SnapShot  July 25, 2011 Submitted By: Jamie M. Beckwith Marketing Director HM White, New York “What I tried to capture with this photo was the relative human scale and required teamwork by an extraordinary crew to realize the creation of this unique little city garden,” says Booher. He took this photo while overseeing the installation of 32,000-lb trees more than 45 ft tall and 13 ft wide within the New York Times Building’s courtyard. He used a Fujifilm FinePix F50SE. Booher describes the evening as a “somewhat surreal New York experience.” Photographer: Aaron Booher

Brooklyn Photo Courtesy of Bess Adler/Thornton Tomasetti Barclays Center: Forest City Ratner Cos. has submitted an application for a labor agreement for the first phase of its Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, which includes Barclays Center. Photo courtesy of Real Goods Solar inc. Real Goods: The acquisition provides the Colorado solar energy firm a foothold in the Northeast market. Unions Agree to 20% Wage Cut on Project Key unions in New York City, including laborers and structural trades, agreed to a 20% wage cut for work on Gotham West, a residential development on Manhattan's West Side that will consist of

SCHMALZ The LiRo Group, New York, hired Richard Schmalz as vice president. He will head the firm's engineering division and will direct all design engineering activities, including civil, structural, transportation, traffic engineering and landscape architecture projects.WINCKOAmy K. Wincko, first vice president of construction operations for Tishman Construction Corp., an AECOM company, was awarded the Corporate Professional Achievement Award at the Professional Women in Construction's Salute to Women of Achievement luncheon in recognition of her management role on major projects. These include 1 WTC, the World Trade Center Hub and 4 WTC. Wincko has been with Tishman since 2001.The McGraw-Hill Cos.,

Engine pumps were restarted Friday at a Manhattan wastewater treatment plant struck July 20th by a fire that caused millions of gallons of raw sewage to spill into the Hudson River, according to the Associated Press. The four-alarm blaze began in the engine room of the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant at about 11:45 a.m., causing raw sewage to seep into the Hudson River at about 5:15 p.m., the New York City Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement. DEP said that staff and unspecified contractors are repairing equipment, assessing damage and performing clean up activities at the plant,

The 40-year-old Delancey and Essex Municipal Parking Garage in downtown Manhattan will receive a new cable façade, under a recently announced $4-million NYC Department of Transportation renovation project. Courtesy of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects The renovated garage will include a 17-ft supergraphic. A construction manager for the work has not yet been chosen, and the project will go out to bid in September, says a spokesperson for New York-based Michielli + Wyetzner Architects, which designed the façade for the five-story concrete structure. Construction is expected to begin by early 2012 with completion anticipated by the end of 2012.The design is

RSC Holdings Inc., an equipment rental provider to the industrial, maintenance and non-residential construction markets, has purchased the operations and operating assets of Elizabeth, N.J.-based Independent Aerial Equipment, a privately held aerial rental equipment supplier. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition became effective July 8. "IAE is a leading provider of aerial equipment in the largest metro market in the U.S.," which was a key reason for the purchase, says a spokesperson for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based RSC. The acquired firm will broaden RSC's customer base in the Northeast, particularly in New Jersey, New York City and Long Island.

While neither union or contractor officials have disclosed terms of a newly signed agreement with two operating engineer locals in New York, details are emerging on key work-rule changes, says an industry source. The pact was reached June 30 between Operating Engineers Locals 14 and 15 and the Building Contractors Association, Contractors Association of Greater New York and Cement League.The industry source says one significant change involves cutting overtime pay for workers who run inside and outside elevators at jobsites. Another modification would limit use of supervisory "master mechanics" on sites, the source says. The agreement with union officials still

The Mason Tenders District Council and the Contractors Association of Greater New York reached a tentative agreement June 29, says Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers’ Association. The deal could help avert a potential strike or slowdown in New York City construction. All eyes are on the Operating Engineers, which hold the most sway over potential work stoppages. Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers’ Association says, “This is a defining moment in the history of the union construction industry,” Coletti says. “New York City is the strongest union town in the country.”

Rutgers University says it has broken ground on a new 22,000-sq-ft academic and administrative center on the Atlantic Cape Community College campus in Mays Landing, N.J. where Rutgers professors have been teaching for the past five years. Rendering Courtesy of Rutgers University The $7.5-million two-story facility is scheduled to open in fall 2012. It will contain 11 classrooms, a 20-seat computer lab and a student lounge, and will accommodate up to 2,000 students.The center aims to expand academic opportunities to students from Atlantic City, Cape May and other surrounding counties, Rutgers says. The number of students enrolled on this campus

Manhattan added about 20 million sq ft of new office space from 2001 to 2010 but is not expected to add any significantly sized office towers this year, according to a new New York Building Congress report. The exception is a 33,700-sq-ft tower at 2 Allen Street that is expected to be completed late this year. Growth may be ahead, however, with several planned major projects set for mid-decade completion, the trade group says. Despite the forecast, there is still reason for cautious optimism, says Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers' Association. "When you look at