$59M contract awarded for new facility, upgrades at naval shipyard in Kittery

File Photo / Jim Neuger A new facility for painting and other operations will be constructed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.

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By Staff

A $59 million contract has been awarded for the construction of a new painting facility and other modernization work at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.

Methuen Construction Co., of Plaistow, N.H., was tapped to build the new facility, which will consolidate the yard’s paint, blast, rubber manufacturing and plastic molding operations into one location, according to a news release Friday from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The building will be low-rise and consist of industrial shop areas, as well as offices, break rooms, locker rooms, training areas and support spaces. Three existing buildings will be renovated and converted to support other functions.

The new facility will include a high-bay area and shaft refurbishment booth that will be equipped with bridge cranes. A work area for handling large parts will provide access to a portal crane from the waterfront and for truck deliveries.

Congress allocated funds for the project in a 2018 military appropriations bill.

“As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I championed funding for this infrastructure project because it will provide valuable support to PNSY’s highly skilled employees while significantly increasing efficiency at the shipyard,” said Collins.

“Once completed, these consolidated and renovated facilities will provide workers with modern, streamlined spaces to fulfill their mission of repairing and modernizing our Navy’s submarines.”

It’s not yet clear when the project will get underway, but work is expected to be complete by September 2023, according to the release.

In June, Pittsfield-based Cianbro Corp. was awarded a $12 million contract to expand an outdated warehouse facility at the shipyard.

A 2017 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that Portsmouth and the country’s three other naval shipyards were in poor condition, with nearly $5 billion in backlogged maintenance and restoration projects, which will take at least 19 years to complete.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 2018 employed 7,000 civilians, of whom more than half were from Maine. The total civilian payroll amounted to $548 million.