Despite Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s (I) authorization this month of as much as $200 million for a long-term effort to provide upgraded sewer systems for the Florida Keys, the prospects are poor for funding in total the estimated $937-million project. The governor’s action—which also extended the project deadline to 2015 from July 2010—does not provide a timeline for delivery of the Everglades Restoration bonds; it only authorizes the Florida Legislature to initiate the $200 million in bonding sometime in the future. Liz Wood, Monroe County’s senior administrator for sewer projects, says the nine municipalities and utilities that will build the
Environmental giant CDM is in talks about a possible link with transportation engineer Wilbur Smith. A merger or acquisition if completed would combine two businesses with strong brands in their respective markets and more than 100 years of combined operating history. Both are based on the U.S. east coast but operate internationally. CDM is a Cambridge, Mass.-based engineering and construction management firm and Wilbur Smith & Associates Inc. is a Columbia, S.C., transportation designer. The transaction is in “due diligence,” says a CDM spokeswoman, declining to note the nature or timing of any new association. “This would be a good
Last month, more than 1,100 lb of strategically placed explosives brought down the 24,000-ton, 455-ft-tall cooling tower at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Savannah River site in Aiken, S.C., the second largest such structure to be imploded, says the firm. “The implosion surpassed everyone’s expectations,” says Doug Loizeaux, vice president of Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), Phoenix, Md. The firm was the explosives preparation and performance subcontractor to American Demolition and Nuclear Decommissioning, Grand Island, N.Y., which received the approximately $4-million contract to implode the former nuclear-site cooling tower and remove debris. The latter task will be handled by LVI Services
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) wielded his veto on May 28, returning $160 million in funds to the state Transportation Trust Fund and $19 million to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority. “It’s awesome,” says Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA) in Tallahassee. “He sent a strong message to the Legislature and future legislatures to keep their hands off the trust fund.” Dick Kane, communications director for the Florida Dept. of Transportation in Tallahassee, issued a statement responding to the governor’s veto, saying, “We appreciate that the Governor recognizes the value and job opportunities the Florida Dept.
This month the nation’s health-care reform law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) begins unfolding in earnest, and contractors need to make certain they are ready for the changes. Before we address the new realities, however, it might help to explain how the law actually affects small contractors, which has been a source of confusion. The facts are: Before the final vote, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, attached an amendment requiring contractors with five or more employees and payrolls of more than $250,000 to provide health coverage. However, the amendment did not survive the reconciliation process between Senate and House
In my February 2006 column, I wrote about waiver under Texas law and how contracting parties may intentionally, or unintentionally, waive their rights.
The AEC industry is changing faster than it ever has in its history. The economic downturn, new technology, owner demands, and work force challenges are a few of the factors driving this change.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is issuing an especially dire forecast for tropical storm activity in the Atlantic and Caribbean basins this hurricane season. Photo: NOAA Hurricane Ike, in 2008. NOAA is predicting an active, to extremely active hurricane season this year. In a report released May 27, NOAA said that it is expecting “an active to extremely active” hurricane season. For the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70% probability of 14 to 23 named storms with top winds of 39 mph or higher. It predicts the named storms will include eight to 14
After receiving tips, Bay County, Fla., Sheriff’s deputies arrested 11 undocumented workers at the Panama City Marina on May 19, 2010, for using stolen social security numbers to obtain employment cleaning up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Bay County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ruth Corley indicates BP subcontractors hired the men, who most recently came from South Carolina, Mississippi and other parts of Florida. The men are citizens of Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador and Bolivia. BP contracted with Eagle-SWS of Panama City to complete the oil clean-up work. According to BP spokesperson Vani Rao, Eagle-SWS hired CCI (Containment
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