Hey everyone! Communications Director Matt Maisel here. Sorry that I haven’t been able to update this page in a few days; there is a lot going on throughout the city! That said, at least in terms of the Broad Street Market, there are a lot of exciting updates to share, both in regards to the temporary tent pavilion and brick building rebuild.
First, let’s start with the tent. On Friday, the City got word from McClure Company that they were finished installing plumbing. It took them one week to get all the work done. We are incredibly appreciative of everything they did, especially when you consider they completed all their work, between an estimated $65,000-70,000, at no cost to the city and our taxpayers.
Also on Friday, trained and apprentice carpenters with Local 431 and Local 445 got a sizable chunk of the remaining work inside the tent completed. Check out this video from Brian Pomeroy of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. Eleven volunteers donated their time to work on installing plywood and framing for vendors’ spaces.
Then, on Tuesday morning, about 12 volunteers were in tent, installing drywall and insulation to the space in the back where the cooking area, walk-in refrigerator, electric, and water will live.
The Carpenters union tells us they will be out of the tent, completed with their work, within days. Meanwhile, KCS Electric is plugging away on installing electrical work throughout the tent. They estimate completition within the next 1-2 weeks.
We are anticipating and hopeful for the 16 confirmed vendors to move into the tent by the end of March, at which point they will have time to set up their stations before the market formally opens in the spring.
There is also a lot of exciting updates with the brick building. On Tuesday, the City hosted a meeting of interested potential construction managers for the brick building rebuild this morning. Six people showed up representing four companies, all of which have expressed interest in placing a bid to rebuild the iconic brick structure.
They all had questions about the size of the job, some general ideas of what the inside of the building is to look like, and what the building’s blueprint plans look like, among other topics. They also asked if they could have an extension to draft a proposal, of which the City was happy to oblige. The new deadline for prospective contractors to bid on the project is Monday, March 25 at 11pm. More information about the public bidding of the project can be viewed on Pennbid.
