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July 20, 2013 • Vol. IXX • No. 15 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
Inside
Old St. Paul Neighborhood Gets Second Chance By Dick Rohland CEG CORRESPONDENT
Dealers Attend Paladin Training Day...12
Customer’s Input Used to Improve Iron…18
Roland Honors C oWorker’s Memory...32
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................33-37 Recycling Section ........53-67 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................69-81 Auction Section ..........87-99 Business Calendar ............94 Advertisers Index ..............98
On the Mississippi River banks and across its flowing waters from the office buildings of downtown St. Paul, Minn., towering above on 80 ft. (24 m) bluffs, the first housing to be built in decades is now under construction in a long vacant, city neighborhood. Located near the south end of the city’s Wabasha Street Bridge, a 178 unit, five story apartment building is rising from a neighborhood rich in St. Paul's history. Known as the West Side Flats, it was one of the first areas of the city to be settled by its early residents. It was a neighborhood populated by several different ethnic populations for more than 100 years until the city relocated its residents and razed their homes in the 1950’s because the area was prone to frequent flooding. Located just a little over 1,200 ft. (366 m) south of St. Paul’s down-
Mortar for the block work is mixed on site with a pair of Spec Mix concrete drums. In the far background, the first commercial occupant to settle on the West Side Flats, US Bankcorp, housing its service center, can be seen.
town business and commercial district, the West Side Flats is a 45 acre (18.2 ha) piece of nearly flat land that sits just above water level. The property for the new apartment building occupies 2.4 acres (1 ha) of the Flats area. Though located south of downtown St. Paul, the West Side Flats
geographically sit on the west bank of the river because they are near the apex of the river’s bend as it snakes north and then back south through the city. It is part of a larger neighborhood in the city known as the “West Side” because its residents and businesses straddle the west
side of the Mississippi River. Along with Wabasha Street that dips down from the downtown bluff line from a new bridge that was reconstructed in 1998, the West Side Flats are bounded by Robert Street from another bridge crossing that drops down from the see HOUSING page 52
ASA to File Amicus Brief in Jobless Rate Fall Support of Subcontractor Below 10 Percent On Aug. 23, 2013, the American Subcontractors Association will urge the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm an appeals court’s decision in a case concerning whether construction disputes should be resolved in a local forum or, instead, subcontractors can be forced to take their claims to a far off jurisdiction. ASA will file an amicus curiae brief in Atlantic Marine Constr. Co. v. JCrew Management, Inc.,
supporting the subcontractor, J-Crew, in a case in which the country’s highest court will determine whether federal courts are required to enforce contractual forum-selection clauses or whether judges have the right to consider other factors, such as the overall convenience of the parties and witnesses and the interests of justice when deciding if venue is proper. In the construction industry, out-of-state gen-
eral contractors commonly require their subcontractors to sign forum-selection and choice of law clauses, arguing that it’s more convenient and less expensive for them to resolve disputes in a jurisdiction of their choice. “The general contractor’s expediency comes at the detriment of its subcontractors, whose places of business, records, and personnel generally are close to the location of the see ASA page 82
The unemployment rate for construction workers fell below double digits in June for the first time since 2008 as every segment of the industry added employees, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the relatively positive jobs report for the sector highlights the need to address potential shortages of skilled and entry-level workers. “Construction employment in June was the highest since August 2009,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “But employment is still down by one-quarter from the peak more than seven years ago. Many of those laid-off workers have left the industry — whether for employment elsewhere, more education or retirement — and construction companies face a looming worker shortage.” see EMPLOYMENT page 91