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The Sad History of Jamestown Mall

2 years 1 month ago
From KSIS 1050 AM:  It’s incredible how some malls in the 2020s seem to be thriving, while others are left to whither with high vacancy rates and a future date with redevelopment or at least the wrecking ball. This is a look at one of the latter, the Jamestown Mall in suburban St. Louis, currently […]
Zo

Workers Give Construction’s Slow Tech Adoption a Thumbs Down

2 years 1 month ago
From Construction Dive: Dive Brief: Industries like supply chain management and healthcare are benefiting from the perception of technological proficiency, while construction is viewed as “the least technologically competent” by workers, according to a new study. Construction ranked at the bottom of 10 surveyed sectors, according to purchase-to-pay software developer Yooz’s 2023 Technology in the Workplace survey, released […]
Zo

VIDEO: Pipe Trades Partnership Launches Fourth Cohort of CHAMPIONS Workforce Program

2 years 1 month ago
More than two dozen people from underrecognized populations have entered the pipe trades in the last three years through a unique partnership between Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Missouri (MCA EMO), and the Plumbing Industry Council (PIC). Now, the CHAMPIONS Initiative is preparing to launch a fourth cohort of […]
Tom Finan

Wiegmann Associates Begins Work on New Wright City High School in Missouri

2 years 1 month ago
Wiegmann Associates has begun mechanical contracting work on the new Wright City High School for Wright City R-II School District in Wright City, Missouri. Wiegmann is installing HVAC systems to serve the entire new high school including classrooms, science and computer laboratories, administration spaces, library, commons, cafeteria, practice gym and lockers. Wright Construction Services is […]
Dede Hance

Illinois Launches Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Climate-Related Fields

2 years 1 month ago
From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune:  Weeks after bolstering support for pre-apprenticeship programs in the construction trades, Illinois is launching another program to promote pre-apprenticeships in climate-related fields. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced $10 million in funding for the Climate Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program and $6 million for […]
Dede Hance

Bank Failures Put Squeeze on Construction Loans

2 years 1 month ago
From Construction Dive:  On the surface, the recent collapses of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank shouldn’t harm the multifamily sector as much as other commercial real estate asset classes. Recent data from research firm MSCI shows that local and regional banks hold a relatively small percentage of apartment loans. Over the […]
Dede Hance

Jamestown Mall Demo Contract Increased to Avoid ‘Massive Hole’

2 years 1 month ago
From St. Louis Business Journal:  The owner of Jamestown Mall is doubling an engineering contract to figure out how to demolish the vacant mall to make way for future development, soon after a feasibility study recommended development of a new agriculture technology campus at the site. The St. Louis County Port Authority, which owns the […]
Dede Hance

Forum’s June 16th Event Features LA-Based Construction Tech Innovator Dafna Kaplan

2 years 1 month ago
On June 16th, Construction Forum will continue its anniversary year theme “THE FUTURE IS NOW: Celebrating Systems Change”. The Forum is hosting an appearance by Dafna Kaplan, the founder of an LA-based manufacturer of futuristic affordable housing. The event will be held from 7:30-9:30 AM in the Maryville University Auditorium, 630 Maryville University Drive. Dafna […]
Tom Finan

First Look: Chemical Building Redevelopment Renderings

2 years 1 month ago
From CityScene STL:  We now have our first look at what the redevelopment of the Chemical Building into a 240-room dual-brand hotel (Residence Inn & Springhill Suits by ) looks like. J.T. Campo Architects posted these images on their website showing what the beloved building will look like after redevelopment. Immediate observations show the street-level […]
Dede Hance

McBride Proposal for Wildwood Gets Flack From Residents

2 years 1 month ago
From West Newsmagazine:  A proposal for 131 attached and detached single-family dwellings in Wildwood Town Center is getting some pushback from nearby residents. McBride Berra Land Company LLC has proposed the Crestview development on the north side of Crestview Drive, east of its intersection with Eatherton Road. To accommodate the development, the company is requesting […]
Dede Hance

Gross Mechanical Announces Management Changes, Headquarters Move

2 years 1 month ago
Gross Mechanical has announced personnel changes related to a new five-year strategic plan, as well as a planned relocation of the company’s headquarters. Michael Gross will assume control of the Gross the estimating department. As that transition solidifies, he will eventually oversee estimating, business development, and preconstruction services as the company’s Chief Sales Officer. New […]
Tom Finan

State Reviews Brentwood Cleanup After Demolition Pollutes Deer Creek

2 years 1 month ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  State regulators are scrutinizing Brentwood’s cleanup along Deer Creek and the River Des Peres after a bridge demolition in March dumped about 70 cubic yards of construction-grade polystyrene foam into the waters. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources cited Brentwood for violating the Missouri Clean Water Law and expects to issue […]
Dede Hance

Weldon Spring Workers Face Health Issues

2 years 1 month ago
From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune:  Gary Ferguson was 22 years old when he began working on the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project in St. Charles County in the early 1990s. What he was exposed to there would change his life forever. On the site of the current Weldon Spring Conservation Area in St. […]
Dede Hance

Kwame Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament Awards $60,000 in Scholarships

2 years 1 month ago
The Kwame Charitable Foundation has awarded $60,000 in higher education scholarships for first-generation college students from proceeds raised at the organization’s 19th Annual golf tournament. The scholarships provide resources for students who otherwise might not graduate from college, due to financial constraints. Kwame Charitable Foundation awards the majority of scholarships to historically black colleges and […]
Dede Hance

Rebuilding & Expansion of I-70 to Become a Reality

2 years 1 month ago
Last week both chambers of the Missouri Legislature voted with a resounding YES to the House/Senate Budget Conference Committee’s recommendations for Missouri transportation funding. The approved state budget, now on its way to Missouri Governor Parson’s desk for signature, includes $2.8 billion ($1.4 billion in existing state surplus; $1.4 billion in bonding) to rebuild and […]
Dede Hance

Generation Z Finds Its Place in the IBEW

2 years 1 month ago
From The Electrical Worker Online:  Young workers are entering a workforce that is still recovering from the pandemic while also dealing with high inflation and rampant income inequality. There is no shortage of economic anxiety. While the circumstances may be new, the core issue — how to get a good-paying job with benefits that will […]
Zo

Meijer Proposes 2nd St. Louis-Area Store

2 years 1 month ago
From St. Louis Business Journal:  A major big-box retailer new to the St. Louis market has proposed its second store in the region, even before the first opens. Meijer, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer that operates supercenter stores carrying general merchandise and groceries, submitted plans to the city of O’Fallon, Illinois, for a new store, […]
Zo

A Plea for Rethinking America’s Parking Addiction

2 years 1 month ago
From Bloomberg:  There are at least a billion parking spaces in the US, an expanse of asphalt that would cover an area twice the size of Connecticut. And yet, finding a good place to park — preferably free, and within a few feet of your destination — can still feel like an impossible quest. Available […]
Zo

Union Announces Deal to End Weeklong Strike

2 years 1 month ago
From St. Louis Post Dispatch:  An area construction union that went on strike last week says it has reached a tentative deal on a new contract so work can resume at stalled construction sites. Local 513 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents 4,200 heavy equipment operators and technicians in eastern Missouri, said in […]
Zo