Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Staff Writer WEST SPRINGFIELD Visitors who enter the Big E from Gate 1 in 2006 will be walking under a giant clock tower and through an opening of the new Visitor's Center to the Eastern States Exposition (ESE) grounds. ESE officials recently unveiled the architectural drawings of the new Visitor's Center, which were completed by Bullock, Smith and Partners of Knoxville, Tenn. The architects, who specialize in fairground design, also designed the Mallary Complex, Food Court and infrastructure work on the south side of the grounds. Officials also announced that Fontaine Brothers Construction of Springfield will be the contractors for the project, which is the second phase of the capital improvement project. The Visitor's Center project is expected to cost over $4 million. Noreen Tassinari, director of marketing for the ESE, said that the Visitor's Center project is important because Gate 1 is the gateway to the Exposition for a number of visitors who arrive at the Big E on tour busses, bus excursions planned by different organizations and the local shuttle service to the Big E from the greater Springfield area. The Visitor's Center is 18,250 square feet and will include a massive 75-foot by 50-foot clock tower. The new building, which will be located behind the Avenue of States, will include a 50-foot by 65-foot restroom and shower area, a 75-foot by 150-foot waiting area for the visitors as well as concession stands. "It is quite the structure," Tassinari said. Wayne McCary, president of the ESE, said, "Today's visitor demands and deserves the best possible fair-going experience. This comfortable, aesthetically pleasing gateway to The Big E will enable us to meet those demands while continuing to improve the quality of the Fair and safety of our guests." The waiting area offers the ESE a secure storage area when the Big E is not in session. Tassinari said that the ESE has needed storage space for the Mardi Gras Floats, which have been stored outdoors, as well as heavy equipment from the Operations Department. Tassinari said that building a Visitor's Center has been a desire of ESE officials for sometime. "About 15 years ago, we embarked on a master plan for the grounds and one of the things included was a Visitor's Center at Gate 1," she said. Over the past 15 years, other projects that were part of the master plan to improve the grounds have taken place, according to Tassinari. Some of the projects included the leveling of the race track and construction of the food court, which took place in 1994; and the completion of the Mallary Complex in 1997. The first phase of the Mallary Complex project took place in 1989. Tassinari said that the ESE has actively been working on the plans for the Visitor's Center for the past two years. The first phase of the project began immediately after the closing of the 2004 Big E and is scheduled to be completed this month. The first phase included underground utility work for computers and electricity, new drainage, infrastructure preparations, fire hydrants and paving. "It was all underground work in preparation for the building," she said. According to Tassinari, part of the project also included the repaving of the street behind the Avenue of States, which has been renamed to State Street. The paving project is still underway and portions of the Avenue are still torn up, she added. Park Avenue will be expanded to 40 feet wide. This street runs between the Massachusetts and Main buildings. In addition to the work on the Visitor's Center, Tassinari said that a new brick walkway has been added in Storrowton Village. "There are always improvements going on here at the Expo," she said. Construction on the Visitor's Center will begin after the closing of the 2005 Big E. Gerard Kiernan, ESE director of Operations, is spearheading the project and Bob Kelly, the contractor coordinator for Fontaine Brother's, will manage the major construction. Subcontractors for the project include Collins Electric of Chicopee, Paige Plumbing, McCormick-Allum and Allied Fire Protection of Springfield. Tassinari said Gate 1 will be open during this year's fair. | ||||||
