Archive

Archive for 2016
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TFM’s Family Christmas Sweater Party

TFM’s Bedford office hosted a “Christmas Sweater Party” for the staff and their families. As you can see from the photos, there were quite a few interesting, creative, cute, festive and even ugly sweaters to choose from when going to the “voting station”.  TFM’s Joe Sears, won the prize for the “Ugliest”, though he thought it was more “Festive”.

Tidewater Catering, once again put on a fantastic spread of hot appetizers, from scallops wrapped in bacon, beef wellington, coconut chicken, to festive fruits, veggies and cheeses.

The TFM kids had fun eating Christmas cookies and making Christmas crafts in the conference room, bringing home a few homemade ornaments.

We wish everyone a very, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

The office will be closed on Monday, December 26th.

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TFM Portsmouth’s Christmas Party

TFMoran’s Portsmouth office really got in the Christmas spirit today, at the staff Christmas party.  The Santa Hat decorating contest was a lot of fun, along with the Secret Santa Gift Swap.

There was plenty of warm holiday food to go around, from baked ham with pineapple stuffing, brown-sugared carrots, and meatballs, to veggie, fruit and cheese platters, and a wreath salad. Santa hat brownies and turtle cheesecake was a great way to end the holiday lunch. And, plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.

We wish everyone a safe and joyous Christmas holiday, and a Happy New Year.

TFMoran’s office will be closed on Monday, December 26th.

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Thanks Stonyfield!

A Big THANK YOU goes out to the good folks at Stonyfield Farm in Londonderry, NH for rolling their specialty yogurt cart into the lobby of TFM’s Bedford office. Many of TFM’s staff took a short break from their projects on Wednesday afternoon to enjoy some delicious Stonyfield yogurts. The tasty treats included strawberry, blueberry and cherry organic greek yogurt and 100% grassfed yogurt.

The reason for the visit? Stonyfield is on the Advisory Committee for the NH Food Bank, and volunteers their time and products to help fight hunger in New Hampshire. Because TFMoran also helps to fight hunger by participating in the NH Food Bank’s 2016 Canstruction Competition, Stonyfield was delivering TFM’s trophy. The judges declared TFM’s 3-dimensional canstructure (a TFM engineer sitting under an apple tree) the winner of the “Best Use of Labels” category. The structure consisted of nearly 500 cans of different sizes, 18 boxes and miscellaneous jars and bars. TFM’s COO, Dylan Cruess headed up the TFM Canstruction Team, and gratefully accepted the etched glass award on the Team’s behalf. This was the second consecutive year TFM participated in the Competition and we are looking forward to 2017.

Once again, thank you Stonyfield for the yummy afternoon treat and yogurt coupons, too!

NH Food Bank 2016 Canstruction Competition

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“Large waterfront project breaks ground in Nashua”

TFMoran’s president Robert Duval attended the ground breaking ceremony of one of TFMoran’s multi-residential civil engineering projects in Nashua on Thursday, December 1, 2016. Also in attendance were project developer SMC Management Corporation of Watertown, MA; project architect DeStefano Architects of Portsmouth, NH; and general contractor Fulcrum Associates of Amherst, NH.

The New Hampshire Union Leader was on hand to cover the event and published the story the following day. “Large waterfront project breaks ground in Nashua” was the headline written by Union Leader Correspondent Kimberly Houghton. Click here for the link,  or read text below:

NASHUA — A massive waterfront project that could potentially bring 750 apartments to the Gate City broke ground on Thursday, about 10 years after the concept was first discussed.

Officials broke ground on the first phase of Renaissance Downtowns’ Residences at Riverside Landing, which will provide an initial 152 luxury apartments close to the downtown area.

The entire project includes several phases of construction and a total of 750 residential units with various neighborhood amenities along the river.

“We need to provide good housing options,” Mayor Jim Donchess said during Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony at 50 Bridge St. Local employers are desperate for new workers, and housing must be available in order for those potential employees to choose Nashua as their home, he said.

The Residences at Riverside Landing will initially include 152 studio, one and two bedroom units in two multifamily buildings, along with a 50-seat restaurant, retail and residential amenities.

“Right now, our region has a very low vacancy rate,” said James Vayo, a downtown specialist for the city and one of the individuals who helped spearhead the development project.

With few housing options available, he said, it drives up rental costs and creates less affordable housing in the city. The number of apartment units eventually built on Bridge Street will ultimately be determined by market demand, according to Vayo.

Jack Tulley, chairman of the Nashua Business Industrial Development Authority, said the new waterfront development will utilize a large piece of land that is currently unproductive, and instead put it to good use.

“BIDA is very excited to help shepherd such a wonderful project through the process, and to the benefit of the city,” he said.

The city has owned the Bridge Street property since the 1940s. Previously, city officials entered into negotiations with Renaissance Downtowns of New York to sell the property for redevelopment.

Once all of the construction phases are complete, the Bridge Street project will include not only housing, but also a community center, courtyards, a park and a community pool.

“This is a key gateway into Nashua,” said former Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, who was instrumental in helping to move the project forward. “We have such an opportunity here.”

Lozeau said the complex, once finished, will be within walking distance of a future train station being considered for Crown Street.

“The highest and best use for this site is residential property,” she said, praising all of the people who helped advance the project to this point.

Donchess agreed, saying the city is working hard to bring in new economic investment, and that housing projects are the catalyst to improving the vitality of Nashua’s downtown.

According to the mayor, the development will bring more than $250,000 in new property taxes to the city, and will have an overall economic impact of about $40 million.

It could take about 18 months to two years for the apartments to be completed and occupied.

[email protected]

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NERE Journal features a Multi-Residential TFM Civil “Project of the Month” in Dec 2016

One of TFMoran’s most recent civil engineering multi-residential projects in Nashua, NH was featured as “Project of the Month” in New England Real Estate Journal‘s December 2-8, 2016 issue. TFMoran is proud to be a part of the SMC Management Corporation project team, along with DeStefano Architects and Fulcrum Associates. The ground breaking event was held on Thursday, December 1st, and was covered by both the Nashua Telegraph and NH Union Leader.

To view the full story, click on this link  tfmoran-project-featured-in-nerej-dec-2-2016-issue or read text below:

NERE Journal December 2016 Project of the Month:

Fulcrum selected by SMC Mgmt. to construct
228-unit Residences at Riverfront Landing

Residences at Riverfront Landing Project Team
Fulcrum……………………………………………… Construction Manager
DeStefano Architects……………………………………………….Architect
TFMoran, Inc…………………………..Civil/Site Engineering & Permitting
Longchamps Electric………………………………………………Electrical
S.L. Chasse Steel……………………………………………Structural Steel

NASHUA, NH Fulcrum was selected by SMC Management Corporation of Watertown Mass. to construct the new Residences at Riverfront Landing project located at 62-70 Bridge St. Boasting scenic views of the Merrimack River, the project will include three separate residential buildings consisting of four floors of apartments above a deck of structured parking. Each residential building will consist of 76 units, for a total of 228, market-rate apartments and is a partnership between SMC Management and Master Developer Renaissance Downtowns. The site is commonly identified as the Bridge St. “skate park” site, and is situated adjacent to a levy that was constructed in 1947 and since has been maintained by the city.

In addition to the residential buildings there will be two other buildings constructed on the site, a 2-story building will be constructed to a “core and shell” finish, as part of the base project, to provide commercial lease space for yet to be identified tenants. The first floor is intended to be fit-up for retail or office space. The second floor is being targeted for a restaurant and will be fit-up once a tenant is identified. An exterior deck will wrap the building’s second floor, with a paved patio on the grade level, taking full advantage of the river views. The second building will be a 3,390 s/f clubhouse style building that comprises of a leasing office, gym, cyber café, and small community room. The gym is anticipated to contain treadmills, benches, stationary bicycles, and free weights. The cyber café will also serve as a lounge, with computers being accessible for resident use. The community function space will also be available for rent for private events.

The redevelopment of this industrial property has been a 7 year collaboration and public private partnership between the city of Nashua, the Nashua Business and Industrial Development Authority (BIDA), the Nashua community, The Bonnette Family and Renaissance Downtowns as master developer. The total master plan calls for over 750 residential units and 100,000 s/f of retail space. This project is the first phase of the larger planned revitalization of the area that will have a powerful impact on this part of the city of Nashua, adding an infusion of activity and life. As a new eastern gateway into downtown Nashua, the Residences at Riverfront Landing brings a welcomed improvement to the city in the form of a residential complex. The project will bring some noticeable changes to the immediate area in the form of off-site street improvements, specifically, the incorporation of a new traffic light at the intersection of Bridge St. and D St. Another major component of this project is the relocation of the existing skate park, currently on the property. In a partnership with the city of Nashua, the skate park will be relocated to a city owned parcel of land adjacent to the Stello’s Stadium and the Conway ice arena.

Another notable feature includes new power feeds for the on-site cell tower that services T-Mobile, Nextel, and Sprint. As part of the overall storm water management the onsite paving areas will consist of a combination of porous and conventional pavement.

Work on the project began in mid-November, with completion scheduled for spring 2018. A ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled to take place on December 1st with participation by ownership, design and construction team and local, state, federal officials.

TFMoran provided civil engineering,  permitting, and landscape architecture services. The project architect is DeStefano Architects of Portsmouth, N.H. Funding for the project is being facilitated by Eastern Bank.

Please visit fulcrum-nh.com to learn more about Fulcrum and their project history.

 

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NH Business Review features a TFM civil & structural hotel project in “From the Ground Up”

TFMoran’s most recent hotel project, “The Grand” at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, NH, is featured in New Hampshire Business Review‘s special section “From the Ground Up”. TFMoran provided civil/site design, structural design, permitting, construction inspection, landscape architecture, and land surveying for this grand project. TFMoran worked with the Bedford Village Inn owners, along with project architect Jordan Design and general contractor MCCI.

To view the full story in pdf format, click on this link NHBR From the Ground Up: The Grand  or read the text below:

FROM THE GROUND UP:  The Grand at the Bedford Village Inn

Mark Carrier Construction, TFMoran  bring vision of boutique hotel to life  Every construction project presents  its own challenges, but as work  was about to begin on The Grand at the Bedford Village Inn – the new boutique  hotel adjacent to the iconic Bedford  restaurant and inn – the project’s general  contractor faced something completely  unexpected.

Jack Carnevale, the owner of the Bedford  Village Inn and the Grand at the Bedford Village Inn, had tasked Mark  Carrier Construction to begin the project.  In February of 2015, Mark Carrier unexpectedly  passed away.

“It was his business – he was the one in  negotiation with Jack Carnevale,” Mark’s  brother, Don Carrier, says. “I had my own  business building custom homes for 25  years, but I ended up stepping in to run  the company. The Grand was not contracted  by that point in time, but everything was ready and everything was negotiated.  Jack agreed to stay with us, but it was really my brother who pulled the design/build together.”

Construction began in the spring at the  site, which sits directly behind the original  inn. And while the site was bare, with no  structures, Mark Carrier Construction, Inc., (MCCI,) had to prepare by dealing with a substantial amount of ledge.

“We spent eight weeks blasting 33,000 yards of ledge,” Carrier says. “And once  we completed the blasting, it was a challenge to retain the slope of the property line along with fitting in the built-in pool, patio and landscaping.”

Adding those amenities were challenging, he says, but in the end worth it. A fully-equipped fitness facility steps out onto a patio next to the saltwater pool, which is heated year-round, and the hot tub. It’s all surrounded by sweeping natural, lush gardens.

“Jack Carnevale was very hands-on,” Carrier says. “One of the first times that  I saw him at the Bedford Village Inn, he was on his hands and knees gardening. As we were finishing the Grand, Jack laid out all the landscaping for the back yard gardens and patio.”

That hands-on approach made planning the three-story, 50-room, Dutch Colonial style boutique hotel surprisingly problem free.

“Jack was very animated when I first met  him,” says Architect John Jordan of John  S. Jordan Design, of Canterbury. “He has a great way of describing his vision. I took it all in – I try my best to listen to what the customer is trying to achieve and respond accordingly. It was a matter of experience, and we had the good fortune of hitting it off well. Personalities are very important  in building business relationships.”

Jordan says he took Carnevale’s vision back to his office and began researching  shingle-style projects and historic, grand hotels. He distilled those examples to create plans for a building that would be in that style, while making the most of  modern materials and maintenance-free exterior.

“It’s a classic example of a grand hotel,” Jordan says. “You can see the historic precedence we were hoping to allude to. We weren’t going to try to re-invent the wheel. We wanted to honor history and what Jack had built on-site already with the Bedford Village Inn, and expand on his success and philosophies in making  hat a successful business venture.”

The 52,000-square-foot hotel boasts a mix of classic New England and modern amenities. LED lighting and the complimentary high-speed, fiber optic Wi-Fi never seems out of place next to the  fieldstone fireplace in the comfortable  lobby bar. A business center with hightech appointments sits just down the hall from a classic library room, stuffed with books and couches.

Carrier, MCCI Project Manager Mark Jobin, Carnevale and his wife, Andrea, met weekly before the first shovel was turned through completion. When it came time  to begin designing and decorating the interior, Jordan worked closely with Carnevale to achieve a very specific look the owner had in mind.

“Early on we were cutting out cardboard furniture and beds and moving things around the suites – while we were still doing the rough walls and before we did any wiring or lighting,” Carrier says.  “He’s a very visual person. He likes to see the placement of things. He purchased his own artwork and furnishings which he hung himself.”

Project Engineers TFMoran, of Bedford, completed all the civil and structural engineering, land surveying and landscape  architecture – another element that Carnevale worked closely on.

“Jack is hands-on with everything,”  TFMoran Chief Operating Officer Dylan Cruess says. “And it went very well because he is hands-on. He’s part of every decision, so there are no surprises.”

Cruess says dealing with the large amount of ledge may have been challenging, but a tiered parking solution mitigated  those challenges. With no wetland issues or unusual elements, Cruess says  the project went largely as anticipated.

“The architect, John Jordan, did a beautiful building,” Cruess says, citing window seats on the fourth level as being a notable element in the structure. “It  was complex to have those cantilevered  over the exterior wall.”

The hotel opened officially in June, with a number of top-notch appointments, including  king-size four poster beds custom made by Noir; custom upholstered furnishings by Company C; Carrera Marble bathrooms with soaking tubs; charging and connectivity for tablets, laptops and phones; and elegant fireplaces in many rooms and large suites– including the 850-square-foot Tower Suite.

“We’re just proud to have been a part of it because Jack [Carnevale] does it  right,” Cruess says. “It’s a credit to his  longer-term view.”

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TFM’s Annual Company Harvest Lunch kicks off the Holiday Season

TFMoran held its annual company gathering, known as the “Harvest Lunch”, on the day before Thanksgiving in the Great Hall at the Bedford Village Inn.  The MSC Portsmouth division staff joined the Bedford staff for a full company gathering of more than 60 people! Thank you to the Bedford Village Inn for the amazing food and fantastic venue.

After lunch, TFMoran President Robert Duval wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and shared his thoughts on all of the good things to be thankful for over the past year. First, thanking the team for their combined hard work for another strong year of growth. TFM’s team has grown to 62, including 8 people who joined the Company in 2016. He thanked each of TFM’s groups individually, noting specific achievements for each group over the past year. To name a few, the civil group has designed the largest projects in the Towns of Bedford and Londonderry, NH; the group of 10 structural engineers lead in Revit®, the most advanced building modeling software and continue to expand into new service areas, high-rise buildings, and other complex structures; and the survey group is no longer only support for engineering, 75% of their work is solely surveying projects.

In closing, President Duval said, “I am very proud of our recent accomplishments. We have successfully taken on many difficult projects with aggressive schedules. We have honed our teamwork abilities and kept our focus on meeting our clients’ needs. We continue to be responsible corporate and individual citizens.  Our reputation grows each time we meet or exceed our clients’ expectations. Thank you to all of us for another successful year, as we look forward with increased confidence to the year ahead.”

Dylan Cruess, COO also addressed the team, noting additional company achievements including the 2016 NH Business Review “Best of Business” Award, and Business NH Magazine’s  “2016 Business of the Year” Award.

The principals were very happy to give out bonuses to all the staff to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the Company.  It was a great beginning to the Thanksgiving holiday break, as folks headed home to spend time with their families.

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TFM at the NH Municipal Expo

TFMoran talked with municipal officials at this year’s New Hampshire Municipal Association 75th Annual Conference. The two day Conference was held in downtown Manchester at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center on Wednesday, November 16th and Thursday, November 17th. TFMoran staff was on hand at Booth #307 to talk about various recent and ongoing municipal projects from road design and construction overview, to new fire and rescue facilities (like the one in Milton). Our booth display featured municipal projects including safety complexes, department of public works facilities, libraries, parks, schools and roadways.

This is New Hampshire’s premier conference for municipal officials, featuring over 40 educational sessions and an opportunity to meet with exhibitors to learn about their latest products and services. More than 500 New Hampshire local government officials and over 100 exhibitors and sponsors participated.

This year’s conference theme was Celebrating 75 Years of Service to Your Hometown.

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Aaron Lamond joins TFM Survey Department

TFM is pleased to announce that Aaron Lamond has joined the Survey Department in the Bedford office. Aaron serves as a Survey Field Technician with over 5 years of experience. His education includes Civil Technology with a concentration in Surveying and Mapping from the Thompson School of Applied Science at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to boundary and topographic surveys, Aaron’s experience includes construction layout, as-builts, ALTA, LOMA and septic surveys.

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Thanks for Visiting TFM at the 2016 Tri-City Expo!

Once again, the Tri-City Chambers of Commerce (Manchester, Nashua and Concord) did a fantastic job hosting the largest Business to Business networking event in New Hampshire, Tri-City Expo. The 28th Annual Expo was held on Thursday, September 29, 2016 from 3:00 – 7:00PM at the Center of NH Expo Center at the Radisson Hotel, in downtown Manchester, NH. For the first time, admission was FREE!  Admission included sampling delicious food from local restaurants and caterers at the ever-popular “Bistro”.