January 5, 2009

News for contractors and the construction industry

§                                 U.S. to reshape military bases in Guam
More than 25,000 people will relocate to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam over the next six years as part of a plan to realign U.S. military bases. Plans to expand the base on Guam are also spurring a real estate boom and new construction. However, some officials are concerned that the $15 billion in projects could tax the island's infrastructure. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.)/The Associated Press (1/3)

§                                 Work on La. levees will improve tidal protection, drainage
Improvements to levees in Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish will not provide the protection of completed hurricane protection elevation levees, officials say. "It's more for tidal protection and forced drainage," noted Al Levron, Terrebonne Public Works director. "This is what we consider our redundant level of protection." Work on the $30.2 million project, which will require 700,000 cubic yards of clay borrow material, will start in February, and contractors hope to finish by hurricane season. New Orleans CityBusiness (1/5)

§                                 Work resumes on Idaho bridges amid accident investigation
Construction estimated at $8.5 million resumed last week on two Idaho bridges, but officials say an investigation into the collapse of a section of one of the bridges will continue. A section of the Robinson Boulevard bridge in Nampa collapsed last October, injuring 14 workers. Now, the bridge deck will be built off-site, and already created piers and footings will let the bridge be built in place. Idaho Press-Tribune (Nampa/Caldwell) (1/4)

§                                 Maryland water main break illustrates infrastructure woes
A water main break during morning rush hour on a busy commuter route in Bethesda, Md., last month is simply one example of crumbling infrastructure in the U.S., writes Rebecca Wodder in the Washington Post. Wodder, president of the conservation group American Rivers, notes that the ASCE gave water and wastewater systems a grade of D minus. She writes that the economic stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama is an "excellent opportunity to to make the water infrastructure investments that Montgomery County and other communities around the country so desperately need." The Washington Post (1/4)

§                                 South Dakota water plant may miss stimulus package
Contracts for a South Dakota water treatment plant will not be bid out until May at the earliest because of federal oversight rules, according to officials. Design work on the $95 million plant is already completed. Officials also say the plant may not be able to participate in a possible economic stimulus package that would fund infrastructure improvements. "May might be a little too late to catch that, but it's the earliest we can bid it," said Lewis & Clark Executive Director Troy Larson. "We've done what we can. Because we're getting 80% of our money from the federal government, the Bureau of Reclamation needs to review the plans." Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, S.D.) (1/4)

§                                 Other News

·                                 Mass. road improvement fund has towns vying for dollars
The Boston Globe (1/4)

·                                 Fla. road, planned for 20 years, may move ahead
The Tampa Tribune (Fla.) (1/4)

§                                 Gloom replaces glitz in Las Vegas
As visitors to Las Vegas cut back on their vacation and gambling budgets, casinos have had to put several construction projects on hold. Boyd Gaming tore down the 50-year-old Stardust casino to build a $4.8 billion hotel complex in its place, but it halted the 5,000-room Echelon project partway through construction. The Sun (Baltimore)/The Associated Press (free registration) (1/4)

§                                 State budget, slow demand threaten California construction firms
California's heavy construction industry faces a state budget deficit and a slowdown in the demand for new housing in 2009. In addition, experts say they will not know when the economic downturn will end until President-elect Barack Obama and Congress decide on an economic stimulus package. Meanwhile, many contractors are shifting to public projects. Associated Construction Publications (1/5)

§                                 Other News

·                                 "Full tilt," no speed ahead
American City Business Journals/California (1/2)

§                                 Workers install spire underpinning on Trump's Chicago tower
Donald Trump's Chicago skyscraper received the underpinning for its spire on Saturday. A helicopter delivered the three-legged steel sections to the roof of the tower where ironworkers aligned and bolted them into place. Workers installed eight of the sections on the decorative spire, which is more than 227 feet tall. The tower is the second-highest in the U.S. Chicago Tribune (free registration) (1/4)

§                                 Architect designs angled structure for National Sailing Hall of Fame
The preliminary design for Maryland's National Sailing Hall of Fame has physical and visual access to the Annapolis waterfront and allows the city to avoid tearing down a historic building nearby. Designed by architect Joseph Boggs, the $30 million structure was designed diagonally, to resemble a ship catching the wind. "In sailing, you're tacking to avoid something or to change course," Boggs said. "It was a natural metaphor for our design. It's a way of positioning the building so it makes more of a connection to the water." The Sun (Baltimore) (free registration) (1/4)

Top five news stories selected by AGC SmartBrief readers in the past week.

§                                 Recession crimps Vegas casinos and construction (TIME)

§                                 Top 5 in political comedy (The Daily Beast)

§                                 And the top materials for 2008 are... (MIT Technology Review)

§                                 Construction accounts for 15% of mass layoffs in November (Journal of Commerce (Canada))

§                                 Obama recovery plan to include school renovations (USA TODAY)

·                                 Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

§                                 Democratic governors want $1 trillion stimulus
A group of Democratic governors is asking the federal government for a stimulus totaling $1 trillion over the next two years. The request includes $350 billion for infrastructure improvements. "The idea is to put people to work and to put them to work in ways that build on a stronger, long-term economic platform for future growth," said Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who is part of the group lobbying Congress. The Boston Globe (1/2)

§                                 Keep safe -- use AGC
AGC has more than 70 resources to help you keep your company safe and compliant. DVDs are available on avoiding soft tissue (back) injuries, books are available on proper techniques for working with cranes, backhoes, personal protective gear and other subjectss, and downloadable papers are available on accident prevention, hazard communication and powered industrial truck operation -- to name just a few. AGC works hard to keep construction contractors safe, compliant and profitable. Check it out for yourself! Go to www.agc.org/bookstore, keyword "Safety."

§                                 Managing your environmental responsibilities
Easily identify and fulfill the federal environmental requirements for your construction and development projects with this guidebook. You'll find seven self-audit checklists in this book, originally published by EPA in 2005, to help you evaluate your compliance status through all three stages of your project, from pre-bid to pre-construction and construction. Includes Part I and Part II. 236 pages. 2006. To purchase copies, visit www.agc.org/bookstore, item #3215.

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