a Better Bubble™

ConstructionForum 🕸

St. Louis OKs Demo of Kingshighway Row

10 months 2 weeks ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  A row of vacant, dilapidated houses on South Kingshighway that St. Louis officials had once wanted to preserve instead saw the wrecking ball on Monday. City Hall determined they were a threat to public safety. By midafternoon Monday, the crew from St. Louis-based Bellon Wrecking had flattened one of the seven […]
Kacey Crawley

KAI-Designed Community Center Opens in Olivette

10 months 2 weeks ago
From REjournals:  The City of Olivette, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, officially cut the ribbon Nov. 5 on its new Five Oaks on Warson community center and a park maintenance facility designed by St. Louis-based KAI. Voter passage of Proposition C enabled the city to partially fund its 2018 Comprehensive Parks Master Plan for […]
Kacey Crawley

Kirkwood Apartment Projects Boom, Group Asks for Other Options

10 months 2 weeks ago
From First Alert 4:  Development has surged in Kirkwood since 2020, especially in the last 18 months. There are multiple developers pouring millions into the land-locked town which is quickly aging, and Kirkwood leaders are trying to change that with development. But an emerging grassroots effort said all this building and millions of dollars are […]
Kacey Crawley

Buy America Rollout Causes Confusion and Delays

10 months 2 weeks ago
From Construction Dive:  A coalition of building trade groups petitioned the White House Office of Management and Budget last week to clarify and adjust its implementation of Build America, Buy America requirements for construction materials, saying that they risk delaying and inflating the cost of infrastructure work as-is. BABA expands existing domestic preference requirements for […]
Kacey Crawley

FEMA Allocates Funds for First De Soto Flood Buyouts

10 months 2 weeks ago
From Leader Publications:  Nearly half a million dollars in federal funds have been allocated to buy out a handful of flood-damaged homes in De Soto. On Jan. 17, De Soto City Manager Todd Melkus received written notification that the city is eligible to receive up to $462,860.25 in federal funds to buy and demolish five […]
Kacey Crawley

Contegra Construction Completes 1.3M SF Distribution Center in Marysville, Ohio

10 months 2 weeks ago
Contegra Construction Co. has built a 1.3 million-square-foot facility that has enabled The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, the world’s leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden as well as indoor and hydroponic growing products, to enhance the efficiency of its supply chain operations in central Ohio. Developed by Crawford Hoying, the facility is located in […]
Dede Hance

O’Toole Design Associates Rebrands as ODA Studio, Instates New Leadership

10 months 2 weeks ago
O’Toole Design Associates, a prominent interior design firm in St. Louis, has rebranded as ODA studio, coinciding with the appointment of Debbie Stamer as President and Owner. The firm’s Founder, Michelle O’Toole (pictured right), will continue to contribute in an advisory capacity during this transformative phase. “This marks a new era for O’Toole Design Associates […]
Dede Hance

Courtney Hoette, MBA, Named Controller at BEX Construction Services

10 months 2 weeks ago
Courtney Hoette, MBA, has been named controller at BEX Construction Services, the fifth fastest-growing privately held company in the St. Louis region. In her new role, Hoette applies 16 years of accounting experience to providing accurate, timely and relevant financial data for firm leaders to make impactful, real-time business decisions. She has previously served as […]
Dede Hance

Nonprofit’s $40M North St. Louis HQ Project Moves to 2nd Phase, Helped by $10M in Tax Credits

10 months 2 weeks ago
From St. Louis Business Journal:  A nonprofit with a massive $40 million headquarters project seeking to revitalize north St. Louis is moving to the project’s second phase, which will be partially funded through $10 million in tax credits. With the building purchase and first construction phase completed on a $40 million redevelopment to convert a […]
Kacey Crawley

Plan to Salvage Convention Center Additions Could Run $40M

10 months 2 weeks ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  It may take double a proposed $20 million injection to salvage a troubled expansion of the downtown convention center, officials said this week. City leaders have been considering the grant for the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission to cover a handful of key additions, including a new lobby and public […]
Kacey Crawley

Suicide is a Growing Crisis; Construction Workers Are at High Risk

10 months 2 weeks ago
From The Labor Tribune:  The construction industry is in a silent crisis. Last year, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, at a rate of 5.7 suicide deaths per hour and roughly twice the rate of homicide. That’s the highest number ever recorded in the U.S. In the past two decades, the national suicide rate, or […]
Kacey Crawley

Construction Underway for New Rehab Homes in North St. Louis

10 months 2 weeks ago
From MSN:  St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, business, and faith-based leaders broke ground Thursday morning to turn over new homeownership opportunities in north St. Louis. The St. Louis Development Corporation is an independent economic agency whose goal is equitable growth and prosperity for the city. However, some things have been missing in north St. Louis. […]
Kacey Crawley

In College Hill Neighborhood, a $300,000 Mortgage Signals Progress

10 months 2 weeks ago
From St. Louis Post Dispatch:  In June, a family bought the house across from the old St. James United Church of Christ, a 1911 brick converted two-family, for $300,000. In most St. Louis-area neighborhoods, the sale would be unremarkable, perhaps noted among Zillow junkies as a good deal for its size. But in far north […]
Kacey Crawley

A Case for Construction Craft Training: Return on Investment Is Real

10 months 2 weeks ago
From NCCER:  As a workforce development manager at the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), I am dedicated to advancing the construction industry through effective education and training programs. With nearly 50 years in the construction industry as a craft professional and workforce development professional, I am convinced that investment in formal construction […]
Kacey Crawley

New Homeless Shelter Approved East of Soulard Over Neighbor Objections

10 months 2 weeks ago
From St. Louis Post Dispatch:  A prominent homeless services provider may have found a way to open a rare new shelter in the city after years of unsuccessful attempts. A city review board this week approved Peter & Paul Community Services’ plan to build a 100-bed shelter in the industrial area east of Soulard, overruling […]
Kacey Crawley

Ameren Plans $800M Natural Gas-Fired Plant

10 months 3 weeks ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  Ameren plans to build a natural gas-fired power plant in south St. Louis County on the former site of its oldest and smallest coal plant, which closed a year ago, the company announced Thursday. The St. Louis-based electric utility said the new facility would be used as a “peaker” plant to […]
Dede Hance

Terry Briggs, 68, Construction Industry and Civic Leader Dies Suddenly

10 months 3 weeks ago
by Tom Finan, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Construction Forum Terry Briggs, 68, a leader whose passion for a better St. Louis Region had broad influence in both the civic and construction industry arenas, died unexpectedly Wednesday (Feb. 14th). The cause of his death was not announced. Mr. Briggs was first elected major of the City of Bridgeton […]
Tom Finan