KITTERY, Maine—The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $59.4 million contract to Methuen Construction Co. of Plaistow, N.H., to build a facility consolidating rubber manufacturing, plastics molding and paint operations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.
Under the contract, Methuen will build a new facility, convert existing buildings and demolish excess footprint, according to a press release from the office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
The new facility will be low-rise and have high- and low-bay industrial shop areas, according to the press release. It will support consolidation of rubber production and molding operations, fiberglass repairs, blast and paint booths and environmentally controlled storage for curing preserved products.
The project was funded under a military construction appropriations bills for fiscal year 2018. Collins is a member of both the Senate Appropriations Committee and its Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee.
The facility has a projected completion date of September 2023.
Officials of the Navy and of Methuen Construction did not respond to requests for further information.