Pacific Builder and Engineer articles from February 2005

Pacific Builder and Engineer archives from February 2005

Contract Awards Summary.(construction industry)
February 7, 2005... Staff How To Use the Contract Awards Summary: All numbers and charts are in real dollars. The chart immediately below tracks cumulative awards for all categories of construction in PB&E' s five-state area. The last two years are shown...

Better Treatment for Wastewater.
February 7, 2005... Story by Stephanie Worrell Project Team For Caldwell Plant Upgrade Takes Communication Seriously The fact that communication is imperative to the success of any construction project goes without saying, but it is especially critical...

Oregon Timber Bridge.(Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust)
February 7, 2005... Staff Elegant Pedestrian Structure Reflects Beauty of the Forest It's a growing trend in the bridge industry: Many new spans are being designed as graceful, nostalgic reminders of the past, when timber bridges were often the main...

CIT Forecast.(CIT Group Inc.)(construction industry)
February 7, 2005... Staff Survey Finds Construction Industry In the West Facing 2005 With Confidence The outlook for the Pacific region indicates that the area's construction industry leaders are very optimistic about their prospects for 2005, according...

Design-Build Seminar.(construction industry)
February 7, 2005... Staff Speakers Focus On Process, LEED, and Emerging Technologies Constructors, engineers, architects, and owners attended a seminar in Seattle recently to learn more about the Design-Build process. The Design Build Institute of America...

WSDOT Leaves Graving Dock Site.(Washington State Department of Transportation)
February 7, 2005... Staff Port Angeles, Wash.-- Washington State Department of Transportation decided to stop pontoon and anchor construction at the Tze-whit-zen Village site in Port Angeles. The 22.5-acre site was to have been used as a large in-ground...

Quick Coupler Accidents Addressed At Meeting.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Representatives of equipment manufacturers met with an official of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently to discuss recent OSHA actions resulting from unintended bucket release from hydraulic excavator...

Document Management.(Citadon ProjectNet Small Team Edition)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff San Francisco-- Citadon, a company that specializes in web-based collaboration and business process management solutions, is launching a new low-cost version of ProjectNet, its document management and collaboration solution, aimed...

Upgraded ACP Website.(Associated Construction Publications)(ACPpubs.com)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Norcross, Ga.-- Associated Construction Publications, a network of 14 regional magazines devoted to providing the latest information in the construction industry (including PB&E), recently rolled out an enhanced version of its...

Rugged Notebook Computer.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Lake Forest, Calif.-- Getac Inc., a pioneer in the rugged mobile computing industry, introduced its newest rugged portable notebook computer at DistribuTECH, San Diego, Calif., in January. Improving on an already rugged computer...

Web-Based Document Sharing.(View-Pod Image Reviewer System)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Delray Beach, Fla.-- The View-Pod Image Reviewer System will begin replacing faxing, overnight mail and e-mail for engineering firms seeking instant solutions to reviewing, proofing and approving text and graphics files online. ...

Microsoft Announces Redmond Expansion.(Microsoft Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Redmond, Wash.-- Microsoft Corp. has announced plans to build up to 2.2 million square feet of new office space on its 400-acre Redmond campus over the next 20 years, to accommodate future growth of the company. Microsoft also...

ABC Members Help Brighten Others' Christmas.(Associated Builders and Contractors)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Tigard, Ore.-- Many members of the Pacific Northwest Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors, contributed to the 2004 Great Toy Drive, organized and sponsored by Portland's KGW-TV. The Great Toy Drive solicits donations of new,...

Washington Transportation Plan Released.(Washington State Department of Transportation)
February 7, 2005... Staff Olympia, Wash.-- State and local governments in the state of Washington plan to spend $3.1 billion over the coming three years on more than 1,500 transportation construction projects eligible to receive federal funds, according to...

Mixed-Use Project Gets Under Way.(Gray Purcell, Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Hood River, Ore.-- Gray Purcell, Inc. has broken ground on 310 Oak Street, a 32,000-square-foot mixed-use condo/retail project in the center of the City of Hood River's historic downtown. Work on the $3,467,500 project is...

D.W. Close Purchased By Valley Electric.(D.W. Close Co.)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff Everett, Wash.-- MYR Group, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has sold electrical contractor D.W. Close Co. to Valley Electric Co., which is headquartered in Everett. Terms of the sale were not released. Founded in 1982, Valley...

Briefs.
February 7, 2005... Staff Boise -- The Idaho chapter of Associated General Contractors honored several of its members during the chapter's annual convention in December. Bill Post of Post Insurance Services won the S.I.R. Award, honoring skill, integrity...

AGC Sets Legislative Priorities.(Associated General Contractors)
February 7, 2005... Staff The Associated General Contractors of America has called on Congress to increase investment in highway and transit improvements, expand infrastructure investment to promote economic growth and make tax cuts permanent. "A strong...

2005 Standard Mileage Rates Up.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Staff The Internal Revenue Service recently released the optional standard mileage rates to use for 2005 in computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving expense purposes. ...

Keeping Track of Tools.(JE Dunn)(toolwatch)
February 7, 2005... Staff Northwest Contractor Boosts Bottom Line With Scanner System JE Dunn-Northwest, a subsidiary of JE Dunn Construction with offices in Portland and Seattle, needed a better tool management system, and they needed it yesterday. ...

Power to the People.
February 21, 2005... Story by Carl Molesworth Transmission Line Project Links I-5 Corridor To Eastern Electricity Sources Officials from the federal Department of Energy and the Bonneville Power Administration gathered with local dignitaries near Spokane...

Editor's Report.(Editorial)
February 21, 2005... By Carl Molesworth In about three weeks, the curtain goes up on America's biggest and favorite construction equipment show when CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2005 opens in Las Vegas, and I'll be there. This will be my fourth trip to the...

Montana Wind Farm Looks Likely.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Staff Helena, Mont.-- Construction of Montana's first major wind farm should begin this spring, Lee Newspapers has reported. The report followed the January announcement by NorthWestern Energy that it has agreed to buy between 135...

AGC Honors Longtime Members.(Associated General Contractors )(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Staff Seattle-- The Associated General Contractors of Washington honored companies who have been members for 30 to 35 years at the chapter's annual meeting in January. Special recognition was given to General Construction, a member for...

HDR Acquires Operations of Oregon Planning Firm.(LCA Town Planning & Architecture)(HDR Engineering Inc. (Omaha, Nebraska))(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Staff Portland-- HDR, a multidisciplinary consulting firm based in Omaha, Neb., has acquired the operations of LCA Town Planning & Architecture, Portland, and Sargent Town Planning, based in Ventura, Calif. Financial terms of the agreement...

Oregon Plumbing Board Approves Non-Flush Urinals.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Staff Salem-- Oregon officials have voted to approve an interpretive ruling to permit the installation of waterfree urinals in city, county, state, and federal government facilities in the state of Oregon. The approval promotes and enables...

Highway Worker Memorial Scholarships Available.
February 21, 2005... Staff Washington, D.C.-- The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation has begun accepting nominations for the "Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program" for the 2005 academic year....

Briefs.
February 21, 2005... Staff Portland -- The Pacific Northwest chapter of Associated Builder & Contractors recently installed new officers and board members for 2005. The new officers are Kerrie Sundeleaf of sundeleaf+associates inc., chair; Steven Sorenson...

Industry Watch.(United Rentals Inc. completes expansion)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Staff Anchorage -- United Rentals Inc., North America's largest equipment rental company, has completed a major expansion at its General Rentals branch in Anchorage. The branch provides customers with equipment rentals, sales of new and...

New Products.(Rapid Impact Compactors Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Staff Delta, B.C., Canada-- A Canadian company is experiencing strong growth since securing the exclusive North American rights to the Rapid Impact Compactor, or RIC, which is a soil compacting attachment for hydraulic excavators. The...