The District Council of Carpenters reached an agreement yesterday, September 8, with the Association of Wall-Ceiling & Carpentry and the Greater Floor Coverers Association, following a series of contract deadline extensions after the initial June 30 deadline expired. The deal comes on the heels of a separate agreement that the union reached with the Cement League on September 1. "The district council continues to make positive movement to reach our overall goal of reaching agreements with all of our association partners," the union says in a statement.A union spokesperson says contract discussions are ongoing with the remaining associations that have

The impact of the recession came on quickly for specialty contractors, sending them into a slump as they cope with a combination of fewer jobs and thinner margins. Although revenues remain below pre-recession levels, many of the region's largest firms are landing enough work to hold steady. The recession took its toll in 2009 as the combined revenue of the region's top 10 specialty contractors dropped 17% from the previous year to $2.32 billion. But revenue leveled off at $2.29 billion for the top-10 firms in 2010.For specialty contractor Donaldson Interiors, Hauppauge, N.Y., revenue is down, but the corporate interiors

NJ Clearing Clouds Over Offshore Wind Power? NEW JERSEY WILL MOVE closer to becoming the nation's first offshore wind power producer if a planned 24-MW pilot project off the coast of Atlantic City obtains its last permit and approval under a state incentive program. The firm expects both as early as this fall.Fishermen's Energy, a consortium of mostly East Coast fishing companies, has received all the necessary state permits to build a demonstration-scale, six-turbine offshore wind farm about 2.8 miles from Atlantic City, says Rhonda Jackson, Fishermen's Energy outreach director. The firm is waiting for a water permit from the

Boston-based Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. has acquired Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates, a New York City and Newark, N.J.-based transportation planning, traffic engineering, and research firm, for an undisclosed sum. The merger, effective September 1, is the eighth since 2005 for VHB, a planning, design, transportation, land development and environmental firm.   The deal aims to promote VHB’s growth in New York and Jersey, says Bob Brustlin, VHB president and CEO. “We have enjoyed a working relationship with Eng-Wong, Taub for many years,” Brustlin says. “By merging our operations and New York/New Jersey area staff, our clients will benefit from deeper

There's been good news this week for Connecticut contractors as several sources plan to launch new projects. These include Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical's announced plans to invest $42.5 million over the next two years to build a 63,000-sq-ft research and development unit on its 294-acre campus in Ridgefield and Danbury, CT. Completion is slated for 2013. Further details on construction were not available at press time. Boehringer Ingelheim says it also hopes to gain approval this year for a $65-million pilot plant on campus.Several Connecticut hospitals are also planning projects that are expected to take shape in the next year. These

New Jersey will move closer to becoming the nation's first offshore wind power producer if a planned 24-MW pilot project off the coast of Atlantic City obtains its last permit and approval under a state incentive program. The firm expects both as early as this fall. Rendering Courtesy of University of Massachusetts Wind Energy Center Several East Coast cities are considering development of offshore wind projects like this one proposed for the town of Hull, Mass. Fishermen's Energy, a consortium of mostly East Coast fishing companies, has received all the necessary state permits to build a demonstration-scale, six-turbine offshore wind

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board has unanimously approved a revised series of Hudson River toll and fare hikes as outlined August 18 by NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo and NJ Gov. Chris Christie. Under the new plan, which is pending a comprehensive review of the PA's capital plan and operations, tolls and fares would still rise but not as steeply as in the initial proposal that critics charged was excessive. Increases under the new plan include $1.50 E-Z Pass hike next month with a $0.75 increase in December each year from 2012-2015, for a total boost

NYC-based United American Land plans to develop 49,000-sq-ft of retail space in the Brooklyn Municipal Building at 210 Joralemon St. Under the deal, part of the city’s ongoing efforts to revitalize Downtown Brooklyn, UAL will pay $10 million to develop the western portion of the first, second, and below-grade floors of the 13-story, 383,000-sq-ft structure, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office reports. The project will create 64 full-time construction jobs and 114 permanent jobs. Construction is set to begin in 2012. Contractors have not yet been chosen, says an industry source.Sherida Paulson, principal at PKSB Architects in New York, was chosen to

Members of the NYC District Council of Carpenters and the Association of Wall, Ceiling, and Carpentry Industries of Greater New York have agreed to keep talking, at least until Friday, Aug. 19, four days after their last contract deadline extension. The union and management have extended deadlines several times since the original June 30th expiration date of the contract. Neither the union nor management would comment.Separately, the Cement and Concrete Workers District Council and the Cement League reached a tentative deal on Aug. 16, their last extended contract deadline. At issue was a proposed 20% wage cut for union workers.The

The Republic of Kosovo has awarded Hill International in Marlton, N.J. a €6.95-million ($9.9-million) contract to provide construction supervision and management services for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Morine-Merdare Motorway (Route 7), a primary artery through the Pristina capital. The three-year deal calls for supervision and management services related to construction of a dual carriageway about 103 kilometers long, Hill says. Hill will provide work supervision for about 32 months with a defect liability period of 18 months.Kosovo's Ministry of Infrastructure awarded a €650-million design and build contract to Turkey's Bechtel & Enka last year, Hill says. Work began