President’s Message

When I was sworn in as UCANE President in January of 2020, we were all blissfully unaware of the impending pandemic that was about to emerge, and we never could have imagined the impact it would have on people here and around the world over the next two years.

As my two year term as UCANE President comes to an end, and I reflect upon it, I am extremely proud of what we as a group were able to accomplish during such uncertain times. I would especially like to thank our Officers, Board of Directors, members, and the UCANE staff for their unwavering support. Although we were unable to hold many of our signature events throughout the year, UCANE’s Officers and Board were hard at work.

One of UCANE’s top priorities has always been to advocate for much needed additional funding for water infrastructure. In 2021, were very grateful to see these efforts pay dividends as there was a once in a generation influx of funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as other utility infrastructure. Massachusetts is set to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the next year, and the recently passed Federal Infrastructure Bill will provide an additional $1.1 billion over the next five years. On behalf of UCANE, I would like to thank our Congressional delegation, Governor Baker, Lieutenant Governor Polito, and the Legislature for these additional appropriations.

Even with this great news, the UCANE Board continues to be very proactive. We have invested back into the membership and hired a highly respected Boston PR firm, Denterlein to launch the #InvestInWaterMA campaign. This campaign’s goal is to assure that water and wastewater funding remain a top priority of elected officials, municipal officials, and awarding authorities, and to make certain that these funds are maximized and that critical infrastructure projects are put out to bid and completed.

We also continue to monitor legislation and regulations that will impact our businesses and our industry. Along with funding bills, UCANE also filed bills related to Dig Safe, Police Details, and DCAMM, and we supported initiatives related to the funding of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the need for clearly defining MBE/WBE requirements, and the passage of gas infrastructure reforms that will not harm our industry.

We successfully opposed public procurement measures that were proposed to the FY22 Budget, which would have adversely impacted the construction industry by reducing competition. These measures, which had been adopted in one branch of the legislature in the previous session, were not included in either branch’s filings this year. UCANE continues to meet regularly with government officials at MassDEP, the MWRA, and the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division so that our members concerns are heard.

Our Safety Committee was also very active in 2021. We once again had a large number of companies and their employees participate in the National Trench Safety Stand Down Week in June. We also held informational seminars with OSHA representatives and continued to offer the latest safety training seminars and news to our membership.

Our members were able to continue operations throughout 2021, while UCANE continued to monitor the latest information regarding COVID-19, providing updates to members and successfully lobbying against reactionary legislation and regulations.

While still furthering our core mission, we continued to evolve to meet the needs of our membership. Workforce development has been an increasingly important issue, and COVID-19 only excacerbated the problem. While the pandemic made it difficult, we continued to meet with state workforce and educational leaders to discuss ideas and programs that can help develop the next generation of workers for our industry. We also established a permanent working committee with members of the Mass. Highway Association to discuss issues of importance to both organizations, such as project bid specifications.

I would like to offer my congratulations and support to incoming President Ryan McCourt. I have known Ryan for many years and have had the pleasure of serving on the Board with him, and I know first-hand the level of commitment and dedication he has for UCANE. Our Association is in great hands and I look forward to continuing to work with him and supporting him in the coming year.

Lastly, I again would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all who made my tenure as UCANE President an enjoyable and positive experience. It is our members and their support that make UCANE such a special Association, and during this pandemic you have only reinforced my belief. I encourage UCANE members to consider taking an active role in this remarkable organization, as I know you will find it as rewarding an experience as I have.

“WE DELIVER QUALITY BY THE TRUCKLOAD”

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