End of Year Progress

It has been awhile since our last post. The holidays have come and gone but work continues on the new buliding. The geothermal well drilling has been completed, and the system has been setup.

Skylights have been installed in the roof to reduce the amount of electricity needed upstairs.

The front entrance peak was installed in November.

The roof has been finished, complete with the shingles. Framing for the first floor has started, and the sheetrock walls are up on the second floor. The windows are currently being installed on the back side of the buliding.

Progress is moving along as we look towards a springtime move in date.

Geothermal Wells

As part of the Go Green initiative SFCU will be taking advantage of Geo-thermal energy to heat and cool the new building. This will decrease dependency on fossil fuels.


How it works?

In the winter, fluid circulating through the system's earth loop absorbs stored heat and carries it indoors. In the summer, the system reverses, pulling heat from the building, carrying through the earth loop and depositing it in the cooler earth.

Barney & Son Drilling has been busy over the last month drilling 28 wells that will tie into the closed loop system. Drilling will be completed by the end of November.

October Progress

It has been several weeks since our last update, and things are moving along very quickly. Work continues on the roof, as there are several layers of materials being installed. Check out the cross section of the roof above. The final layer to be installed starting next week will be the shingles.

The main electric lines were installed and buried in concrete. Concrete slabs were poured for all of the Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment. A crane was brought in that lifted all of the HVAC equipment up to the 3rd floor.

September Progress Part II

Continued roof work & Framing of the offices on the 2nd floor.

September Progress Part I

Things have been moving along quickly throughout the month of September.

At the beginning of the month, a gigantic steel structure towers over the construction site ready for the next phase.

During the first week, a truck was brought in to pump the concrete flooring for the 3rd story. The roofing for the back side of the building also started going up.

After the Labor Day holiday weekend, a smaller concrete pumping truck was brought in to pour the second story floor. This second week of September also saw progress on the roof on the front side of the building.

Check out our new video

Check out the latest video of the crane setting up to begin erecting the steel framework.

Steel framework almost completed

Sometimes, we don’t realize how much progress we’re making on the building because we see it every day. But if you take a look at these photos, you’ll see for yourself how fast the steel framework is going up.

We took these photos on four successive Thursdays: July 31, Aug. 6, Aug. 13 and Aug. 20. And we’re right on schedule to finish the framework by mid-September.

With all the rain and thunderstorms we’ve had this summer, we have to take our hats off to our construction crews – Fast Trek Steel of Coxsackie is erecting the steel -- for keeping us on track.

After that, a bunch of things start happening all at once. We no sooner finish the framework when we start pouring concrete for the floors – third floor, then second a few days later.

At the same time, we’ll begin work on the roof, insulation and the underslab plumbing.

And by fall, we’ll begin work on the fire-protection systems.

Pretty busy, indeed. We’re excited by it.

Clean water coming in, less water going out

You probably don’t notice one of the most environmentally important features of any building. And in truth, you might laugh when we tell you that it’s critical to the environmental safety and health of our new building. It’s the water and sewer service.

Clean water coming into a building and safe discharge of dirty water has been a critical facet of healthy building construction for more than 5,000 years. You can still see Roman viaducts across Europe and water cisterns in Istanbul.

Our water pipes can supply thousands of gallons of potable water each day to meet the needs of our members and 80 employees. Normally, sewer lines are designed to accommodate the same amount, but in our case, they need to handle a bit more.

That’s because we’ve installed storm water holding tanks capable of handling 4,500 gallons of water. That water will be used to flush toilets, water the lawn and other “grey water” uses – where the water doesn’t need to be treated, potable water.

Of course, we’ll be using low-flow fixtures throughout the building so we don’t waste water. A low-flow toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush or less, compared with the 5 gallons of older models. If the building flushes toilets, say, 300 times a day, that’s a savings of 1,000 gallons a day – more than 350,000 gallons a year. That’s enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every two years.

Steel arrives for building's skeleton

The steel is here. We’ve been waiting for this day for months.

Steel is at the heart of any modern building, and we’re using more than 60 tons of it – 120,000 pounds. A good portion of it will be recycled, but because we have several different suppliers, we can’t say exactly how much.

But if we manage just 10 percent recycled metal, that’ll be 12,000 pounds less iron we have to pull out of the ground and refine. If we get to 25 percent, that’s 30,000 pounds that stays in the earth.

We’ll spend the next several weeks hanging the steel frame of the building. When we’re done, you’ll have a much better idea of what the building will look like.

After that, two things will happen that will hide the steel for the life of the building: We’ll encase it, to make sure it can resist heat.

And we’ll cover the frame in a skin of brick, wood and insulation as we build out the walls, much like your skin covers your bones.

Foundation is set and ready for steel

We have been keeping the folks at Otsego Ready Mix pretty busy, lately. Just look at our before and after photos from just a few days ago.

We’re finishing up the foundation. We’ve poured concrete and removed most of the forms, and backfilled the space to make ready for the arrival of structural steel in a few days.

And we’re getting ready to install the water and sewer lines -- one of the most environmentally friendly things we can do. In fact, they’re one of history’s first efforts to protect public health and the environment. They’re so common now that we don’t really think of them as being environmentally friendly. But they are.

That’s part of the reason that we’re installing a holding retention system and low-flow water fixtures. By using untreated water for non-potable uses – watering the lawn, flushing the toilets and the like – we save potable water for our neighbors. And keep in mind that as much as half of all potable water uses can be replaced with similar systems.

And by installing low-flow systems for our other needs, we reduce water consumption. Low-flow faucets cut consumption up to 40 percent from their regular counterparts – down to 2 ½ gallons a minute instead of 4 gallons a minute.

Rainwater Harvesting System installation underway

The Rainwater Harvesting System installation is underway, once the roof is finished this Fall, the take off points, gutters and downspouts will be put in place and rainwater will then be filtered before reaching the tanks for detention. Once installation is completed, the Rainwater Harvesting System will be fully operational and ready for the rain to fall.

Our water reclamation system means some pretty good things for the environment. Did you know that 50% or more of all potable (human consumption) water is used for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, car washing and toilet flushing? And, the average US household consumes about 70,000 G/year of water?

Roth Global Plastics, Inc. (Syracuse), supplier of three, 1,500 gallons tanks knows that rainwater harvesting plays an important role in benefitting the environment through reclamation. Rain water harvesting also reduces the consumption of high-quality water from the municipal water system, where reclamated water could be used for non-potable, janitorial purposes. Benefits also translate at the municipal level, stormwater planning with an RHS component will increase cost savings and reduce storm drain runoff in your own backyard. 

A. Treffeisen & Son, LLC (Oneonta) is currently installing the 1500 gallon tanks. When these tanks become operational they will be collecting rainwater runoff from a 25,200 sq. ft. rooftop. 

June would have been a great month to collect these rainwater benefits! 

Backfilling should be completed this week.

Next up for us: Steel. We’re expecting more than 60 tons of it to begin to arrive on site by the end of the month.

Concrete poured for foundation

What used to be just a hole in the ground is now filled with concrete and rebar. In the past few days, we’ve poured concrete to fill in around the footers and to start the walls.

That’s 240 linear feet of concrete for the walls, and 300 more for the footers. It makes for a sound foundation.

Now we’re back-filling, adding new fill to create a sound base on which to erect the building, and shipping the old material elsewhere to be re-used. We would have loved to use the fill on-site, but the soil just wasn’t solid enough to handle 60-odd tons of steel, and tons more concrete, conduit, furniture, equipment and people that will sit atop it every day.

The structural steel from Schenectady Steel is due July 27, and we’ll begin piecing it all together by July 28. And before that all happens, we’ll have to install the stormwater retention tanks and do the preparatory work for water and sewer service.

Footers driven to support building

Even if you missed us at the Sidney Hometown Parade last week, you couldn’t possibly miss the latest developments at the site of our new building. We’ve cleared the site of the asphalt from the back portion of the parking lot and began driving the steel footings.

The material we excavated is being recycled at another site, and we’re backfilling with material better able to handle the weight of the building we’re putting up.

We’re trying to keep this building as green as possible, and that doesn’t just mean energy-efficient. We’re using recycled materials wherever we can – from the structural steel to the office paper.

Steel is an easy material to recycle. It doesn’t lose any of its best qualities – strength and durability – when it’s recycled. And in fact, recycling old steel, to some degree, has been part of the industry for 150 years. The difference today is the amount of recycled content that’s used, and the effort a contractor makes to use it.

We’re pushing to do both. Our architect tells us we’re going to use more than 120,000 pounds of steel, so the difference between 10 percent recycled and 25 percent recycled is more than 18,000 pounds of metal kept out of a landfill.

At its foundation, steel is what makes this building stand, so what’s the point of energy-efficient lights or windows if the very heart of the building isn’t green, too?

Next up for the builders is laying the foundation, which we expect to happen in early July. If all goes well, by this time next year, we’ll have a new home.

We Have Officially Broken Ground

Everyone at Sidney Federal Credit Union would like to extend a warm thanks to those who attended our official groundbreaking ceremony yesterday.

In addition to our own President/CEO, James A. Doig, and the SFCU Board Chairman, James Suriano, we heard from Sidney Chamber President John Marano, Sidney Town Supervisor Joseph Maddelone and Sidney Mayor James Warren. We were also honored to have local state Senator John Bonacic, Assemblyman Cliff Crouch, and Asssemblyman Pete Lopez at the ceremony.

James Doig's remarks highlighted the excitement that everyone here at SFCU feels about this new project. We are especially excited about the ways this project aligns with our initiatives to be a greener organization.

Among some of the green building practices that will be used in this project are:

• Photo-Voltaic collectors on the south side of the building


• Water reclamation system


• Highly insulated roof, wall, and window systems


• Geothermal heating/cooling system (including reclaiming heat generated by our datacenter).

As the project progresses, we'll share more details on each of these aspects. Stay Tuned!

Here are some more photos and a video from the groundbreaking festivities.

Important Parking Changes!

The main parking lot on Union Street has been fenced off in preparation for construction. There are three (3) handicap parking spaces remaining in the front of the building. All other members transacting business are asked to park in the lot on Adams Street across Union street.

The drive up traffic flow has also been modified. Please enter using the Union Street Amphenol Exit, complete a right hand U-turn and exit back out onto Union Street. Signs are posted to direct traffic.

If you have a delivery, park in the Amphenol lot and use the stairs to the West of the Credit Union building, and enter using the side entrance.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and ask for your patience as we proceed with the new building construction.

SFCU Board of Directors Approve Plans for New Headquarters Facility in Sidney

Sidney, NY – James A. Doig, President/CEO of Sidney Federal Credit Union (SFCU) today announced that the SFCU Board of Directors has approved the construction of a new headquarters facility in Sidney.

Over the past few years, SFCU Management explored numerous renovation options for the current facility on Union Street in Sidney. It was determined that the most practical and least expensive option was to construct a new building on the parking lot adjacent to the current facility. This will allow additional space to support current operations, long term growth projections, and add additional drive thru lanes to better serve the Credit Union’s members.

In June of 2007, SFCU employed the services of Norman J. Davies, AIA of Binghamton to design a headquarters building that takes optimum advantage of the Union Street site and positions SFCU for continued future growth.

On April 22, 2009, the SFCU Board gave their approval to proceed with construction. Eastman Associates of Oneonta, NY was awarded the general contract to construct the proposed new 28,970 square foot, two story building. Other contractors selected include: A. Treffeisen & Son from Oneonta, Blanding Electric, Inc. from Vestal, H.J. Brandeles Corp. from Utica, Barney & Sons Well Drilling from Laurens, and SRI Fire Sprinkler Corp. from Albany. Once construction is complete, the existing facility will be removed.

The new headquarters will feature many environmentally friendly (green) building concepts. Follow progress of the new building project by signing up for the SFCU HQ Building Blog available from the Credit Union’s website at www.sfcuonline.org. The blog will feature updates of the building’s progress and information about the green building methods going into the project.