Demolition will lead to large parcel at Pease

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Wayne Learnard stands in front of two excavators at the demolition site of a 900-foot-long warehouse at the Pease International Tradeport. The project has a timeline of five months and is already two months in.Raya Al-Hashmi photo

PORTSMOUTH Crews are slowing chipping away at a major demolition project in the Pease International Tradeport that, once complete, will clear the way for one of the largest parcels of land available in the business park.

The demolition of a 153,000-square-foot warehouse at 80 Rochester Ave. is well under way and is expected to be complete by December, according to David Mullen, executive director of the Pease Development Authority.

Once the building is demolished, the 11 acres of land cleared will be the largest available parcel at the tradeport, Mullen said. Crews are currently working on razing the steel framing of the old warehouse and plan to demolish the concrete foundation, he added.

When the project is done, Mullen said all that will be left is an open field. The land has already been listed by Pease officials, he said.

"People will start to see the open field and will see there is something to consider," he said. "I think you'll find the interest in it will increase substantially as the building is torn down."

The warehouse, which was once one of the most significant buildings ever built at the former Pease Air Force Base, was formerly home to Port City Warehousing Services.

Conducting the demolition and abatement work is Green Environmental of Norwell, Mass. The cost of the work is not expected to exceed $675,000. Greenman-Pedersen Inc., was also hired to conduct construction oversight services.

Pease is expected to be reimbursed half of the cost to demolish the warehouse due to a 50/50 grant awarded by the U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration last year.

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Demolition will lead to large parcel at Pease