Franklin, NH – Project Resource Group, LLC of Francestown, NH has recently completed a multiple phase renovation project for the City of Franklin, NH at the newly created Bessie Rowell Community Center, previously home to the Bessie Rowell Elementary School. Barker Architects, Inc. of Concord, NH, provided construction documents and administration.
The former school, a 26,000 SF building constructed in 1957, underwent a consolidation that reverted the building to the City. Utilizing CDBG funds and a grant from the NH Charitable Foundation, The City proceeded to develop an adaptive reuse plan to lease out the building. Currently, the tenants include Tiny Twisters Daycare Center, the Belknap-Merrimack County Community Action Program (BM-CAP) Head Start program, and the City’s own Recreation Center. A future project to house a BM-CAP Senior Center is in the design stage and scheduled to be built in 2013.
The renovations performed by PRG included asbestos abatement, plumbing upgrades, life safety upgrades, a full commercial kitchen, a complete fire alarm system upgrade and extensive architectural millwork.
Although the project was delivered on a traditional Design/Bid/Build basis, the various sources and associated constraints of funding required careful and detailed job costing. The project was a model of collaboration and an excellent example of adaptive reuse of the existing built environment