SnapShot March 21, 2011 Photographs chosen by our editors Submitted By: Shelly Dudley, senior historical analyst, SRP, Phoenix This photograph of Theodore Roosevelt Dam in Arizona was taken Aug. 1, 1908, by a U.S. Reclamation Service photographer identified only as ‘D.A.W.’ With camera and gear, it would have been a difficult trek to reach the site east of Phoenix through the untamed Superstition Wilderness. The masonry dam was approximately 42% complete here, at a height of about 75 ft above the Salt River. The dam turns 100 this month. Photographer: D.A.W.
On The Scene March 21, 2011 Our editors are everywhere�at all the industry events that matter most. When They're not speaking on panels, they're busy taking notes�and snapping photos�so they can inform their readers about what was said and who was there. Arizona Builders’ Alliance The Arizona Builders� Alliance hosted its annual Auction and President�s Party on Feb. 4 at the Phoenix Airport Marriott. The auction included dozens of items donated by local industry companies and several resort vacation packages that were raffled off, helping the group raise $17,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society and ABA education programs. The
NV Energy is making a power play by more than quadrupling the output of its 16-year-old southern Nevada powerplant, the 144-MW Harry Allen Generating Station. Once used as a facility for peak-time power use, the simple-cycle natural gas-fired plant is now undergoing a $600-million expansion that will increase capacity to 628 MW. “After California's energy crisis, we needed to become self-sufficient and not dependent upon others,” says Andrew McNeil, NV Energy's new generation corporate executive. “At the time, we had been buying about 75% of our power from the grid.”Las Vegas-based NV Energy's service area covers 44,424 sq miles and
Article toolbar On March 18, 1911, Theodore Roosevelt pressed a button, releasing the first flow of water from a dam bearing his name, deep within the Arizona Territory. �If there could be any monument which would appeal to any man, surely this is it,� Roosevelt told the crowd of 1,000 who had assembled in the remote Superstitions Wilderness, 76 miles northeast of Phoenix. The former president had ardently campaigned for and signed the 1902 National Reclamation Act, making the dam, today�s Bureau of Reclamation and an irrigated West possible. �Great things will take place in the Salt River Valley due
Currently, the construction industry is showing modest signs of a rebound. Architectural billings are starting to rise modestly, secondary commercial financing is beginning to give bankers an outlet for moving commercial real estate loans off their books and some of the Fortune 1000, spurred by a friendly bond market and low interest rates, are floating debt or simply spending their mountains of cash and beginning to invest in plant and warehouse expansions (Caterpillar, Whirlpool, Amazon, etc.) In addition, the automobile business is expanding again after two-plus years of contraction and consolidation. All in all, the industry outlook appears to be
Southern Nevada�s Nellis Air Force Base is trimming construction costs of a new child development center by nearly 4% by using a unique aerated plastic-riser foundation system. Graphic: Courtesy USAF Cobblestone Construction, Las Vegas, broke ground on the $7.2-million design-build project in August 2010 and later discovered that the six-acre site along the northwest edge of the base was contaminated with radon. The 26,000-sq-ft block building consequently required a gas ventilation system, which typically comprises a vapor barrier consisting of a membrane of washed rocks and liquid as well as perforated pipe and fans. Wright Engineers, Las Vegas, proposed a
Even with all the new high-tech safety equipment and more access to quality safety training programs than ever before, hundreds of workers continue to be injured every year. The good news is that any size contractor can have an effective injury management plan (IMP) in place to handle non-critical injuries and keep costs to a minimum while raising employee morale. The Start-Up After a project is awarded and before you start work, locate an urgent-care facility (UCF). Location is an important factor, but not the most important. Consider evaluating a UCF like you would a subcontractor or vendor: What services
The increased pace of merger and acquisition activity late in 2010, including some huge deals, suggests that 2011 will be an active year. Low interest rates, significant cash on many firms� balance sheets, and stock prices that are low enough to attract buyers but high enough to move sellers off the sidelines all reinforce that possibility. Decisions on acquisitions are always a challenge. There is extensive literature that documents the too-high percentage of failed combinations, ones that failed to reward shareholders with a positive return on their investment. Yet most firms are motivated to consider acquisitions as an element of
Students will be able to skip the university experience altogether and go straight into the workforce after attaining an education from an innovative new school being constructed in Glendale, Ariz. Image courtesy DLR Group A new aviation maintenance school in Arizona will help students proceed directly to the workforce by utilizing hands-on curriculum. The Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) Aviation Technology Program will allow high school students and adults to partake in two years of training in aircraft maintenance. They will be separate programs, but following the same curriculum. �We will have approximately 100 juniors and seniors [at a time],�
The triennial CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibition is thought to be the largest construction event of the year and the largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere. This year’s show, scheduled for March 22-26 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, already is booking up its 2.2 million square feet. Last time the big show came to Vegas, in 2008, the industry and economy were in a much different place. Then, manufacturers couldn’t crank out the machines fast enough. The show set all-time records for attendance and exhibits, with more than 144,000 people perusing nearly 2.3 million sq ft. Soon after, investment bank Lehman
RSS
