How Far Along is The Warwick Building?

Every week we set out to answer a question submitted by one of our readers as part of our column.

This week, we had a local resident write in with a question about the progress at the Pleasant Street site of the new Warwick building.

They asked: What's the latest with the construction project on Pleasant Street? I can see that they are still laying foundation - when can we expect them to start building upward?

The simple answer, according to Mennino Construction Inc.'s on-site foreman Jeff Plumb, is very soon.

As workers laid the groundwork for the fourth of five foundation sections Tuesday afternoon, Plumb said he expected work on the frame of the 38,000-square-foot building would begin by the end of the month.

Plumb said workers will soon be finishing up work on the building's lower levels and that a large delivery of steel beams will be arriving on March 13.

So, before March goes "out like a lamb," local residents should expect to see the steel skeleton of the Warwick building coming together.

The building is being operated by the Warwick Realty Trust and will occupy the space where the former Warwick Theater and several surrounding buildings used to be.

To allow for the building, the town is expected to replace the blinking traffic light at School and Pleasant streets with a full traffic-control light to handle the increased number of vehicles.

When the building was approved by the town's Zoning Board of Appeals last spring, the most prominent prospective tenant was a new movie house with two 100-seat theaters for which the Warwick Theater Community Foundation is trying to raise more than $1 million to build.

The building is also designed to include a restaurant. The design calls for a largely brick building with the three-story portion being near the bookstore and the one-story portion being closer to Anderson Street.

The approved design features more set-backs for the upper floors and may be powered by geo-thermal energy and thermal panels on the roof.  

If you have a question for us, no matter how strange it may seem, let us know and we'll try to find the answer.