AGC of California held its annual spring state and division board meetings and conference last week at the Monterey Plaza Hotel in Monterey. More than 150 AGC members and guests from across the state were in attendance. Matt Schmitz, special assistant to the division administrator at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), addressed the AGC Joint Engineering Division. Pictured to his right are division leadership including Director Sam Hassoun, AGC; Chair Jim Troup, Monterey Mechanical Co., and Vice Chair Clint Larison, Reyes Construction, Inc. The two AGC division boards of directors tackled a range of topics during their quarterly meetings. During
The AGC Construction Education Foundation (AGC CEF) has formed an official partnership with the ACE Mentor Program in California. While the two organizations have partnered on the national level and have worked closely on local levels for years, this is the first formal statewide partnership between an AGC state chapter and ACE Mentor affiliate. AGC CEF and ACE will work together to address the full pipeline of workforce regeneration from high school through training and/or post-secondary education. AGC CEF Board of Directors Chairperson Michelle Loveall says, “The partnership just makes sense; it makes sense for both organizations when it comes
New construction starts in April were reported at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $400.2 billion, basically the same amount as March, according to a monthly report from McGraw-Hill Construction. Nonresidential building slipped back after its elevated March pace, while nonbuilding construction (public works and electric utilities) continued to retreat, MHC says. In contrast, residential building in April registered a moderate gain, helped by upward movement for multifamily housing. During the first four months of 2011, total construction on an unadjusted basis came in at $122.1 billion, down 9% from the same period of 2010. “The pattern of construction starts
Caltrans reports that workers last week placed the �world�s largest cable saddle� atop the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge�s self-anchored suspension span (SAS). The tower for the SAS, the signature element of the bridge’s new span, will stand tall at 525 feet. The cable saddle weighs approximately 450 tons, and while it has a rectangular flat base, two sides jut out, according to Caltrans bridge spokesman Bart Ney. “The top is curved to better carry the cable over the top not just once but twice, making it one of the few double cable saddles in bridge construction and the largest
After reviewing more than 100 design concepts from architects, design firms, students, health care companies, and engineering and construction firms from throughout the U.S. and the world, Kaiser Permanente says judges have picked nine finalists in its �Small Hospital, Big Idea� competition. Launched in February, the open design competition called for ideas for a small, eco-conscious, patient- and family-friendly hospital that would foster the collaboration and use of emerging medical technology that is central to care at Kaiser Permanente. The nine finalists are: Aditazz; Ellerbe Becket; Gresham, Smith and Partners; HGA; Lee, Burkhart, Liu; Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch; Perkins+Will; SmithGroup;
Following a tour last week of the San Bruno pipeline blast site, which killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes in September, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that he�s called on congress to raise the maximum civil penalties against companies committing safety violations, boost the number of safety inspectors, and close the loopholes that allow pipeline owners to evade safety standards. “I’m asking for America’s pipeline owners and operators to take a good, hard look at their lines as part of a top-to-bottom review,” he told reporters and residents. “We want them to replace and repair those lines in
A new group of phased bid packages will be released June 16 for the Rose Bowl Stadium renovation and improvement project in Pasadena. Ground was broken on the three-year, $152-million project in late January and is the largest investment in the history of the 88-year-old iconic structure that will improve public safety, enhance the fan experience, maintain the national historic landmark status of the Rose Bowl Stadium, and develop revenue sources to fund the project and other long-term improvements to the stadium’s facilities, according to its owners, the Rose Bowl Operating Co. Bernards/Barton Malow joint venture is the construction manager
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) awarded a contract to a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff and STV Inc. to provide environmental and preliminary design services for an extension of the Metro Green Line light rail to Los Angeles International Airport. The Green Line LAX extension will link the planned Metro station at Century and Aviation, about 1.5 mi from the airport, with the central terminal area of LAX, by one of three alternatives – an aboveground or underground extension of the Green Line light rail, or an automated people mover. The joint venture, named ConnectLAX, will prepare
The new $35-million West Hollywood Library will not only house a wealth of knowledge and information, but the structure itself will be an open book on contemporary architecture and sustainable design. “Besides being very green, the building features a cacophony of design styles, with everything from faux Tudor to mid-century modern to neo-classical,” says architect Steve Johnson, a principal with MDA Johnson Favaro, Culver City. Set in the heart of eclectic West Hollywood, the endeavor is part of the first phase of a $120-million capital improvement project, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of West Hollywood earning cityhood in 1984. Construction
After years of declines, the construction industry finally added jobs � 5,000 of them � in April, while the industry�s unemployment rate declined slightly to 17.8%, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released this week by the Associated General Contractors of America. “The construction industry may have stopped bleeding jobs, but there is no sign that employment levels are set to bounce back,” says Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “With declines in public sector investments likely to offset increases in some private sector construction activity, we are unlikely to see significant increases in construction employment for
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