Building Trades News

$418-Million Pier 400 Terminal Would Help Region Meet Demand for Foreign Oil

By Beige Luciano-Adams
Contributing Writer

As domestic crude production continues its inevitable decline, developers of the Pier 400 project inch closer to building the region's first new marine oil terminal in 30 years.
Several hurdles remain before a final entitlement will allow Pacific L.A. Marine Terminal LLC to begin construction on its proposed crude oil terminal at the Port of Los Angeles (POLA). But David Wright, Vice President of parent company Plains All American Pipeline, LP (PAA, formerly Pacific Energy), remains optimistic.

"We're real excited about it," says Wright of the Pier 400 project, Berth 408. "We're looking forward to working with everyone, and anxious to get started."
With design and construction costs estimated at more than $418 million, the ambitious project will be the first new petroleum terminal built in the region in 30 years – and all under union contract.

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved an historic Project Labor Agreement between the LA/OC Building Trades Council and the LA Community Redevelopment Agency, on Oct. 29. The LA/CRA approved the final agreement last month, setting the stage for the City Council vote, the final step in the process.

The PLA is expected to cover an estimated $10 billion in various projects that would be awarded, invested in and approved by the LA/CRA.  These projects would be undertaken over a 10-year period and would be built in every community throughout Los Angeles. The Project Labor Agreement would cover not only public works projects awarded by the LA/CRA, but also developers' projects where the agency provides financial support.

Belmont Neighborhood Returns to Traditional Semester Schedule, Neighborhood School

Hundreds of students, community activists, educators, and elected officials attended the ribbon cutting celebration for the Royal Learning Center on Oct. 18. The new high school is an important piece of LAUSD's $20 billion school construction program that will relieve overcrowding and return all students to neighborhood schools that operate on a traditional two-semester academic calendar.

The 104-classroom, 309,000 sq-ft campus will serve 2,808 students in an open, college campus-like setting. The Roybal Learning Center consists of small "learning communities" and pilot schools. A separate building on campus will accommodate a library, cafeteria, auditorium, and a parent-teacher center. A large gymnasium with locker rooms, outdoor athletic facilities and a joint-use artificial turf soccer field are also included on the campus.

Pro-Labor Obama Administration Sent to Washington, Over $50 Billion in Public Works Projects Approved

By Roy San Filippo
Staff Writer

The Building Trades won a series of back-to-back victories Nov. 4. In one historic night, a pro-labor pro-worker administration was elected to Washington, DC and several local and state ballot measures were approved for crucial infrastructure construction projects.

Voters approved over $50 billion in combined funding for roads, highways, bridges, high speed and light rail, as well as Los Angeles schools and community colleges. In addition, President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to invest $150 billion a year in rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. The public works money couldn't have come at a better time for the Building Trades. The financial and credit crisis has led to a significant slowdown in privately funded construction projects. Many projects have been delayed or put on hold.

Ullico’s CEO Mark Singleton Says Expect Tough Times in Near Future, But Better Days are Ahead

Building Trades News caught up with union construction pension expert Mark Singleton, CEO of ULLICO (Union Labor Life Insurance Co.), to get his thoughts on the country’s current financial crisis, the $700 billion bailout and its impact on the commercial construction industry.

What is the current financial crisis on Wall Street going to mean for the union construction industry?
Nationwide, we are certainly seeing a lack of debt financing capability for all sectors of the commercial real estate market. We’re even seeing it in our own business, the J for Jobs program, which deals with very high quality union marquee type projects, where there has always historically been lots of credit and liquidity.