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The Hard Rock hotel construction in New Orleans collapsed on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019.(Photo: Contributed)

NEW ORLEANS, La. Ten months after the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel construction site, the remains of one of the deceased workers have been recovered from the precarious pile of concrete.

Quinnyon Wimberly, 36, was one of three who died in the collapse last October, and was one of two whose bodies have been trapped in the rubble.The other person, Jose Arreola, remains on the 8th floor. The body of the third worker, Anthony Magrette, was recovered within days.

This has been a long journey, but the journey has been longest for the families most impacted by this collapse, said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Long time coming to get Quinnyon Wimberly out of the building.

Its the culmination of nearly a year of waiting for closure for the Wimberly family.

Efforts to remove Wimberly from the 11th floor of the structure began in July, but were stymied by bad weather and equipment failures, New Orleans city officials said.

To see my son in there for 10 months, to pass on the interstate at times, I cant look that way. I want my son out, Wimberlys mother, Irene Wimberly, told local television station WDSU in July after the delay.

Wimberlys death also became something of a symbol for the contractors failure to quickly retrieve the deceased and demolish the building. In January, a tarp blew away to reveal the remains of a worker hanging from the side of the structure. Images of the deceased worker, who local media identified as Wimberly, began circulating on social media and led to protests outside city hall.

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After the initial efforts by the city emergency services to rescue the victims failed, the responsibility for both recovery and demolition fell to the contractors, city communications director Beau Tidwell said. Still, the city assisted in the recovery and blamed the delays on the unstable nature of the structure.

"Recovery is very, very challenging because of the amount of debris the victims are under.(This is) very frustrating for rescuers who do this for a living and you can only imagine what the families are going through, said New Orleans Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell.

Cantrell and McConnell did not provide a timeline for the recovery of Arreola, which McConnell said would be way more difficult and complex.

Next well be recovering Jose so we can turn Jose over to his family as well, Cantrell said.

Adding to the frustration, an investigation of the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits found that city employees had falsified inspection reports, approving construction without visiting the Hard Rock site as required. One of the missed inspections occurred 11 days prior to the collapse.

The Hard Rock hotel construction in downtown New Orleans collapsed on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019.(Photo: Andrew Yawn/Daily Advertiser)

In April, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration report accused Heaslip Engineering, the Hard Rock Hotel's lead engineer, of "serious" and "willful" violations. OSHA found that "floor beams on the 16th floor were under-designed in load capacity" and "structural steel connections were inadequately designed, reviewed or approved." OSHA's report did not say if these lapses caused the collapse of the under construction building.

Demolition discussions also drew concerns. For months, the project's owner, a company named 1031 Canal LLC, and the city bickered publicly over how the building should be demolished: either by implosion or piece-by-piece. Multiple deadlines came and went unmet.

In April, the city government approved a piece-by-piece demolition plan, which began with theremoval of two damaged cranes that had been partially imploded in October. There remains no timeline for the demolition of the structure, which continues to loom over the French Quarter.

On Saturday, Mayor Cantrell said the city will be pushing for accountability as it relates to the cause of the collapse.

I want to see justice for the families, Cantrell said.

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Remains recovered months after Hard Rock Hotel collapse in New Orleans - Daily Advertiser

The demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 passed us by incident free. The horror of the actual act notwithstanding, my family members and I watched it calmly on our TV screen with a sense of disbelief.

While there was a cloud of dust on the screen hiding the falling debris and as the camera swerved to capture a joyous Uma Bharti with her arms around a seated Murli Manohar Joshi, we believed that the charade of demolition would end soon.

The reality of the scene playing out on the television hit home when my uncle picked up the phone and uttered three unbelievable words: Masjid gir gayee (the mosque has fallen).

The cloud of dust on the screen settled. In place of the dome was debris. The illusion lay shattered.

We were shocked, but not scared. Our baptism by riots had already happened two years ago, in 1990. We knew the drill. Rooms in Agras Mughal Sheraton hotel had already been booked, in case we needed them.

In 1990, when BJP president L.K. Advanis rath yatra trampled upon the idea of India, leaving behind a trail of blood and bodies, we were caught unprepared. Actually, we were left holding the corpse of our idealistic optimism.

With no prior experience of communal violence, my family was both in denial and a dilemma. First, we didnt anticipate that riots would break out in Agra; we didnt know then where we would be more secure in our upscale Hindu majority neighbourhood where the privilege of residents would throw a security blanket around us, or in the Muslim majority low middle class mohalla of my uncles where numbers would supposedly insulate us.

Each kept urging the other to move out. My father told his two brothers living in the mohalla to shift to our house, and they kept requesting us to move in with them.

Each secure in his optimism, we remained where we were.

File photo of L.K. Advani during his 1990 rath yatra. Also present, Narendra Modi, then an RSS pracharak, now prime minister. Photo: Reuters

Then, violence broke out. But my father was confident in the knowledge that over the last decade, he had cultivated a vast network of friends from among the bureaucrats who had served in Agra those may district magistrates, senior superintendents and commissioners of police had gone up the hierarchy in the UP state administration.

They were our security blanket.

Also read: Ayodhyas Class of 1992: The Key Conspirators

Then the violence hit home. It came with a fair warning. All through that November 1990 morning, several neighbours visited us to impart solemn advice. Shift to your ancestral house for a few days, they told my father. Or at least send bhabhiji (referring to my mother) and the kids away.

As the day drew to a close, we huddled together in the family room, waiting for an attack my parents were certain would happen that evening. I was handed a diary with phone numbers of all the police officials we knew, from the local police station to SSPs. I started to make calls. Mysteriously, none were being answered.

Doesnt matter, keep trying, my father told me.

Then the slogans started.

At first, they seemed to come from a distance. But they started inching closer. And closer. My brother and I ran towards the main door, which had a narrow glass panel on the right through which one could see the porch, the gate and the road beyond. A mob with tridents and fire torches was marching towards our gate. My brother and I stood transfixed.

From inside, we could hear my mother screaming at us to get back inside. Outside, the mob was now at the gate and shouting violently. Right in very front was a neighbourhood boy whose younger brother was my brothers playmate.

Sanjay bhaiyya, my brother whispered, as we ran inside to share our discovery.

My father was calm. He told my uncle that Sanjays presence implied that the mob would not harm us. They will shout some slogans and move on, he said.

Then the mob started throwing stones. We heard windows crashing. Get back to the phone, my father screamed at me, shaking visibly. As long as he had been calm, we feared no disaster. But once we saw his fear, there was panic.

In those moments of pure terror, we didnt notice exactly when the mob outside started to disperse. Just as the noise outside receded, someone picked up my call to the SSPs residence. That person made a note of our address and promised to send a patrol car.

Once we were convinced of the silence, my mother went to the door to confirm if the mob had indeed left. One of the glass panels had cracked, and by the shattered pieces of glass on the porch, we figured that several windows had succumbed to the assault, as had the car parked in the porch.

That evening, no dinner was served. Everyone stayed together in the family room, not daring to step out and assess the damage. Well after 10 pm, a few policemen arrived. They assured us that they would include our street in their night patrol.

Also read:The Provocateur in Chief L.K. Advani

Somehow, we got through the night. In my heart, I believed that everything would be fine in the morning.

And it was, for a few hours at least, when our domestic help started to arrive for work. Since ours was not Muslim area, there was no curfew here. Just as we were settling down for breakfast, someone rang the doorbell.

It was my cousin, my middle uncles older son from the mohalla. All of 14, he was dishevelled and quaking with fear. He must have been crying for some time because his voice was choked. That morning, the notorious Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) had carried out a cordon and search operation in the mohalla and had taken away all adult men. My cousin was also picked up, along with his father and younger uncle. However, one of the constables took pity on him and allowed him to jump from the jeep as it turned on the main road.

From there, he had walked a couple of kilometres to our house. During the operation, the PAC had ransacked the house and disconnected the phone lines. My two aunts and younger cousins were at the house, and we could not go there because of curfew orders in that area.

There was no way of knowing where my uncles were. Though I didnt realise it at that time, the memories of the Hashimpura massacre of 1987 must have sent cold shivers down my parents backs.

With breakfast left untouched, my father and uncle left immediately. My father went to see the police commissioner, who had been our guest on several evenings and had shared drinks with the host.

My uncle went to the police station closest to the mohalla. He was told that no such incident had taken place. But when my uncle insisted that the information was from from reliable sources, he was directed to another police station.

Something in their manner told him that the constables were lying, so he stayed put. No officer came to speak with him. Meanwhile, my father was told that the commissioner was not available, after which he tried the office of the SSP, another regular at parties at our home. The SSP briefly met my father, appearing to be extremely busy and told him that he was not aware of any such incident.

Also read:Ayodhya: Once There Was A Mosque

But if something like this has happened, I will ensure that your brothers are not harmed, he assured my father, but not exactly in these words. Word passed down the hierarchy. My uncle, who was at the police station, was handed a few curfew passes. He was also told not to worry and that my missing uncles would return home before evening.

I accompanied my mother and uncle to the house of my birth in his hatchback which had escaped the vandalism of the previous evening as it has beenparked inside the garage. The open maidan at the mouth of lane where our house was located looked like a war zone. Stones were scattered all over the unpaved ground, and there were a few carcasses of two-wheelers. The windows of houses facing the maidan were broken and most of the doors hung by their hinges.

Leaving the car in the maidan, we walked inside the lane towards our house. From the outside, it looked normal. My grandfather had installed a heavy-duty door which had withstood the assault. As always, it was not bolted.

A gentle push opened it into the central courtyard. The first thing that caught my eye was a television lying face down on the marble floor of the courtyard. Then glass pieces and remains of crockery came into view, and clothes, toys, a cricket bat, an heirloom copper paan daan, as well as broken remnants of other things.

However, more frightening than this was the eerie silence that permeated the house. When I was growing up, I always associated this house with noise. There were far too many people in too little space. But now, when there was no sound, I could feel the tightness in my stomach and heaviness in my legs. Where was everyone?

My mothers call to my middle aunt sounded more like a shriek. In response, a scream tore out from one of the rooms. All at once, the noise returned. My aunts, distraught and dishevelled, rushed out and engulfed my mother in a spasmodic embrace. Interspersed with frequent wailing, my aunts started to recount the sequence. How my uncles were dragged out in their sleepwear, how a few policemen came back inside to deliberately break things, how they made salacious remarks at my younger aunt, how they scared the kids and so on.

It took me a while to realise that both my mother and I were crying. Perhaps we were crying about it all for my uncles, the narrow escape that my aunts had and what could have happened to us the previous evening.

Also read:Supreme Courts Ayodhya Verdict Rests on a Glaring Contradiction

But I knew for sure that some of my tears were for the sheer helplessness that I knew my father and my uncle were feeling. Physically, they may have travelled a small distance from the Muslim mohalla to upper class Hindu colony, but emotionally they had travelled the distance of a lifetime.

In the family comprising six brothers and four sisters, these two had most prominently shed their ghettoised Muslim identities. They were in with the social, cultural and economic life of Agra, hobnobbing with the whos who. And yet when it came to the communal division, they were nothing but Muslims. Forever suspects, forever victims.

My uncles returned home late in the afternoon. A police vehicle dropped them at the mouth of the lane from where they hobbled inside and into the house which remained unbolted. Their shoulders, backs and calves were bruised and streaked with ugly blue welts. One had a wound just below the eyebrow, where he had probably been hit by a rifle butt or a baton. My aunt said a few prayers over his head, frequently thanking Allah for sparing his life, and his eye.

Soon, wailing women from the neighbourhood started pouring into in our courtyard. Their men were still missing. They pleaded with my mother and my uncle to help get their men back.

The bruised men started to come back during the night and the next morning. No case was recorded, no charges were filed. It was as if the incident never happened. Slowly, the situation started to calm down.

At that time, there was no way of knowing how many people died in Agra that week. There was a huge gap between the figures put out by the local Hindi media and what the people believed. However, according to a compilation by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies under Nagarik Mancha by B. Rajeshwari, 31 people, most of them Muslims, died in Agra in November 1990.

According to the same study, in the wake of Advanis rath yatra, nearly 1,800 people died in different parts of India between April-December 1990. As it happens with communal violence in India, the majority of the dead were Muslim.

As I prepared to return to college in Delhi at the end of November, my mother told me not to mention the two incidents to anyone.

Why?, I asked her.

Why, she retorted. Are they to be proud of?

I couldnt understand the shame in being a victim. She explained to me, for my father it was not about being a victim. It was about the humiliation that the two incidents implied. He believed that his successful business, his social commitments, his national and state awards had placed him in a different league, where his name carried respect, and maybe awe. He never went to anyone; everyone came to him.

Also read: Mandir Wahin Banayenge Said L.K. Advani 30 Years Ago, But Will Stay Home on August 5

But those two November days had left him helpless and fearful. The hour he spent outside the commissioners office, which was crowded by people who would probably wait outside his own office, devastated him. If he could, he would have erased those two days from his life.

So, collectively we worked towards erasing them from our lives.

Babri Masjid meant little to us then, it means little now. For Muslims, prayer is important, a mosque is not. Prayer is piety. A mosque is vanity. As Mohammed Iqbal wrote:

Aa gaya ain ladai mein agar waqt-e-namaz qibla-ru ho ke zamin-bos hui qaum-e-hijaz ek hi saf mein khade ho gaye mahmud o ayaaz na koi banda raha aur na koi banda-navaz.

(In a middle of a battle when it was time for prayerfacing west, the devout touched their forehead to the groundstanding shoulder to shoulder Mahmud and Ayazremained unmindful of the difference between king and slave.

The demolition didnt hurt us, but the impact of the demolition did the progressive marginalisation, everyday communal profiling and normalisation of violence against Muslims. All of this has been shrinking the access a Muslim has to public spaces in her own country.

Today, when angry Muslims call for the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya, grander than the Ram temple, they are succumbing to competitive communalism. This is a sport they can never win.

The road ahead is both narrow and perilous. Muslims must choose their battles wisely. The biggest challenge is to widen the space available to them. For this, not only do they have to speak in a coherent voice, but also move others to lend their voices to them.

After all, it is the battle for the soul of the nation we call home.

Ghazala Wahab is executive editor FORCE newsmagazine. Her forthcoming book Born a Muslim will be published by Aleph Book Company in early 2021.

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Night of Terror: The Dust Kicked up Before the Babri Masjid Demolition - The Wire

Amanda Parrish|Middletown Transcript

MIDDLETOWN -- In 1929, Middletown School opened its doors with 434 students and 17 faculty members, housing grades 1 through 12 until it became Middletown High for 70 years.

Twenty years ago, the South Broad Street building became Middletown Middle School and then Everett Meredith Middle School in 2002 after community members petitioned the Appoquinimink Board of Education to rename it after the former history teacher and principal.

The structure has served thousands of students throughout its long history, but last month demolition began on the historic building.

A new middle school still to be Everett Meredith will be built in its place. It will include architectural references to the original building and a history wall, which will be made from its wood and bricks and featuring donated mementos from past classes.

The two-year renovation began last month with the removal of trees, the sidewalk and part of the parking lot.

As the demolition started during the last week of July, former students and community members reminisced on their favorite memories with the building.

Sad, but needed

Carlton Parker who was a Everett Meredith counselor, assistant principal and principal said the building holds a lot of memories for Middletown residents, with many remembering the days of the old Middletown High School, but to keep up with technology demands, a new school is needed.

He has had positive and negative experiences at the school, and the biggest struggle was keeping up with modern technology in a building that made it difficult.

The building has a great amount of age and was difficult to maintain, especially with the demands of providing a meaningful 21st century education to our students, Parker said. The district continued to take steps to meet the demands until doing so became impossible.

Despite the problems with technology, some of his greatest memories involved the people at the school. He saw staff and students grasp the importance of learning and desire individual growth.

Christina Biederman, Middletown High School 1995 graduate, said she understands why it has to be torn down but she is still upset to see it go.

This was my home for four years. The only place I felt safe. The place I met some of my best friends, my first love, two teachers that literally saved my life, she said. I know I will have the memories, but I still find it very sad.

Most residents are like Biederman. They are sad to see the school go, but they know the reconstruction is needed.

Abbymanuel Rosario, Middletown High School 2012 graduate, said he would have been outraged to see the school torn down and built into something new, but because it will be a new Everett Meredith, he is happy about the renovation.

We're old, we've had our memories in the school the way it was. Now it's time for the younger generation to make their own memories, he said.

Connie Marshall-Olsen, a bus driver for the Appoquinimink School District, did not attend the school, but her late sister graduated from Middletown High in the 1980s.

Because she is not a taxpayer for the district, she doesnt have an opinion on whether it gets demolished, but she has loved looking at the building and remembering her sisters graduation day while she waits for the kids to be dismissed from school.

It hurts my heart to see the school gone. I did not have many years with my sister so being able to look at a place she walked proudly across the stage at, will be missed very much, Marshall-Olsen said. I was lucky to drive there five days a week and I am grateful my bus route took me there. I felt closer to my sister every day that I was in that parking lot.

Kevin Manz was one of the first groups of middle schoolers to attend Middletown Middle School and he recalls skateboarding through the halls after school.

I remember volunteering to set up for the dance in eight grade. Between school letting out and the dance I took that time to skateboard up and down the ramp to the cafeteria, Manz said.

Although he didnt attend the school, rising Middletown High School senior William Wrinn went into the building a few times for dance recitals, specifically remembering his second time in the school as an eighth grader for sign language concert.

I didnt explore much, but I remember running down the ramp that took you to the cafeteria since one side of the auditorium was there. The auditorium was nice though, in fact there was a balcony, which I went on during the sign language concert for the district, he said. I will tell you this though, that building needs to go.

The school is scheduled to reopen in fall 2022. During the construction, Everett Meredith students, teachers and staff will be at Odessa High School at 570 Tony Marchio Drive, a Townsend address but just south of Odessa, where they will operate as a self-contained school within a school, public information officer Lilian Miles said.

Monthly construction updates will be given at Appoquinimink Board of Education meetings.

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Everett Meredith will go, but memories remain: Community reminisces as demolition begins - Middletown Transcript

(file photo)

By The Maritime Executive 08-07-2020 07:09:11

The economic impact of the coronavirus is taking a strong toll on the shipbuilding industry according to a new analysis from BIMCO. While the orderbook is at its lowest point in 17 years, BIMCO however reports that even with increasing demolitions fleet volumes are continuing to rise based on deliveries of existing orders.

Contracting activity has been quick to feel the effects of the pandemic with owners and investors showing little appetite for new ships, says Peter Sand, BIMCOs Chief Shipping Analyst.

Looking at the orderbook for commercial shipping consisting of container ships, dry bulk, and tankers, BIMCO reports in total orders have declined by 50 percent. Hardest hit has been the dry bulk sector followed by container ships. Tanker orders have not fallen as dramatically largely because they had already been at lower levels over the past two decades.

In the first seven months of 2020, orders for dry bulk vessels were down by 65 percent versus the prior year. At just over 63 million DWT, the dry bulk order book is at its lowest level in sixteen years according to BIMCO. Further, with the decline in trade volumes and an expected long road to recovery, they do not expect the orderbook will rebound quickly.

Orders for new container ships also were down significantly in the first part of 2020. According to BIMCO's data, container ship orders have fallen nearly 40 percent so far in 2020. That places the total volume for the container ship orderbook at its lowest level since September 2003.

The overall tanker sector is showing the smallest declines due in large part to the fact that orders for new tankers were already at lower levels. BIMCO reports that orders for crude oil tankers were down just over four percent in total DWT while product tanker orders fell 12 percent from year-ago levels. In fact, BIMCO reports that product tankers were the only segment to have reported an increase so far in 2020, up nearly three percent in the first seven months of the year. Orders for crude oil tankers however are down more than 40 percent so far in 2020.

While new orders have been greatly impacted, the long lead-time in construction helped to maintain new ship deliveries. BIMCO reports that new ship deliveries have been more resilient falling just two percent in 2020. Deliveries of new dry bulk carriers were actually up 40 percent in DWT volume so far in 2020 while container ship deliveries were down by nearly the same percentage so far in 2020. Crude oil tanker deliveries are also down 40 percent while product tankers are down by 46 percent so far in 2020.

Efforts by shipowners and operators to manage their fleets and lower costs are also reflected in a strong recent increase in demolition activity. Demolitions measured in DWT were up 50 percent in July versus the year-earlier and 400 percent versus April 2020 when many yards were idled by the pandemic.

As would be expected, the largest increases in demolitions also came in the dry bulk sector up 80 percent year over year while container ship demolitions also increased by a quarter so far in 2020. Product tanker demolitions also increased, 10 percent in DWT, but only two crude oil tankers have been sold for demolition so far in 2020 represented a dramatic decrease versus the year ago.

The sharp uptick in demolitions following the reopening of yards is entirely expected due to the demand shock from the Covid-19 crisis and expectations of a long road to recovery ahead of us. This is reflected in both the higher demolition numbers, with owners pushed to act on older and substandard ships that they had kept sailing until now, as well as the drop in contracting as the outlook for the next few years has become much gloomier than it was at the start of the year, says Peter Sand.

As deliveries continue to outpace the demolition activity, BIMCO reports that in the near term fleet volumes have continued to rise. With trade volumes expected to decline significantly this year and not recovering possibly until 2022, BIMCO however predicts that balance in the shipping markets may be hard to achieve.

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Dramatic Decline in 2020 Shipbuilding Orderbook, Increased Demolitions - The Maritime Executive

Srinagar: A group of 13 Kashmiri Pandits headed by Rakesh today called upon Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Anshul Garg and apprised him about the fake news that has been viral on Facebook regarding demolition of Temple at Waterkhani Kupwara.

The Pandit group condemned this act and called it a handy work of the mischievous person responsible for circulating the fake news on social media.

The fact is that the temple was damaged due to heavy snowfall in February, this year and the tomb of the Temple had fallen in the nearby LalKhul, said Rakesh.

He added that since there are 500 government employees residing in the Nutnussa migrant colony, the employees decided to contribute some amount to refurbish the said Temple and on Saturday they visited the Waterkhani Temple site and decided to work on its repairs with due permission of concerned Revenue authorities.

In fact, on our request, they assured all possible support and we are to ensure renovation of the Temple on religious basis, said Rakesh, flanked by his fellow members.

We unanimously condemn the act of the mischievous person who is hell-bent upon to vitiate the century-old communal harmony, said Rakesh, adding that he is son of the soil and all the local people and panchs and sarpanchs have assured him support for the renovation of the Temple.

The Deputy Commissioner appreciated the Pandit Community for clearing the air on fake news and simultaneously assured them of every support from administration.

He said the district as a whole does not tolerate the mischievous acts like this and whosoever is behind this mischief should apologize for his mistake for the larger interest of the society.

The DC also said that people should take the utmost care while reacting to such malicious social media news and instead should contact administration for the clarifications. (GNS)

now, more than ever to give a voice to the voiceless. The press in Kashmir has operated under tremendous pressures of reporting from a conflict zone but since August 2019 we find ourselves in unchartered territory. The Kashmir Walla is among the oldest independent media outlets in Kashmir and has withstood successive lockdowns as well as attempts to suppress us, fighting back with authoritative ground reports based on facts.

We need your solidarity to keep our journalism going. Your contribution will empower us to keep you informed on stories that matter from Kashmir. Show your solidarity by joining our community. Kashmir thanks you.

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Pandit community rejects "fake news" regarding demolition of north Kashmir temple - The Kashmir Walla

A panel of industry experts with discuss opportuntiies for recycling construction and demolition waste in the next decade at a free webinar organised by Demolition & Recycling International (D&Ri) on Tuesday 8 September at 15:00 (UK time).

We are delighted to confirm Jacqueline ODonovan, managing director of United Kingdom-based recycling specialist ODonovan Waste Disposal as the first speaker.

Jacqueline has led the family business, which has 185 staff and turns over 20 million (US$26 million), for more than 30 years and has received numerous accolades for her work in the sector, including recently being made a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management.

Further members of the international line up will be announced in the next few days.

The discussion will be moderated by Steve Ducker, Editor of D&Ri.

To register for the webinar, please click here

The 45-minute webinar will focus on:

There will be an opportunity to put questions to the panellists.

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D&Ri webinar: Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling - KHL Group

WEIRTON City officials are looking to move ahead with a delayed demolition project, but still keeping an eye on finances.

Resolutions before the citys Finance Committee Wednesday included a demolition agreement with Pulice Construction for 3613 Wood St., at a cost of $14,500; and an asbestos abatement by Justice Business Services, at the same address, for $1,437.

Both resolutions will go before the full Weirton Council Monday.

Ward 6 Councilman Enzo Fracasso noted the city had enacted a resolution holding off on any unnecessary expenditures, as a result of earlier financial concerns prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have begun receiving figures indicating revenue has not been as affected as previously believed.

Seeing as our finances are not as bad as we thought, I think we should lift it, Fracasso said.

City Manager Joe DiBartolomeo, however, said officials still need to be careful.

I think we have enough to cover this, he said, adding he feels the resolution needs to stay in place. It helps us watch a little bit better.

Finance Director Diana Smoljanovich reminded the city should not consider the $2.4 million in CARES Act funding it will receive for projects, as the money is to reimburse expenses resulting from the pandemic.

The committee also discussed some possible changes to the fiscal year 2020 Community Development Block Grant, which is set for final approval Monday.

In particular, Marsh mentioned the possibility of reducing the allotment from A Childs Place CASA by $10,000, leaving them with $4,000, and giving the funds to Weirton Transit Corp. The idea, Marsh said, would be to provide additional funds for bus passes for low-income residents living in the citys downtown.

The budget has been up for public review and comment in recent weeks. The total budget is $424,688.

Other items to be recommended by the Finance Committee include:

An ordinance amending provisions of the garbage and rubbish collection regulations;

A resolution to renew the citys annual support contract with ACCELA for support and maintenance of the citys customer interaction website, at a cost of $6,411.44;

A resolution for an agreement with the West Virginia Department of Transportation for the Park Drive enhancement sidewalk project. The city will provide a match of $98,375.

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Weirton to move ahead with demolition project | News, Sports, Jobs - The Steubenville Herald-Star

Despite the pandemics severe impact on Florida, real estate development in Miami forged ahead. As of July, the metros office pipeline included 18 projects totaling more than 3.7 million square feet, Yardi Matrix data shows.Most of the upcoming projects are mixed-use and transit-oriented, while two of themincluded in the list beloware headquarters developments.

Groundbreaking work has been completed for two projects so far in 2020, while four developments encompassing 341,000 square feet have come online year-to-date. Additionally, nearly 2.2 million square feet is slated for delivery by year-end. Heres a breakdown of the largest projects under construction in the metro as of July, based on Yardi Matrix data.

AJP Ventures and Mas Group broke ground on MedSquare Healththe only medical office building on the listin February 2019. IberiaBank provided $36.5 million in construction financing, while completion is scheduled for later this year.

The three-story,128,800-square-foot building is taking shape on the site of a former synagogue, at 9408 SW 87th Ave., in the Miami West submarket. Situated across from Baptist Childrens Hospitalone of the metros largest hospitalsthe project is the first off-campus, premier medical facility to be developed in the area in the last 20 years.

Starwood Capital Group relocated from Connecticut to Miami Beach, Fla., in 2018 and started work on its upcoming headquarters in September 2019. Delivery is scheduled for the end of 2021. The six-story,144,430-square-foot building will encompass first-floor retail and restaurant space, and will house 300 employees. A Coastal/Brodson joint venture serves as the general contractor and Integra is the developer. Citizens Financial Group originated $76 million in construction fundingfor the Gensler-designed project.

Rose & Berg Realty Groups 12-story The Gateway at Wynwood is one of the two office buildings on our list thatbroke ground in 2020. Completion of the 220,900-square-foot asset is expected in September 2021. Kobi Karp is the architect and Plaza Construction serves as the general contractor.

Situated at 2916 N. Miami Ave. in the Wynwood district, the location is easily accessible from both Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Additionally, it is convenient to large transportation hubs such as Miami International Airport and PortMiami.

Agave Holdings started developing The Plaza Coral Gablesthe largest mixed-use development in Coral Gables, Fla.in March 2020. The 222,541-square-foot Building 2 is being erected at 3011 Ponce de Leon Blvd. The site will also include a 242-key hotel and a shared parking podium. Completion is scheduled forthe third quarter of 2022.

PNC Bank provided a $100 million loan that included Building 1 of the developmentalso on our list. The 2.1 million-square-foot, $500 million complex is recognized as the largest development in the citys history since its inception in the early 1900s.

A joint venture between CIM Group and One Real Estate Investment is developing Wynwood Square, a 285,510square-foot mixed-use project at 2201 N. Miami Ave., also in the Wynwood district. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation provided a $71.5 million construction loan. Upon completion, expected in the second quarter of 2021, the project will include first-floor retail, four levels of parking space and 257 residential units.

Chicago-based Sterling Bay entered the Miami market with 545wyn, a creative mixed-use project. Development of the 324,935-square-foot, 10-story asset commenced in January 2019, with Bank OZK originating $81 million in construction financing in late 2018. At full build-out, expected in the third quarter of this year, 545wyn will include first-floor retail and four levels of parking space. Architecture firm Gensler has signed up as the buildings first tenant, with plans to occupy 13,500 square feet of office space.

The 350,000-square-foot Royal Caribbean Headquarters is being constructed in downtown Miami, taking shape on 96 acres at the junction of NEC North American Way and Caribbean Way. The $300 million HOK-designed project was initially expected to come online in December 2020. However, Royal Caribbean paused construction due to coronavirus-induced concerns shortly after announcing the layoffs of 26 percent of its workforce.

Also developed by Agave Holdings, the 392,568-square-foot project is the largest office tower within the upcoming Plaza Coral Gables mixed-use development. Upon completion, scheduled for August 2022, the asset will include two floors of entertainment and lifestyle retail space, as well as 135 residential units. Last July, BAC Florida Bank signed a63,000-square-foot lease agreement for space at Building 1. The company will relocate its headquarters from the nearby 169 Miracle Mile.

Hellinger Penabad Cos. is developing the $425 million River Landing, a mixed-use project also in the Miami North submarket. Locatedon 8 acres, the development will incorporate two residential towers and a large retail component, along with a 480,000-square-foot, seven-story office building expected to come online in the third quarter of 2020. Located at 1400 NW North River Drive, River Landing is located in one of the most heavily concentrated areas for medical and research facilities in South Florida, a region underserved in retail and residential space.

The largest upcoming office delivery on our list is 830 Brickell Plaza, a 505,031-square-foot project developed by OKO Group and Cain International in Miamis Brickell submarket. Construction on the 57-story tower started in February 2019, with completion scheduled for the end of 2021. Last August, MSD Capital provided a $300 million construction loanfor the project.

Rising 734 feet, 830 Brickell Plaza will be the second-tallest office building in Miami, as well as the submarkets first Class A office project in the last decade. Upon completion, the tower, designed byAdrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, will include an eight-story parking garage, which will double as the towers podium. WeWork has already signed a 147,000-square-foot lease at the property.

Original post:
Top 10 Office Projects Under Construction in Miami - Commercial Property Executive

Listen to this Digging Deeper podcast as Raken Construction Support Manager Brian Poage talks about real opportunities contractors have to distinguish their businesses as they strive to deliver projects through the pandemic if they commit to unusual tools. Valuable business relationships get forged in foxhole environments like todays.

Poage has been an innovator in the construction industry for nearly 10 years. He started his career with Turner Construction Company and worked as a field engineer, project engineer and superintendent on projects including the Sempra Energy Headquarters in San Diego and the Wilshire Grand Tower in Los Angeles. Poage truly learned how to build while at Turner as he spent three years working in the field and collaborating with trade partners and industry experts.

He also became a student of lean engineering and process improvement working as the lean manager for Turners San Diego office. After Turner, he transitioned to a project manager role for the developer Holland Partner Group to build a highrise mixed-use tower in downtown Los Angeles before taking a role as Project Manager for WeWork building office space in the Southern California area for the high-growth company.

Poage was a Raken customer while at WeWork and was impressed with the field teams adoption of the platform and his teams ability to leverage project analytics to improve their management.

Poage holds a B.S. in Construction Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He and his wife own a small retail business in their hometown of Redondo Beach, CA, and currently live in Carlsbad, CA.

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Raken Explores How COVID is Turning Prefab, Video Conferencing and Collaboration into Construction Profit - ForConstructionPros.com

Macon-Bibb County voters elect one person as mayor, but that individual will put scores of other people in leadership positions

MACON, Ga. As the Age Friendly Communities Advisory Council was planning strategy for 2020, members realized they are lame ducks appointed by Mayor Robert Reichert, who is in his last year of office.

So, the new mayor could change everything? one of them asked.

Right, was the reply.

A similar conversation took place at last months Land Bank Authority meeting.

While discussing the COVID-19 drain on tax revenues and the possibility of working with other county departments on the budget, authority member Gary Bechtel asked, When we get a new administration whos going to be in these positions?

Some of the entities serve as advisory boards to research issues and report back to commissioners and the mayor, others have their own regulatory power, such as the Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission which can approve or deny projects based on specific zoning requirements, strategic plans and the publics interest.

Even autonomous entities such as the Macon Water Authority, which is comprised of five elected members, also includes two appointed representatives of Macon-Bibb County.

Chris Floore, the Assistant to the County Manager for Public Affairs, said Mayor Robert Reichert not only draws from his personal knowledge of the local talent base of experts, but listens to others suggestions.

Sometimes hell ask the commission or board for their recommendations, Floore said.

There are nearly four dozen organizations that oversee everything from economic development to the county treescape to what type of public art should be on display.

Some of those groups, such as the newly reconstituted Macon-Bibb County Tree Board, are totally staffed by appointment from the mayor with the approval of the Macon-Bibb County Commission.

The by-laws for each organization often include specific qualifications for appointees.

For instance, when the commissioners considered the recommendations for the Construction Board of Appeals last month, they learned five active members, two alternates and a county building official will hear disputes between local business services staff and construction professionals. The county official would not have a vote and not be able to participate in deliberations or decisions reached.

The five active members must include representatives with experience in architecture or building construction, design and structural engineering, mechanical and plumbing, design and electrical engineering and fire protection engineering.

By code, the reconstituted Tree Board also requires that at least some members are professionally trained in forestry, botany or landscape architecture. The 14 members include half appointed by the mayor and commission and the others are ex-officio, or serve automatically due to the position they hold.

Other entities, such as the Fort Hawkins Board, simply require that a member live in Middle Georgia and be vitally interested in the early history of Macon.

The mayor, or a designee, also has a seat on private boards such NewTown Macon an the Cherry Blossom Festival Board of Directors.

Commissioners have the right to screen the mayors nominees and interview them before voting whether to approve the appointment.

Most often, its more of a rubber stamp procedure with the countys district commissioners generally spending more time discussing the makeup of boards and diversity than grilling the individual persons nominated by the mayor.

Any boards we have, it needs to reflect the community, Commissioner Elaine Lucas said during last months screening of appointments to the Tree Board. We need to make that statement to whoever the new mayor is. We expect these boards to reflect the whole community and not leave anyone out.

Sometimes, a funding source for an organization dictates requirements.

For instance, the Macon-Bibb County Transit Authoritys board must reflect the racial makeup of the area it serves, per Federal Transportation Administration regulations.

For the Macon-Bibb County Hospital Authority, Georgia law mandates the local governing authority submit a list of three names to fill a vacancy and the authority members vote on the nominees.

For the last several years, its been the authoritys practice to send a list of three suggested nominations to the mayor, who can make substitutions as Reichert did in 2017 and 2018 when he added his own name and another suggestion. Those substitutions were not selected.

Typically, the mayor sends back the same three names the hospital authority has suggested.If the authority rejects the first slate, they must choose from a second slate the county submits.

In recent months, commissioners have questioned Reicherts selection process for coming up with nominees and indicated they would like more input.

Filling a vacancy on the Urban Development Authority was as simple as running into former Macon City Councilman Cole Thomason, Reichert said.

I bumped into Cole when he was overseeing the installation of a new glass front on a building on Cotton Avenue, Reichert told the Economic and Community Development Committee in February. I think it would be great to get a business persons perspective.

In other instances, Reichert took commissioners suggestions and tapped graduates of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerces Leadership Macon program, County Manager Keith Moffett said.

Commissioners want input

Commissioners Lucas and Al Tillman want more involvement in the selection process.

All of us here, we need to be making some suggestions to these boards, Lucas said when Thomasons UDA nomination came up for a vote.

We have all given a list of names before, Tillman said. There are folks lve talked to who would like to serve. As a combined government now, we make all the appointments and when Im gone I would like to have some folks on there that will do right.

In March, commissioners balked at the slate of 10 nominees Reichert proposed for multiple boards and suggested a moratorium on administrative appointments.

Table all appointments until we have further discussions, Tillman suggested. If were not going to be part of the process I just dont think we need to go forward.

Lucas suggested asking the state legislative delegation to revisit the charter that gives just about absolute authority to the mayor, she said.

The meeting ended with all 10 people being approved by the committee which recommended approval to the full commission. No moratorium was enacted.

When creating the Friends of Rosa Parks Square Board early last year, Tillman specified that the mayor pro tem, a position he currently holds, would be responsible for appointments to that body, which is looking for ways to fund enhancements to the public square across from Government Center, set its mission and plan for future maintenance.

Of the dozen friends of the park, one will be the chairman of the Facilities and Engineering Committee or a designee and the rest will be appointed by the mayor pro tem, who is elected by other members of the commission.

Board terms are typically staggered so that the entire organization does not turn over at the same time.

In the recent reconstitution of the Construction Board of Appeals, the initial members terms varied from about 6 months to nearly 4 years so that they would not all rotate off together.

Commissioner Valerie Wynn wants the courtesy of knowing when the mayor is looking to fill vacancies.

I would have input if we knew, Wynn said. We dont get to have a say-so in this and thats part of the problem.

The county has a spreadsheet with the names of nearly 400 people who serve on local boards and authorities. Many of them serve at the pleasure of the mayor and will likely remain on the various boards until the end of their terms even as the next administration takes over.

A copy of the spreadsheet obtained by the Center for Collaborative Journalism shows a column dedicated to when appointments expire, but more than 80 of those were either overdue or the list has not been updated as members were reappointed. Some of the board terms on the document expired years ago.

Tracking the timeline for each persons tenure is not easy, nor is researching each board and its role. The task is even difficult for staff and elected officials.

Clerk of the Macon-Bibb County Commission Janice Ross discovered in her office a large binder left by a predecessor. The book was loaded with by-laws and other information about the countys boards and organizations. It, too, was woefully outdated.

The next mayor will not only have to compile his own staff and evaluate whether to change department heads but must begin identifying candidates to serve on his behalf on all these boards and authorities.

Contact Civic Reporting Senior Fellow Liz Fabian at 478-301-2976 or fabian_lj@mercer.edu.

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Your vote for Macon's mayor puts hundreds of other people in power - 13WMAZ.com