RECOVERY WEEK EXPANDS TO LAS VEGAS

Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions Recovery Night

On Wednesday, February 28, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions hosted their 1st Annual Building Trades Recovery Night in partnership with BTEA Northeast and Hinge Health. Tom Gunning joined the group to speak to the importance of prioritizing mental wellness and combating substance use disorder in our industry. NY Giants Tight End and Recovery advocate, Darren Waller addressed the group followed by a Q&A with LV Raiders Defensive End Maxx Crosby and Tom on the power of recovery, breaking the stigma and how we all can work together to end this epidemic.

Be on the lookout: We will announce our 4th Annual BTEA Building Trades Recovery Week dates and programming in the coming weeks.

UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS & TRAINING

March is filled with member events and trainings. We hope to see you there!

March 7 | 8AM to 12PM

Strategic Selling with Eric Anderton

March 7 | 1PM to 4PM

How to Overcome Barriers & Achieve High Performance with Eric Anderton

March 7 | 11:30AM

Women in Construction Week

Please join us for a lunch & learn with special guest speaker, Angie Simon – 1st female SMACNA President and President of Western Allied Mechanical. 

March 21 | 8AM to 12PM

Effective Project Teams with Andrew Patron

SMACNA Boston Chapter Members Exclusive

March 27 | 3PM to 6PM

BTEA & AGC MA Executive Meeting

Join BTEA Northeast and the AGC MA Labor Relations Division for a networking event aimed at increasing connections and collaborations across our associations. 

March 28 | 8AM to 12PM

Growing & Developing Supervisors with Kevin Dougherty

April 4 | 8AM to 12PM

Change Order Management with Stephane McShane

Access the full 2024 Winter & Spring Education Courses Schedule here.

Want to learn more about BTEA’s Executive Education program? Please reach out to Jenn for our current offerings (Jenn@btea.com). 

MEMBER UPDATES

BTEA Women's Group Partners with Big Sister Boston

We will support their New Girls Network - a group of female corporate, non-profit, and public sector leaders who have assembled with the purpose of providing advice and counsel to women at various career stages, in the interest of advancing the professional futures of female leaders.

Our Women's Group will be actively involved in "Big Sister on the Move" this year. If you would like to get involved in the mentorship program, please reach out to Jeanne Tempesta (jtempesta@btea.com) to learn more.

BTEA Celebrates Women in Construction Week

The Women's Group of BTEA has been featured in a full-page article as part of High-Profile Media's Women in Construction Supplement. Thank you to the wonderful women that make up this group and a special thank you to our Women's Group President, Sandra Meninno, and Group Administrator, Jeanne Tempesta, who ensure it runs smoothly throughout the year. Read More

TSG Scholarship Fund is Now Open

The Thomas S. Gunning Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications for the 2024 academic year. To learn more about the fund, download and submit your application, please visit: TSG Scholarship Fund

NEWS

Boston Projected To Face $1B Tax Shortfall From Struggling Office Market

Office values are expected to fall roughly 30% by 2029, leading the city to lose a total of roughly $1.5B in revenues over the next five years. Commercial properties are expected to see an overall 18% decrease in valuation. Read More

MA Clean Energy Center Completes $30 Million Deal for Salem Port Land To Help Build Wind Farms

The MA Clean Energy Center has acquired land for its second terminal for offshore wind farm construction by completing a $30 million purchase this week of 42 acres on Salem Harbor. MassCEC’s board has approved an additional $35 million for upgrades such as dredging, pile-driving, and electrical work, and the project also won a nearly $34 million federal grant. Read More

Zoning Reform May Be Good Policy — But It's Dangerous Politics

Mayor Wu’s plan would shift the city from a traditional “use-based” code, concerned with how buildings function — as an office, home, or warehouse — to a new “form-based” code focused more on how big and tall they can be. Wu and real estate developers agree that zoning reform is long overdue, but many, both in industry and city politics, also warn that rezoning is a political minefield. Read More

Proposals & Projects We're Watching

Wentworth Expands Campus Development Plans: Updated plans for Wentworth Institute of Technology’s ongoing transformation of its 31-acre campus includes six building projects – a 5-story academic building in the West Quad for the School of Architecture and Design, and a 13-story dorm at 630 Huntington Ave. Read More

A Library in the Fenway? Newly Approved Lab Project Pledges to Build One: The BPDA board approved a $600 million project in the Fenway area that could house the neighborhood’s first public library. As part of the Boylston Street development, the firm is also committing $12 million to design and build a 5,000 SF civic building that could serve as a neighborhood branch of the Boston Public Library, along with a new park that will connect to Samuels’ other green space in the neighborhood. Read More

2nd Life Science Building Proposed at South Boston Innovation Campus: Beacon Capital has filed a Notice of Project Change for the South Boston Innovation Campus regarding the planned Building 2 on the site. Building 2 would include a mix of office/lab space, one level of below-grade parking, and a small retail space. Per the filing, the specific type and mix of office, lab, and R&D uses will be determined in response to evolving market conditions. Read More

LEGISLATION

Permitting Review Begins for Downtown Boston Conversion Proposal

The city’s permitting review process has begun for the first of a series of planned conversions of downtown Boston office buildings into residential space. The cost of making the small office buildings into apartments was estimated at $36 million. Read More

Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Highlights the Need for Transparency in the Article 80 Development Review Process

Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta introduced a hearing order regarding ongoing efforts to reform Article 80 in Boston’s Zoning Code. Read More

FAST FACTS

• U.S. construction costs saw an average increase of 4% in 2023. Those costs are anticipated to increase by 3-6% in 2024.
• Funding for construction technology startups dropped to $3 billion last year from $5.4 billion in 2022, or 44%.
• CPI, excluding the volatile food and energy categories, rose from December to January by the most in eight months. Compared with a year earlier, they were up 3.9 percent, the same as the previous month. 
• MA was the 49th-ranked state for growth last year, according to a January U-Haul study that tracked move-ins and move-outs. A United Van Lines report put it among the seven states with the most net out-migration in 2023, with 56% of the state's moves being outbound. 
• The American Bankers Association’s headline Credit Condition Index (CCI) jumped to 19.2 from the 4.5 recorded in the 4th quarter last year. 

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