It’s been more than four years since Tropical Storm Irene inundated the Waterbury office complex, and the $125 million rebuild is nearly complete. But the campus that state employees will return to in December is going to be far different from the one that was destroyed in 2011. And a health and fitness center for the exclusive use of state workers highlights the scope of the improvements.
The excavators, backhoes and other machinery at work on this massive office complex have been the background noise of downtown Waterbury for the past two years. They’ll begin to fall silent later this year, when employees move in to what Gov. Peter Shumlin proudly calls, “[a] 21st century office space.”
“We wanted to bring this facility up to a state-of-the-art, modern work atmosphere for all our employees,” says Mike Stevens, special project administrator for the Department of Buildings and General Services.
Stevens oversees construction at the Waterbury site, and he’s got an eye for detail.
Windows in the complex feature mirrored louvers that allow natural sunlight to penetrate deep into the interior. Ergonomic workspaces have standing desks, customized to employees’ specific heights. Floors and walls use granite, slate and limestone, mined from Vermont quarries.
“To sum it up, it’s all about the environment,” Stevens says. “Whether it be about our natural environment or our work environment, we’re trying to connect those two as one.”
Attempts to foster that environment have resulted in another unconventional office feature, by state office standards, at least: a 700-square-foot health-and-fitness center, “that’s dedicated to the health, fitness and well-being for state employees that will coming back to the Waterbury office.”
The rectangular room is lined with mirrors on one side, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a historic courtyard on the other. If Vermonters flock to this state for quality of life, then administration officials are hoping to attract and retain skilled state workers with quality of work.
“If we can fulfill people’s lifestyles to greatest extent, it’ll increase their energy levels, it increases their productivity. It increases their health and well-being and their personal happiness,” Stevens says.
The state is looking to the local business community to operate the fitness center here – a request for proposals sent out last month seeks potential bidders.
Whoever wins the contract will have to pay rent – about $750 a month – and supply equipment and staff.
Stevens says membership dues, paid by employees that want to use the facility, would support the revenue end of the business model for whatever company wins the contract.
"If we can fulfill people's lifestyles to greatest extent, it'll increase their energy levels, it increases their productivity. It increases their health and well-being and their personal happiness." - Mike Stevens, special project administrator for the Department of Buildings and General Services
The state picked up the tab for the men’s and women’s locker rooms adjacent to the fitness center. Stevens says it’s impossible to separate construction costs for the locker rooms and fitness center from the overall project expense. In the scheme of the 200,000 square-foot project, Stevens says it isn’t significant.
“And those costs can be recoverable. If we’ve got a healthier occupancy, we’ve got potentially lower insurance rates, we’ve got more productive staff, we’ve got happier staff,” Stevens says.
Prospective bidders have until Nov. 10 to present proposals to the state.
