< Photo: Flad Architects Wisconsin's first stand-alone emergency center has been completed in Sun Prairie. Related Links: Turner Selected for $110-Million Renovation of Dirksen Courthouse in Chicago Meridian Completes Chicago Build-To-Suit Bulley & Andrews Completes Swissotel Chicago Renovation and Expansion Morgan/Harbour to Complete Build-Out for the Hinsdale Orthopaedic Group Pingree Grove Police Facility Earns LEED Silver Certification Holland Construction Builds New Aquatic Center McShane Completes 294-Unit Luxury Apartment Complex Ragnar Benson Completes Office Building Located miles from any hospital, the $8.2-million St. Mary’s Sun Prairie Emergency Center is the state’s first free-standing emergency center. Before the center opened, the residents

Photo: McShane Construction Co. The new Residences at the Grove luxury rental community in Downers Grove, Ill., includes 270 apartments in three eight-story buildings and 24 townhouses. Related Links: Turner Selected for $110-Million Renovation of Dirksen Courthouse in Chicago Meridian Completes Chicago Build-To-Suit Bulley & Andrews Completes Swissotel Chicago Renovation and Expansion Need Sparks Wisconsin�s First Free-standing Emergency Center Morgan/Harbour to Complete Build-Out for the Hinsdale Orthopaedic Group Pingree Grove Police Facility Earns LEED Silver Certification Holland Construction Builds New Aquatic Center Ragnar Benson Completes Office Building McShane Construction Company, Rosemont, Ill., recently completed the 294-unit, 433,932-sq-ft “Residences at the

A resource that provides a greater variety of pre-qualified moment connection options for special moment frames (SMF) and intermediate moment frames (IMF) is now available for designers of steel structures in high seismic regions. Related Links: Hydraulic Institute Publishes Rotodynamic Pump Vibration Measurements and Allowable Values Standard Structural Engineers Offer Seminar About Designing Aluminum Structures Nov. 18 Six Wight & Company Projects Receive LEED Gold Certification RISA Engineering Software First with Full Range of Wood Features AISC’s Supplement No. 1 to Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment Frames for Seismic Applications (ANSI/AISC 358-05s1) is now available for free

Q: I am a military vet. My father and grandfather served in wars. I want to help returning vets from Iraq, even if they are disabled. Are there any organizations training vets for jobs in construction? Is there anyone I can turn to who places vets in jobs? What can I personally do? I think they deserve more than a good word. I want to give them a good job. TOENJES A: A creative new program has been put in place in the last 24 months to help make the connection between the need for employment of returning veterans and

Computerized systems can help keep track of equipment location and use, prevent theft, and even track it if thieves manage to steal. TOENJES Q: We’ve walked onto construction sites in the early morning to see our equipment missing or vandalized by thieves who tried to steal it. I am aware of electronic devices that track equipment, we’ve put up cameras to monitor sites and I am even aware of a database of serial numbers, photographs and reported thefts of equipment. But it seems the thieves are always finding a way when they’re determined. (Why don’t they use that ingenuity on

Changes are a fact of life in design and construction. Written contracts typically require that the changes are not valid unless formalized in writing and signed by an authorized agent of the owner. Frequently, though, to advance progress, contractors or design professionals proceed on oral authorizations or letters signed by an owner’s employee. MROWIEC For private contracts, the courts have recognized that parties can waive the contract’s formalities regarding the need for written change orders by their course of conduct. See, e.g., Tados v. Kuzmark, 660 N.E.2d 162, 170 (Ill. App. Ct. 1995). A recent case reminds us that public

Featured Product   October 2009 Sockets with a positive impact Rugged bolting, fastening and anchoring applications are tackled by the high-strength Hilti Impact Sockets. Available in standard and deep confi gurations, Hilti’s new lineup of Impact Sockets is built for quick attachment and durable performance. Hilti Impact Sockets are constructed of hardened alloy steel for long-lasting service. Use of the hardened alloy steel allows the socket walls to be thin for use in tight spaces, yet strong enough to handle diffi cult torque and working conditions. The quick attachment time of the new Hilti Impact Socket portfolio improves productivity. Two beveled

Related Links: Employee Training at Intermodal Hub Becomes National Model Texas Supreme Court Confirms Rights of Subcontractors to Sue GCs Green Building Credential Maintenance Program Created Turner Marks Completion of 25 Green Texas Projects Hamilton Form Co. Receives 2009 Best of Richland Hills Award Balfour Beatty Construction Project Wins New Mexico Project of the Year Cherry Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Houston Gilbane Golf Classic Charity Event Yields $74,000 for MDA Port of Houston Authority Commission Chairman James T. Edmonds was awarded the American Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Award in Transportation for a project

Featured Product:   September 2009 The World’s First Hybrid Dozer The world’s first hybrid dozer will cost about $100,000 more, or 20%, than a comparable non-hybrid of the same size but will do more work and pay for itself in about two and a half years, says Caterpillar Inc. Performance is tracking well in field trials, said Cat managers on June 23, as Cat rolled out the machine for press evaluation at the firm’s training facility in Edwards, Ill. The D7E starts production in October and carries a list price of $600,000, says David E. Nicoll, product execution manager. That is

Featured Product:   August 2009 Bobcat’s New E80 Excavator Bobcat Co. of North Dakota recently introduced the new E80 excavator, designed to enhance operator comfort, increase service intervals and add durability. The E80 offers a spacious cab with an operator seat that adjusts six ways and a heating and air conditioning system that has true automobile- style controls. These features have been designed to keep operators who spend many hours in their machines comfortable and productive. Each E80 is delivered clamp ready, and the optional pin-coupler system allows operators to quickly change attachments. Bobcat’s 442 excavator attachments can be used on