Sweetwater Construction Corp. Renovates Maternity Unit at Newton Memorial Hospital, in Newton, N.J.

Medical Facilities Are Specialty for Cranbury, N.J.-Based Firm

NEWTON, N.J. (JUNE 2009) - Sweetwater Construction Corp., a recognized leader in New Jersey construction, management and general contracting, has announced that it recently completed work on the renovation of the Single-Room Maternity Unit for Newton Memorial Hospital at 75 High St. in Newton, N.J.

“The project involved a complete interior renovation of the 7,000-square-foot maternity unit, which includes approximately 22 patients rooms, four birthing rooms, two nurses’ stations, a nursery and a family waiting area,” said Robert J. Chemi, Sweetwater’s vice president of interiors. The unit was originally constructed in 1997.

The job was particularly challenging because of the need for the maternity unit to remain open during construction, Mr. Chemi said. The project was completed in phases, each of which was fully closed off from the rest of the unit during construction. Negative air pressure was maintained in the work areas to keep dust and smells out of patient areas.

The construction team also worked closely with the hospital’s infection control officer to protect patients from the risk of hospital-associated infections.

“Carrying out a renovation in a hospital unit, while it remains open, requires strong communications capabilities, strict safety standards and an enormous amount of organization,” Mr. Chemi said. “Sweetwater was able to work closely with the hospital staff to ensure that the job caused minimal disruption to maternity unit operations.”

Newton Memorial Hospital is a not-for-profit, 146-bed hospital serving 250,000 residents of Sussex and Warren Counties in New Jersey, Pike County in Pennsylvania and southern Orange County in New York. The maternity unit delivers nearly 700 babies each year in a comfortable, private, state-of-the-art environment.

The maternity unit renovation is the second major project that Sweetwater has completed at the hospital. Two years ago, Sweetwater carried out a $1 million renovation of the cafeteria and food services areas. As with the maternity unit, the renovations were completed while the food services department remained in operation.

Sweetwater’s expertise in interior renovations extends from 5,000-square-foot tenant fit-outs to 200,000-square-foot, multi-phased relocations. The firm specializes in the science and technology, hospitality, multi-family and institutional sectors, but in recent years has made a particular specialty of medical and surgical facilities.

In addition to the work at Newton Memorial Hospital, Sweetwater also recently completed a 3,000 square-foot retrofit of the Wound Care Center at Princeton University Hospital.  The scope of work included the installation of 2 hyperbaric chambers with a medical gas management room, changing rooms, staff area and reception.

Other recent Sweetwater healthcare projects in New Jersey include the Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute in Freehold, the MALO Ambulatory Oral Surgery Center and Dental Clinic in Rutherford, the Morris County Surgical Center in Parsippany and the Harrison Endo Surgical Center in Harrison.

About Sweetwater Construction Corp.

Established in 1974 and headquartered in Cranbury, N.J., Sweetwater Construction is guided by a proven management team and a client-centric business philosophy. Sweetwater provides clients with expert preconstruction and construction services backed by professional commitment and personal accountability. Sweetwater’s project teams possess proven track records in the corporate, healthcare, science and technology, hospitality, multi-family and institutional sectors. Sweetwater’s notable project methodology delivers expertise in budgeting, estimating, constructability, lifecycle reviews and project control methodology; all of which contribute to a successful project. For more information please visit http://www.sweetwatercorp.com.