James Delayo, a former inspector for the New York City Department of Buildings has pleaded guilty to taking cash payments in exchange for falsifying paperwork relating to crane inspections and certifying crane operator exams. He is recommended to receive a two to six year prison sentence after being charged with Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree, considered to be a Class C felony. “This is another case where responsibility and safety were trumped by greed,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. “These crimes threaten the industry that built our great city, and this fraud hurts the honest business owners

The construction industry has been suffering for two years through the toughest recession in 20 years, perhaps longer. The depth of the downturn has burned away the industry's natural optimism, and major firms are taking a hard look at the market and at the U.S. economy. However, they now are starting to believe that a recovery should begin next year. A 70-story, folded, creased and curved stainless-steel curtain wall on an 867-ft-tall apartment building has been called “Gehry only on the outside,” as if the building is a fake Frank. It’s true that, when it opens next year, New York

Stalco Construction Holds 3rd Long Island Real Estate Movers & Shakers Reception   March 2010 Also, Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park holds a celebratory dinner and exhibit. Stalco Construction recently held its 3rd Long Island Real Estate Movers & Shakers Networking Reception. The event, whose theme this year was the �Roaring Twenties� celebrated Stalco�s impressive 100% growth in 2009 with nearly 200 commercial real estate, construction, architecture, and finance professionals from New York City and Long Island and was held at Stalco Construction, Inc.�s headquarters in Islandia, New York. Pictured from left are: Gary Robertson of BBS Architecture & Engineering,

Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards broke ground yesterday after years of delay including 34 lawsuits filed by residents fighting the use of eminent domain. The groundbreaking marks the next phase of construction on the 22-acre, 675,000-sq-ft, facility located at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues in Brooklyn, the planned future home of the NBA�s New Jersey Nets. Rendering: SHoP Architects Preconstruction work has been ongoing at the site since last fall with residential work expected to start next summer. Protestors shouted, honked horns and blew whistles outside the tent as Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz jokingly apologized for the

Two Gotham Center, a 21-story mixed use tower in Long Island City has topped out after members of Ironworkers Local 361 raised the final beam of steal to a height of 325 ft. Photo courtesy of Diane Bondareff The $316 million, 662,000-sq-ft office tower is being developed by Tishman Speyer on the corner of Queens Plaza and 28th Street. Once it is completed in early 2011, the office portion of the building will be occupied by the New York City Department of Health. Two Gotham Center, which is replacing the Queens Municipal Parking Garage, will also include approximately 8,000 sq

WILLIAMS DUEKER Aguirre Roden announced Taylor Dueker, AIA, has been named vice president for its Austin office. In his role, Dueker will be responsible for professional design services, business development and project management. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in art and design from MIT and master’s of architecture from MIT. KBR, Houston, announced the appointment of Mark S. Williams as group president overseeing KBR’s Government & Defense, Infrastructure & Minerals, and Power & Industrial Business Units. Williams has more than 25 years experience in the government and defense sector. Williams joinsed KBR from Jacobs Engineering, where he most

Related Links: The Money for Moynihan Plan is There, Now All They Have to Do is Build It $83M in Fed Funds Jump-Start NYC Penn Station Project The Port Authority this week awarded the largest contract to date for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub to Skanska USA/Civil Northeast Inc./Granite Construction Northeast Inc./Skanska USA Building Inc., allowing for a critical portion of the major transportation facility to be built that will eventually serve more than 200,000 commuters. The $542 million contract calls for the construction of the PATH Hall in the site’s West Bathtub and includes the construction of four

Lawyers for two of the workers injured in the deadly Feb. 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy powerplant in Middleton, Conn. are alleging that “multiple” ignition sources were in operation while natural gas was being purged from the nearly $1 billion construction site. AP Photo Related Links: Investigators Eye Blowdown Mishap in Connecticut Blast Electricians Timothy Hilliker and Harold Thoma of Ducci Electric, Torrington, filed a lawsuit at Superior Court in Hartford claiming the gas purge at the 87,000-sq-ft facility was conducted with minimal supervision and without following standard protocol to protect against accidental ignition. The suit names Kleen Energy

Peter A. Marchetto, President of Construction Operations for Tishman Construction Corporation has been elected as Chairman of the New York Building Congress, succeeding Skanska USA Chairman Stuart E. Graham, who has held the post since winter of 2008. MARCHETTO Marchetto takes on his new role with 25 years of construction experience in all industry sectors under his belt. He joined Tishman in 2009 where he also serves on the company’s Management Committee. Previously, Marchetto served as President of Lehrer McGovern Bovis and head of its Northeast Central region after joining the New York-based Bovis Lend Lease in 1979 as one

Though federal investigators are unsure of what caused Sunday’s deadly explosion at a power plant under construction in central Connecticut, local officials are saying the accident occurred during blowdown operations in preparation for the facility’s scheduled opening this summer. AP Photo Related Links: Lawsuit Alleges Safety Protocols Ignored in Kleen Energy Blast Although reports are unconfirmed that authorities are investigating the possibility that a welder’s torch may have created the spark that caused the blast, a spokesman for the project owner, Kleen Energy Systems, said that police were still treating the site as a crime scene. The accident occurred just