PACIFIC NORTHWEST EDITION
A Supplement to:
®
August 6 2017 Vol. II • No. 16
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Pacific Northwest Connection – Patrick Kiel – 1-877-7CEGLTD – pkiel@cegltd.com
Idaho’s Sequoia Tree Has Storied Past, Moves to New Home By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Bystanders in Boise were recently treated to a sight they’re not likely to witness soon, if ever again — the relocation of a 98-ft.tall, 800,000-lb. sequoia tree planted in its original spot at St. Luke’s Hospital 105 years ago. David Cox, western region vicepresident for Environmental Design Inc., orchestrated the move. He recalled the first conversation he had with St. Luke’s about the tree. “We get a lot of calls saying ‘I’ve got a tree to move,’ and we get people who say ‘I’ve got a big tree,’ but I was at my desk on my computer and then he started describing the tree. Then I’m looking at Google Earth at the same time and he told me where it was, and I was yep, you got a big one alright.” The tree had to be moved to
make way for the expansion of St. Luke’s downtown Boise hospital. They could have cut it down, but opted instead to give the tree — the oldest and largest sequoia in Idaho — to the city of Boise and relocate it to a park, two blocks away. The sequoia was original a gift from Emile Grandjean, a conservationist, to Dr. Fred and Alice Pittenger. But it was only as the word spread about the relocation
Crews took all the soil from the original location to build a bed of soil in the new location in Fort Boise Park.
of the tree, that St. Luke’s learned the rest of the Work to move the sequoia began last story. “The Grandjean grandfall when workers conducted a root investigation. daughter reached out to us
and told us the other story which was that her grandfather received four seedlings from John Muir,” said Anita Kissee, St Luke’s public relations manager. “Two of the
seedlings went to the Grandjean family and he gave two to Pittenger. This is the only one that survived. see SEQUOIA page 10
Oregon House Passes Major Transportation Bill Package SALEM, Ore. (AP) The Oregon House passed a transportation bill with new taxes and fees that would raise $3.8 billion over seven years for repairs to the state’s roads and bridges. House Bill 2017 now heads to the Oregon Senate, where it’s expected to pass, The Register Guard reported. The bill received bipartisan support after a convoluted path that included strong disagreements among lawmakers. Gov. Kate Brown and legislative leaders had to step in to prevent a repeat of the 2015 session, when a different transportation deal unraveled. The package had to be scaled back in size and Democrats had to agree to GOP-endorsed changes to Oregon’s fuels standard to get it to the finish line. The tax hikes in the package include: a 10-cent increase in the state gas tax over the next seven years; a $13 increase in vehicle title and registration fees in 2018; a new statewide
payroll tax of .1 percent paid by employees to fund transit districts; a new .05 percent tax on the sale of new cars, motorhomes, motorbike and snowmobiles; and a new $15 surcharge on the sales of adult bikes over $200. The tax and fee increases would provide the Oregon Department of Transportation about $1.25 billion in new money over the next seven years for maintenance work. The increases also would mean a windfall for local governments. The new payroll tax would raise an estimated $115 million a year at the start and would be split among the state’s transit districts. The measure also takes first steps toward establishing non-bridge tolls on Interstate 5 and 205 in the Portland area to pay for widening projects. And it creates a $12 million-a-year rebate program for residents who buy new electric or hybrid cars. Rep. John Lively, a Springfield Democrat, said the transit
funding would help add bus lines and increase bus frequency. “Those increased services will help the elderly and all the others who rely on transit in our state,” he said. Republican Rep. Julie Parrish of West Linn was the only lawmaker to speak against the bill during floor debate. She objected to the potential tolls in the Portland area and rebate program for people who buy electric and hybrid cars. Rep. Greg Smith, a Heppner Republican, said the transportation vote should be “a day of elation and celebration.” “I’m a firm believer that public sector investment leads to private sector investment,” he said. “It’s going to help build the economy of the state of Oregon.” For more information, visit registerguard.com. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Page 2 • August 6, 2017 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Pacific Northwest Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Portland Building Boom Continues, So Does Worker Shortage By Jeff Manning and Anna Marum ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) John Killin pressed the panic button in February amid a multibillion-dollar tsunami of real estate development. The building frenzy that lit up the Portland-area economy and changed the city irrevocably has depleted the pool of skilled construction workers. In a letter to fellow contractors, Killin warned of a “new normal” of chronic labor shortages. “There are probably 10,000 open jobs out there,” said Killin, executive director of the Associated Wall and Ceiling Contractors of Oregon and Southwest Washington. “We need 800 carpenters, we need about the same number of electricians. And there are 20 more trades.” Nearly a decade after the Great Recession, the long and frustratingly slow recovery has morphed into a barrage of development that by some measures surpasses the mid-2000s housing bubble. The city issued nearly 12,000 building permits through the first 10 months of its current fiscal year for a record $2.5 billion in projects, easily eclipsing the previous high of $1.9 billion set the year before. Interviews with dozens of developers, construction company executives and union officials reveal a boom that includes all real estate categories, from high-end apartments in Portland’s urban core to enormous data centers in the eastern Oregon desert. Fueled by strong in-migration and job growth, Portland should remain red-hot in the near-term, they predict. Twenty-one construction cranes currently dot the metro-area’s skyline, the fifth most in the country and more than either San Francisco or New York. The development mania extends north to Seattle, where a nation-leading 64 construction cranes are in action. “This boom is unprecedented; it’s absolutely unlike anything else I’ve seen in 50 years,” said Bob Walsh of Walsh Construction in Portland. But it’s not all roses for the real estate set. Demand has slowed for the thousands of pricey apartments
recently developed in the city. But most industry players remain confident the industrial and commercial sectors will compensate for the multi-family lull. Labor Shortage The University of Oregon Foundation last fall embarked on a $70 million renovation of Hayward Field, the Eugene university’s famed track and field venue. It was a plum job for a high-profile client — worthy of any contractor’s portfolio. And then, nothing. Subcontractors weren’t interested. “We had difficulty finding any bids,” said Paul Weinhold, chief executive officer of the foundation. “They were too busy. The bids we got were 10-15 percent higher than we’d anticipated. It’s a little spooky.” The Great Recession that took hold in 2008 was particularly brutal on real estate and construction. The workforce plummeted from about 100,000 to 60,000 in Oregon, as workers retired or found other occupations. When the slow recovery transformed into a storm of development, no one was prepared. Crews today are working six and seven days a week. Contractors have scoured other states looking for qualified labor. “The local union is recruiting from all over the country in an effort to meet demands, but their out-of-work list [of available workers] is essentially empty,” Killin told contractors in his letter. “Unfortunately, this spring, summer and likely fall will see a new normal of previously unconsidered workforce shortages.” Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian blames schools that eliminated vocational classes and a society enamored of all things digital. “We were no longer teaching young people that this is a great career path,” Avakian said. “We completely ignored that people can earn $60,000 to $150,000 with benefits in these trades. These are the people who built Oregon.” And though aggressive recruiting has landed 830 people in the local electricians’ apprenticeship program, it’s not enough to cover looming retirements, said Carl Redman, president of Bear Electric
of Portland. I think it is fair to say that if you want to work, there is zero unemployment for electricians,” he said. Much the same is true for carpenters, excavators, plumbers and the other skilled trades. Steve Simms, who oversees the construction trade apprenticeship programs for Avakian, said he knows of 1,000 jobs that could be filled tomorrow. The labor shortage has led to delays and helped feed rising construction costs. Some developers allege it’s also contributed to lapses in quality. Last month, Portland developer
Killian Pacific, developer of the high-profile Goat Blocks apartment complex in Portland’s inner eastside, has leased 104 of the 247 units in five months. The company reluctantly began offering one month’s free rent to lure tenants. “It definitely was slower than we expected in April and May,” said Jeremy McPherson, Killian Pacific’s vice president of development. The Goat Blocks could further propel the transformation of the inner eastside from light industrial hub to full-fledged residential neighborhood. Killian Pacific has leased most of the ground floor of
“There are probably 10,000 open jobs out there. We need 800 carpenters, we need about the same number of electricians. And there are 20 more trades.” John Killin Associated Wall and Ceiling Contractors of Oregon
Tom Brenneke’s company sued Andersen Construction, claiming it did shoddy work on his Oxbow 49 apartment building in Johns Landing. The problems stem, in part, from the pressure to work fast and move on to the next job, Brenneke alleged. “I paid Andersen $28 million, and what I got was a bunch of quality-control problems,” he said. Andersen officials in a written statement said “there are different perspectives to every story and since this has moved into legal action we would prefer not to try and litigate this matter in the public nor through the media.” Multi-Family Is Finally Slowing The housing sector has garnered the most headlines in Portland due to skyrocketing prices for renters and buyers, and rock-bottom vacancy rates for apartment-seekers. But that growth is showing signs of slowing, especially at the high end. More Portland apartment buildings are offering incentives to fill up expensive units.
the $85 million project to a large grocer and a hardware store, along with a restaurant and a cider house and other retailers. But the project’s high rents effectively price out many Portland residents and could make the Goat Blocks a lightning rod in the city’s ongoing affordable housing debate. A one-bedroom unit at Goat Blocks rents for $1,600 a month; two-bedrooms are available for $2,500. Rent increases have outpaced wage growth, and Portland’s homeless population has continued to rise. In its spring survey of its members, apartment industry association Multifamily NW found that the Portland area’s average rent is now $1,116 for a one-bedroom apartment. According to data from real estate firm Axiometrics, Portland-area rents have increased nearly 60 percent since 2010. To address the housing shortage, the Portland City Council in December approved an inclusionary zoning policy that required developers of housing projects with 20 or more units to set aside
20 percent of them for low-income residents. But the effort also prompted a rush of building permit applications before the policy took effect Feb. 1. Since then, the flow of such applications has slowed significantly. Greg Goodman, co-president of Portland parking lot owner Downtown Development Group, said the policy has thrown a wrench in the market. “The idea that more supply will drive prices down is kind of a fallacy, because you can’t build old apartments.” He allowed, though, that existing apartments would ease off on rent increases once enough new buildings came online. Developers typically try to make a 5.5 percent return on their investments, he said. If 20 percent of the units rent for cheap, they have to compensate for the lost revenue by raising prices on the remaining units, he explained. So far, Goodman said, this hasn’t penciled out for developers, especially given high construction costs. “I think we would have slowed down anyway, but it’s brought it to a standstill,” he said. With plenty of projects in the pipeline for the next few years, it’s unclear whether Portland will see the effects of the slump in permit applications. Kurt Creager, director of the Portland Housing Bureau, said the long-term negative effects of the policy will be few. “The market will adjust to the new realities in due time,” he wrote in an email, “just as it has elsewhere where similar policies have existed for thirty years [notably Maryland and Virginia] where thousands of affordable dwellings have been produced.” Plus, he said, the city will evaluate the policy by 2020 to ensure that the included property tax waivers and other incentives are sufficient to compel developers to add affordable units. And yet, according to commercial real estate broker HFF, even at the current rate of construction, Portland will be severely underhoused after a decade. “If you look at the last decade, we still haven’t built enough housing to make up for population see PORTLAND page 8
Construction Equipment Guide • Pacific Northwest Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • August 6, 2017 • Page 3
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Page 4 • August 6, 2017 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Pacific Northwest Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Busy Fire Season Closes South-Central Idaho Roads It’s been a busy few weeks; fire season is officially here. It started as soon as a human-caused fire closed Interstate 84 near Glenns Ferry on June 5. As soon as winter snows melted and spring floods subsided, summer dryness hit the lowlands. Recently, a series of small brush fires grew out of control and closed several routes throughout southern Idaho — I-84 near the Utah border; U.S. 26 between Bliss and Shoshone; Idaho Highway 75 north of Shoshone; and U.S. 93 and Idaho Highway 24 near Shoshone. The Antelope Fire originally started off U.S. 26, between Shoshone and Gooding, following a lightning strike in the sagebrush desert of western Lincoln County. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resources struggled to gain control through the night, due to high winds and high temperatures. The fire jumped U.S. 26 several times. The south side of the fire kicked up and made a push on Shoshone. “The winds were blowing at approximately 25 mph, with even higher gusts,” said Kelsey Brizendine, BLM fire information officer. “This caused the fire to make a push at 93, which, thanks to our great partners at ITD, was closed down. This closure
remained in effect for several hours, giving firefighters the space they needed, as well as keeping the public safe.” The Antelope Fire closed U.S. 93, pushed across the highway, closed Idaho 24 and threatened buildings near Shoshone. The fire ended up at burning about 29,493 acres. “This is going to be a busy year,” Brizendine added. “The fuel is thick, dry and the wind makes things hard.” Many areas of Idaho are already under high fire danger due to fuel
Idaho Transportation Department photo
This ITD truck, used to close U.S. 93 at the south entrance to Shoshone during the Antelope Fire on July 10, got coated in fire retardant by an aerial tanker.
Idaho Transportation Department photo
Recently, a series of small brush fires grew out of control and closed several routes throughout southern Idaho.
loads and dry conditions. Many of the initial fires that have affected southern Idaho highways have been caused by humans — only the Antelope Fire was from lightning, giving extra importance to the impact residents and road users have on the travel and public safety. The BLM reminds the public
that whether you are recreating or traveling on the highways or back roads, keep fire prevention in mind and follow these fire prevention tips: On the road: • Keep tires properly inflated. • Grease your wheel bearings. • Tie up trailer safety chains.
• Do not drive or park in tall, dry grass. At the campground: • Have a shovel, bucket, and water nearby. • Make sure your campfire is completely out. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave. Target Shooting: • Check weather conditions. Hot + Dry + Wind = Quick-Spreading Wildfires • Choose a shooting area that is clear of dry grass/vegetation and rocks.
• Always bring water, a fire extinguisher and a shovel. • Discharging a firearm using incendiary, steel core or tracer ammunition is prohibited on BLM lands from May to October 20. • Burning, igniting or causing to burn explosive material, including exploding targets is prohibited on BLM lands from May to October 20. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Full Closure of Washington’s SR 532 Begins in August Travelers have a few weeks to plan ahead for an approximate two-week closure of State Route 532 near Stanwood. Highway users will be detoured onto county roads starting 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, while crews replace a culvert under the highway. Washington State Department of Transportation contractor crews from Strider Construction are building a temporary bypass road to keep traffic moving during this upcoming closure. This bypass will connect Snohomish County’s 268th Street Northwest to SR 532 just east of 72nd Avenue Northwest. Passenger Vehicle Detour During the closure there will be simple detour routes in place for vehicle traffic. • Westbound travelers will take a right on 36th Avenue Northwest then a left on 268th Street Northwest. This will connect travelers back to SR 532 just before the Stanwood Camano Village shopping center via the bypass road. • Eastbound travelers will curve left onto the bypass road from SR 532 just east of 72nd Avenue Northwest onto 268th Street Northwest, then will take a right on 64th Avenue
Northwest and a left back onto SR 532. Uniformed law enforcement will be stationed at a number of these turning points during peak travel times to keep traffic moving. Drivers should note that speed limits along the detour are lower than speeds on SR 532, and just 25 mi. per hour across the new temporary bypass lane. “We know this will add a bit of time to everyone’s commute, including mine,” said Shane Spahr, project engineer. “The detour routes take you through areas with homes, children and pets, so we appreciate everyone planning ahead and respecting speed limits to help keep yourself and others safe.” Truck, Large Vehicle Detour Routes Truck and recreational vehicle traffic will have a longer detour route in place. To reach Stanwood or Camano Island, travelers with vehicles that need a wider turning radius will need to take Interstate 5 to exit 221. Then head west on SR 534 and south on Pioneer Highway to Old Pacific Highway. Trucks and large vehicles leaving the Stanwood Camano Island area will use the same route in reverse. Drivers concerned with making sharp turns on two lane
roads should use the longer detour. These detour routes are available to cyclists, though they may want to consider alternate routes with lower volumes. Work Being Done During the closure, crews will remove a small culvert that is a barrier to fish and replace it with a large box culvert under the highway. This work requires significant excavation for the new culvert to fit in this area. Crews will then rebuild the road; additional stream and landscaping work will be done once the highway reopens. WSDOT has worked for decades to reconnect streams and keep waterways healthy. This work continues that effort and complies with a U.S. District Court ruling on fish passage work. Once complete, this work will improve access to more than 10 mi. of fish habitat for coho and chum salmon and steelhead and cutthroat trout. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Construction Equipment Guide • Pacific Northwest Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • August 6, 2017 • Page 5
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Page 6 • August 6, 2017 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Pacific Northwest Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Oregon OSHA...
Preventing Heat Illness for Workers in Hot Weather As temperatures rise this — and every — monitor the heat; • drink plenty of cool water (one small cup summer, Oregon OSHA encourages employers and workers in construction, agri- every 15 to 20 minutes); • wear light, loose-fitting, and breathable culture and other labor-intensive activities to learn the signs of heat illness and focus on clothing (such as cotton); • take frequent short breaks in cool, shadprevention. The call to address the hazards of working ed areas — allow your body to cool down; • avoid eating large meals before working in high heat is part of a larger heat stress prevention program launched July 11 by in hot environments; and • avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages Oregon OSHA. Under the program, the agency’s enforcement and consultation (these make the body lose water and increase activities will include a review of employers’ the risk of heat illnesses). To help those suffering from heat exhausplans to deal with heat exposure, especially tion: from June 15 through Oct. 1 of each year. • move them to a cool, shaded area — do The prevention program applies to both outdoor job sites and indoor workplaces not leave them alone; • loosen and remove heavy clothing; and where potential heat-related hazards may • provide cool exist. water to drink (a Exposure to heat small cup every can lead to headaches, 15 minutes) if cramps, dizziness, they are not feelfatigue, nausea or ing sick to their vomiting, and even stomach; seizures or death. • try to cool From 2011 to 2016, them by fanning 36 people received them — cool the benefits through skin with a spray Oregon’s workers’ mist of cold water compensation system or a wet cloth; for heat-related illand nesses. • if they do not “Employers and feel better in a workers in Oregon few minutes, call need to be especially 911 for emeraware of the dangers gency help. of working in high Certain medheat,” said Penny Penny Wolf-McCormick ications, wearing Wolf-McCormick, Oregon OSHA personal protechealth enforcement tive equipment manager of Oregon while on the job OSHA. “That’s and a past case of because workers here tend to be used to working in mild weather heat stress create a higher risk for heat illand are frequently not acclimated to this type ness. Heat stroke is a more severe condition than heat exhaustion and can result in death. of heat.” “The focus should be on prevention,” Immediately call for emergency help if you added Wolf-McCormick. “Employers need think the person is suffering from heat to provide drinking water, offer shaded stroke. Employers can calculate the heat index for places for workers to take break and to watch their worksite with the federal OSHA heat for signs of trouble.” Those signs of trouble include headaches, stress app for mobile phones. A number of other tools also are available. cramps, dizziness, fatigue, or nausea. For more information, visit Here are some tips for preventing a heatosha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov. related illness: (This story also can be found on • perform the heaviest, most labor-intensive work during the coolest part of the day; Construction Equipment Guide’s website at • use the buddy system (work in pairs) to www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
“The focus should be on prevention. Employers need to provide drinking water, offer shaded places for workers to take break and to watch for signs of trouble.”
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Construction Equipment Guide • Pacific Northwest Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • August 6, 2017 • Page 7
WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON: WA Seattle, WA Seattle, WA W A 8207 South 8207 South 2216th 16th SStreet treet Kent, Washington Kent, W Wa ashington 998032 8032 206.762.5933 206.762.5933 Manager: Brian Manager: G ar y LBurke abelle glabelle@PacWestMac chiner y.com bburke@PacWestMachinery.com Spokane, WA Spokane, W WA A 4030 Avenue 4030 East East TTrent rent Ave nue Spokane, Washington Spokane, Washington 999202 9202 509.534.5933 509.534.5933 Manager: Manager: JJohn ohn CCushman ushman jcushman@PacWestMachiner y.com jcushman@PacWestMachinery.com
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Heavy Equipment Training Helps Minorities, Fills Labor Gap By Brian Walker ASSOCIATED PRESS
RATHDRUM, Idaho (AP) Michelle Nelson stepped away from operating a skid loader and reflected on her opportunity of a lifetime. “I love being in the dirt,” the 43year-old Coeur d’Alene woman said with a wide smile. That’s quite a shift in gears for someone working as an internet search engine writer. Nelson was among just 19 people chosen from nearly 700 applicants for a free three-week handson heavy equipment operator course that aims to help fill the skilled labor employment gap in the booming construction industry and gives veterans, women and minorities a chance to boost their careers. The course is through the Idaho Transportation Department and is being held at the Kootenai Technical Education Campus. Nelson said being chosen for the
program was a dream come true. “I’m an adrenaline junkie,” she said. “I’m a girl who goes outside to hear a backup beeper and watch equipment. That is hugely powerful. This has been on my bucket list, I went for it and I got it. “I want to be that girl in a big snow plow.” The course, which allows students to operate several pieces of equipment including an excavator, backhoe, grader, roller, forklift and dozer, is funded with a $198,000 Ladders of Opportunity grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation. Eight states were awarded the grants after 40 applied. “It helps get people into the construction industry who wouldn’t normally be in it,” said Russ Rivera, a contract compliance officer with ITD. “It targets groups who are disadvantaged, underemployed or not employed.” Rivera said the demand for skilled workers in construction is huge. “Contractors have come to us
about the need for skilled labor, so rather than pointing fingers at people we’re trying to solve a problem and went to the federal government for help,” Rivera said. The employment gap also has caused a ripple effect to ITD, said Jake Melder, ITD’s public affairs specialist. “This made it difficult for us to get jobs completed,” Melder said. Much like an NFL combine, contractors are invited to watch how students operate construction equipment during the course. The hands-on approach to hiring, a partnership between ITD, KTEC, the Idaho Department of Labor and the Associated General Contractors of America, is part of a cultural shift for ITD, Melder said. “Rather than sitting in front of an interview panel, applicants are placed in real-world work scenarios and experience day-to-day job functions,” he said. “If the contractor likes what they see, they are welcome to hire new employees on the spot.”
Ruts, Cracks, Potholes...
WSDOT Plans to Revive Two Miles of SR 169 in Renton Not since Frasier won Emmys, Soundgarden Grammys and Forest Gump Oscars, has the Maple Valley Highway (State Route 169) in Renton seen new pavement. Since that time, the number of vehicles using this stretch of road between Cedar River Park and 140th Avenue Southeast has grown to 42,000 each day. Like other ‘90s trends, fresh asphalt is making a comeback. After more than 20 years, work to revitalize the cracked and rutted highway began July 6. Contractor crews from Lakeside Industries Inc. working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will resurface nearly 2 mi. of SR 169. In addition to roadwork, sidewalk improvements will help people crossing the nearby intersections. Smoother Drive, Safer Walk • The top 2 in. of highway asphalt will be removed and resurfaced. This work will
Bert Rohrbach, a heavy equipment instructor, said the course isn’t intended to replace work experience, but he called it “a marriage of academics and exposure to hands-on training.” Students also receive flagger certification, training in signaling and first-aid skills. “We’re opening doors,” he said. “Our teaching style is not to wash them out, but to hold the bar high and help them get there.” Student Tony Kuntz, of Coeur d’Alene and a Navy veteran who is unemployed, said he’s already seeing doors open. When a hazardous materials business owner recently struck up a conversation with him at a gas station and the man learned Kuntz was enrolled in the course, he asked Kuntz to contact him for a possible job opportunity when he’s finished. Kuntz said he was a welder’s helper making $10 an hour in his previous job. He’s now looking to at least double that wage as a result
of taking the course. “It’s changing my life,” he said. “I have never been certified before.” The course has given Dusty Hansen, of Salmon, Idaho, an opportunity to train on newer equipment after he was laid off as an ammunition builder about a month ago. “I found out on the day that I came up here that my girlfriend is pregnant with our first child,” Hansen said. “This will help me get a job, further myself and provide for the family.” Nelson said she can’t wait to hit the male-dominated heavy equipment trail. “I may not be perfect, but this gives me the confidence to get on any piece of machinery and figure it out,” she said. For more information, visit cdapress.com. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Portland Needs Workers PORTLAND from page 2
gains and household formation,” said Josh Lehner, an Oregon state economist. While multi-family has seen strong growth, the total number of units is close to what it was in the ’90s, he said. “We’ve certainly built a lot of really eliminate wheel ruts, cracks and potholes expensive studios,” he said. “We’ve started that can collect water and reduce traction. • Upgrades to 15 sidewalk ramps will to saturate the high-end market.” make it easier for people crossing the street. Exit Strategy • Work will take place during the day, Another powerful force could counteract Mondays through Fridays, and overnight the apparent residential slowdown and each night, except Fridays. encourage even more development. Some of • Drivers should plan for backups and the world’s most deep-pocketed Institutional investors have “discovered” Portland and are delays while crews are working. eager to buy in. These investment bankers and pension Know Before You Go fund managers have trillions of dollars to • For more information on scheduled lane invest. Developers lucky enough to attract reductions and detours, visit the King their attention are making small fortunes. The Yard apartment building at the east County construction page. • Check the Seattle traffic website for trav- end of the Burnside Bridge took all sorts of heat from critics who thought it was too big, el times and alerts. The $3.5 million project will wrap up in too dark, too monolithic. But the developers had the last laugh. They had barely leased fall 2017. half the Yard’s 284 units late last spring (This story also can be found on when a Thai investment trust swooped in Construction Equipment Guide’s website at with an offer to buy the building for an eyewww.constructionequipmentguide.com.) popping $126 million.
The developers, who spent $84 million on the project, quickly accepted. Seattle-based Urban Renaissance sold the former home of The Oregonian/OregonLive in April for $95 million, six times its purchase price for the downtown Portland building. Recently, Specht Development sold the sprawling Northeast Portland warehouse it built just two years ago for $56 million. Both deals were record-high purchase prices in Portland, noted Chris Nelson, of Capstone Partners, testament to institutional investors’ new regard for the region. And yet, industry veterans who’ve lived through the collapse of other bullish cycles, can’t help but be wary. “Everyone agrees the party has been going on a long time,” said Jim Link, general manager and executive vice president of Skanska USA Building in Portland. “I’ve been predicting that this cycle will end for two years.” Every time, the market has proved him wrong. For more information, visit oregonlive.com. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Construction Equipment Guide • Pacific Northwest Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • August 6, 2017 • Page 9
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Page 10 • August 6, 2017 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Pacific Northwest Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Sequoia’s Move Allows for St. Luke’s Hospital Expansion SEQUOIA from page 1
“For us it was never a question of saving the tree. We knew the historical significance. We knew the significance to Idaho and to St. Luke’s. We’re just really pleased how well the whole operation went. Now that we know the connection to John Muir, that just solidified the fact that we did the right thing to preserve this tree. It would not have survived if we’d tried building around it.” Work to move the sequoia began last fall when workers conducted a “root investigation,” said Cox. “We used a high-pressure air hose to open up areas of soil to see what we were dealing with. We determined there was no significant roots outside the 40-foot diameter root ball. We made a fourfoot deep root cut and put in a root barrier at the same time, then covered it all back up. We started hydrating it and we were trying to give the tree time to rest.” In June, Cox and his crew returned. They opened up the root cut and saw the new roots they’d hoped for. They encapsulated the root ball again with burlap to keep it wet and encaged it with field fence. They used plywood to build a structural floor and keep soil wall rigid. “It’s like picking up big wedding cake,” Cox said. “If you don’t have that piece of cardboard, you can’t lift the cake.” Next, they installed a double
layer of 7-in. pipe on 10 in. centers with 4-in. pipe in between to construct a closed bottom so no soil could escape. On top of the pipe, they laid a beam and sewed the pipe together with 5-in. chain for rigidity on both sides. “Once we had that we started putting in our arbor lift bags,” Cox said. “These are giant air bags about 44-feet-long. They look like a giant hot dog. We typically inflate only at 18 psi. Tires on cars are typically at 35-40 psi. As we inflate, the tree just kind of comes out of the ground. We inflated two bags and added another and another until eventually there were six bags under the tree, and we were ready to tow the tree. The first initial move is the most difficult as you are towing 800,000 pounds up the soil ramp we made. We underinflate the front bags and overinflate the rear, so we’re coming up that slope by making a cheese wedge so it rolls up hill. Just one of the tricks of the trade. Once we got onto grade now we’re on level ground. We had the tree on grade on Friday.” On Saturday, crews took all the soil from the original location to build a bed of soil in the new location in Fort Boise Park. By using the exact soil the tree grew in, they The sequoia was originally a gift from Emile Grandjean, a conservationist, to Dr. Fred and Alice Pittenger. The seedling was a gift from John Muir.
Crews took all the soil from the original location to build a bed of soil in the new location in Fort Boise Park.
eliminate pH and drainage issues. “Once it was in position, we put in wells beneath the tree, dug down to water bearing sand and perforated the ground so we know it can drain,” Cox said. “We drilled down to the sand and put in sewer pipe and connected it in four different spots so that as the tree is watered any water can run through the soil and into ground water and never accumulate. And then we backfilled it with salvaged soil, and then we put in an irrigation system, series of irrigation heads that spray into the tree. And then I put another line up into the top of the tree, goes up 100 feet. It has a little sprinkler head that comes on every afternoon for one and a-half hours. We wanted to give it every advantage possible.” Cox and his team will check on the sequoia and monitor its health for the next five years. If cared for properly, it could live another three to five hundred years, Cox said. “The community really does have a historical artifact. They’ll all have ownership of this tree from now until here forward.” (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
CEG
Cox and his team will check on the sequoia and monitor its health for the next five years. If cared for properly, it could live another three to five hundred years.
Construction Equipment Guide • Pacific Northwest Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • August 6, 2017 • Page 11
Efficiency & High Performance.
Page 12 • August 6, 2017 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Pacific Northwest Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
The LH50M Industry material handler represents efficiency and high performance. The standard Liebherr regenerative power system assures maximum handling while, at the same time, achieving lower fuel consumption. Quiet operation with the highest payload is guaranteed by the large, sturdy undercarriage. The attachment of the machine is available in a variety of versions and is thus always optimally matched to your respective application.
18060 Des Moines Memorial Dr. Seattle, WA 98148 3909 NW Fruit Valley Rd Vancouver, WA 98660