Aquidneck Corporate Park "Face-Lift" Set to Begin

Aquidneck Corporate Park is about to get a significant make-over, the latest milestone in its 40-year evolution from town industrial hub to a corporate park inhabited by businesses ranging from defense contractors to social welfare service providers.

The major construction phase of the $1 million undertaking will begin this week, town officials announced, for significant landscaping, storm drain and roadway improvements to be made throughout the park. A public information session was recently held to notify corporate park tenants of the scope of work to be expected in coming weeks.

"The park is in need of a facelift," said Middletown Planning Director Ronald M. Wolanski. "In its 30-something year history, the nature of the business there has changed from an industrial park to a corporate park, and these improvements will present that to the businesses there, their clients and to the public."

The 90-acre commercial park was born in the 1970s as a result of redevelopment partnerships involving the local municipalities at the time, as a way to create jobs for the surrounding communities following the departure of the U.S. Naval fleet from the island. Initially the emphasis was on industrial and manufacturing. The town's current Master Plan for the park seeks to enhance the park to keep the complex competitive to continue to attract defense-related and other high-tech companies and new jobs to Middletown.

Today, 45 businesses provide jobs for about 2,500 employees in industries comprised largely of defense contractors and research and development sectors. Other tenants include smaller local businesses and agencies, including a law office, caterer, and a local state Child & Family Services office.

More jobs are coming to the corporate park in the coming months by way of local defense contractor Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow, Inc. (ASFT), which recently announced the hiring of 30-40 new engineers, logistics support personnel and program managers.

Headquartered in Roswell, Georgia, ASFT currently employs about 100 workers in the Aquidneck Corporate Park in the areas of technical support and engineering services, with a heavy emphasis on submarine combat control systems. ASFT recently secured a $45M contract with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center to support submarine combat and command and control systems.

The total cost of the Aquidneck Corporate Park improvements comes to about $1 million, with the bulk covered by Middletown's capital improvement funds, less $118,000 funded from a Small Business Administration (SBA) federal grant and an earlier $100,000 federal grant secured from Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI). The $100,000 grant was previously applied toward an earlier phase in the construction project for upgrades and redesign of the main entrance off Aquidneck Avenue.

Preparations and preliminary work is expected to begin Monday, August 2, 2010 with the arrival of construction personnel and some equipment, Wolanski said, with construction work beginning within the days following.  Businesses should expect some digging in the roadways, but minimal disruptions are expected, he added.

"The goal is to keep the park open with as little disruptions as possible," said Wolanski, adding that for any significant construction work to be done outside any businesses, the contractor will take steps to alert and make arrangements with the affected business.