hurdles to jump ;-]

A Good Foundation

Concrete is being poured at the new site for Central Middle School.  We'll be seeing many more hardhats during the coming year of construction.  I plan to share the progress of this exciting construction at various stages of development.  Those high-rise apartments in the background are highpoint on Quarry Street.

Tracking Progress

The new city track is being constructed layer by layer at Faxon Field near the new high school that you can glimpse in the background. Who knows, perhaps Quincy will spawn a future olympian from here some day.

Happy Skywatch Friday!

Tracking Progress

There are piles of dirt and gravel being built up and shifted around on the ol' Faxon Field which will be the site of Quincy's new 400 meter track.  It is conveniently located next to Quincy High School and across from the Y.M.C.A.

Going Green?

I was surprised to see this front end loader, that was parked on Lincoln Ave., painted a green color.

Sludge To Fertilizer II

Someone was thinking when they engineered this public works project. The byproduct of the digestion process is 70 percent methane gas, which is captured and piped to boilers that generate enough heat to warm the buildings on the site as well as for the heat-dependent treatment processes. The steam from those boilers is sent through a steam turbine generator (STG) producing an average of approximately 3 megawatts of electricity. The digested sludge from the giant eggs leaves Deer Island through the Inter-Island Tunnel to MWRA's pelletizing facility at Fore River in Quincy, where it is further processed into a fertilizer product.