Photo courtesy Savannah District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers After lengthy delays from bid protests and legal action, the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a ceremonial groundbreaking in late April for the $333-million Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, Ga. Turner Construction Co., Atlanta, will lead the design-build contract, which covers the construction of the 745,000-sq-ft, 70-bed facility. The Corps of Engineers first awarded Turner the contract in September 2009. Shortly thereafter, Ellerbe Becket, Turner’s design partner, was acquired by AECOM. Competing bidders cited that fact as a conflict of interest because another AECOM
On May 13, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed legislation expanding the state�s requirement for the use of the federal E-Verify system when hiring workers, closes a loophole for project worker identification and imposes severe penalties for violations. Photo courtesy Office of Gov. Nathan Deal The new law builds upon previous state regulations that required public owners and public works contractors to use E-Verify, and expands the mandate to all businesses with more than 10 employees. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, for employers with 500 or more full-time employees, and on July 1, 2012, for firms
For the second year in a row, Florida legislators have raided the state�s transportation trust fund in order to help close a multi-billion-dollar budget gap, and again the state�s governor is apparently considering vetoing the measure. This year’s legislature, which finalized work on May 6, included a “sweep” of $150 million from the trust fund’s cash reserves into the general budget. That was nearly identical to the $160 million that state politicians raided from the road fund last year, only to have former Gov. Charlie Crist (R) veto the action after lobbying from the transportation construction industry. Robert G. Burleson,
SPEARS Frank Spears was hired as president of Balfour Beatty Construction's Georgia division in Atlanta. From 2004-2010, Spears served as president of SG Contracting. Previously, he spent 30 years with The Beck Group, where he worked as managing director and executive vice president. Kimberly Riehn was promoted to the position of chief financial officer for Miller Construction Co. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Riehn joined the firm in 2010 as controller. BARRY Thomas F. Barry , a senior vice president with Atkins in Orlando, Fla., was appointed director of operations for transportation in North America. Barry most recently served as business
SnapShot May 9, 2011 Submitted By : Jedd Heap, Associate Architect, Carlson Studio Architecture, Sarasota, Fla. Columns supporting the “Bridge of Hope” covered archway at the LEED Gold-certified Cancer Support Community facility in Sarasota, Fla., are made from Florida heart pine timber recovered from the bottom of the Suwannee River and estimated to be more than 200 years old, according to Jedd Heap, architect with Carlson Studio Architecture. Resistant to decay, the heart pine is the center portion of these large, ancient trees. Photographer: Dick Dickinson
On The Scene May 9, 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. ACE Mentor Program ACE Mentor Program On April 9, representatives of the Balfour Beatty/James A. Cummings Inc. joint venture that is constructing Florida Atlantic University’s new football stadium in Boca Raton hosted a project tour for about 40 local high-school students participating in the ACE (architecture-construction-engineering) Mentor program.Above, Balfour Beatty Construction’s Steve Jordan shows the students some of
Charles Perry Construction and PPI Construction Management, two Gainesville, Fla.-based construction companies long affiliated with each other, announced they have merged operations. CARLSON The new company will be known as Charles Perry Partners Inc., with ownership consisting of principals Breck Weingart, John Carlson, Domenic Scorpio and Brian Leslie. Weingart was previously a partner in both companies, Carlson and Scorpio were principals of PPI, and Leslie was a principal with Charles Perry Construction. WEINGART Carlson will serve as chief executive officer of CPPI, while Weingart will be chairman. Both companies were founded by Charles R. Perry. Charles Perry Construction focused on
Related Links: Georgia Contracts Continued Decline in March North Carolina: March Contracts Fell 52% South Carolina Contracts Flat in March The value of Florida contracts for future construction rose sharply in March, with the monthly total of more than $2.6 billion representing a 35% increase over the same period of a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. The uptick was a welcome change from the January and February, when contracts declined by about 50% each month. For the month, the entire increase came from the nonbuilding sector, which totaled nearly $1.4 billion, well ahead of last
Related Links: Florida Contracts Surged 35% in March North Carolina: March Contracts Fell 52% South Carolina Contracts Flat in March Georgia’s March construction contracts totaled nearly $813.8 million, or 36% lower than a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. New nonresidential contracts fell by the greatest percentage, dropping 59%, compared to last March, for a total of nearly $305.7 million. Nonbuilding contracts, which include infrastructure and civil projects, totaled $128.2 million for the month, a decline of 13%. The residential category managed to stay even with the same period of a year ago, with an estimated
Related Links: Florida Contracts Surged 35% in March Georgia Contracts Continued Decline in March South Carolina Contracts Flat in March The value of new North Carolina construction contracts fell 52% in March, for a total of $986.2 million in new work, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. All construction categories were down markedly for the month, with the nonresidential sector declining the most. That category dropped 71% compared to the same period of a year ago, with about $209.3 million in new contracts. The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure and civil contracts, declined by 61% for a $241.1-million