Dubbed “The Ugly 3” by opponents, Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101 on the Colorado ballot propose statewide cuts in taxes and fees that could cost the state billions of dollars in revenue and force severe cuts in social services, road repairs and capital building programs. Related Links: Getting to the Bottom of Amendments 60, 61 and Prop. 101 All three measures are being pushed by an anti-tax group called CO Tax Reforms, which says they are the result of “taxpayers’ revenge” for motor vehicle fee increases voted by the legislature last year and a mill-levy freeze enacted in

Aurora, Colo., took a big step to avoid becoming a dry city with the fall completion of Prairie Waters, a $653-million pump, pipeline and purification project. Photo: Courtesy of Aurora Water Crews install four-ft-long UV lamps, specially designed quartz sleeves and electrical components into the generators. UV disinfection is a key component of the multiple-step water purification process. During the drought of 2002, Aurora, a suburb at the eastern edge of Denver, saw its reservoirs plummet to 26% of capacity, a critically low level the city is unlikely to suffer again, even in future dry spells, thanks to the $1.1-billion,

Aurora, Colo., took a big step to avoid becoming a dry city with the fall completion of Prairie Waters, a $653-million pump, pipeline and purification project. Photo: Courtesy of Aurora Water Crews install four-ft-long UV lamps, specially designed quartz sleeves and electrical components into the generators. UV disinfection is a key component of the multiple-step water purification process. During the drought of 2002, Aurora, a suburb at the eastern edge of Denver, saw its reservoirs plummet to 26% of capacity, a critically low level the city is unlikely to suffer again, even in future dry spells, thanks to the $1.1-billion,

Denver architect John B. Rogers will be remembered for his dynamic leadership as well as his dedication to his clients. But his legacy also includes a devotion to the firm he co-founded in the 1950s and to its current and future leadership. Photo Courtesy of RNL One of Rogers’ favorite projects was his work on the original Colorado History Museum and Colorado Supreme Court Building in downtown Denver. Photo courtesy of RNL For Rogers, an architect was much more than his drawings. It was about meeting and exceeding his clients’ needs. Rogers, co-founder of Denver-based architecture firm RNL, died July

Mountain States Construction: How many projects has the district cancelled or put on hold because of funding? Photo Courtesy of Hogan Construction The new 223,000-sq-ft Orem High School is part of Alpine School District’s $250-million bond passed by voters in 2006. It replaces the original Orem High School built in 1956. Related Links: Park City School District: Q&A with Patrick Ogden PCSD Facilities Weber School District: Q&A with W. Drew Wilson Admin. Director of District Facilities & Operations Aurora Public Schools: Q&A with Jim Bittle Construction Management & Support Director Adams 12 Five Star Schools: Q&A with Rob Webber Assistant

With the start of the second half of 2010, it appears that experts were correct in predicting that recovery from the current recession would be a long, slow climb rather than a quick leap. Declines in project starts, which started four years ago, have created a murky marketplace complete with bidding frenzies, razor-thin profit margins and an unemployment rate over 20%. But, along with the bad, there is some good coming out of the current recession. The editors of Mountain States Construction magazine have compiled a list of 10 things that are getting better in 2010. We Built This City:

In 2011, residents of Daybreak, a 4,200-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, will drive, bike or walk across the $2-million Brookside Bridge, which is made almost completely out of recycled materials. By then, project officials hope an environmental rating system for infrastructure will exist to quantify the bridge�s eco-friendliness. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Precast arches made out of recycled concrete were built on site, not shipped. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Builders of a Utah community bridge want a green rating. This June, contractor Ralph L. Wads-worth Construction, Salt Lake City, took two days, 500 worker-hours and twin

In 2011, residents of Daybreak, a 4,200-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, will drive, bike or walk across the $2-million Brookside Bridge, which is made almost completely out of recycled materials. By then, project officials hope an environmental rating system for infrastructure will exist to quantify the bridge’s eco-friendliness. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Precast arches made out of recycled concrete were built on site, not shipped. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Builders of a Utah community bridge want a green rating. This June, contractor Ralph L. Wads-worth Construction, Salt Lake City, took two days, 500 worker-hours and twin

Related Links: Colorado Contractor of the Year: Understanding Relationships Intermountain Contractor of the Year: Passing the Torch This issue of Mountain States Construction features our 2010 Intermountain and Colorado Contractors of the Year. Each year the editors select a general contracting firm that demonstrates ongoing innovation and sound business practices to be the magazine’s Contractor of the Year. This year, we chose two from the Mountain States’ region. We selected Okland Construction Co. Inc. of Salt Lake City based on the firm’s consistent placement in the top 10 of our annual General Contractors rankings. The firm experiences a profitable and

The board of directors of Denver’s Regional Transportation District approved last month a public-private partnership consortium’s $2.085-billion proposal to build and operate 44 miles of new commuter rail, including a line serving Denver International Airport. Denver Transit Partners is sponsored by Fluor Enterprises Inc., a division of Irving, Tex.-based Fluor Corp., and Australia’s Macquarie Capital Group Ltd. They are joined by partners Ames Construction, Balfour Beatty Rail Inc., Alternate Concepts Inc. and HDR Inc. The proposal came in $300 million lower than RTD’s budget estimate of $2.4 billion for the Eagle P3 project. The bid also promises to open the