McManus Excavating Company

A whole new crossing┬áBrendan A. Smith learns about the contribution being made to a new mixed use property development by a local site developer, McManus Excavating Company. The famous town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, will soon be Cape AnnÔÇÖs premier retail destination, and a local site work development company is playing a vital role. McManus Excavating Company, one of New EnglandÔÇÖs finest site work development operations and the largest of five corporations and limited liability companies co-located at its headquarters in Northborough, Massachusetts, has been hard at work building the McManus name since 1983.┬á Two brothers, Tim and Brian McManus, have orchestrated strategic operations for the company. Offering a range of services from site excavation and development, rock crushing, material hauling, and equipment transportation to installation and rehab of roadways, McManus Companies does business all over the northeastern United States. Clients include general contractors, property owners, retail businesses, site developers, the Massachusetts Highway Department, the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority), the State of Connecticut, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.One of McManusÔÇÖs largest ongoing projects is site preparation for the Gloucester Crossing mixed-use development, located in the historic seaport city of Gloucester. The $60 million dollar project, located on 33 acres of land, is being developed by Sam Park & Company, which specializes in planning, permitting, financing, and construction of high-end projects throughout the Boston and New York metropolises. McManus Excavating has been involved in rock crushing, earth moving and foundation construction. McManus owns a complete mobile crushing plant capable of making everything from 3/8-inch stone to 6-inch gravel. The plant is extremely mobile, and if the equipment is on-site first thing in the morning, it can be set up and processing materials by the end of the same day.With a completion date slated for the third quarter of 2009, the Gloucester Crossing project will provide 195,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, 100 units of assisted living housing, and a 100-room hotel, which aims to capture clients from both the business and tourist sectors.Park has already found some big-name suitors for the retail space. Soon supermarket chain Market Basket, Staples, and Marshalls will call Gloucester Crossing home. The project is ripe for investment because of its prime Cape Ann location, from where local retail consumers currently have a 17-mile commute to reach the nearest Market Basket, Staples, or Marshalls.┬á In addition to consumer convenience, Gloucester Crossing brings a welcome wave of economic stimulus to the region by delivering tax dollars and local employment. Market Basket has plans to hire 45 full-time employees, including 15 managers. In all, the project is expected to provide 200 jobs and bring in an estimated $500,000 in property taxes. Furthermore, the developer is set to spend roughly $6.8 million on improving roadways, sewer lines, and other utilities.┬áThere was a welcome swing in momentum for the Gloucester Crossing venture when the governor of Massachusetts put his pen behind the deal, inking a $2 million grant to help with finances. Governor Deval Patrick is using funds from the Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion grantÔÇöa stimulus package meant to create jobs and improve infrastructure throughout the Commonwealth. The money is most welcome at a time when financial institutions are restricting their lending in the global economic crisis. ÔÇô Editorial research by Jason Moore┬á