Author name: niallogara

CHESTER, NY—The 10th annual Hudson Valley Construction Industry Partnership (HVCIP) luncheon at the Glenmere Mansion here on Tues., April 8, drew a record attendance of 60 construction industry and organized labor leaders and key politicians who were generally enthusiastic in their assessment of upcoming construction work for the 2024 construction season. On balance, the outlook is good, they said, with a stronger book-of-business forecast for the public works and transportation sector compared to private development.

WEST NYACK, NY—The Town of Clarkstown announced it will receive more than $2.1 million in federal funding to fix conditions that cause widespread flooding and to improve other public facilities and services in its community. The new funding is part of $58 million in federal funds for public works projects and services coming to New York’s 17th congressional district, which includes sections of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester.

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—New York State officials announced on April 5 that work will soon begin on a $11.4-million project to reconfigure the intersection of State Route 376 (also known as Raymond Avenue/New Hackensack Road) and Hooker Avenue here to construct a single- lane roundabout designed to improve safety and traffic flow along this busy Dutchess County roadway.

NEWBURGH, NY– The New York State Bridge Authority held its first-ever M/WBE & SDVOB Meet & Greet event on March 28 at the Newburgh campus of SUNY Orange. More than 150 attendees were able to connect with NYSBA and other state agencies, as well as network with prime contractors and consultants.

With the annual-budget negotiations in Albany now in overtime, blue collar workers are calling on policymakers to pass legislation that will restore accountability and bring effective labor standards to the public university development process. This idea is based on a simple principle: when New York taxpayer funds are used on a project, that investment should go back into New York communities.

ALBANY—The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court affirmed on Thurs., April 11, an initial decision rendered last fall by Supreme Court Justice McGinty to dismiss challenges from the construction industry on procedural grounds related to venue asserted by New York State Department of Labor and the Attorney General.

One clause that is often overlooked as boilerplate when negotiating a construction contract is the arbitration or, more broadly, ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) clause. There are definite benefits of using arbitration over litigation: a more streamlined procedure, typically lower cost, a faster resolution (particularly when some courts are still digging out from the Covid backlog), and a more informed decision maker (typically a construction lawyer, an engineer or architect, or a construction manager).