Construction of a 12-floor office building on the site of a fast-food restaurant and a bank near the Courthouse Metro stop was approved unanimously Saturday by the Arlington County Board.

The redevelopment, by Carr Properties, at 2025 Clarendon Blvd. will replace a Wendys and a Wells Fargo drive-through with a 195,870 square-foot office tower with approximately 6,960 square feet of ground floor retail, a public plaza and underground parking. The county allowed the developer to transfer density to preserve the nearby Wakefield Manor apartments, and to provide 60 fewer parking spaces than the standard in return for monetary contributions to funds that will help reduce traffic.

With the [transfer], we will be able to preserve the historic Wakefield Manor Apartments and their market rate affordable units. We will also see the key intersection of Courthouse Road, Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards greatly improved, and gain many important community benefits, said board Chair Mary Hynes (D).

Patricia Sullivan seeks out news about Alexandria and Arlington County for the Washington Post.

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Arlington allows new 12-story office tower near Courthouse

Gasoline has already been subject to price drops with the oil downturn, but the cost of construction projects such as road paving and building renovations have yet to experience the same type of decline.

The price of construction materials and labor has not decreased since the start of the downturn in late November, according to experts in various sectors of development. Its too early to tell when, or if, materials and labor will become cheaper, but some have optimism for better prices.

We havent noticed anything yet; everything seems to be as it has been, said Assistant City Manager Robert Patrick, who oversees the citys construction projects. But we do anticipate that some costs could go down in the future, of course, depending on the market.

Patrick is currently overseeing the citys $8.1 million landfill entrance renovation, a project that indicates construction jobs might be getting cheaper but is not definitive proof that prices have already decreased. The city is adding new weigh-in scales, a larger office building with new computers and asphalt on the roadway to reduce the long lines at the entrance.

Originally, Midland-based Onyx General Contractors bid the project at $11 million, but the city rejected that bid in January. On Tuesday, City Council approved Onyxs new bid of $8.1 million.

While all this happened in the early months of the current oil price decline, the second bid was lower because of various factors, not necessarily because of the price of oil.

Morris Williams, city of Midland director of the solid waste department, thinks there was a $3 million decrease because more bidders participated in the second round.

I dont know all the factors, but my guess would be that (Onyx) looked at the project a little more seriously because some other jobs were toning down a bit, Williams said.

John Darnell, operations manager of Onyx General Contractors, said that the company was the only one that placed a bid the first time the project was bidded out and that subcontractors made the bid very inflated.

So for the re-bid process, which lasted one month as opposed to two weeks the first time, Onyx talked with subcontractors to really see how much this project could cost. Two other companies competed with Onyx when re-bidding took place.

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Construction costs have not decreased

BUILDING PERMITS

PMT2014-03229 4950 Thunderbird Drive; $797,677.50; Frasier Meadows; Pinkard Construction Co.; Phase 2 project includes adding two, two-story additions to the existing Health Care Center at Frasier Meadows, adding a second level space over the existing entry, and replacing nine unit windows with patio doors. Total square footage being added to be 4,340. In addition, the site will be reviving landscape improvements. Reference ADR2014-00114 for conditions of Minor Modification.

PMT2014-04311 3100 24th St.; $30,825.63; Wilfredo and Teresa Ortiz; Owner/contractor 291-square-foot family room addition at rear of residence.

PMT2014-04693 6689 Bean Mountain Lane; $320,000; Vons 11; Von's 7 LLC; New single-family dwelling of 3,382 square feet, 942-square-foot unfinished basement, 426 square feet of garage and 74 square feet of covered porch. Scope of work includes associated MEPs.

PMT2014-05015 1115 Redwood Ave.; $450,000; Boulder Granary; Boulder Home Builders LLC; New detached single-family home. 3,257 total square feet of conditioned space including 100 square feet of finished basement, 1,611 square feet of unfinished basement, 552 square feet of attached garage and 385 square feet of covered deck and porch. Scope of work includes associated MEPs with a gas fireplace and stucco finishes. See TEC2012-00021 approval.

PMT2014-05417 2890 Stanford Ave.; $422,763.27; Francesco Candela; Building permit and associated MEPs. Scope of work includes a substantive demolition of existing single-family dwelling (as permitted under PMT2014-04958, where existing basement and foundation will remain, along with the foundation of the existing garage, and the existing crawlspace) to be rebuilt as a new 3,140-square-foot single-family dwelling constructed over existing foundation, with 589-square-foot attached garage, extended crawlspace (84 square feet), and remodeled basement (717 square feet of affected area), two decks (400 square feet) and porch (70 square feet). PV array under separate permit.

PMT2014-05529 1345 28th St.; $13,500; RHH Operating; Seagren Construction; Relocation of existing elevator equipment room in Millennium Hotel.

PMT2014-05636 2000 Central Ave.; $1,907,628.15; Flatiron Investment; Quinlan Construction Inc.; Tenant remodel to create offices for marketing firm. Scope includes creation of new bathrooms, outdoor deck area, office and conference spaces, all associated MEPs.

PMT2015-00165 1957 20th St.; $79,970; Albin Halquist; Addition (692 square feet) and remodel (282 square feet) to existing single-family dwelling. Addition is a conversion of an existing crawlspace into fully finished basement with 9-foot ceiling height, two bedrooms and a full bath. Remodel includes main level and upper level renovation. Includes associated MEPs. Ref: ADR2014-00277 for Minor Modification approval

PMT2015-00216 2108 55th St.; $160,916.70; Flatiron Investment; Alcorn Construction Inc.; Suite 200 Tenant remodel (2,289 square feet) to existing professional office space. Scope of work includes partial demo of existing space and subsequent renovation to establish two new conference rooms and replace existing break-room mill-work. Includes associated MEPs.

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Boulder building permits: March 16, 2015

Opus Time Lapse: Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet March 2015 Construction Update
Tapping into its office building construction and urban construction expertise, our design-build team is currently managing the construction of Xcel Energy #39;s...

By: The Opus Group

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Opus Time Lapse: Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet March 2015 Construction Update - Video

Despite recent snowfall and damage from strong winds in December, the new Greenwood police station appears to be in line with its planned July opening.

Renovation of the citys former post office building at 250 Old Hackett Road broke ground in September. Since then, construction crews have gotten the framework completed, with most of the plumbing, much of the electric work and about 40 percent of the heat and air work finished, said Larry Marley, project superintendent with Turn Key Construction.

A majority of the curbs, sidewalks and drainage pipes also are finished. The interior should be ready for insulation and sheet rock sometime this week, Marley said.

The projects looking real good, and as far as time goes, were looking real good, he said. Im comfortable well be done on the due date.

Crews have poured concrete and done work outside every day that they can, but on days like Wednesday when about 3 inches of snow fell in Fort Smith and its surrounding areas, outside work comes to a halt. The team has been able to adjust for that lost time, however, without getting behind, Marley said.

Another setback came in December when strong winds knocked over all 11 trusses that were on the existing structure. The damage was a sort of blessing in disguise, as crews were able to replace the trusses with new ones, Marley said.

A lot of people thought it might have shut it down, he said.

During Mondays Greenwood City Council meeting, principal architect Michael Lejong with MAHG Architecture said construction has billed up to $863,000 for the work thats been completed so far, with about $1.2 million to go on the building portion of the project.

Currently, they say theyre still on schedule, but I think these last couple weeks have probably put a little bit of strain on everybody, Lejong said at the meeting. They started pouring concrete, but they havent got very much poured in the last few weeks.

Selections on exterior colors were decided Monday, with furniture and fixtures for the building forthcoming, Lejong said.

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New Greenwood Police Station On Schedule

By Yuan-Ming Chiao ,The China Post March14,2015,12:01amTWN

The 40-kilogram slab fell from the fifth floor of the office building on Zhongxiao West Road Section 4. The building is owned by the United Daily News Group (). The police are investigating the cause of the tile's detachment from the building. The slab was located near an air-conditioning unit that may have been in operation due to the higher temperatures yesterday.

The victim was identified as a 40-year-old English instructor surnamed Wang who taught at a cram school located in the same building. She showed no life signs after being taken to the hospital. The injured victim (surnamed Huang, 42 years old), who was picking up her child from the cram school after office hours, was taken to Taipei Medical University Hospital for treatment.

According to an official of the Taipei City Construction Management Office (), construction code violations that result in accidental death will result in a NT$300,000 fine as stipulated in Paragraph 77 of the Building Act (). Improvements to the building facade to meet safety requirements must also be completed within 15 days.

In a statement made by United Daily News Group, the company expressed regret for the incident and promised support for the victims' families. It also indicated that it was continuing to investigate the cause of the accident, adding that repairs on the office walls are conducted annually.

Falling Debris Is Ticking Time Bomb

Area residents, including the borough chief, indicated that many buildings within the area are over 30 years old, adding that falling debris that damage parked cars are a common occurrence. Another incident of falling building debris was also reported in Keelung yesterday, with no reported injuries.

Strong winds in January caused multiple large tiles to fall in Kaohsiung, injuring several pedestrians. According to estimates, approximately 20 percent of Kaohsiung's 7,000 apartment complexes are reported to have issues with falling debris. According to statistics provided by the Taipei City Public Works Department (), buildings over 30 years old make up 78.8 percent of the city's 88,000 household dwellings.

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Taipei woman killed by building debris

Richardson, TX (PRWEB) March 12, 2015

Adolfson & Peterson recently completed a new Medical Office Building and Ambulatory Surgical Center, located at the corner of Kimzey Street and Locke Avenue in downtown Fort Worth.

The project, named Park Hill MOB and ASC, was developed by LandPlan Development Corp. of Frisco and includes a 3-story, 51,500 square foot medical office complex. The first floor houses a 16,946 square foot ambulatory surgical center consisting of five operating rooms, associated PACUs (Post Anesthesia Care Units), Pre-Ops and OBS rooms. The remaining two floors contain shell space for future clinics.

The A&P/LandPlan team encountered numerous challenges on this project, yet overcame these challenges through collaboration and creativity to turn the project over on time and within budget.

LandPlan is thrilled to have once again associated with the A&P team on another successful project, said David Ransom, AIA, Vice President with LandPlan Development Corp. The A&P team brought their considerable talents to bear and helped us to achieve our goal of developing quality medical solutions for the Fort Worth market. LandPlan and its partners at Galen Medical look forward to many more successful projects with the A&P team.

The key to the projects success was the effort and dedication from all parties involved. As a testament to the success of the project team, one of the greatest accomplishments was the 100% compliant TDH inspection which took place just before TCO was granted. To accomplish this, A&Ps MEP group worked closely with the project team prior to the TDH inspection conducting a mock inspection which included pre-testing all MEP and life safety equipment. This resulted in zero A&P issues.

A&P is proud to have served as the general contractor for Park Hill MOB & ASC and to help bring new life to Tarrant County, said Bob Lemke, Project Executive with Adolfson & Peterson Construction. This was a great team effort by LandPlan, the subcontractors, A/E team and A&P resulting in a facility that will provide industry-leading healthcare services for many years to come.

Construction of Park Hill Medical Office Building began in April 2014 and was officially completed on February 20, when the Certification of Occupancy was granted.

Project Details: Project Name: Park Hill MOB and ASC Location: Ft. Worth, Texas Developer: LandPlan Development Architect: Ascension Group Architects Contractor: Adolfson & Peterson Construction

About Adolfson & Peterson Construction

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New Park Hill MOB and Ambulatory Surgical Center Completed in Ft. Worth

With sweeping wins in school bonds and a mix of big public-works and private-sector projects slated to gear up, the Spokane-area construction industry is expected to see more than $500 million in work continue or get under way in 2015.

Much of that work, however, isnt slated to be permitted until later this year, and building permit data for Spokane County and the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley show a decline in activity last year, compared with a banner 2013.

For all of 2014, the county and the two cities issued building permits for construction projects worth a total of $739.2 million. Thats down 28 percent from just over $1 billion in permit volume in 2013, but still higher than any other annual total since 2006.

Last year, the city of Spokanes then business and development services director, Jan Quintrall, predicted that permit volume wouldnt keep pace with the 2013 clip, calling that an amazing year for permit valuations.

The largest private project to be permitted in 2013, the $135 million Davenport Grand Hotel, is nearing completion. The 15-story, 716-guestroom downtown hotel, located across Spokane Falls Boulevard from the Spokane Convention Center, is expected to be completed late this spring and is being marketed as available for reservations starting June 20.

Developed by prominent Spokane hoteliers Walt and Karen Worthy, the hotel will include an 18,000-square-foot ballroom and 62,500 square feet of meeting space, as well as an attached parking garage with 900 stalls.

That hotel will be the fourth that the Worthys operate in the citys core, with the others being the historic Davenport Hotel, the Davenport Tower, and Hotel Lusso. Known collectively as the Davenport Hotel Collection, the four properties will have a total of about 1,380 guest rooms in the citys core once the new venue opens.

The Worthys Spokane Valley-based Worthy Enterprises LLC is the contractor on the project. Craig Woodard, of Brick & Mortar Architecture & Development, of Spokane, is collaborating with Worthy Enterprises on the project design.

Across Spokane Falls Boulevard from the soon-to-be-completed Davenport Grand Hotel, the Spokane Public Facilities District has completed a $55 million Spokane Convention Center expansion. A design-build team consisting of Garco Construction Inc. and ALSC Architects PS, both of Spokane, and LMN Architects, of Seattle, handled the 91,000-square-foot convention center addition, which is located on the north side of the complex and overlooks the Spokane River.

A 112-foot sky bridge, designed by Integrus Architecture PS, of Spokane, has been erected across Spokane Falls Boulevard to connect the convention center and the hotel.

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$500 million-plus in work planned, underway in Spokane area

NEW YORK CITY (PRWEB) March 12, 2015

HNTB Corporation, a leading infrastructure solutions firm, is moving its New York City operation into the landmark Empire State Building, where the firm will occupy three contiguous floors of the structure. The move will take place in September 2015.

We selected the Empire State Building as our new home for a number of reasons, including that its enduring and powerful presence reflects the nature of HNTBs commitment to New York City, said Mike Sweeney, PE, HNTBs New York City metro district leader and senior vice president. HNTB has had a continuous presence in Manhattan since 1922, when it opened an office on Liberty Street in the heart of the financial district. In 2022, well have the opportunity to celebrate a century of service of shaping transportation infrastructure in the region from this very special location. The firm also cited the Empire State Buildings leadership in energy-saving sustainability initiatives.

According to Sweeney, among the other reasons behind this move are HNTBs ongoing commitment to the New York community, plans to add new employees in the firms New York City office location, which will now be possible with the expanded space, and support from New York state.

We have substantially grown the team based at our current location to approximately 200 people as of today, and as a result of the relocation into the Empire State Building we will add as many as 120 additional professional positions in New York City over the next few years, Sweeney said. HNTBs team of multidisciplinary infrastructure experts is committed to meeting the needs of our transportation network today, and into the future.

HNTBs new office space will encompass more than 78,000 square feet on the 56th, 57th and 58th floors of the Empire State Building, an increase of 67 percent from the 47,000 square feet occupied at the firms current 5 Penn Plaza location. Once we move in, well look out our windows with pride as we survey the cityscape of bridges, roads, tunnels, airports and rails that our firm has touched in ways large and small, he said.

The New York City office is the largest among the more than 60 HNTB offices throughout the country, and continues to experience tremendous success and growth, said Steve McElligott, PE, HNTBs Northeast Division president. The New York City area and the entire northeastern United States are home to some of the most innovative and exciting transportation infrastructure programs in the nation. HNTB is proud of its relationships with many of the regions transportation agencies and the significant role we are playing together enhancing mobility in this region.

Of the many reasons for HNTBs growth, Sweeney cited the increasing importance of rail transit to the regions economic well-being. More than 100 professionals in the transit area alone have joined the firm in the past 24 months. HNTBs transit clients locally include the New York City Transit Authority, the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, as well as Amtrak and its Northeast Corridor passenger rail service.

Additionally, HNTBs globally recognized complex bridge practice is contributing significantly to some of the regions newest bridges, serving as lead designer of the Kosciuszko Bridge and owners engineer for the $3.9 billion New NY Bridge (aka the Tappan Zee Bridge). The firm also serves as the New Jersey Turnpike Authoritys general engineering consultant and played a significant role in its newly inaugurated $2.3 billion Interchange 6 to 9 Widening Program. HNTBs expertise extends into successfully delivering this regions other major transportation infrastructure projects, including program management for the extension of PATH rail transit service to Newark Liberty International Airport; implementation of a state-of-the-art electronic customer information system for Metro-North Railroad; Hurricane Sandy disaster recovery programs for New York City Transit, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; implementation of all-electronic tolling on the New York State Thruway; and Jamaica Station capacity improvements for the Long Island Rail Road.

Its also important to recognize that a move into a location with the stature of the Empire State Building requires a great deal of coordination with a number of different organizations, said McElligott. I want to recognize and thank CBIZ MHM, New York Empire State Development, Empire State Realty Trust, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and Colliers International for their great teamwork and diligence to make this move a reality for HNTB.

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HNTB Corporation moving to Empire State Building

MANILA, PhilippinesThe Office of the Ombudsman may move for the arrest and cite in contempt Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Junjun Binay if he continues to defy the preventive suspension against him for graft and malversation over the allegedly overpriced Makati parking building.

The Ombudsman has the power to cite a person in contempt if he disobeys an order of the Ombudsman,Assistant Ombudsman Asryman Rafanan said ina press conference Thursday.

While the Ombudsman has no direct prosecutorial powers, it may file before the Regional Trial Court a petition for contempt against a person who may be arrested for defying the Ombudsmans orders.

Mayor Binay has holed himself up in the Makati City Hall in defiance of the six-month suspension order. He accused Interior Secretary Mar Roxas of having an unseen hand in the Ombudsman through lawyers affiliated with the special panel of investigators.

Rafanandenied Binaysallegations that Roxas had lawyers in the special panel of investigators,which found strong evidence of guilt that gave way to the filing of the malversation and graft complaintbefore the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman goes by the evidence There is no truth to that, Rafanan said.

The Ombudsman vouches for the integrity of its investigators who came from different offices of the Ombudsman The respondents are expected to answer the charges regardless of external insinuations that they may have, he added.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Binay as saying theOmbudsmans special panel of investigators included prosecutors affiliated with Simeon Marcelo, former Ombudsman and law partner of Nonong Cruz.

They are not only lawyers of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas but are also known as his operators, the mayor said in the report, noting that the DILG was the implementing agency of the suspension order.

They have legal remedies if they have proof of this supposed connections, Rafanan said.

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Arrest Junjun Binay if he defies orderOmbudsman