The U.S Army Corps unveiled a $1.7-billion, 10-year plan this week to restore the ailing Anacostia River in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to health. The plan, two years in the making, identifies 3,000 projects to help restore the severely polluted river and watershed spanning 176 sq miles of land through a combination of stormwater controls, stream restoration, wetland creation and restoration, fish blockage removal, reforestation and controlling trash and chemical contamination. “Now we can begin even more aggressive action to clean up the Anacostia River,” said U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who has championed the development of
In roughly a year on the market, federally subsidized Build America Bonds for public-works projects have soared to $90 billion in volume and saved localities more than $12 billion in interest costs, the Treasury Dept. says. In a report released April 2, Treasury says that the Build America Bonds (BABs), created under last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, have increased in volume to $90 billion as of March 31. That equals more than 20% of the market for new municipal bonds. Critics have charged that investment firms' underwriting fees for issuing the new bonds have been too high. Treasury
The General Services Administration has awarded a $61-million contract to ZGF Architects LLP to be lead design architect for new Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters facilities in Washington, D.C. The other short-listed firms competing for the project were Goody Clancy, Boston; Gund Partnership Inc., Cambridge, Mass.; Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects Inc., Boston; Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP, New York City; and RTKL Associates Inc., Baltimore. ZGF, formerly Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, said in an April 1 release that its contract includes more than 2.1 million square feet of new office space for DHS at the St. Elizabeths Hospital
ASHBURN, VA—Boston-based Suffolk Construction is looking to firm its footing in the Mid-Atlantic States with the acquisition of The Dietze Construction Group of Ashburn, Va. Suffolk, which opened its Mid-Atlantic Division in 2007, aims to leverage Dietze’s experience managing construction of secure government facilities, which is a sector that has remained strong through the recession especially around the nation’s capital. Recent Dietze projects include the one million-sq-ft interior construction of the Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters. Related Links: More Stimulus Ahead JBG to Develop $200 Million National Cancer Institute Whiting Turner to Build $107-Million Law Center Gilbane Manages Eisenhower Memorial
Many contractors may face increased scrutiny and risk associated with using “independent contractors” to perform work on their jobs. While hiring subcontractors is an appropriate selection, some businesses attempt to save payroll taxes and withholdings by designating individuals who are, in essence, employees as independent contractors. Given the current tax and funding shortfalls, various federal and state regulatory entities are focused on closing these loopholes and enforcing regulations designed to present false or fraudulent classifications. Regulatory and Statutory Action Abuse of independent contractor status continues to get significant regulatory and legislative attention. Critics of this practice argue that misclassifying employees
Mid-Atlantic Construction’s Best of 2009: April 01, 2010 Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine honored the region’s best projects and the teams who built those projects at a ceremony in Baltimore, Md., Dec. 11, 2009. Ted Wolf (left) of Forrester Construction and Nancy Penn of CH2M Hill accept an Award of Merit in the Cultural category for the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site project. The build team from The Walter L. Rice Education Building at the VCU Inger & Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences accepts its award for Overall Project of the Year. The project also won the Green Projects category.
Skanska USA announced that its building unit in San Antonio was the recipient of multiple health-care construction awards at the 2009 Annual Excellence in Construction Competition hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors of South Texas. Skanska won the Mega Projects Award, the Healthcare Award, the Institutional Award and the Gold S.T.E.P. Award for Safety. Skanska USA also announced it has completed construction on the Texas Southmost College Arts Center Building in Brownsville. MIYAKODA MENDENHALL LONG TBG Partners promoted employees at three of its four Texas offices. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Kent T. Mendenhall was promoted to principal; in Houston, Yan
CHEVY CHASE, MD—The JBG Companies has been selected by the General Services Administration to develop the $200-million National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md. The 575,000-sq-ft NCI Shady Grove Campus will be located on site in the Life Sciences Center owned by Johns Hopkins University near Rockville. The JBG Companies has been selected by the General Services Administration to develop the $200-million 575,000-sq-ft National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md. Related Links: More Stimulus Ahead Whiting Turner to Build $107-Million Law Center Gilbane Manages Eisenhower Memorial Project Branch & Associates Breaks Ground on Liberty Stadium Oak Contracting to Oversee Herbert Hoover Middle
President Obama’s recess appointment of nominee Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board has drawn objections from industry groups and praise from labor unions. Becker, associate general counsel for the AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union, was one of 15 recess appointments Obama announced on March 27. Democrat Mark Pearce, another longtime union attorney, received a recess appointment to the NLRB, too. Also on Obama’s list is Rafael Borras, a vice president in URS Corp.’s mid-Atlantic region. He was named Dept. of Homeland Security undersecretary for management. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved Becker on
WASHINGTON—A joint venture of Tishman Construction Corporation of D.C., and AECOM Technology Corp of Los Angles has been added to the $435-million first phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s new headquarters at the former St. Elizabeths psychiatric hospital campus in Washington. The $16-million federal indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract covers construction-management services for phase one. Related Links: More Stimulus Ahead JBG to Develop $200 Million National Cancer Institute Whiting Turner to Build $107-Million Law Center Gilbane Manages Eisenhower Memorial Project Branch & Associates Breaks Ground on Liberty Stadium Oak Contracting to Oversee Herbert Hoover Middle School Job Turner Lands