February 2010 We are publishing a separate blog to follow the construction - Please see the CHARLESTOWN PACKAGE STORE BLOG.
January 2010 Ca-Gin concrete is doing the foundation work and will be pouring the slab. Below are the principals of CA-Gin - Dan Cassidy and Bobby Gingerella, with architect Megan Moynihan.
December 2009 We have broken ground and begun site work. After a year of planning and securing permission we are under way. Below engineer Tony Nenna and excavator Mike Marrone check dimensions and lay out the work. 
October 2009 The Charlestown Package Store recently received the go ahead from the Town of Charlestown Planning Commission and is hoping to start construction this fall. Oyster Works worked closely with Tony Nenna of Onsite Engineering and Jenn Judge of Gravelly Hill Design Group in preparing our presentation to the Planning Commission. We were overjoyed, and pleasantly surprised, to receive conditional approval at our first public hearing.
The new store will be approximately 4500 square feet, nearly double the size of the current store, and will have a wine storage room, double walk in beer coolers, and a tasting loft, in addition to the retail area. The main part of the building will be timber frame and we are working closely with South County Post and Beam in designing the structure. We are investigating the use of a geothermal heating and cooling system which would make use of the earth's constant 50+ degree temperature to warm and cool the building. We will update the blog more often as we refine the design and prepare for construction.
May 2009
The Charlestown Package Store has served southern Rhode Island since 1950 and it's time for a new home. A change in ownership has brought vision and energy and we are designing a store that will feature a greatly expanded selection of wine, beer, and spirits, a wine tasting and seminar room, and walk-in beer coolers. The new store will be built on the lot adjacent to the existing store and will be served by a reconfigured driveway and parking area. Once the new store is open the existing store will be torn down and, at a future date, a new retail store will be built in its place.
The store is located in Charlestown's Traditional Village District and one of the requirements is that parking is in the rear of the building. To meet this requirement we worked with On-Site Engineering to create a one-way driveway and parking area that will be landscaped with native species.  To the left is a detail from the Landscape Plan. We are working with Jenn Judge, a local landscape architect, to develop a plan that will emphasize the use of indigenous plants and stone walls. We have made two presentations to the Planning Commission and the next step is a public hearing. We hope to break ground later this year.
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