Credit: WFAA

Abortion foes say Planned Parenthood is trying to sneak a new clinic into southwest Fort Worth. One subcontractor didn't find out what he was to work on until just a few hours before he was to pour concrete footings this week. When he discovered it was a new Planned Parenthood health center where abortions will be performed, he told the general contractor his religious convictions wouldn't allow it.

by JIM DOUGLAS

WFAA

Posted on March 30, 2012 at 7:41 PM

FORTWORTH - An unmarked construction site on John Ryan Drive in southwest Fort Worth will house a two-story office and surgical clinic to replace Planned Parenthood's current outdated building in Fort Worth.

The organization says the new facility will help meet rising demand for its services to clients who have no health insurance.

Planned Parenthood has confirmed that abortions will be performed in the new building. When a major subcontractor learned that news earlier this week, he left the job just hours before he was to begin pouring concrete. The general contractor told News 8 that a few subs have now dropped out due to religious objections, delaying construction by one to two months.

The owner of the DeMoss Company said his decision to build the clinic could hurt future business, too. Several churches, including the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, have now withdrawn their referrals, and today the company removed them from its website.

But Jim DeMoss said other firms are offering to step in to complete the Planned Parenthood job, and he's confident it will be finished. He also said building it is the right thing to do.

See more here:
Construction of Planned Parenthood clinic in Fort Worth spurs controversy

by Peter Corbett - Mar. 30, 2012 01:25 PM The Republic | azcentral.com

A Northeast Valley Episcopal church plans to resurrect the shell of an unfinished office building in north Scottsdale and transform it into a house of worship.

If all goes well, the Episcopal Church of the Nativity will hold services by Christmas in its new church at 22405 N. Miller Road, which is southeast of the former Rawhide theme park.

A monument to the recession, the foundation and walls of the 24,500-square-foot two-story building have been an eyesore in the Sonoran Hills neighborhood.

"It will be a wonderful home for the Christmas celebration," the Rev. Susan Snook said. "We're excited about being part of that neighborhood."

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, like other commercial and residential buyers, has found a silver lining in the real-estate collapse of four years ago with far more affordable prices for property in Scottsdale.

The church paid $700,000 for the unfinished building, Snook said.

A developer started construction on the office building in 2007, but it came to a halt after the foundation and walls were erected, and the property went into foreclosure.

"It was bad timing on their part, but it turned out to be good fortune for us," said George Hartz, a DC Ranch resident who is a church board member.

The 7.6-acre property includes three other office-condo buildings of 8,000 square feet and one of 10,000 square feet, said Jason Hersker, a senior associate with Capital Asset Management, the company marketing the property.

More:
Building's shell in north Scottsdale to be resurrected as church

Article updated: 3/29/2012 8:00 PM

Milton Township and Wheaton are opposing a developers effort to have a retail/office building in downtown reassessed. The five-story structure at 120 E. Liberty Drive generates hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for a special taxing district in Wheaton.

Bev Horne | Staff Photographer

A developer who received more than $8 million in assistance from Wheaton to construct a retail/office building in the citys downtown claims the structure has lost more than half its value since opening in 2008.

But the Milton Township assessors office and Wheaton legally are opposing a property value reassessment being sought by Wheaton Property Partners. They insist the five-story building at 120 E. Liberty Drive still is worth what it cost to build at least $25 million.

Starting next month, the states property tax appeal board will have the first in a series of hearings to determine which side is right. If Wheaton Property Partners prevails in its effort to get its property taxes reduced, Wheaton could lose about $1 million for a special taxing district where the building is.

What they (Wheaton Property Partners) are doing is theyre trying to get the taxpayers of Wheaton to subsidize their new building, Milton Township Assessor Bob Earl said.

But Donald Hemmesch, the attorney representing Wheaton Property Partners, said no one could have anticipated the economic downturn that happened after the city inked a deal that gave his client roughly $8.2 million worth of incentives for the project, including about $2.4 million in land and $5.8 million to build a city-owned parking garage on the site.

Those incentives are being paid for by revenue generated by Wheatons second downtown tax increment financing district, which was created in 1999.

In a TIF district, property tax payments to local governments are frozen for up to 23 years. A municipality can improve land within the district and as the property appreciates and more tax money is paid, the extra cash goes into a special fund used to help pay off the cost of helping to develop and improve the area.

Continued here:
Wheaton developer wants assessments slashed

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cassidy Turley, a leading commercial real estate services provider in the U.S., announced today that Terrell Place, owned by affiliates of Beacon Capital Partners, LLC and General Electric Pension Trust, has become DC's first trophy office building to be awarded LEED Platinum certification for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M). Located in DC's Central Business District at 575 7th Street, NW, across from the Verizon Center, the multi-tenant building has 522,000 gross square feet. LEED is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

"Beacon Capital Partners and GE Asset Management (advisor to GE Pension Trust) continue to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency by growing the number of LEED certified buildings in their portfolio, and Cassidy Turley is proud to be a partner in their ongoing initiative," commented Evan Tyroler, Vice President of Sustainability Services with Cassidy Turley. "In conjunction with the energy efficiency programs, our team engaged tenant participation to help achieve additional LEED points. In doing so, Terrell Place has become the first LEED EB Platinum building in DC that is not owner occupied, proving that LEED EB Platinum certification can be achieved in a multi-tenant, mixed use office building," he continued.

"Terrell Place is Beacon's third LEED Platinum certification in the U.S. and is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency," said Fred Seigel, President and Chief Operating Officer of Beacon Capital Partners. "Beyond the environmental impacts, we believe that the LEED program rewards our tenants with better infrastructure, enhanced control of indoor climate conditions, more efficient use of energy and water resources, and more consistent operating expenses."

Over the past three years, Beacon Capital Partners has engaged Cassidy Turley's Sustainability Services to oversee sustainability initiatives throughout their DC metro portfolio. This strategic partnership has led to the LEED certification of 13 multi-tenant office buildings, totaling over 3.8 million square feet, with an additional 2 buildings currently underway. This has allowed for the integration of sustainability best practices throughout the local portfolio, contributing to a healthier environment for building tenants and the larger community.

"Terrell Place's LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "The urgency of USGBC's mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Terrell Place serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish."

Cassidy Turley's Sustainability Services team handled the day-to-day project management required to achieve the certification. The LEED Platinum certification of the building was based on modifications to the operations and maintenance procedures that positively impacted the building itself and the broader community. These features include:

About U.S. Green Building CouncilThe Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 155,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students. Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

About LEEDThe U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Over 32,000 projects are currently participating in the commercial and institutional LEED rating systems, comprising over 9.6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries. By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, who spent 25 years as a Fortune 500 executive. Under his 15-year leadership, the organization has become the preeminent green building, membership, policy, standards, influential, education and research organization in the nation. For more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org.

About Beacon Capital PartnersBeacon Capital Partners, LLC ("Beacon") is a Boston-based real estate investment firm. Beacon and its predecessor companies have been actively involved in the real estate business for over sixty-five years and have an established reputation as a high-quality property owner, operator, and developer of urban office and mixed-use projects across the U.S. Beacon was formed in January 1998, following the merger of the predecessor public company, Beacon Properties Corporation, with Equity Office Properties Trust. Beacon has sponsored seven investment vehicles representing over $11 billion of aggregate equity capital from various endowments, foundations, pension funds, and other institutional investors.

About Cassidy Turley Cassidy Turley is a leading commercial real estate services provider with more than 3,500 professionals in more than 60 offices nationwide. The company represents a wide range of clientsfrom small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, from local non-profits to major institutions. The firm completed transactions valued at $22 billion in 2011, manages 455 million square feet on behalf of institutional, corporate and private clients and supports more than 28,000 domestic corporate services locations. Cassidy Turley serves owners, investors and tenants with a full spectrum of integrated commercial real estate servicesincluding capital markets, tenant representation, corporate services, project leasing, property management, project and development services, and research and consulting. Cassidy Turley enhances its global service delivery outside of North America through a partnership with GVA, giving clients access to commercial real estate professionals across the globe. Please visit http://www.cassidyturley.com for more information about Cassidy Turley.

See the article here:
Terrell Place Awarded LEED® Platinum Certification

Pre-tax profits at Bennett Construction fall 77% to 122k

By Gordon Deegan

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Pre-tax profits at building firm Bennett Construction last year declined by 77% to 122,202.

Accounts just filed by Bennett (Construction) Ltd to the Companies Office show the firms pre-tax profits dropped from 543,910 to 122,202 in the 12 months to the end of Mar 31 last year.

The Mullingar-based firms revenues declined by 43% from 70.5m to 40.1m, although revenues from its overseas operations increased substantially as the firm responded to the downturn in construction in Ireland.

Revenues from the companys Irish operations more than halved from 69.6m to 32.3m, while the firms revenues from Europe increased from just 840,286 in 2010 to 7.82m last year.

The results for 2011 compare to the firm recording revenues of 180m in 2007 with profits of 4.5m at that time, the firm employed 218.

At the end of the year, the companys balance sheet remained strong with the firm having accumulated profits and shareholder funds of 16.8m that included 9.3m in cash.

Bennett Construction operates across a broad range of sectors including residential, commercial, industrial, healthcare and pharmaceutical.

Read more:
Pre-tax profits at Bennett Construction fall 77% to €122k

The Morgan Building going up at the corner of Spruce and May streets is the latest in a string of activity percolating on the corridor behind St. Patrick Hospital.

Brian Morgan, president of Adventure Life in Missoula, took on the $2.8 million project to build new offices for his travel business. Slated to open in the fall, the building also will have office space for lease and high-end apartments.

The conspicuous construction site is one of several developments that have popped up in the Spruce Street and Toole Avenue neighborhood over the last few years. Safeway rebuilt its grocery store, an apartment complex opened its doors, and more recently, a brewery and climbing gym opened in the neighborhood, too.

To me, it really shows that the area has room for increased development and a sort of rebirth, Morgan said.

Morgan has owned the property for about four years, but he stopped the building project when the economy tanked in 2008. During the last couple of years, he began feeling more confident in the economic recovery, and he decided to move ahead with construction this year.

The building will have four stories plus a sunlight basement. His touring business with roughly 20 employees will move into a Google-esque commercial space on the main floor thats designed specifically with Adventure Life in mind, and hell also lease an estimated 900 square feet of commercial space that fronts Spruce Street.

The three floors above it will be 15 one-bedroom apartments, and Morgan plans to live in one of the units of some 900 square feet. He said Paradigm Architects designed the building, so it works for him economically but also has a more luxurious feel, with big outdoor decks, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Theyre actually going to be very high-end one-bedroom apartments, and in my opinion, Missoula just lacks that, Morgan said.

The units will rent out for $995 to $1,195. Builders are installing large windows in the bottom floor to let in natural light, and the basement will include storage space for tenants, a conference room for Adventure Life, and more commercial space for lease.

Morgan is most proud of three features: One, that the building offers covered bicycle parking, especially because his own employees like to bike to work and have won some transportation awards; two, that hes including commercial shower space so workers who like to go for a run during the day can come back and shower; and three, that the garbage enclosure was enlarged to easily accommodate all the recycling his office generates.

Go here to read the rest:
Office, apartment building latest development in area behind St. Pat's

Navasota, Texas based company with one-of-a-kind off-site construction technology plans to expand its medical facility and commercial office product offerings.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 27, 2012

Building Systems">GroundFORCE Building Systems, the Navasota-based company whose off-site construction technology has been successfully used in schools and medical clinics around Texas, has expanded its market territory with the opening of a new office in Houston.

Vantex Commercial Property Group, a Houston-based company with over 30 years of commercial real estate experience, has joined forces with GroundFORCE to represent its patented construction technology in the growing medical and commercial office market segments, including the Eagle Ford Shale oil boom in southwest Texas.

We believe there is a critical need for the unique GroundFORCE construction process, said Stephen H. Jaggard, President of Vantex. We plan to use the recently opened St. Joseph Health Care Systems Super Clinic in Brenham, Texas, as a showcase of what is possible for the medical market. The same technological advantages are available for general office facilities as well. There is a need for this type of product, which is built off-site then delivered to the site in 125 days or less. Once its finished you cant tell it wasnt site-built.

GroundFORCE technology provides an innovative and structurally sound solution to building medical facilities and commercial structures. The system has been used to build schools, residential housing, offices and medical facilities throughout Texas. GroundFORCE buildings are constructed off-site in a quality-controlled environment and built to national and state codes. They feature a structurally suspended concrete foundation and flooring system designed to be set in shifting soils, which is important in Texas, where shifting soils often lead to costly foundation repairs. Because the GroundFORCE flooring system is not affected by shifting soils, it virtually eliminates foundation damage caused with traditional flooring foundation systems.

The buildings have an expected life span of more than 50 years, compared to less than 10 years for portable buildings. They are environmentally friendly and can be built to LEED standards.

Its truly a revolutionary process and the perfect solution for many applications, said Kenneth Neatherlin, GroundFORCE President and CEO. With GroundFORCE, construction time is reduced, but the buildings are of the highest quality, and were the only company offering this type of product.

Vantex (formerly Vantage Houston) and its team was a logical choice to help us grow by approaching a different user base than we had been working, he said. They understand the commercial market and have a solid reputation because of their successes. Their contacts and relationships with the brokerage community will add a new dimension for us.

Construction on the St. Joseph Super Clinic began the day after Thanksgiving 2011, and clinic doctors were seeing patients on February 25, 2012. The new 9400 square-foot Super Clinic incorporates three medical services: a family medicine practice, a St. Joseph Express walk-in clinic, and a diagnostic/imaging center.

Originally posted here:
GroundFORCE Building Systems Opens Houston Office

New athletic fields and the future construction of Pioneer Parkway connecting to a new Peoria Notre Dame High School in Northwest Peoria will not affect the American Mausoleum, officials said Monday.

The mausoleum, which faced difficulties during a bankruptcy in 2008 but is currently maintained by the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office, will not be removed from its location along Allen Road to make room for nearby construction.

"We might need some of the land adjacent to it," Public Works Director David Barber said, "but I don't believe we'll touch the mausoleum."

The building itself, which suffered from disrepair before its former owners declared bankruptcy, has a new roof to keep it secured. It's only heated as necessary, but there are about 2,300 caskets interred inside the building, and 700 urns.

New furniture also is on its way, as part of a recent court settlement with Illinois Furniture for operating fraudulent "going out of business" sales. About $3,000 in furniture will be placed inside the facility.

"We've accepted a duty and will not abandon our responsibility to the community to maintain those interred there," State's Attorney Jerry Brady said. "We would assure them that the dignity of their loved ones interred at American Mausoleum is maintained and preserved regardless of whether the road does or does no go through."

The future of development around the mausoleum goes before the Peoria City Council at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, with elected officials voting on a special use permit to allow Peoria Notre Dame to build its football, soccer, track and field and baseball facilities on residentially zoned land at 7600 N. Villa Lake Drive.

Charlie Roy, principal at Notre Dame, said he believes the school's construction, and Pioneer Parkway's extension, will be "respectful" toward the mausoleum. Fifth District City Councilman Dan Irving, who represents the area, also says he doesn't believe there will be any problems.

The biggest concern with Notre Dame's development comes from Villa Lake Condo Association members, who didn't want heavy construction equipment traveling along Villa Lake Drive. Irving and Roy both said that issue has been resolved because there will be two other entrances into the property - one off Allen Road and the other off Willow Knolls Road.

Randy Yaiser, board president of the condominium association, said residents have existing concerns about safety for people who attend a football game, especially with limited entrances into the facility.

See the original post:
Construction would spare mausoleum

Browse > Home / General, News / Research building construction to begin in June

ANGELO FICHERA TTN The area near 12th Street and Polett Walk will house the new science and research building in coming years.

A new building will change the landscape of the east side of Main Campus.

The Board of Trustees voted to begin construction on a $137 million project for the new science and research building as part of the universitys 20/20 plan. Construction will begin in June.

The $137 million budget was a $37 million increase from the original cost, which left at least two of the floors an uncompleted shell space. The newly allocated funds will allow all seven floors to be completed with classrooms, faculty offices and research space.

The [facilities] committee basically felt lets invest more university money in it so we can finish the building. Their view was: Lets get this thing done right now, James Creedon, senior vice president of construction, facilities and operations, said.

Construction for the building is slated to start this June, with groundwork beginning on the project site along 12th Street in front of Gladfelter Hall. Work is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2014.

Construction will eventually narrow 12th Street down to one lane, and lunch trucks parked on the alternate side of the street will have to be moved.

The new building was designed by USA Architects in collaboration with the universitys Office of Planning and Design and representatives from CST.

CST Dean Hai-Lung Dai surveyed his faculty to help create ideas for the project.

Read more here:
Research building construction to begin in June

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa City Hall is proposing to reimburse Intermec Technologies Inc. half of the additional property-tax revenue it will pay the city as a result of the companys investment of $12.5 million in a new two-story, downtown office building at 601 Third St. SE.

Intermec, based in Everett, Wash., will begin construction on the new facility which company executives have called a world-class design and testing center on April 2 with expected completion by June 2013, the city reports.

The company will move from its current nearby location at 550 Second St. SE once the new 78,000-square-foot building is ready. Intermec earlier obtained approximately $2.8 million in state economic development incentives in the form of forgivable loans and tax credits in exchange for its investment and building plans. The local property-tax reimbursement to the company represents the citys required local match for the firm to obtain state incentives, according to a city staff report to the City Council.

The city estimates that Intermecs new investment will generate $2.2 million in new property-tax revenue over 10 years, with the city keeping half and reimbursing the company half. As part of a development agreement with the city, Intermec agrees to retain at least 200 jobs in the city. The city characterizes the Intermec jobs as high-quality ones with average annual salaries of $85,533 plus benefits.

Intermec is the maker of rugged mobile computers and hand-held computers used in warehouses and elsewhere for inventory control. Earlier this month, the City Council said it supported local incentives for companies and developers who build new office buildings in the downtown. In so doing, the council agreed then to provide local developer Steve Emerson with a 75-percent reduction in property taxes over 10 years in exchange for his investment of $9.6 million in a new, three-story office building at 600 Third Ave. SE.

City officials estimated that Emersons new 45,000-square-foot building will generate $1.366 million in new property tax revenue over 10 years, and 75 percent of that money -- $1.024 million will be returned to Emerson to help cover his cost to develop and build.

Originally posted here:
City Proposes Reimbursing Company for Investing in New Office Building