Groundbreaking Ceremony for Foundry Place Garage to be held Wednesday, September 6th

PORTSMOUTH, NH – A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the Foundry Place Garage construction will be held on Wednesday, September 6th at 4:00 p.m. The public is welcome to join members of City Council, City committee members (Garage Building Committee; Economic Development Committee), project representatives (Walker Parking Consultants; Consigli Construction Co., Inc.; Tighe & Bond; DeStefano Architects) and City staff to celebrate the start of developing Portsmouth’s new 600-space garage and subsequent revitalization to the City’s North End.

In May 2015, City Council approved the development of a second parking garage in Portsmouth. Now, with various evaluations and planning complete, the City is ready to break ground on what will be known as Foundry Place, located next to Deer Street. According to Project Manager Dave Allen, this project has become more than just the construction of a garage, but an opportunity to bring much-needed aesthetic and cultural improvements to this area of the City. “It is very exciting to see this project underway and know that in a little over a year, the City will have a second parking garage, as well as new roadways and upgraded utilities to the surrounding neighborhoods.”

By adding roadways and utilities to this area during garage construction, there will be improved function and reliability within the area, and the City will not have to revisit the area and suffer larger costs in the future. This area will serve as a key link in forming a more interconnected system of businesses, arts, housing and more throughout the City. Increased parking space (due to both the new garage and added on-street parking) will reduce traffic, carbon dioxide emissions and pedestrian dangers in addition to addressing the overall scope of residents’ quality of life.

"We have had great success through the pre-construction phase working with the City of Portsmouth and their consultants," said Matthew Tonello, Director of Operations at Consigli Construction. "We look forward to a smooth transition into the construction phase as we partner with the City and the North End neighborhood."

Mayor Jack Blalock will begin the ceremony with words on the project, followed by photos with those who have contributed to this project. Additional parking will be available in a lot adjacent to the Foundry Place work site.