— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary

Work progress earlier on, left; more recent progress, right
Conjoined Quincy Quarry News exclusive images

While out and about on the ever-increasingly mean streets of Quincy recently, an intrepid Quincy Quarry News reporter happened upon seeing work underway on the exterior of the last new building built within Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch’s long slow and arguably financially foundering plans to redevelop Quincy Center. 

Considerable exterior rework.

Further problematic, this building was completed roughly but six years ago and thus the reskinning is extraordinarily premature as its exterior should last for decades with only limited maintenance needs.

The reporter thus consulted with the Quarry’s construction expert and was so advised that the building was surely undergoing the replacement of its exterior skin given water leaks.

A before picture circa 2020
A Google Map image

The expert added that a reskinning so early on in a building’s life was indicative of likely problems with the building’s design and/or construction.

That and further added that such a reskinning is an expensive problem. 

A very expensive problem and likely one to be rife with lawsuits and/or insurance claims filed by the building’s owner and/or the building’s tenants.

To whit, a similar problem occurred at slightly older but much larger multiple buildings apartment complex in Marina Bay. 

Giant LEGO®-like prefab construction in Quincy Center
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo

Waterfront buildings are in high wind zones and thus extra care in their design as well as enhanced robustness in their construction are well-advised.

Quincy Center, on the other hand, is a lesser wind zone area and thus eyebrows were raised over the apparent premature fail of this Quincy Center apartment building’s exterior.

Then again, maybe not as this building was built with modular prefabricated elements that were hauled in by trucks and then assembled in ways similar to building with LEGO® bricks.

Further, the building’s owners have long been controversial. 

Why are these men smiling?
Conjoined LBC Boston headshots

For example, over how they have been sanctioned the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance for making illegal straws campaign contributions to primarily Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch locally as well as continue to contribute to Koch’s campaign fund such that they are by far the most generous contributors to it.

At the same time, while surely but coincidentally, these developers have scored millions in incentives via Mayor Koch which are ultimately subsidized with tax money tied to the construction of this now apparently leaky building.

Backroom deals …
A Cassius Marcellus Coolidge image

These developers also surely but coincidentally scored the rights to build two more apartment buildings on yet to be acquired nearby city-owned properties per also very attractive terms to the developers.

These same developers further have a long and controversial history in the City of Boston but where their also generous campaign contributions to Boston politicians have not seen the same level of benefit as they have scored in Quincy.

In short, business as usual in Quincy …

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