U.S. General Services Administration
GSA Awards $23M Construction Contract to Upgrade Derby Line Port
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be getting a much needed new Land Port of Entry in Derby Line, VT.
GSA Region 1, with support from Region 5 – Great Lakes – awarded the design assist phase of a $22.7 million Construction Manager as Constructor (CMC) contract to D.E.W. Construction of Williston, Vermont.
The contract is for a replacement facility for the outdated Derby Line (I-91) Land Port of Entry (LPOE) for CBP.
D.E.W will provide design assist services for the refinement and completion of the 100 percent construction documents prior to construction phase services.
The contract will allow for replacement of the outdated facility, which sits on 4.5 acres of land in Vermont at the end of Route I-91.
The project includes:
- A new commercial inspection building with a two bay commercial loading dock, cargo storage, lab space, kennel, public counter space and CBP work areas
- A new main port building with administrative offices, processing and immigration services spaces and a violator retention area
- A photovoltaic solar array
- New inspection booths, canopies and lane configurations
Additional site improvements to the LPOE, which was built in the 1960s, consist of new lighting, fire protection, water service, sanitary sewer, site drainage and stormwater management systems, improvements to paving, signage, electrical service and a new access drive.
“Upgrading one of the key commercial ports of Vermont while strengthening our border infrastructure are important priorities,” said Regional Administrator Robert Zarnetske. “GSA is delighted to be able to announce this long anticipated project will begin this summer.”
What makes this project so unique is that it is the first at GSA to incorporate and require climate risk analysis as part of the Architect-Engineer (A/E) Statement of Work (SOW).
With Region 1 taking the lead, more than 30 subsequent projects are using or adapting the climate risk sections of Region 1’s A/E SOWs. These projects include the FBI Headquarters in Washington, Volpe’s Department of Transportation in Cambridge, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of State - Embassy Division, and GSA’s John Joseph Moakley Courthouse upgrades in Boston.
The project was designed by HGA, an award winning IDIQ firm from Minnesota with extensive LPOE experience, and draws from the natural and manmade influences of the Vermont landscape.
During the beginning stages of design, team members were able to engage the artists in the Art in Architecture program, a program that oversees the commissioning of artworks for new federal buildings nationwide, which led to a highly integrated teaming between artists and architect.
Because art at a Land Port of Entry cannot compromise security or visibility, the team of Vermont artists, Andrea Wasserman and Elizabeth Billings, put together a highly integrated art concept that will engage with the building’s facade with no impact to CBP operations.
The artists were also interested in representing the Vermont landscape in different forms, making for a highly successful integration with the architecture of the port.
The artists’ concept includes wood, glass and concrete forms. Both the interior and exterior Art in Architecture installations will provide a “continuous sense of momentum that gives pause to the activity of moving through the Port of Entry, as a doorway into Vermont.”
Overall, the building will be designed to be more energy efficient, sustainable and certified as a LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The updated port, in the end, will not only offer a secure environment but will also exhibit strong works of art and architecture.