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The Dept. of Energy's $7.7-billion Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., isn't dead yet. But the Obama administration's March budget request to put the unfinished plutonium disposal facility into "cold standby" could sound the bedeviled project's death knell. Photo courtesy of the South Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club With construction costs soaring, and long-term operational costs doing the same, the Obama administration recommended halting the project and studying other alternatives for plutonium disposition. Related Links: DOE Looking at Cost, Schedule Problems at S.C. Nuclear Site Cold War Cleanup The lack of an

After braving a "perfect storm" of construction challenges—including mucky conditions and seismic- and wind-load concerns—the builders behind Clemson University's first-of-its-kind wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility in North Charleston, S.C., have finally found safe harbor as the university prepares to begin commissioning. Related Links: Clemson Facility to Drive New Grid, Wind-Energy Research Getting Schooled in the Art of Net Zero "We had heavy loads on muck in a seismic area with flooding potential and high wind loads due to hurricanes on a brownfield site," says James Tuten, program manager for the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI), the project owner. Indeed, project officials

Technically speaking, 2013 proved to be a downer for the Southeast's collective construction industry. According to McGraw Hill Construction's final 2013 state figures, the Southeast region of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas generated nearly $70.6 billion in new contracts during the past year. While that number sounds significant, it's decidedly lower than the 2012 grand total of nearly $80.3 billion. However, while numbers don't lie, sometimes they don't tell the whole story. Related Links: Southeast Top Starts Ranking Owner of the Year: Florida Dept. of Transportation McGraw Hill Construction's use of total contract costs, combined with its inclusion of two

 HOISTPete Holst has rejoined Gilbane Building Co.'s North Carolina leadership team as senior project executive in the contractor's Durham, N.C., office. Holst, who has 30 years of industry experience, will focus on the life science, corporate and mission-critical markets. Related Links: B.D. Rodgers, 89, Founded Charlotte-based Rodgers Builders SLIDESHOW: The Southeast's Top 20 Under 40 Sam Stiteler, a business development manager with Metro Power, was recently installed as 2014 chairman of the board of Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia in Atlanta. Stiteler has 13 years of construction industry experience and has been actively involved with ABC of Georgia for

Contractors modernizing a 55-year-old, legendary Southeast racetrack are pushing the limits of technology as they scramble to complete the complex project.

Bonar Day “B.D.” Rodgers, 89, founder and chairman of Charlotte, N.C.-based construction manager Rodgers Builders, died Feb. 14. Rodgers had remained active in the company’s management until his death. Photo courtesy Rodgers Builders B.D. Rodgers, chairman of Rodgers Builders, with his wife, Patricia, president and CEO, in 2013. Related Links: Rodgers Builders Melds Traditional Values, Innovation The company released a statement, which read, in part: “[B.D.] was a ‘builder’ in the truest sense, with a passion for building relationships through his service to community and his love of the construction industry, and most importantly, his love for his family and

Photo by Atlantic Archives Project team erected the Savannah, Ga., building atop an existing underground parking garage. Related Links: 2013's Best of the Best Projects Winners Modern Office Rises Over Historic Savannah Initiated by the General Services Administration's need for new space for the Office of the United States Attorney, Southern District, the biggest challenge facing the contractors erecting Savannah's Cay Building was to overcome the downtown site's development history.Prior to this project, the owners of the site, John Cay and Whitaker Street Associates, had granted the city of Savannah the right to construct and operate a 1,000-space, below-ground parking

Considerable perseverance by the city of Orlando—along with some design and construction stagecraft—was needed to bring to life the first phase of a long-delayed performing arts center project. Related Links: Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center Ranks Among Southeast's Top Starts of 2011 Orlando Backs Financing for Arts Center Project The saga of turning the plans for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts—originally priced at nearly $400 million—into reality was reminiscent of the big-budget musicals that will be staged at the performance venue: big dreams, adversity met with resolve and, of course, a happy ending.Named for a local citrus

If projections for the Southeast's 2014 construction market prove accurate, it's officially time for contractors and designers to forget about the gloom of the recent past and start focusing upon the coming resurgence. Photo by Chad Sattler How well Southeast builders are able to deal with a looming worker shortage will be a key issue in the coming years. Image courtesy of Atlanta Braves In late 2013, Atlanta caught the attention of the nation when the Braves announced plans to build a $672-million ballpark and a $400-million mixed-use development, further escalating construction activity in the area in 2014. Related Links: