Courtesy Photo

YORK COUNTY — On Nov. 22, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, delivered remarks at a dual groundbreaking ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for two projects: the new Paint, Blast, and Rubber Facility and the Defense Logistics Agency, or DLA, Consolidated Warehouse. The ceremony was also attended by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, and Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire. The groundbreakings came hours after the announcement of a contract award for a third, separate project: a nearly $158 million contract to modernize Dry Dock #1.

“The groundbreakings we celebrate today advance our Shipyard’s crucial mission. The paint, blast, and rubber facility will consolidate various operations now dispersed across the Shipyard into one location, enhancing both safety and efficiency. The DLA Consolidated Global Submarine Component Facility will expand an outdated warehouse to improve the Shipyard’s ability to receive, inspect, and distribute submarine components for worldwide fleet support,” said Senator Collins. “As a member of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, I was proud to champion the funding for these projects and to work with my colleagues to ensure that funding was not diverted for other purposes. I will continue to advocate for military construction and facility modernization projects at the Shipyard as I continue to advocate for budgets that will keep our Navy strong.”

As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins helped to secure the funding for these projects at PNSY in the fiscal year 2018 and FY19 appropriations bills. At a hearing in April when it appeared that PNSY’s military construction projects could be diverted pursuant to the President’s emergency declaration, Sen. Collins questioned the U.S. Navy’s Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics, and he assured her that the Department of Defense was on track to award the contracts.

The Paint, Blast and Rubber Facility project consolidates and optimizes paint, blast, and rubber fabrication in a newly constructed 65,386 square foot facility. The new facility will be low-rise construction, consisting of high and low-bay industrial shop areas, as well as offices, break rooms, locker rooms, training and support spaces and is necessary to support the increased Virginia Class submarine workload starting in 2023.

The DLA Consolidated Warehouse project will construct a new 29,200 square foot addition to the existing warehouse Building 170A at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. This project completes the consolidation and modernization of a submarine component processing facility that will enhance the joint ability of the DLA and Navy to receive, inspect, and distribute submarine components for worldwide fleet support. The project also includes the design and installation of a new automated material handling system.