A new government center facility in Vacaville was dedicated last month and named in honor of former county supervisor and Vacaville mayor William J. Carroll, the first Solano County building named in honor of an individual. Photo courtesy of Turner Construction The new William J. Carroll government center. Carroll contributed 36 years of public service and was an active supporter of health care. The 38,864-sq-ft facility features a public health clinic; a dental clinic; employment and eligibility services; mental health services; women, infants and children services; special inspection bureau; substance abuse services; public health nurse; child welfare services; and older

Though specialty contractor firms in California and across the nation have been buffeted by severe market and financial pressures, Cupertino Electric Inc. (CEI) is expanding.

After weathering several years of revenue declines, staff cutbacks and shrinking margins, California specialty contractors say they are finally seeing rays of hope, especially in some regions along the coast.

When the space shuttle Endeavour leaves its current home at a United Airlines hanger at Los Angeles International Airport at 6 a.m. on Oct. 12 for a 12-mi trip to its final destination at the California Science Center in Exposition Park, hundreds of hours of work will be on display, above and below, along the route. Rendering courtesy of the California Science Center The shuttle atop its transporter. Photo courtesy of NASA The Endeavour flew 25 space missions since 1992. The $200-million project (dubbed Mission 26 by the center; the shuttle flew 25 missions into space since 1992) is part

Tilden-Coil Constructors broke ground recently in Santa Ana on a luxury apartment complex called The Marke @ South Coast Metro. Image courtesy of Lyon Communities The Marke The developer on the project, which is scheduled for completion next year, is Lyon Communities, Newport Beach. The architect is COE Architecture International, Culver City.The mixed-use complex will feature 300 apartments, ranging in size from 720 to 1,470 sq ft and includes 2,551 sq ft of retail space.The nearly full acre of rooftop amenities include a resort-style pool and spa with multiple entertainment areas and private cabanas, an outdoor sports bar, and 7,600-sq-ft

The 38 winners, along with an Overall Best Project winner, reviewed by a panel of judges, will be featured in the Dec. 3, 2012 issue of ENR California. The winners will also be honored at the annual Best Projects breakfast, scheduled for Dec. 6, 2012, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Related Links: ENR: Facebook's Open Data Center ENR: Building Digitally Provides Cost Efficiencies Lots of firms bandy the word "innovation" about but never actually introduce something new. One California-based general contractor, however, has hit the mark. What's more, DPR Construction, Redwood City, actually has an innovation program manager in charge of the effort.The construction firm, which has 16 offices nationwide, has joined innovation and technology to create a defining movement: Its goal from inception is to rebuild the building industry.Created in 1990 by three construction veterans—Doug Woods, Peter Nosler and Ron Davidowski, the DPRs of the firm's name—it has become

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has pulled its financial support of 17 Central Valley levee system rehabilitation projects due to deficiencies in state and local maintenance planning and inadequate inspection efforts. The 17 levee systems, which are located in or near the cities of Sacramento, Stockton and Gustine, and the census-designated places (CDPs) of Chester and Knights Landing, are part of a 2009 inspection plan for 118 systems agreed to by California entities and its representative, the California Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and the Corps called the California Central Valley Flood System Improvement Framework. Through the framework, the

The Port of Los Angeles has issued a Request for Qualifications for the redevelopment of Ports O’Call Village, located along the port’s main channel and adjacent to downtown San Pedro and the Harbor Freeway (I-110). Photo courtesy of Port of Los Angeles Ports O'Call Village The RFQs are due Sept. 21. A developer will be chosen in late 2012, according to Phillip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles, with transactional approval by the Harbor Commission in 2013. Construction should start next year as well. Sanfield said the leases for the businesses at Ports O’Call are scheduled to

Two whistleblower allegations regarding Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s (PG&E) pipeline welding work were dismissed Sept. 5 following an investigation by the Consumer Protection and Safety Division of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Photo courtesy of PG&E Post natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno in 2010. Related Links: Read the CPUC Investigation Report According to a CPUC statement, commission staff found “no instances in which welds were not inspected in compliance with federal and state gas pipeline safety regulations.”CPUC staff launched the investigation in February when the United Association of Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, and Steamfitters Local Union Nos.