Tag Archives: construction

Prolific Long Island College Sees First Construction Project in Decades

St. Joseph’s College, Long Island in the village of Patchogue, Long Island, is hopeful that soon, students will be able to return to everyday life once the COVID-19 global pandemic is under control. SJC Long Island students were able to return to school under limited capacity as of Fall 2020, but classes and activities, of course, look nothing like they did prior to the pandemic.

The college recently announced plans for a new student center that will accommodate a growing student population. As of 2020, SJC Long Island had 3,200 graduate and undergraduate students and was in desperate need of a new center to accommodate them. The college has not had any construction projects in over 20 years.

What Are the Specifics of the Student Center?

The new student center at SJC Long Island will be two stories tall and will have 32,000 square feet of space for students to use. Some of the amenities and spaces planned for inside the student center include an art gallery, dining area, gift shop, and a chapel with a combined office for the campus ministry. Yet other spaces include room for lounges, conference rooms, computer labs, and areas for faculty and students to use in which to study.

Why Is This Construction Important?

As the student body begins to grow at SJC, Long Island, college president Donald Boomgaarden believes this expansion is important not only to the SLC Long Island campus, but to the public at large as well.

He says, “St. Joseph’s wants to be ready for the future, and this student center will assist us in our goal to bring a first-class educational experience to our students – and provide a valuable resource to the greater public.”

Patchogue mayor Paul Pontieri also said that SJC Long Island has been vital to the revitalization of the Village of Patchogue and believes the new student center will help create a “sense of community.” Everyone at SJC Long Island is extremely excited about the project – and of course, the day when the student center can be used and the pandemic is under control.

When Will the Construction Begin?

St. Joseph’s College Long Island has begun the early planning process with the Village of Patchogue as well as the Town of Brookhaven, and construction is expected to begin in 2021.

The time frame and exact end-date of the project are unknown, but contacts at SJC Long Island hope that the student center’s conclusion is expected to finish within “the next few years.”

For information on this, and other projects, please contact CIS Leads.

Princeton University Makes Room, Will Build New Soccer Facilities

Leave a reply

Demolition of the Fritz Randolph Observatory at Princeton University has begun, the first step toward the new East Garage & Roberts Stadium at Princeton Stadium & Jadwin Gym. The university plans to salvage stones from the Observatory and use them elsewhere on campus, but the historic building will be lost to soccer facilities, athletics buildings, and amenities for fans.

A five-level parking garage is expected to be finished by Summer 2022. The university has targeted Fall 2022 for the completion of a new soccer stadium and practice field. Roberts Stadium will have a capacity of 3,000 fans, an NCAA regulation-sized soccer field with natural grass, support areas, a ticket office, concession area, and a press box. The practice field will have artificial turf. Both facilities on the East Campus near Jadwin Gymnasium will have lights for nighttime use.

The site will also have an athletics operations facility, paths and roads that create better access and travel through the area for cars, bikes, and pedestrians, and a geo-exchange utility facility and the needed associated infrastructure to support campus-wide carbon neutrality goals. The area being redeveloped is a 33-acre portion of a lot that is more than 140 acres. Already at the site are a biodigester pilot project, buildings for athletics and university operations, the Finney/Campbell athletic fields, and the East Basin.

Cuomo to Fast-Track Infrastructure Projects Across NY

Leave a reply

In his Tuesday press conference, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will expedite infrastructure projects as a focus of its plan for economic recovery. He specifically mentioned the new Penn Station and LaGuardia projects, saying that not only does the state need to create jobs, with commuter and air passenger volume down, this is the perfect time to take on those projects with limited disruption.

“There is no better time to build than right now,” Cuomo said.

With a battered budget, the state can’t take the lead on all projects, of course, so Cuomo is going to Washington, DC, on Wednesday to discuss funding with President Trump. Projects that would require federal support include the next piece of the Second Avenue Subway, the AirTrain at LaGuardia and, of course, the new Hudson River tunnel.

On Tuesday, he also talked about pushing forward on renewable energy projects like a cross-state power transmission line and a Canada-to-New York City power line to deliver clean energy.

“Let’s stop talking and let’s start doing,” he said. “Let’s do something creative. Let’s do it fast.”

NY Construction Restarts in Mid-Hudson Today, Long Island Tomorrow

Leave a reply

Nonessential construction and manufacturing can resume today in the Mid-Hudson region of New York as Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties enter Phase I of reopening after the ordered shutdown to attempt to contain the novel coronavirus.

In Phase I, nonessential construction and manufacturing can resume along with wholesale businesses, retail for curbside or in-store pickup and agriculture, forestry and fishing. All businesses are required to follow new public health guidelines and have safeguards in place. Social distancing must be adhered to where possible and masks worn, as well as following more stringent cleaning and hygiene protocols.

Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties will enter Phase I tomorrow.

Officials will be watching the number of positive tests, hospitalizations and deaths closely. If the numbers stay on track and any outbreak is contained through contact tracing and isolation, the regions could enter Phase II in about two weeks. Testing facilities are now open across the mid-Hudson region and Long Island.

The PAUSE order limiting which construction sites and businesses can be open remains in effect in New York City where the needed metrics for reopening have not yet been met. There is no estimated date for the five boroughs to enter Phase I but the mayor has said he hopes it can happen early- to mid-June.

World’s Largest Gene and Cell Therapy Facility Planned in PA

Leave a reply

Plans are underway for Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CMB), a 680,000 square-foot gene and cell therapymanufacturing facility at the Discovery Labs in Upper Merion Township, PA. CBM would be the largest gene and cell therapy manufacturing facility in the world. The $500 million Discovery Labs include customizable lab space. The campus, which is being used by some companies during renovations, is expected to add a hotel for visiting scientists and medical collaborators, as well as a restaurant and other amenities.

Used for research, development, and commercialization of therapies, the ambitious CMB requires $1.1 billion in funding. When the plan was announced, some believed raising that amount of money was unrealistic, but there will no doubt be more interest in medical research and development thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic. And the interest and need for such work will require more facilities.

The CBM will be built in the former GlaxoSmithKline lab space. Plans call for the hiring of 2,000 people over the next two and a half years.

New York and New Jersey Stay-at-Home Orders, School and Business Closures Extended to May 15

1 Reply

In their daily coronavirus press conferences on Thursday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey governor Phil Murphy extended their stay-at-home orders in each state until May 15. Murphy made the announcement, specifically discussing the closure of NJ’s public schools, but said he remains hopeful that with public health guidelines in place longer he can make a “different” announcement in a month.

Murphy mentioned construction when asked about the Turnpike Authority’s planned April 28 meeting, which would address possible toll hikes, and if he is allowing that meeting to go forward as planned. He said it could, but only if it was done in a virtual setting and allowed a longer period for public comment. Figuring out the budget is the key to continuing vital infrastructure projects.

“Transportation money needs to be the main source of transportation projects,” he said and noted that the state must continue to provide

“Construction as a general matter for rest areas [and] big highway projects, that’s going on because NJ goes on,” he said.

Cuomo discussed the strategy for reopening New York, which will actually be the strategy used by seven Northeast states–NY, NJ, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island–in an alliance of I-95 corridor states created this week. (The plan will be created by a group consisting of a head public health official, a chief economic development officer, and the governor’s chief of staff from each state.)

Cuomo tweeted the guidelines for the plan, reiterating what he has said in the past–this will not be a reset to the way things were before the shutdown, but the beginning of a new way of doing business until a viable treatment or widespread public vaccine is established.

“Employers will need to develop new practices around workplace social distancing rules, transportation, customer interactions, and more,” he tweeted. “We need proactive protocols in the event of an infection at a workplace.”

The return to business will be phased in on a “priority scale,” he said.

“Business will reopen based on the risk posed,” he tweeted. “We will work on a regional basis.”

Non-Essential Construction to Shut Down in NJ Friday April 10 at 8 p.m.

Leave a reply

Today New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued an executive order that will close all non-essential construction sites in the state indefinitely as of 8 p.m. on Friday April 10.

Exclusions to that order include work at hospital and school sites, as well as transportation and utility projects, affordable housing, individual housing sites that can adhere to strict limits in workers that allow workers to be safely distanced from each other. Any emergency repairs and work needed to safely secure a construction site would also be allowed.

Following the governor’s announcement of the executive order, UTCA sent this statement:

“As we anticipated infrastructure work is deemed “essential” and our projects will continue to be allowed to operate.

The following are categories of work to be deemed essential; however, when the Executive order is available, we believe the language contained in the order will provide more flexibility regarding the continuance of construction projects.

Transportation projects, utility sector (both public & private) projects and most other public works projects.
Construction necessary for the delivery of healthcare services, hospitals, Pharmacies, Pharmaceutical etc.
School Construction
Residential projects with affordable housing components
Homeless shelter related projects
Individual housing sites that can adhere to social distancing of workers on-site at any given time
Work needed to safely secure a construction site”

Construction Begins This Week on NY Temporary Hospitals

1 Reply

This week the Army Corps of Engineers will begin construction of temporary hospitals in New York. Supplies and materials have already arrived at Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Center, which could be completely turned into a medical facility in seven to 10 days. The convention center will have four 250-bed federal hospitals on the main showroom floor. There is also a possibility that space for 1,000 additional beds for medical staff would be needed.

Temporary hospitals will also be set up at three other locations: Westchester County Center, SUNY Stony Brook, and SUNY Old Westbury. These four locations were chosen from a longlist of possible sites because of space requirements and the ability to transform the locations quickly.

New Jersey Shuts Down Non-Essential Businesses; Construction Can Continue

Leave a reply

Like Pennsylvania and New York, New Jersey has now shuttered all non-essential businesses. On Saturday governor Phil Murphy made the announcement, which exempts construction from the closures.

From Governor Murphy’s official order:

Examples of employees who need to be physically present at their work site in order to perform their duties include, but are not limited to, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and other first responders, cashiers or store clerks, construction workers, utility workers, repair workers, warehouse workers, lab researchers, information technology maintenance workers, janitorial and custodial staff, and certain administrative staff.

“UTCA has been working in concert with the Governor’s office to ensure our industry can follow health safety guidelines and keep working. In a conversation with CEO Bob Briant, Jr., the Governor clarified that construction support services are also allowed to remain open,” according to a UTCA email.

In addition to working with the governor’s office, the UTCA has been trying help with the shortage of medical supplies, asking members to donate N95 masks. As of a tweet on Friday, 280 masks had been donated.

OSHA REVISES GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING CORONAVIRUS

Leave a reply

After input from the Associated General Contractors of America, OSHA has revised its coronavirus reporting requirements. According to the AGC, here are the current requirements:

OSHA recordkeeping requirements at 29 CFR Part 1904 mandate covered employers record certain work-related injuries and illnesses on their OSHA 300 log.

COVID-19 can be a recordable illness if a worker is infected as a result of performing their work-related duties. However, employers are only responsible for recording cases of COVID-19 if all of the following are met:

The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19 (see CDC information on persons under investigation and presumptive positive and laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19);
The case is work-related, as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5; and
The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria set forth in 29 CFR 1904.7 (e.g. medical treatment beyond first-aid, days away from work).

According to OSHA standards and directives, there is nothing specific to coronavirus in its guidelines, but the following were cited as some that may be relevant to helping with the spread:

OSHA’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards (in general industry, 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I), which require using gloves, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection.
When respirators are necessary to protect workers, employers must implement a comprehensive respiratory protection program in accordance with the Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

o OSHA has issued temporary guidance related to enforcement of respirator annual fit-testing requirements for healthcare.