The city of Henderson, Nev., southeast of Las Vegas, claims it got duped into a sweetheart public land deal by Austin, Texas-based developer Christopher F. Milam, who proposed building a multi-arena sports complex, according to a Jan. 28 lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court. The city contends that Milam "conspired" to falsely buy 485 acres of federal land southeast of Interstate 15 and St. Rose Parkway "below what a true competitive bidding process would yield" and "sell it piecemeal to residential and commercial developers at a substantial profit," court papers say. Image courtesy IDM The lawsuit centers around purchase
Related Links: Tony Illia's WOC 2013 Photo Gallery Cement Use to Climb 8% in 2013 Putzmeister Expands Into Ready-Mix Trucks Ahern Rentals' Sales Soar Despite Bankruptcy New Bricklaying Champion Crowned Utah Case Dealership's Fifth Generation Hilti Introduces Hollow Drill Bit STIHL Unveils The Rock Boss Wagner Meters Launches Rapid Moisture Tester Brokk Highlights New Demolition Machine Chicago Pneumatic Unveils New Breaker After a long, harsh downturn, concrete contractors and suppliers are looking up as they face a "huge pent-up demand," said Portland Cement Association chief economist Ed Sullivan, who spoke Feb. 5 at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas."The
Related Links: Archives of ENR obituaries of AEC sector leaders, innovators and achievers JohnstonJames F. "Floyd" Johnston, 72, founder-owner of Floyd Johnston Construction Co., a Clovis, Calif., pipeline contractor, died in a Jan. 6 plane crash near Porterville, Calif. He was flying a single-engine Beechcraft on a private outing.An online obituary said the plane broke up in flight. An employee, Jacob Curiel, age 28, was also killed.According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the debris path was more than a half-mile long, with "the cabin separated into several sections that were scattered throughout the center"
JonesMatthew L. Jones, a civil engineer and a 38-year veteran of the Illinois Dept. of Transportation, died on Jan. 9 of heart failure at age 82.Jones also was a member of the Aurora, Ill., Planning Commission from 1971 to 2007, and served as well on the Naperville Planning Commission.A 1956 engineering graduate of the Indiana Institute of Technology, he had a role in building the extension of I-355 and in Aurora's becoming the state's second-largest city, according to the Chicago Tribune.
HopkinsJohn Hopkins, a visionary landscape architect who directed the team that created the 250-acre green space for the 2012 London Olympics from a former brownfield site, died on Jan. 21 in West Philadelphia after a heart attack at age 59.Hopkins led the design as project lead for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The nearly $400-million park is reopening in phases, beginning this summer, as the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park.Hopkins, also an urban designer and environmental planner, is a former partner in LDA Design, London, and a Fellow of the U.K.'s Landscape Institute. His awards include the institute's Peter
Related Links: Construction Starts Forecasted to Increase 6% in 2013 National Association of Home Builders website Despite a skittish economy, rising materials prices and mortgage woes, today's surviving builders are embracing adaptation, reinvention and optimism as they await a housing-market rebound in 2013. Attendance at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas last month reached 48,722, down 5.3% from the previous year, but many still remain hopeful about the market."For the first time in years, all signs are pointing up for our industry," said Barry Rutenberg, National Association of Home Builders chairman. "It has been a prolonged, painful downturn. But
Related Links: Ten Minutes With Michael Kneeland, CEO of United Rentals Caterpillar Crawls Into Auction Territory Construction equipment dealers are increasingly bypassing third-party auctioneers to dispose of used machines themselves. The do-it-yourself auction strategy can both maintain valued customers and groom future buyers. It additionally enables dealers to forgo commission fees, which can run 12% to 15% of the final auction price although costs climb higher for smaller machinery and first-time clients, say industry experts. Equipment requiring pre-auction preparation and repair can increase total fees, too."Everyone wants to be in the auction business," says James J. Jeter, president IronPlanet Inc.,
It's a familiar story in image-conscious Las Vegas: When something reaches middle age, it gets ditched for something newer. In the case of the 40-year-old City Hall, not only did Las Vegas outgrow the facility, but the building also needed at least $1.5 million in energy-related retrofits. So the city's 600 employees left the old facility and moved into a swanky new $146.2-million, seven-story building in February, just around the corner from the old one. Related Links: A Tale of Two City Halls for Las Vegas and North Las Vegas ENR Southwest Fortunately, Las Vegas is also famous for reinvention,
Trimble, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based advanced technology systems maker, saw a record 3,500 attendees from 80 countries during its sixth annual Dimensions event held in November at The Mirage hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The conference consisted of 480 sessions focused on increased field and office productivity through Trimble hardware and software in a variety of applications from heavy civil and building construction to mapping and surveying. Courtesy of Trimble The Trimble tablet is powered by an Intel Atom 1.6-GHz processor, with dual eight-hour lithium-ion batteries. Among other things, the 34-year-old publicly traded company (NASDAQ: TRMB) unveiled a new rugged,
Developer Chris Milam's planned 750,000-sq-ft, 16,500-seat sports arena in Henderson, 12 miles south of Las Vegas, may be headed for bust. Due to fraud concerns, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has delayed the potential sale of 480 acres to Milam's Silver State Land LLC 40 days until Feb. 6. at the request of Henderson City Attorney Josh Reid. Image Courtesy of IDM LLC Plans for a $1.5-billion stadium in Las Vegas are on shaky financial ground. Milam had submitted a $2.1-million deposit in June for the $10.56-million purchase; the balance was due Dec. 3. Reid wrote in a letter
