Connecticut plans to launch the nation's first statewide microgrid pilot program, an initiative aimed at keeping electricity supplied to critical government services and businesses even through large-scale power outages. The program is pending Conn.'s State Bond Commission authorization, which is expected this fall. Photo Courtesy of the Governor's Office First Launch: Gov. Dannel Malloy recommends that the state add to the program's current funding. Part of the state's plan to harden infrastructure against future storms, the program involves establishing small energy centers independently powered by natural gas-powered turbines, fuel cells, solar power and other energy sources. The microgrids can be

Related Links: Green Light for Proposed Record-Tall Modular Building at Atlantic Yards Two New York City licensed trade groups have sued the city's Dept. of Buildings (DOB) over the agency's approval of work on prefabricated building units for Atlantic Yards' B2, a 32-story modular residential tower under way in Brooklyn.The groups—the Mechanical Contractors Association of New York and the Plumbing Foundation City of New York (PFCNY)—charge that off-site work done in a factory without supervision of DOB-licensed master plumbers and fire-suppression contractors violates core Construction Code requirements. The suit, filed on July 8 in the state Supreme Court, New York

A federal judge yesterday rejected the Manufacturing Woodworkers Association of Greater New York's (MWA) request for a preliminary injunction to halt the New York City District Council of Carpenters ongoing strike. The July 18 decision by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman came as the strike by 350 members of the council enters its 18th day. A council spokesman says that his group and MWA are still in non-binding negotiations but are "far apart."MWA is seeking a 10-year agreement, an across-the-board wage freeze and a second-tier employee system with lower wages and benefits. "Throughout a heat wave and weeks of

The New York City District Council of Carpenters entered its third day of a strike on July 3 after negotiations broke down with the Manufacturing Woodworkers Association of Greater New York (MWA). The association is seeking an across-the-board wage freeze and a second-tier employee system with lower wages and benefits, "while locking members into a 10-year agreement," the council says. "Nobody wants a strike, especially during the celebration of our country's independence, but if we concede any further it would be detrimental to all our members and their families," Stephen McInnis, the council's executive secretary treasurer, said in a July

A 29-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the July 1 shooting of a union foreman at Manhattan's Hells Kitchen jobsite. Anthony Manco of Flushing, Queens, was charged on July 2 with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and criminal possession of a weapon, says an NYPD spokesman. A second suspect, identified as Robert Sasso, was also taken into custody on July 2 in connection with the shooting, but had not been charged as of late Wednesday afternoon, the spokesman says. He would not say whether Sasso was still in custody.Media reports quoting anonymous sources say that police

New York City Police Dept. officials picked up two men for questioning on July 2 in connection with the prior day's shooting of a 56-year­-old union foreman at Manhattan's Hells Kitchen jobsite. Neither suspect—Anthony Manco nor Robert Sasso—had been charged by late afternoon Tuesday, says an NYPD spokewoman. Police began searching yesterday morning for the shooter, who fled the crime scene at West. 49th St. and Ninth Ave., where a joint venture of Judlau Contracting and its parent firm OHL USA are doing trunk and water main work for the Manhattan leg of the Water Tunnel No. 3 project.The victim,

New York City Police Dept. officials are investigating the July 1 shooting of a 56-year-old union foreman at a Hells Kitchen jobsite.  Police are seeking the suspect who fled the site at West. 49th St. and Ninth Ave. in Manhattan in a white vehicle, says a spokeswoman with the NYPD. The call came in 9:33 a.m. from the crime scene, a job site managed by the NYC Dept. of Design and Construction (DDC). The victim, Louis Lamburini, was shot in the left shoulder and taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he was in "fair" condition as of 4 p.m., says

Contractors renovating three joined buildings at the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard knew they might find some surprises as they began work on the 220,850-sq-ft structure. The steel-framed buildings, which make up what will become the yard's Green Manufacturing Center (GMC), were built separately between 1895 and 1941 and joined together over time during various building campaigns. The result was a structure with a mix of materials and styles that, in some places, has been a puzzle for the renovation team to figure out. While structural repair drawings helped the team anticipate early on what needed to be done, it was

photo By Mary Servatius Even as Sandy recovery work continues in and around New York City, the mayor aims to move beyond the storm and fortify flood-prone areas against potential risks related to climate change. Related Links: Post-Sandy Mobilization Moves into High Gear New York City aims to ramp up protection against damage from catastrophic weather events and a changing climate with a new $19.5-billion plan to strengthen 15 critical areas, from food supply to health care to shorelines. The plan, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) revealed on June 11 in a 438-page report, offers long-term recommendations and goes far

Photo By Marc A. Hermann/MTA New York City Transit Just Short of a Rebuild: Transit personnel inspect Montague tube damage that is so severe the tube requires a major overhaul. Related Links: At Four Years Old, a New Station Needs Rethinking After Sandy, A SpecialReport on the Superstorm Reconstruction New York City Transit plans to start major reconstruction work this summer on two subway tunnels that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The agency is preparing bid documents for the work, which is expected to be divided into two projects, each with multiple contracts that will total more than $100