UPCOMING UTCA EVENTS
- October 29, 2019 Fall Sporting Clay Shoot
Lehigh Valley, PA
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J. FLETCHER CREAMER SR. NAMED
TO NEW JERSEY HALL OF FAME
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
Each year the State of New Jersey selects a small group of people to become members of the prestigious New Jersey Hall of Fame. These are people, past and present, who have contributed through the arts and culture, science and medicine, business and law and athletic achievement and public service. They have influenced and inspired many through their actions and deeds.
J. Fletcher Creamer, Sr. is one of those special people who have made countless contributions through his entrepreneurial spirit, his tenure and profound influence as a member of numerous public associations, construction industry associations and philanthropic commitments. Mr. Creamer, who passed in 2012, was a giant personality who demanded respect and in turn respected his business partners, employees, friends and those with political aspirations. "Fletch", as he was known, gave his time to many worthwhile events, organizations and business endeavors without hesitation.
The induction ceremony will be held on October 27th at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Click here
to purchase tickets.
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2019 CONVENTION KEYNOTE SPEAKER MARK NUTSCH DRAWS LARGEST LUNCH CROWD EVER
Responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Captain Nutsch led a heroic U.S. Army Special Forces 12-man team (ODA-595), into Northern Afghanistan. Advising and uniting the armed resistance leadership against the Taliban and al Qaeda, they spearheaded unconventional warfare operations while mounted on horseback, fighting alongside their allies and overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve a historic victory. The
“Campaign for Mazar-e Sharif”
resulted in the liberation of Northern Afghanistan within a matter of weeks and was the catalyst for the collapse of the Taliban Regime. This is considered one of the most successful unconventional warfare campaigns in modern history, a victory that inspired our nation, changed the course of a country and the world.
Mark’s “Horse Soldiers” are the design inspiration of the “America’s Response Monument,” a tribute to our Special Operations Forces and Intelligence Community. Featured in books, museums and as a guest speaker with Keppler Speaker’s Bureau, Mark and the 595 team are featured in the Emmy nominated documentary film
Legion of Brothers
. Mark is portrayed by actor Chris Hemsworth in the 2018 feature film entitled
12 Strong.
Mark and his business partners, now retired from active military service, operate a craft distillery brand, American Freedom Distillery, featuring their authentic, all-American, and award-winning Horse Soldier Bourbon.
For more information about Horse Soldier Bourbon products and history, please see the YouTube link below as there are some very cool videos on the brand's history, bottles and some more recent adventures, like a trip to Normandy France to participate in the 75th Anniversary of D-Day! It was an honor to lead the Airborne Re-enactment of US Special Forces veterans to honor our WWII Special Operations veterans of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).
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Mark Nutsch, left, presents a bottle of Horse Soldier Bourbon to Dave Smith.
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UTCA SUBMITS COMMENTS
ON DRAFT ENERGY MASTER PLAN
UTCA recently submitted industry-focused comments on Governor Murphy’s Draft Energy Master Plan (“EMP”) and signed on to a broader business coalition letter focused on over-arching procedural and technical issues.
Those comments letters can be found
here.
If adopted, the EMP will serve as his Administration’s blueprint for numerous energy initiatives as they seek to achieve a 100% clean energy economy. To achieve this aggressive goal, the EMP takes direct aim at the transportation and building sectors. The EMP proposes the electrification of the transportation and building sectors with energy production coming from renewable resources without any discussion of the short or long term costs to ratepayers and/or taxpayers. Please reach out to Dan Kennedy, Director of Environmental & Utility Operations, via email at
kennedy@utcanj.org
with any additional comments or concerns.
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UTCA, ACEC-NJ and TRANSPORTATION
AGENCY REPS MEET WITH DEP
On Monday October 7
th
, working with the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey, the UTCA spearheaded a meeting between members of the NJ Transportation Agency Partnership (NJTAP) and leadership from the NJDEP. The group discussed opportunities to collaborate to streamline DEP permitting for needed projects that promote public safety and meet the shared mission of environmental stewardship. Representatives from the following state transportation agencies participated:
- NJDOT
- NJ Turnpike Authority
- South Jersey Transportation Authority
- NJ Transit
- Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
- Port Authority
Specific areas identified for future work included creating consistency with the Statewide Maintenance Permit, stormwater compliance, wetlands mitigation requirements, and LSRP program requirements through the Site Remediation Program. The group will meet again before the end of the year and will report out on progress. Please reach out to Dan Kennedy, Director of Environmental & Utility Operations via email at
kennedy@utcanj.org
with input related to this effort.
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GOVERNOR MURPHY ANNOUNCED $500M BOND AS PART OF 10-YEAR PLAN TO REMEDIATE LEAD
Governor Murphy last week announced his intentions to place a $500 million dollar bond issue on the ballot next November to fund a 10-year lead remediation effort in New Jersey. While details are sparse, the plan identifies policy actions across multiple state departments and agencies to comprehensively address lead exposure due to lead-based paint, lead service lines and plumbing, and contaminated soil.
The $500M bond is a good start, but DEP testified in April that NJ will need just over $2 billion to cover the full cost of lead service line replacements alone. The good news is that the gravity of the lead crisis has spurred other levels of government to act, bringing several other funding resources to bear.
Federally, President Trump recently signed into law the Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act, authored by NJ Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez. The bill would give states the flexibility to make a one-time transfer from their Clean Water SRF to their Drinking Water SRF for projects that will remove lead from drinking water. Transfers are capped at $100 million, but this flexibility would better prepare our state for a meaningful response to communities in crisis. UTCA will be working with our congressional delegation in the coming months to expand this concept by removing the "one-time" cap on transfers.
In addition to the bond and the transfer allowance, New Jersey's own Infrastructure Bank is poised to access a new pot of federal dollars through access to WIFIA funds. UTCA has been working to pass legislation that would free up an additional $135M annually by enabling I-Bank to apply directly for low-cost loans through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. We are actively pushing for this measure to pass before the new year.
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NJ DOT ISSUES NEW ADVISORIES
TDCs MASH Requirements
The New Jersey Department of Transportation recently issued a Construction Advisory informing the industry that it will it now implement the AASHTO/FHWA agreement to follow the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) for all Traffic Control Devices (TCDs) on Department projects. For the NJDOT to be eligible for Federal-Aid funding, the Department must adopt these requirements. Due to the impact to the industry, the NJDOT will phase in the new Traffic Control Devices.
Further implementation information and a list of TCDs are noted on the NJDOT Construction Advisory Number 45 dated September 23, 2019. To access this Advisory, please
CLICK HERE
.
Tack Sampling
Due to an unusual increase of Tack sample failures last fall, the NJDOT has issued a new Tack Sampling procedure for its Construction Procedure Handbook. In addition, the Department was considering implementing a “remove and replace” order in instances where Tack samples fail. In response to the failing Tack samples that occurred last fall, the industry held a Tack Sample Seminar which featured educating the industry on the proper procedures to be followed when taking tack samples, as well as having demonstrations on the process.
The new Construction Procedure Handbook Tack sampling procedure can be accessed by
CLICKING HERE.
New Larger Mile Markers
The NJ DOT has asked UTCA to inform its members that the Department has a new specification for
all
Mile Marker signs on its highway system. The Department recently completed its initiative to replace all Mile Marker signs with new larger signs. The NJDOT informed UTCA that the improper (older version) Mile Maker signs continue to be placed by contractors on projects. The Department is reminding the industry that it has a new Mile Marker specification that must be adhered to when replacing Mile Marker signs.
CLICK HERE
for the new Mile Marker sign specification.
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CIAP INTERNSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP CAREER FAIR
CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION AVAILABLE
Looking for 2020 summer interns? Join us in Edison on January 8th for the 18th Annual CIAP Career Fair! The Career Fair will run from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with set-up beginning at 8:00 am. Participation in January gives you the opportunity to interview highly qualified and pre-screened Civil Engineering & Construction Technology students looking to enter the construction industry. The CIAP internship/scholarship program is also a proactive tool for workforce development, providing contractors with a great opportunity to test out student's skills and work product in real-life scenarios. Click the logo below for more information.
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2020 INDUSTRY DIRECTORY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
HAS BEGUN
The advertising campaign for the UTCA 2020 Industry Directory is underway. This edition will be the same size and format as the previous version with all ads in color. The book will be distributed to all UTCA members in January/February.
For more information please click
here
.
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DECEMBER MAGAZINE
The December Issue of the
Utility & Transportation Contractor
magazine will feature
Creamer Environmental
25 Years in Construction
and
C & H Agency
Celebrating 50 Years in Business
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SEND US YOUR JOB STORY
UTCA staff is working on content for future issues of the
Utility & Transportation Contractor
. We are looking for job stories to include in each issue. Big, small or in between, we'd like our readers to know about your project. For more information please contact Helene Nasdeo by email:
Helene@utcanj.org
or phone (732) 292-4300.
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Interport Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary
Interport Maintenance Co., Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 9.
Since 1969, Interport has been a leader in the shipping container industry, offering a large selection of new and used containers to customers throughout New Jersey and the Eastern USA. A UTCA member for the past 15 years, Interport provides container solutions for a variety of applications in transportation, construction, and utility work. Interport exhibits each year at UTCA’s Annual Convention. “Through our involvement with UTCA, Interport has forged long-standing relationships with scores of valued vendors and customers,” said Steven J. Bernstein, Owner/CEO of Interport. “These relationships, bolstered by our deep industry knowledge, technical expertise, and commitment to continuous improvement, form the foundation of Interport’s success,” he continued.
What was once a modest maintenance and repair depot has grown to a 50-acre, full-service container yard with a dedicated on-site modification facility. Interport has continually upgraded its operation and its organization, which currently employs 60 people boasting hundreds of years’ combined experience in every aspect of the container business. From IT to logistics to project management, Interport’s crew is truly multi-talented. “We proudly employ and empower a diverse team of exceptional individuals committed to providing our customers superior products, services, and solutions,” Bernstein stated.
Interport places a special emphasis on its container modifications. “In 2016 we invested in our modification business by building a new facility. That business has grown from scratch four years ago to become a game changer for Interport. Our infrastructure and in-house capabilities allow us to deliver increasingly sophisticated products to an ever-expanding portfolio of customers. In modifications, Interport currently employs a Director of Production, three Shop Managers, a Senior Engineer, and a staff of 30 technicians working across two shifts,” commented Mark Breznak, President/COO.
For 50 years Interport has served the needs of a discerning clientele in intermodal transportation. With its renewed focus on growth in container sales and modifications the Newark-based company looks forward to producing and delivering value-added containerized solutions for the next 50 years.
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Professional Engineers in Construction of NJ
Design/Build – It is coming.
Don’t make the light at the end of the Tunnel be a Train
A discussion of legal issues associated with design build
projects in NY, NJ, and PA.
By: Michael F. McKenna, J. D., Partner at Cohen Seglias
DATE:
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Location: The Pines Manor, Rt. 27, Edison, NJ
TIME:
Cocktails 6:00 P.M. Dinner-6:45 P.M.
Earn 1.0 Professional Development Hour (PDH)
NJ, NY &
PA
Certificates will be available at the
registration desk after the Presentation.
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Laborers Local 172's John Bohme (left) and 472's Joe Scerbo (right) stand in front of One Call Concepts New 811 Trike. Designed by Paul Jr. Designs team. To learn more about the trike please
click here
.
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UTCA Partnership Programs
UTCA partners with carefully selected companies to bring
our
members exclusive discounts. Please read about one of them below. The savings that your UTCA Membership includes can be found by logging into on our
website
.
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DELTA DENTAL ADDED COVERAGE!
Delta Dental added coverage for implants and coverage for students up to age 26 with no rate increase! Effective October 1, 2019 Delta Dental will be offering three new programs for our members. These new programs will be known as; Bronze, Silver and Gold and will offer enhanced benefits at a competitive cost. Current dental plan members will be pleasantly surprised to find that the cost of the program will go down and the benefits will increase. While the new plans offer significant improvements, the old plans will remain available as an option for any employer currently enrolled.
Additionally, the renewal for the current plans has been extended from April 2020 to January 2021. This means that current plan rates would remain in effect for 21 months without an increase in premium. These program enhancements will benefit the UTCA’s members now and in the future.
CLICK HERE
for more information about Delta Dental for your Firm.
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PO Box 728 Allenwood, NJ 08720 Phone: (732) 292-4300 Fax: (732) 292-4310
Copyright © 2016 Utility and Transportation Contractors Association
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