March 2023

TARRYTOWN, NY—New Yorkers deserve a stronger commitment from state lawmakers to invest in local transportation infrastructure, and they don’t seem to be getting it. That’s the core message being heard in a public awareness campaign launched this week by the leading transportation construction organization in the region.

TARRYTOWN, NY—The percentage of women construction workers is at an all-time high, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That level has ticked up recently since 2016 when there were approximately 800,000 women employed in the U.S. construction industry.

In business, as in life, we can find ourselves in a rut. The way out may be complex or simple, but it always involves change. That’s the key to moving forward; idling holds you back, and doing nothing gets you stuck in reverse.

TARRYTOWN, NY—New Yorkers have the longest commutes in the nation, according to a study gathered by business help site, LLC.org. The site analyzed data from over 170 places with populations of over 150,000 to reach its final results. Also sharing this dubious achievement of landing on the Top Ten list of longest commutes is the City of Yonkers, which was named sixth.

As this column has noted on many occasions, the contract between the parties is the ultimate definition of their relationship. While that document should provide guidance in the “good times,” it will certainly be relied on when a party is looking to terminate the contract. However, in the absence of something in the contract justifying termination, a party may attempt to manufacture the circumstances it ultimately uses to do so

Briana Brown recalled the moment she caught the
engineering bug. As a junior in high school, she
strapped herself in for a wild jolt of excitement as she
rode the Six Flags theme park’s Bizzaro Roller Coaster.
Who knew that those few moments of thrilling G forces
would be the fuel to launch a career, which is now in full
flight.

HVCIP mid-winter meeting – 140 Members and Guests Convene to Discuss Management & Labor Concerns, Contracting Challenges, Labor Relations, Public Works & Private Development Programs.

ALBANY—More than $110 million was awarded to 86 projects through two grant programs to improve water quality statewide, it was announced earlier this month. The grant programs support projects designed to help protect drinking water, combat contributors to harmful algal blooms, update aging water infrastructure and improve aquatic habitat in communities statewide. More than $90 million of the funding supporting water quality improvements in Environmental Justice communities have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution.

With summer approaching and temperatures beginning to rise, construction companies must take every reasonable precaution to protect their workers from potential hazards, including heat-related illnesses. The Occupation Safety and Health Review Commission’s recent decisions in Secretary of Labor v. United States Postal Service, show the importance of providing adequate heat safety training to employees.

We have reached a critical moment in the future of the built environment in this post-pandemic world. It remains to be seen how space will be used as a facilitator for economic activity and as the basis for collaboration as alternative work models have taken hold. The paradigm has changed, at least for the moment. Gone are the days when long-term office leases could be sold based on location, prestige and collegiality as well as proximity to transportation in key business hubs and areas. In today’s competitive market, developers and owners are up against a tenant facing a world in which new technologies and models must conform to tenant-centric realities.