New NOAA Facility Reuses Old Hangar

NEW NOAA FACILITY REUSES OLD HANGAR

PEARL HARBOR – The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific awarded Nan, Inc., of Honolulu, Hawaii, a $21.5 million firm, fixed price contract on April 20 for the renovation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Pacific Regional Center (PRC) Building and Sea Animal Research Center.

"This award represents a major milestone in the three-phase development of NOAA's Pacific Regional Center at Ford Island," said Sam Pooley, director of the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, and chair of the NOAA Pacific Region Executive Board.

The project also represents an innovative, adaptive reuse of Building 130, an existing, World War II era aircraft hangar on Ford Island. A lot of the work to be performed under the contract is for the renovation of this historic hangar.

"The NOAA Pacific Regional Center represents a tremendous opportunity to partner with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and to redevelop buildings that are part of the National Historic Landmark to serve NOAA's science, research and operations into the future," said John Shrewsbury, NOAA Hawaii on-site manager of the PRC project.

The new facility will help NOAA conduct research functions, and it will contain multiple live animal seawater tanks, a seawater production well, staff offices, high-bay warehouse storage with a mezzanine, an air-conditioned gear storage area, wood, metal, and electronics shops, and infrastructure to connect to the NOAA campus IT system.

"Phase One, the Ship Operations Facility, was completed in October 2007, and allowed NOAA to consolidate its three vessels in Hawaii at a single location,” said Pooley. "With the Building 130 construction award, we are moving forward with the second phase -- a facility supporting marine animal care, central warehouse and central utility plant."

The project also adds an access road and provisions for a photovoltaic system. Work is expected to be completed by November 2010, and will be administered by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii.

The contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with seven proposals received. The exact amount of the contract award is $21,451,629.

"The final phase, the main facility construction, which received funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is expected to start in 2010, and will complete consolidation of NOAA staff and programs at Ford Island," added Pooley.