It is business as usual for McCarty Companies as a third project on Hartwell Street in West Boylston is well underway. As with many construction companies, COVID-19 presented a slow-down, but to McCarty the pandemic proved to be only a glitch.

“The project was in the planning stages when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out,” said President Patrick McCarty, P.E. “Due to the pandemic and uncertainty in the business world, the project was shelved. The design and permitting of the project resumed in September 2021.”

Originally, McCarty was drawn to the West Boylston site to construct a 110,000-square-foot addition for Project Owner, D & S Realty, LLP.

“To help with this project, we had just purchased a new laser grading attachment for our skid steer from Topcon,” McCarty said. “If we were off an inch on preparing the gravel for underneath the concrete, it would have cost us $65,000 in concrete at the time. So, we invested in that piece of equipment.”

As work on the first project finally got underway, a second project evolved on Hartwell Street as a renovation of 65,000 square feet with an addition of 25,000 square feet to a different building.

“That building had multiple tenants,” McCarty said. “We vacated the tenants and completely gutted the building and renovated it to a medical device manufacturing facility. Shortly after moving in, they realized that they were already outgrowing that facility so we started plans for a new facility, which is currently under construction.”

This led to the current project – all owned by D & S Realty, LLP.

“This project started off as a 40,000-square-foot building, then progressed to a 70,000-square-foot building, then to an 88,000-square-foot building, and then they decided that they needed to put the maximum square feet there. Now 101,200 square feet is currently under construction,” McCarty said. “In addition to the footprint, there is a 10,000-square-foot structural steel mezzanine above the office to be used for future expansion. The remaining 10,000 square feet will be for offices, bathrooms, conference and break rooms.”

The third 8.5-acre Hartwell Street project evolved as McCarty Engineering prepared the site plans, drainage calculations, and permit applications to the Planning Board and Conservation Commission in the town of West Boylston. Conservation Commission approval came in November and Planning Board approval in December. Tree clearing started in mid-December 2021 and work has continued since.

“We worked through the winter clearing the site, stripping topsoil, importing structural fill, and foundation work,” McCarty said.

The projected utility work to be completed includes 690 linear feet of sewer, 760 linear feet of water, 2,180 linear feet of drainage, and a below grade infiltration basin with 560 Stormtech SC-740 chambers.

Excavation volumes include 20,000 cubic yards of topsoil to be stripped and exported and 27,000 cubic yards of structural fill to be imported, placed, and compacted. The maximum depth of the excavation is 8 feet.

The progress of the project includes dewatering while using 2-inch electric submersible pumps, discharging to at-grade, and temporarily settling the basins.

During the footing excavation, the crew encountered a small amount of ledge. Crew members were able to use a used hydraulic hammer mounted on a Caterpillar 319D LN Excavator to break up the debris. No blasting or crushing was required.

“The most challenging aspect of project is dealing with material pricing and supply chain issues,” McCarty said. “Immediately upon the closing of the loan with Middlesex Savings Bank, we asked our subcontractors and suppliers to purchase all materials necessary for the project. Some materials, such as water pipe, sewer pipe, drainage pipe, and drainage structures are being stored at the site. Weather sensitive items such as electrical components, interior door slabs, and hardware are being stored at our warehouse in Leominster and will be delivered to the job as they are needed.”

The building was purchased from Star Building Systems, a pre-engineered metal building manufacturer.

“We ordered the building on June 29, 2021, to ensure that it would be on-site prior to foundation work being completed,” McCarty said. “By ordering early in the process, we were able to proceed from foundation work to steel erection without delay. McCarty is an authorized ‘Star Builder’, which means we purchase the buildings direct from the manufacturer.”

McCarty said for this project his crew hired the David Allen Company as the steel erector.

“David has a crew of 23 to 25 men on-site to erect the steel framing, install the insulated metal sandwich panels – which are manufactured by Metlspan – and install the roof insulation and roofing panels,” McCarty said.

McCarty pointed out that the crew uses several all-terrain scissor lifts, aerial boom lifts, and lulls to erect the building. Steel erection took approximately 17 working days to complete, siding and trim will take approximately 12 working days, and roof insulation and roofing will take approximately 10 days. The wall panels are 3 inches thick with a gasketed double tongue and groove seam that are 42 inches wide and 24 feet tall.

The Leominster, Massachusetts, company was founded by Daniel McCarty in 1982. Patrick McCarty is the second generation to run the company.

“My father started this company with two $500 checks as his start-up capital to buy equipment,” McCarty said.

The 40-year-old company started as a construction management and consulting firm known as McCarty Associates and has grown into the McCarty Companies capable of taking a construction project from the concept stage, through site acquisition, permitting and construction to a completed building ready for occupation.

“We self-perform all site work,” McCarty said.

McCarty, who has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of New Hampshire and is a Registered Professional Engineer, pointed out that this company is actually two separate companies: McCarty Engineering, a full-service source for engineering design, permitting, and construction services, and McCarty Associates that offers site development services, construction management, and project management.

McCarty said his father kept the business small and was always out helping clients with work tasks. Since 2015, when McCarty took over, this thriving 22-employee business has grown due to building lasting relationships.

“Virtually 100 percent of our business comes from referrals,” McCarty said. “Our clients range from well-known large companies to local developers and manufacturing firms.”

Current McCarty projects include permitting and approvals for commercial development; site design, permitting, funding, and project management for both traditional and Ch 40B affordable housing residential developments; construction management for financial oversight of projects for state and local lenders; and project management for commercial developments.

The company currently has about 150 engineering projects, 18 construction projects and eight site work only projects on the books. When it comes to jobs, McCarty said he uses all Caterpillar and currently owns 22 machines. Equipment used for this project include:

• 319D LN Excavator
• 321C LCR Excavator
• 330DL Excavator
• 335FL Excavator
• D6N XL bulldozer
• 725C rock truck
• 938K wheel loader
• CS-423E roller compactor
• 242B3 skid steer w/sweeper
• 259D3 track loader with level best grading attachment for fine grading of gravel prior to slab placement

The job is scheduled to be complete by November 2022.

In support of continued growth for the business, the 22-employee McCarty Associates are currently settling into a new building of their own. The 9,000-square-foot, pre-engineered metal building with a 20-foot eave height was manufactured by Star Building Systems and is located a short distance from their former location in Leominster.

Building construction started in April 2021 and was complete this past January. The project was contracted by McCarty Associates themselves, who have the in-house ability to complete all site work. The company services include everything from engineering design to site acquisition, to permitting, to the construction of a move-in-ready completed building.

“The front 4,500 square feet of this building is the office area consisting of private offices, conference rooms, cubicle area, production area, and break room,” said President Patrick McCarty, P.E. “The rear 4,500 square feet of the building is accessed by four 14-foot by 14-foot overhead doors. The rear space is broken down into one bay for equipment and truck maintenance, one bay for site work tools and equipment, one bay for carpentry tools and equipment, and one bay for storage.”