 |
|
lots of work on opus' apg site Mary Paramore,
“The walls were up in five days. I think the garrison was amazed,” said Matt Holbrook, senior director of real estate for Opus East LLC. “Behind the scenes, we are master planning the rest of the site -- roads, utilities, planning to maintain wetlands.” Holbrook said the company is using tilt-up construction, which calls for prepping the site, laying the foundation, erecting pre-formed concrete walls, placing steel infrastructure, installing the roof, then installing windows, doors, electrical, plumbing and dividers as directed by tenants. Opus East LLC is the eastern regional office of the Minneapolis-based Opus company. It has a 50-year lease to develop underused property on the installation through the Army’s new Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program. EUL Manager Greg Kuester agreed APG leaders are impressed with the rate of construction. He said engineers from the Department of Installation Operations and the Army Corps of Engineers will tour construction sometime during the week of August 18-22. The Army’s EUL program is relatively new. “It’s an effective tool to provide new facilities on Army installations and provide revenue to use for other improvements,” Kuester said. During the 50-year lease, Opus is expected to provide $500 million in kind services to APG. “The project is so new we don’t have a lot of funds,” he cautioned when asked about how APG will spend its EUL money. As the escrow account builds, he said, the APG Board of Directors will determine what the garrison’s building priorities are and ask Opus to provide a bid. The APG Board of Directors is also new, being put into place by RDECOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. Fred D. Robinson in the wake of EUL and Base Realignment and Closure construction and upgrades. Said George Mercer, public affairs officer for APG, “It’s a way of resolving conflicting needs and requirements when decisions affect more than one tenant. It’s also a way to look to future needs.” The board comprises ranking officers of the installation. Kuester agreed that the EUL arrangement puts Opus East LLC at an advantage for receiving contracts to complete EUL-funded installations improvements, but said the arrangement allows the government to demand that Opus East LLC obtain three outside bids should the company’s own bid seem high. Kuester said EUL funds could be used for repairs and maintenance, as well as for alterations and construction. “It’s pretty liberal what we can do with it.” CACI, a contractor that provides professional services and information technology services to the federal government, has signed a seven-year lease for the first 60,000 sq. ft. building. Holbrook said Opus East LLC is “tickled pink” their lease is situated next to the Rt. 715/Maryland Boulevard Gate. Garrison engineers are relocating and upgrading the gate to provide multi-lane, rapid pass entry into the installation. “Outside contractors sometimes worry about being on post” due to access delays, he said. Opus East LLC obtained EUL rights to the property before Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) plans were announced. The gate is being expanded to accommodate about 8,000 new jobs coming to APG by 2011, due to BRAC. |
||||||||
If you haven’t gone through the 715 Gate at Aberdeen Proving Ground (AGP) lately, you’re might not be aware of just how fast Opus East LLC is developing its 400-acre lease. The company has dug a stormwater management pond, graded three site pads and, on one pad, erected the shell of a 60,000 sq. ft. building since breaking ground Dec. 17, 2007.