Baltimore Building & Construction Trades Council http://www.bbctc.org Baltimore Building & Construction Trades Council - The Path To Your Future! Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Construction Jobs Shrink in Baltimore http://www.bbctc.org/2010/09/01/construction-jobs-shrink-in-baltimore/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/09/01/construction-jobs-shrink-in-baltimore/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:10 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=270 Baltimore Business Journal

Some 12 percent of Baltimore-area construction jobs disappeared from July 2009 to July 2010, according to new analysis of federal employment data released Tuesday by the Associated General Contractors of America.

The area had 73,300 construction jobs in July 2009, compared with 64,700 in July 2010, a difference of 8,600. That put Greater Baltimore 290 out of 337 metro areas, in terms of percent change.

Maryland’s number of construction jobs dipped 3 percent to 153,900 from July 2009 to July 2010.

Chicago lost more construction jobs (32,900 jobs, 23 percent) than any other metro area, reflecting a construction strike that has since ended. Flagstaff, Ariz. (700 jobs, 32 percent) lost the highest percentage.

Other areas experiencing large declines in construction employment included Las Vegas (14,800 jobs, 24 percent); Houston (14,700 jobs, 8 percent); Los Angeles (10,700 jobs, 9 percent); and Seattle (10,400 jobs, 14 percent).

“There is no doubt that we have seen an increase in stimulus activity this summer,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a statement. “Unfortunately, that increase in stimulus activity is largely being overshadowed by continuing declines in overall demand for construction that are likely to persist well into next year.”

Thirty-one metro areas added construction jobs from July 2009 to July 2010. Calvert-Charles-Prince George’s counties added more construction jobs (2,800, 8 percent) than any other metro area while Eau Claire, Wis., added the highest percentage (16 percent, 500 jobs). Other areas adding jobs included Kansas City, Kansas (1,700 jobs, 9 percent); Pittsburgh (1,500 jobs, 3 percent); Columbus, Ohio (1,000 jobs, 3 percent); and Chattanooga, Tenn. (700 jobs, 8 percent).

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/09/01/construction-jobs-shrink-in-baltimore/feed/ 1 University of Baltimore breaks ground on Law Center http://www.bbctc.org/2010/08/27/university-of-baltimore-breaks-ground-on-law-center/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/08/27/university-of-baltimore-breaks-ground-on-law-center/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:31:43 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=266 190,000-square-foot building will include environmentally friendly components

By Liz F. Kay, The Baltimore Sun

2:59 PM EDT, August 26, 2010

Politicians, donors and University of Baltimore alumni joined faculty and staff at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the new John and Frances Angelos Law Center, a $107 million project on Mount Royal Avenue and North Charles Street.

Construction of the 190,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed in 2012, making UB’s law school the sixth-largest public law school in the country.

Speakers including Gov. Martin O’Malley praised donors such as Orioles owner and UB law alumnus Peter G. Angelos, who contributed $5 million to the project in 2008 as well as an additional $5 million in June. The building is named after his parents.

UB raised a total of $15 million in private funding for the project, which will be used along with state money.

University President Robert L. Bogomolny said the design of the building “is one that embraces the realities of where legal education is going.”

The new center will have 12 levels around a common atrium to facilitate interaction among and between students and faculty. Reflecting the evolving methods for research and learning, the new law library will also house only a third of the print volumes contained in the current library, he said.

“Books will still be important, but there will also be strong emphasis on technology and providing spaces for group study and team projects, reflecting the reality that problem-solving in the modern world is not achieved by individuals in isolation but by collective efforts and diverse talents and multiple perspectives,” he said.

The building will include environmentally friendly components, including energy-efficient LED lights, a green roof that will be watered by rainwater wells and automated windows that will circulate fresh air throughout the structure. Energy consumption will be reduced by more than 30 percent, said Bogomolny.

“Every office — that’s right, every office — will have a window that actually opens,” he told the crowd of dignitaries, students and faculty, who cheered.

The Abell Foundation helped pay for an international design contest for the project. Officials selected an entry by the German firm Behnisch Architekten, working with Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore. The building will resemble a series of interlocking cubes, according to news reports.

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/08/27/university-of-baltimore-breaks-ground-on-law-center/feed/ 0 University of Baltimore to begin work on $107M Law Building http://www.bbctc.org/2010/08/25/university-of-baltimore-to-begin-work-on-107m-law-building/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/08/25/university-of-baltimore-to-begin-work-on-107m-law-building/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:59:33 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=255

The University of Baltimore will break ground Thursday on the $107 million John and Frances Angelos Law Center at the corner of Charles Street and Mount Royal Avenue.

The 12-story building will be 190,000 square feet and feature a 300-seat mock courtroom and event space, 15 classrooms, 29 study spaces and a 32,000 square-foot library.

UB predicts the project will support 1,231 jobs and generate more than $174 million in economic activity.

The university is seeking a minimum U.S. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating and hopes to push that rating to platinum. The building is slated and open August 2012.

Gov. Martin O’Malley and UB President Robert L. Bogomolny are expected to attend Thursday’s noon groundbreaking.

In June 2008, the university began a private fundraising campaign to help the state fund the construction of the building.

The university had sought $15 million from private donors. Baltimore Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos, a UB School of Law alum and prominent attorney, contributed $10 million toward the project. The remaining $5 million came from Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., alumna Sayra Meyerhoff and her husband Neil, and alumna Jana Howard Carey.

The state committed $38 million in initial construction funding for the project during the 2010 General Assembly session, on top of planning and design funding that had already been doled out.

Behnisch Architekten of Germany, in partnership with Baltimore’s Ayers/Saint/Gross Inc., won an international competition to design the law center.

The University of Baltimore School of Law, with an enrollment of more than 1,000, is among the top 10 largest public law schools in the country.


rsharrow@bizjournals.com or (410) 454-0537.
Twitter.com/rsharrow

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/08/25/university-of-baltimore-to-begin-work-on-107m-law-building/feed/ 0 First Phase of State Center Approved http://www.bbctc.org/2010/07/29/first-phase-of-state-center-approved/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/07/29/first-phase-of-state-center-approved/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:12:57 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=249 Board of Public Works approves first phase of State Center

Baltimore Business Journal – by Ryan Sharrow Staff

The Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously approved Wednesday the first redevelopment phase of the 28-acre State Center complex on the edge of Mount Vernon.

Under the terms of the deal, the state will lease 500,000 square feet of office space slated to be developed at two new buildings in the development. The state will pay $25.85 per square foot, not including operating costs, beginning in 2014.

The approval is a key step for the private developer, led by Ekistics LLC, to seek financing for the $215 million first phase. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall.

Phase one will encompass 500,000 square feet of office space spanning two new buildings, a parking garage, 70,000 square feet of street-level retail space, including a grocery store. A parking lot currently sits on the site.

In total, the entire redevelopment is set to take place in five phases and spans 15 years.

Over the next 20 years, state officials say phase one will generate more than $200 million in state and city taxes and another $30 million in lease payments to Maryland.

Once the entire development is complete, the state expects to be $144 million in the black by year 20. This includes a projected $28 million in parking revenue, $30 million in ground rent and shared profits, and $160 million in new state taxes over the first 20 years.

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/07/29/first-phase-of-state-center-approved/feed/ 0 Calvert Cliffs in Jeopardy http://www.bbctc.org/2010/07/29/calvert-cliffs-in-jeopardy-2/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/07/29/calvert-cliffs-in-jeopardy-2/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:07:47 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=244 Constellation CEO: Calvert Cliffs project in jeopardy

Mayo A. Shattuck says uncertainty surrounding conditional approval of loan guarantee impacting prospects for Calvert Cliffs nuclear project

By Hanah Cho, The Baltimore Sun

Constellation Energy Group Chief Executive Mayo A. Shattuck warned Wednesday that the proposed new nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs would be in jeopardy if the project does not receive approval for a federal loan guarantee by the end of the summer.

Shattuck said the delay for the conditional guarantee, which is considered crucial to financing the nuclear unit, has begun to “affect the prospects for the Calvert Cliffs project.” And the wait has prompted the Baltimore company to roll back its spending on the project, Shattuck said, during a conference call announcing its second-quarter earnings.

While Shattuck said Constellation and Electricite de France, the company’s partner in the Unistar Nuclear Energy joint venture, are committed to pursuing the project, he warned that time is running out. Executives said they had expected a decision by the U.S. Department of Energy earlier this year.

“We can’t keep going at the rate that we’re going without clarity on the loan guarantee,” he added. “Time is a little bit of our enemy at this point.”

Constellation and EDF have spent $600 million on the proposed nuclear reactor in Southern Maryland, and Shattuck said Constellation plans to fund Unistar for the rest of the year. But Unistar has cut back on hiring contractors and supply chain vendors and has stopped filling open positions, he said in an interview.

The reactor’s construction is expected to yield about 2,100 jobs in the first year and up to 7,670 overall, according to a study conducted by Areva, the world’s largest reactor maker, one of two companies designing and building the proposed reactor for Unistar. The plant is expected to create 400 to 700 permanent jobs.

“I think we’ve all been geared toward having a decision before this point in time, frankly,” Shattuck said. “There is some level of frustration that we haven’t had an answer at this point.”

At the moment, the Energy Department has only enough loan authority to offer one project a conditional guarantee.

Michael Wallace, chairman of Unistar and vice chairman of Constellation, said Unistar’s application is further along in the process than competing projects.

The Maryland project is at the final review stage before the credit board that makes loan guarantee recommendations to the energy secretary, Wallace said.

Ebony Meeks, a spokeswoman for the Department of Energy, said the agency understands Constellation’s frustration, but “our main priority is to be a steward of taxpayer dollars.”

“These loan guarantees are very complex, and we need to make sure they are reviewed thoroughly,” she said.

This year, President Barack Obama announced a conditional loan guarantee for a nuclear project in Georgia, which would be the first project of its kind in decades.

Although there are other variables — including the cost of the project and federal policies affecting carbon prices — that Constellation and EDF will have to consider before making a final decision on the project, Shattuck said the loan guarantee approval is an important milestone.

Meanwhile, Constellation reported that its second-quarter profit rose to $72.6 million, or 36 cents per share, compared with $8.1 million, or 4 cents per share, in the corresponding period last year. Last year’s net income was hurt by losses related to shedding some of the company’s businesses.

Excluding accounting changes, discontinued operations and other special items, earnings from continuing operations fell to 71 cents per share, down from $1.08 per share in the same period a year earlier.

Constellation’s regulated utility, Baltimore Gas and Electric, reported net income of 7 cents per share in the quarter, up from 6 cents per share a year ago.

Constellation shares fell $1.63, or 4.7 percent, to close Wednesday at $33.28.

hanah.cho@baltsun.com

http://twitter.com/hanahcho

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/07/29/calvert-cliffs-in-jeopardy-2/feed/ 0 Cecil County slots parlor to open Sept. 30 http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/14/cecil-county-slots-parlor-to-open-sept-30/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/14/cecil-county-slots-parlor-to-open-sept-30/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:17:03 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=163

Baltimore Business Journal – by Scott Dance Staff

The state’s first slot machine parlor will open Sept. 30 in Cecil County.

Penn National Gaming Inc. plans to open its Hollywood Casino Perryville a month ahead of schedule. It was originally scheduled for an Oct. 26 opening.

That will start a flow of income the state has been counting on since voters legalized slots in a 2008 referendum. Politicians have long sought slots as a means of balancing persistent billion-dollar budget gaps in Maryland.

But other planned casinos have stalled. Plans for a Baltimore City slots parlor fell apart for lack of financing, and a Cordish Cos. casino at Arundel Mills Mall is being held up by an upcoming Anne Arundel County referendum to block the facility.

The state’s board of public works approved a contract June 9 to stock the casino with 1,062 slot machines at a cost of $50 million.

The $89 million casino is the sixth developed by Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National (NASDAQ: PENN) to bear the “Hollywood” theme. It will feature a 75,000 square foot casino, 150-seat buffet, a grill, a gift shop, and parking for 1,600 vehicles. The company is hiring 350 people to staff it.

The facility is also spurring neighboring development, including Woodlands at Perryville, a $110 million townhome and retail project. Stewart Associates is also working on plans to develop the 140 acres of land surrounding the casino for a mixed-use project to be called Chesapeake Overlook.


sdance@bizjournals.com or (410) 454-0514.
Twitter.com/ssdance

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/14/cecil-county-slots-parlor-to-open-sept-30/feed/ 0 Maryland State and Washington DC Building Trades Fall Conference http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/11/maryland-state-and-washington-dc-building-trades-fall-conference/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/11/maryland-state-and-washington-dc-building-trades-fall-conference/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:28:50 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=151 The Maryland State and Washington D.C. Building and Construction Trades Council will be holding it’s 2nd Annual Fall Conference on September 19th through September 23rd.  This year’s conference will be held at the Hilton Baltimore in Downtown Baltimore City.  For more information, please contact the Baltimore Building Trades Council office at 410-242-0522. ]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/11/maryland-state-and-washington-dc-building-trades-fall-conference/feed/ 0 Baltimore Building Trades Endorses Roger Manno for State Senate http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/10/baltimore-building-trades-endorses-roger-manno-for-state-senate/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/10/baltimore-building-trades-endorses-roger-manno-for-state-senate/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:10:24 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=129                          Council Cites Manno’s Impressive Labor Track Record

(BALTIMORE, MD) June 10, 2010. Citing his commitment to jobs,  small business growth and labor, the 18,000 member Baltimore Building and Construction Trades Council – which represents 15 local unions in Central Maryland – endorsed Roger Manno in his candidacy for the Maryland State Senate in the 19th district.

Council President Rod Easter, who also serves as President of the Maryland State and Washington DC Building and Construction Council, stated, “Roger Manno understands the important role labor plays as Maryland looks towards the future. Thousands of hardworking Marylanders have benefited from measures he has supported, and thousands more will continue to do so. His efforts to create strong, sustainable jobs make him an ideal candidate for Montgomery County and Maryland as a whole. The Baltimore Building and Construction Trades Council is proud to support his candidacy.”

Manno commented on the council’s endorsement, “In this tough economy, our focus must be on creating and maintaining highly-skilled, high-paying jobs that stimulate revenue and productivity for our State. That also means giving our young people the educational opportunities through apprenticeship training programs in order for them to learn a trade and become productive members of the workforce. I am proud to stand with building trade leaders from DC to Baltimore who work to make that happen, and I am honored to have their support.”

 

The Baltimore Building and Construction Trades Council is a coalition of AFL-CIO unions that includes Asbestos Workers Local #24, Boilermakers Local #193, Bricklayers Local #1 of MD, VA & DC, Electrical Workers Local #24, Elevator Constructors Local #7, Ironworkers Local #16, Operating Engineers Local #37, Painters District Council #51, Plasterers’ & Cement Masons #43, Plumbers & Steamfitters Local #486, Roofers Local #30, Road Sprinkler Fitters LU #669, Sheet Metal Workers Local #100, Sprinkler Fitters Local #536, and Teamsters Local #311.

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]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/10/baltimore-building-trades-endorses-roger-manno-for-state-senate/feed/ 0 Maryland approves contract to buy slot machines for Cecil http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/10/maryland-approves-contract-to-buy-slot-machines-for-cecil/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/10/maryland-approves-contract-to-buy-slot-machines-for-cecil/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:04:46 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=124 Baltimore Business Journal – by Scott Dance Staff

The state Board of Public Works approved a $50 million contract Wednesday to buy 1,062 slot machines for a Cecil County casino slated to open later this year.

The slots parlor, dubbed Hollywood Casino Perryville, is set to become the first of its kind in the state since the one-armed bandits were legalized in a 2008 referendum.

The casino’s owner, Penn National Gaming, has been working on hiring 350 people to staff the casino. The contract approved Wednesday allows the state to move forward on buying the slot machines that will fill the facility.

Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National (NASDAQ: PENN) said last month preparations were moving swiftly enough that the project could open ahead of schedule. It was set to open in the fourth quarter of this year.

The contract was broken up among six contractors, as follows:

• $21.6 million to IGT;

• $12 million to Bally Gaming;

• $9.6 million to Spielo Manufacturing;

• $6.2 million to Aristocrat Technologies;

• $700,000 to Shuffle Master; and,

• $300,000 to KGM Gaming.

 

sdance@bizjournals.com or (410) 454-0514.
Twitter.com/ssdance

]]> http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/10/maryland-approves-contract-to-buy-slot-machines-for-cecil/feed/ 0 Trial Finally Ends In Casino Fight http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/08/trial-finally-ends-in-casino-fight/ http://www.bbctc.org/2010/06/08/trial-finally-ends-in-casino-fight/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:26:54 +0000 http://www.bbctc.org/?p=117

Judge to determine if voters can decide on Arundel Mills zoning

By ERIN COX, Staff Writer

Published 06/05/10

The fate of a 4,750-slot machine casino is now in the hands of county Circuit Court Judge Ronald A. Silkworth.

It took nearly two weeks of arguments, reams of documents and hundreds of affidavits for an army of attorneys to make their cases on whether the court should set aside a petition aimed at stopping the casino.

The legal wrangling will either halt or set into motion a referendum on whether to overturn a zoning law that allows a gambling emporium near Arundel Mills mall in Hanover.

Silkworth’s ruling will come no sooner than Friday, when a final document is expected to be filed by attorneys for both sides.

But his ruling is expected to be immediately appealed, since both sides have argued that the integrity of democracy is at stake and the referendum faces an August deadline to be ready for the ballot.

Attorneys for the casino’s developer, The Cordish Cos., sued the county Board of Elections, alleging that the agency overlooked evidence of fraud and capriciously selected which petition signatures to validate.

More than 40,000 people signed the petition to send zoning for the casino at Arundel Mills mall to a referendum this fall. The elections board decided that nearly half of the signatures didn’t meet state and local standards.

But the roughly 23,000 signatures deemed valid still left the coalition opposing the casino more than 4,000 beyond the number needed to trigger a vote.

“So, what you’re trying to show is inconsistency,” Silkworth said during closing arguments in Annapolis on Thursday. “What am I supposed to do with that? Go through 40,000 signatures?”

Cordish attorney Stephen Anthony replied that the court should review enough signatures to decide whether the elections boards acted properly.

The actions “should not only be uniform, they should be right,” Anthony said.

Cordish attorneys have attacked the petition from several legal angles, contesting everything from the order of columns on the petition form to the constitutionality of county voters having a referendum on the zoning law.

Silkworth has been asked to review as many as 9,400 signatures, looking for blurry handwriting, pairs of signatures signed by the same person, missing information, and a dozen more categories of “defective signatures” ferreted out by Cordish reviewers.

Attorneys for the coalition against the casino, which includes resident group StopSlots at Arundel Mills and the Maryland Jockey Club, jumped into the lawsuit this spring and dominated the arguments against Cordish.

Along with the state and county boards of elections, the coalition contends that officials followed the law and it is not the court’s role to redo the agency’s work.

Silenced voices

Before the trial began, Silkworth limited the scope of the trial to reviewing the records of the actions of the county elections board – a decision that led him to rule out testimony from any witnesses, as well as more than 100 affidavits from voters such as James Bull.

The county resident waited for two days at the courthouse hoping to tell the judge how he was duped into signing a petition that he thought would support slot machine gambling.

“Anytime somebody says slots, I say I love slots. Obviously, I said I was for them,” Bull said in an interview this week, recalling his conversation with a petition circulator who knocked on his door. “She said she had a petition and it was for slots. … I was even hesitant because it didn’t say that on there.”

Bull and his son, Steven, said they believed the circulator’s story and didn’t realize they’d signed a petition against slots until they were approached by an attorney from Cordish.

“You feel stupid when you do something like that because you’re not supposed to sign something without knowing what it is,” Bull said.

Bull and his family were so irritated by this that they agreed to wait in the courthouse to testify – even spending his wedding anniversary there – only to be told the judge would not allow any new evidence.

“It (angers) me a little bit because I spent two days down there wanting to be heard, and I was told no.”

Cordish’s attorneys point to Bull’s experience as evidence of fraud that was overlooked by the court.

The anti-casino coalition and the Board of Elections say that it’s impractical for a state agency to review 40,000 conversations between petition signers and circulators and determine who was correct and who lied.

Flawed process?

Even without those conversations, Cordish attorney Tony Herman argued that the inconsistencies in the way elections officials handled the petition is enough for the court to set it aside completely.

“We believe that the process was so flawed, so deficient, that the record reflects … an abject abdication (of responsibility),” Herman said in his closing arguments. “For that alone, it should be set aside.”

Coalition attorneys contended that for every signature casino supporters could get thrown out, the casino opponents could find one that should have been counted – including the invalidated signatures of Annapolis Mayor Joshua Cohen and former state senator Janet Greenip, both of whom had signatures thrown out by the county elections board.

“It is not the court’s role to second-guess the agency,” said Michael Berman, one of the attorneys representing the Maryland Jockey Club and citizens groups. “The job of fact-finding has been delegated to the agency.”

Coalition attorney Bruce Marcus put it more strongly.

“We can’t have people coming into court and accusing elections boards of not doing their jobs,” Marcus said. “It’s like screaming fire in a movie theater. It’s wrong.”

—

ecox@capitalgazette.com

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