Negotiations between port owners on the West coast and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union are expected to intensify against a backdrop of still-lingering import supply chain issues. The current contract between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association is set to expire on June 30. That contract covers some 29 ports handling around 60% of all imports on the West Coast. Those imports include everything from scrap metal to automobile parts and electronics from manufacturers in such countries as China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Talks between the union and port owners are expected to center on pay, work hours, and benefits issues, along with the future of the 24-hour a day operation implemented at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles late last year. Because of supply chain issues and ships being bottlenecked at many of the Western ports in 2021, the ILWU, notes John Drake, “comes to the negotiating table with significant leverage.” In an essay published on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s website, Drake, vice-president of transportation and infrastructure with the chamber, adds: “The ports are under immense pressure to improve service levels and not have a repeat of last year.” Drake also notes that the ILWU spearheaded work slowdowns in 2002, 2008, and 2014, as a bargaining tool. In an open letter, Willie Adams, ILWU president, has expressed concerns about specter of automation along the docks, particularly “using robots instead of Americans workers to operate heavy equipment that moves cargo.” Adams has further contended that such automation “not only kills good jobs but does not move more cargo.” In an interview with the Los Angeles Business Journal, Jim McKenna, chief executive of the PMA, said he is hopeful that labor talks will soon prove fruitful. “Like all other contracts, it will have a start, it will have a finish, and whatever happened in the middle will be between the two sides.” By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
One of the most visually well-known structures on the northeast side of Tucson is now on the market for around $1.9 million. Located at 1100 N. Wilmot Road, the Vantage West Credit Union structure goes by the name of the “upside-down building,” due to its unique design, which resembles an inverted pyramid. Measuring just under 11,400 square feet, the two-story structure, with the credit union occupying space on the ground level, was designed by the Tucson-based Swaim and Associates in the late 1970s. The structure was originally home to the Western Savings Bank and has been described by the site Waymarking.com as architecturally representing a “transition building into corporate modernism.” Listed with Cushman & Wakefield/Picor Commercial Real Estate of Tucson, the structure is classified as a Class B office building. Besides its unusual shape, the building is also known for a sleek design emphasizing wrap-around exterior glass panels. It additionally features a two-bay drive-up also topped with glass panels. By Garry Boulard Work could begin later this summer on the construction of a building that will house a pharmacy on the southwest side of Rio Rancho. The Olive Tree Compounding Pharmacy is already a presence in Rio Rancho, with a facility at 1910 Westside Boulevard in the Unser Gateway area, also in southwest Rio Rancho. The new Olive Tree project at 1713 Wellspring Avenue SE will see the construction of pharmacy space, as well as a separate 3,000-square-foot building that will house offices for business tenants. The project, designed by the Albuquerque-based Mullen Heller Architecture, is expected to be built in two phases. The site plan for the Olive Tree project was initially approved by the Rio Rancho Planning and Zoning Board late last year, with an updated site zoning variance request approved earlier this month. The Olive Tree pharmacy is one of the few specialty pharmacies of its kind in New Mexico, creating customized medications. It launched its operations in Rio Rancho in early 2017. By Garry Boulard In a just-released report, both architects and builders strongly expressed their support for a collaborative approach to projects, providing only the latest evidence that both professions don’t necessarily have to be in conflict. Published by the American Institute of Architects, the report, The Architects Journey to Specification, notes that 90% of contractors surveyed indicated a preference for working more closely with architects than they currently do. The figure, at 80%, was slightly smaller for architects supporting closer collaboration. Despite the good intentions, however, the report also notes that, to date, “contractors and architects often disagree on responsibilities and the degree of detailing and specificity required in the documentation.” The biggest complaint on the building side: drawings and specs submitted incomplete or with errors, and often lacking in clearly stated design intent. Architects’ biggest gripe: getting incomplete information from contractors who may often also lack the willingness to closely follow a design intent. The report, done in conjunction with the Associated General Contractors of America, additionally notes that while architects and contractors are generally in agreement when it comes to which party is responsible for certain project functions, they disagree on who should be responsible for advocating for the client. “While contractors view the task as equal,” says the report, “nearly half of architect respondents believe the responsibility rests mostly on themselves.” Perhaps no surprise: Architects and contractors say they have often communicated less with each other once a project nears completion. Respondents in both disciplines indicated the least enthusiasm about working together during the programming and planning stage of a given project, with support for collaboration among both groups reaching a peak during the design development phase. The report additionally notes that architects tend to focus more on the environmental impact of a given project, while “contractors focus more on on-time delivery and profitability.” Lakisha Ann Woods, chief executive officer of the American Institute of Architects, noted in the report’s introduction that the AIA and AGC are currently in the process of developing tools and programs designed to “support a more collaborative approach to the architecture/contractor relationship.” By Garry Boulard A one-story structure on the far northeast side of El Paso is being listed for sale for $1.5 million. Located at 9206 McCombs Street, on a busy throughway populated with small, one-story office and retail structures, the building has for decades served as home to the Texas Health & Human Services Offices. With offices in eight regions across Texas, the Health & Human Services department is tasked with overseeing hospital, health center, and health agencies throughout the state. Built in 1978 at a cost of $176,000, the McCombs Street structure measures just under 17,000 square feet and is categorized as a Class C office building. Listed by JMT Properties Incorporated of El Paso, the building sits on a just over 1-acre site and underwent some exterior upgrading around five years ago. By Garry Boulard Work could begin later this year expanding facility space at the Colorado Mental Health Institute on the south side of Denver. The institute operates on the grounds of Fort Logan, which was established in the 1880s and eventually served as the home to a Veterans Administration Hospital. After the U.S. Army officially ended its operations at the site in 1961, the sprawling campus and on-site buildings were taken over by the Colorado Fort Logan Mental Health Center, which served as the precursor to today’s Colorado Mental Health Institute. Now Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed legislation funding the building of new space to accommodate nearly 20 new beds at the institute. The $17 million in funding for the initiative is coming through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. By design, the new beds will be used for criminal defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial until they have received mental health care. The Colorado Mental Health Institute, whose address is 3520 W. Oxford Avenue, is one of two state hospitals providing mental health services in the state. The other hospital also belongs to the Colorado Mental Health Institute and is in Pueblo. By Garry Boulard The populations of states in the South and West were significantly undercounted by the Census Bureau last year, according to just-released numbers. Altogether, the Census Bureau provided marginally incorrect numbers for 14 states in its 2020 census, with states in or near the Delta seeing the largest inaccuracies: the undercount rate in Arkansas was 5%, followed by 4% in Mississippi, and another 4% in Tennessee. In the West, Texas had an undercount of nearly 2%, while Utah had a 2.5% overcount. Most of the other states in the overcount category were in the upper East and Midwest. In a statement, Robert Santos, director of the Census Bureau, remarked: "The release of the Post Enumeration Survey estimates assist us in understanding how well we did this decade, state by state, in our efforts to count everyone living in the United States." Referencing the Covid-19 outbreak, which stymied some of the Census' field survey work, Santos added: "Achieving an accurate count for all 50 states and the District of Columbia is always a difficult endeavor, and these results suggest it was difficult again in 2020, particularly given the unprecedented challenge we faced." A report issued earlier this year by the Census Bureau called National Census Coverage Estimates for People in the United States by Demographic Characteristic, contended that African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic residents were undercounted, while white and Asian populations were overcounted. Similarly, people over the age of 50 were overcounted, while those younger than that age were undercounted. Continues the report: "Adult males were undercounted, and adult females were overcounted in the 2020 Census." The corrected figures are not expected to have a larger impact on the earlier reported Census figures, which showed a significant population increases primarily in the West, especially in Texas, Colorado, Montana, and Oregon, and somewhat less so in Arizona and Nevada. By Garry Boulard A one-story modern retail structure on a busy corner in Rio Rancho is being listed for sale for just over $1.5 million. The building at 1001 Rio Rancho Boulevard is home to a CVS pharmacy and store and was built in 2010. CVS is the largest pharmacy chain in the country, with around 10,000 operating CVS stores. Most of the company's locations measure anywhere between 8,000 square feet and 13,000 square feet. This outlet is just over 14,200 square feet. Listed by the Albuquerque-based Flanagan Investment Real Estate, the structure is categorized as a Class C building and sits on a just-over one-acre site. The store, at the intersection of Rio Rancho Boulevard and Southern Boulevard SE, is in a part of the city populated with newer suburban retail development and sits across Southern Boulevard from a Walgreens Pharmacy. Buildings housing CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreen pharmacies often turn up on any number of real estate listing services. There are currently around 70 CVS properties for sale nationally on the site BizQuest. By Garry Boulard New Mexico Transportation Department to Conduct Input Sessions on Electric Charging Stations5/23/2022 A series of webinars are scheduled to be held across New Mexico in the next several weeks to lay the groundwork for the building of a comprehensive electric vehicle charging network. As with all states, New Mexico is in line to receive significant funding through the federal Department of Transportation during the next 5 years for the establishment of a series of stations, the majority of which will be set up on interstate highway locations. By design, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program is serving to establish an anticipated half a million charging stations across the country by the end of the decade. Because the program relies to a great degree on public input, states pursuing an estimated $5 billion in funds out of Washington are scheduling region-based webinars designed to explain the parameters of the program and solicit the thoughts of residents in those regions. The first such webinar is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. on May 24 in the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s District 1, which includes the city of Deming and surrounding area. Subsequent webinars will be held on May 26 in NMDOT District 2, which includes Roswell and the surrounding area; while District 3, centering on metro Albuquerque, will be the focus of a webinar on May 31. Three remaining webinars will be set for early next month: NMDOT District 4, which includes the city of Las Vegas and surrounding area, on June 2; NMDOT District 5, taking in Santa Fe and surrounding area, on June 6; and, finally, NMDOT District 6, which includes the cities of Grant and Milan and surrounding area, on June 8. The Formula Program is the centerpiece of an estimated $7.5 billion funding initiative for electric vehicle infrastructure nationally and made available through the 2021 passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. New Mexico is eligible to receive up to $38 million in funding to build its electric vehicle infrastructure network and must have a deployment plan in place in order to secure funding from Washington by no later than August 1. By Garry Boulard A bill designed to both increase state and local water supplies while also modernizing water infrastructure has just been introduced in the U.S. Senate. The Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture and Municipalities Act, otherwise known as the STREAM Act, would authorize up to $750 million for water storage construction and $300 million for water recycling systems. Additional provisions of the legislation call for $100 million to build drinking water systems in disadvantaged communities, as well as $150 million for desalination projects. The legislation, said Arizona Senator Krysten Sinema, one of the sponsors of the bill, will be particularly helpful for the Grand Canyon State, by "strengthening Arizona's water storage, recycling, and desalination projects." The bill also provides grants for conveyance projects and up to $250 million for environmental restoration benefits. Funding for Arizona would also target the raising of the Verde River's Bartlett Dam as a means of increasing area water capacity. In a statement, Dave Eggerton, executive director of the Association of California Water Authorities, praised the legislation, remarking that, if passed, it will "address the current drought and assist communities in preparing for the effects of climate change by utilizing an every-tool-in-the-box approach." The measure is now being reviewed by members of the Senate's Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|