The local chapter says strict adherence is necessary to avoid a construction ban similar to that of Washington state. ------------ Just days after news broke that a worker on a construction project at Intel had tested positive for COVID-19, the Oregon-Columbia chapter of Associated General Contractors has issued a call for construction companies to implement and strongly enforce measures to ... Read More

Mar. 26--Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke said Thursday that construction work will resume next week on the KeyArena rebuild because its roof must be put back on to its permanent support posts. Leiweke said via text message that the $930 million project at what his company is calling the "New Arena at Seattle Center" has been temporarily halted to take additional steps during the coronavirus ... Read More

Mar. 26--In a major clarification to the statewide stay-at-home order, Gov. Jay Inslee's office said Wednesday evening that workers on most commercial and residential construction sites should stay home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Nearly all construction is a nonessential activity under the state's new stay-at-home order, according to a memo issued by the governor's office. ... Read More

Mar. 25--Under Gov. Jay Inslee's Monday mandate, workers on projects including new Amazon office buildings and the KeyArena overhaul won't be allowed to come to work starting Wednesday evening. That will alleviate the concerns of some workers about novel coronavirus transmission at construction job sites, which can be hard to keep sanitized. But in a move sure to please the construction ... Read More

Mar. 17--The novel coronavirus pandemic that's wreaking medical and social havoc in Seattle also could punch a hole of $100 million or more in the city's budget, forcing leaders to make tough decisions about cuts and emergency funds, a top official said Monday. Seattle budget director Ben Noble's team last week estimated the city could collect $110 million less than expected in general-fund ... Read More

Mar. 10--Working from home isn't an option for busy biohazard cleaning crews, called out to disinfect the new coronavirus from Seattle workplaces. "Crazy, very crazy," Theresa Borst, president of Bio Clean Inc., said about last week. Borst, whose company's website motto reads, "When the worst happens ... we're here to help!," is a pioneer in a niche industry suddenly mainstream. Bio Clean ... Read More

Mar. 9--Public officials for decades have promised to deal with the old brick buildings in Seattle that could crumble with deadly consequences when a major earthquake hits -- and have produced nothing but paper plans. Now, some advocates hope, a new attempt could, at last, lead to action. A state bill that could help building owners finance retrofits is close to passing in Olympia. City ... Read More

The Cowlitz PUD and PacifiCorp want to scrap mandates to build more salmon passage facilities on the Lewis River hydroelectric dams, a move that would save them millions of dollars but which is sparking strong opposition from local Indian tribes and fish conservation groups. The debate revolves around the question of how best to restore salmon runs in a basin that has been largely without them ... Read More

A proposed recycled water project in Klamath Falls may be either hugely beneficial or a major disaster, depending on whom you ask. A class D recycled water project is being proposed by Klamath Falls’ South Suburban Sanitary District in order to help meet new regulations put in place by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. But the proposal has been met with a good deal of opposition ... Read More

Feb. 20--Saying her agency was "on the front lines of climate change," Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz this week outlined the Department of Natural Resources' plan to mitigate climate change and prepare for a warmer future. The department published its "Plan for Climate Resilience" this week in a 96-page document long on ambition but short on specifics in some areas. "We've put it in ... Read More