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Gov. Mitch Daniels on Thursday hired on two old hands for the job of getting more minorities into construction jobs in Northwest Indiana.Ivy Tech Community College and the Indiana Plan, a union-supported construction trainer, will be in charge of pre-apprentice programs meant to right a history of exclusion for minorities in some construction trades. "We are entering into a building boom the like of which the state has never seen," Daniels said to a packed room at the Gary WorkOne."This is a time of tremendous opportunity for young people and maybe some not-so-young people."The governor listed projects that will provide those jobs, including Cabela's, in Hammond; Bass Pro Shops, in Portage; casino projects in Northwest Indiana; and the centerpiece, $12 billion in Major Moves road construction.Daniels has been touting those projects to supportive crowds in frequent swings around the state as Election Day approaches.But at the WorkOne, the Republican governor faced tough questions on whether or not the new training program, called Major Opportunities, will deliver on its promises.Al Mays, who works in the Renaissance Program, a prisoner rehabilitation program, wanted to know if people with a felony in their past will get an equal chance to participate."And how will we be sure it's fair?" Mays said, "because historically the trades have a record of not being fair to minorities and in particular felons."All you had to do was look out the front window of the WorkOne at the construction project on Grant Street to see that minorities often have little representation, said Dwight Gardener, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference, in Gary.State Sen.
People with Property Development Finance should be able to avoid cowboy builders, thanks to a new guide to the costs of building and repair work.Launched by the Building Information Service, part of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), the Property Makeover Price Guide aims to help property developers budget the cost of repairs and home improvements.Spokesman for Rics, Joe Martin, says that the guide should safeguard against being over charged for work by tradesmen."If you want to know how to employ skilled labourers to undertake work on your property safely and legally for a fair price you will not be disappointed," he says."Knowledge is power and we expect this guide to demystify construction and help drive the cowboy builders out of town."The guide was launched at the Autumn Ideal Home Show and contains the cost of over 1,300 jobs.
MAJOR players in the construction sector promised Thursday to deal firmly with developers who continued to alter building plans after being approved by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). The assurance came at a meeting involving Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie and the leaders of the Jamaica Developers Association (JDA), Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ), the Realtors Association and the National Environmental Planning Agency (NEPA), at the KSAC on Church Street. The mayor called the meeting following concerns by the council that there was a growing trend among developers of ignoring building plans approved by the KSAC, and proceeding to construct unapproved units. McKenzie told the meeting that the breach was not only a blatant act of disregard for the KSAC, but also an attempt to deceive members of the public interested in buying the housing units.
"The performance of the construction industry in the past twelve months has again exceeded expectations" the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Dick Roche, TD, said today. "The outlook remains positive with the immediate trend being towards further growth. All keys sectors of the industry are now performing strongly. While house building continues to be the pace-setter, commercial development and public investment are also performing strongly. In particular the strong investment in industrial, office and retail development signals a growing level of confidence which augurs well for the economy as a whole and indicates that Government policies are having the desired effect". The Minister was speaking at the launch of the Review of the Construction Industry 2005 and Outlook 2006-2008 produced by DKM Economic Consultants. The report, which is produced annually, is an independent economic assessment commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
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