BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The construction of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center Phase 2 project reached another major milestone today when the final structural beam was placed atop the Community Center Building (Bldg. #62) by the project team.
Phase 2 of the project was awarded for $176.2 million to Pike Co. and Hueber-Breuer Construction Joint Venture and includes demolition of Buildings #33 and #34 to support construction of a 96 bed Community Living Center complex, Community Center Building and Building N Loading Dock, in addition to renovations to Building #3 and #9 to support the Phase 1 Outpatient Clinic.
“The Canandaigua VA Major Construction Project is a part of VA’s modernization efforts to ensure state-of-the-art facilities for the Veterans we serve. Phase 2, which we are celebrating the beam topping for this week, constructs brand new cottages (small houses) for our Community Living Center residents. These new cottages will ensure a homelike environment and great experience for our residents. I want to thank all our partners, to include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management, and Pike/Hueber-Breuer Joint Venture for the great work to bring this project to life for our Veterans,” said Shawn De Fries, Acting Medical Center Director, VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System.
“I would like to thank the entire Corps of Engineers, Canandaigua VA Medical Center, and Pike Co. and Hueber-Breuer Construction Joint Venture for getting us to the monuments milestone. The team’s dedication to the Canandaigua VA project will be felt by the approximately 65,000 veterans living near the greater Canandaigua each time they come to the campus,” said Joseph Savage, USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, Regional Business Director. “The Corps of Engineers’ partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs demonstrates the Corps of Engineers ongoing commitment to proudly care for all those we serve, and this motivates us to complete the project that will give our Nation’s veterans access to this state-of-the-art medical facility.”
“The Pike/Hueber-Breuer (PHB) Joint Venture is proud to join the VA & USACE in the celebration of this important project milestone. PHB values its partnership with USACE and pledges our continued commitment towards improving the facilities in Canandaigua that serve our Nation’s Veterans,” said Otey Marshall, Vice President of Construction, Hueber-Breuer Construction Company Inc.
The practice of "topping out" a new building can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian religious rite of placing a tree atop a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in its construction. This practice shows our commitment to each other and that each stakeholder is part of the very backbone of the structure.
Phase 1 of the project was awarded to Pike PJ Dick totaling $142.8 million and includes the construction of the Outpatient Clinic, Chiller Plant/Emergency Generator Building, and temporary facilities (Kitchen and Laboratory). It also renovates existing Buildings #1 and #2 into the Outpatient Clinic, partial demolition of Building #2 and site utility system upgrades.
Construction on both phases is set to be completed around December 2024.
Ceremony Photos available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72177720298238314
Ceremony B-Roll Video available: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USACE-BD
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Buffalo District delivers world class engineering solutions to the Great Lakes region, the Army and the Nation in order to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management, and emergency assistance during peace and war.