Category Archives: Construction

By Christine Graf

According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America, 81 percent of construction firms are finding it difficult to find employees. This trend has worsened in 2021 due in part to extended unemployment benefits that have been made available by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The cost of labor has gone up 25 to 30 percent. It’s putting a lot of people out of business. We’re competing with the government for employees because people are getting paid to stay home while millions of jobs go unfilled,” said Todd Drake, owner of Cornerstone Construction. His company works throughout the Capital Region and the Adirondacks.

“It’s absolutely outrageous policy and fiscally disastrous and quite frankly socially disastrous because it’s creating complacency among people who should be working. Certainly there are those who have been able to find work that they are capable of doing. I certainly get that. But for the vast majority of people, they aren’t even calling. I know businesses—including ourselves—that run ads and get no responses at all. None.”

The origins of the labor shortage started long before the pandemic and can be traced back to 2008 recession when the bottom fell out of the construction industry and skilled workers moved to other professions, those in the industry say. The problem was compounded by a reduction in the number of young people seeking careers in the trades.

Doug Ford, vice president of sales and purchasing at Curtis Lumber, is committed to promoting trades to high school students. He is one of the leaders of the Workforce Development Taskforce, a collaboration between Curtis Lumber and Saratoga Builders. Their mission is to bring awareness to the career opportunities and benefits that are available in the construction/trade industries. Stakeholders include Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity, and Workforce Development Institute.

by Andrea Harwood Palmer

Hinman Construction of Saratoga Springs won the Best Overall Remodel category in the 2020 Capital Region Builders & Remodelers Association building awards.

The project is located at 41 Webster St. in Saratoga Springs. The single-family home was built in 1918 and purchased in 2018 by new owners Brynya and Derek Ablamsky.

Kim Hinman said the construction company worked with the new owners for over a year developing renovation plans. Hinman used 3D photorealistic CAD design for the project.

The entire house is black and white, including stair rails, kitchen, bathrooms and interior and exterior paint. The exterior is stucco. Hinman Construction hired a mason to extend the original cobblestone fireplace up through the second floor.

“I challenge anyone to look at the cobblestone fireplace and find where the old one ends and the new addition begins,” said Hinman.

She said the timing of the project was very fortuitous. The Certificate of Occupancy was issued by the city building department the last day they were open before the COVID shutdowns in 2020.

“The property is about two blocks from the racetrack. It was purchased by a wonderful young couple who moved here from Boston. They just knew that’s what they wanted to do with the home. They bought what I would call a four-square home. We basically brought it into the 21st century,” said Hinman.

by Lisa Balschunat
The COVID-19 ramifications and restrictions may have delayed commercial construction projects in the region, but Malta-based MLB Construction Services has been busy.
The company recently completed or is nearing completion on five projects in the area, totaling about $56 million.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located within Saratoga Springs State Park, experienced a makeover on a grand scale when MLB got involved 12 months ago.
“This design-build project was true collaboration at its best,” James Dawsey, company president, said.
It involved demolition of the concession and restroom facilities and construction of concession areas, new restrooms, a VIP area in the new two-story building, room for small indoor performances and an outdoor pavilion.

New York’s Thruway rest areas are in line for a major makeover.
The state Thruway Authority board of directors has approved a $450 million, 33-year deal that will require a private consortium to revamp all 27 service plazas along the 570-mile superhighway system in the coming years.
Officials said the upfront costs will not fall on toll payers.
Instead, a consortium, known as Empire State Thruway Partners, will spend $300 million to rebuild 23 rest stops and extensively renovate the remaining four, with construction set to begin next year.
It will also be required to pay the Thruway Authority at least $51 million in rent and invest another $103 million in improving the rest stops over the course of the three-decade-long contract, according to the Thruway Authority.
In exchange, the consortium led by the John Laing Group, a private investment firm, will get to operate the restaurants, shops and facilities at the rest stops for 33 years.

By Christine Graf

Developer Richard Askew is in the process of choosing a contractor for a $4 million, 29-unit apartment complex on Station Lane in Saratoga Springs.

The complex will be built on an 8.43-acre parcel of land that Askew purchased in 2017 for $165,000. It is located just west of a two-acre parcel that was purchased by local entrepreneur Russ Faden. Faden and real estate developer Scott Lansing are already seeking approval from the city to build a 50-unit apartment and retail complex on the property.

“We are in the process of choosing a contractor, and that should happen within the next three months,” said Askew, who owns Rondack Building Inspections in Schenectady, .

The project has approval from the Planning Board and is awaiting final approval from the city  Design Review Commission.

by Lisa Balschunat

Elated about New York state’s relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions as it proceeds with reopening the economy in phases, Tom Albrecht, president of Hilltop Construction Co., said “I’m digging holes again and playing in the dirt.” 

His company ran a bare-bones crew on a few jobs deemed essential businesses by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office during the state’s Pause. But Hilltop and other area builders are moving on with projects that came to a halt due to the pandemic.

“Hilltop had a few essential jobs, so we were able to continue working on some projects,” Albrecht said. “During the Pause we signed over $3 million worth of work. This year we are booked with contracts.  Next year, I think the economic impact will be felt.  I am an optimist, but also a realist.  When the dust settles, our region will be affected.  Some businesses won’t open long term or at all. The impact will be great.” 

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
CDPHP is acting as partner facilitator for a new multi-practice medical specialty complex located at 1785 Route 9 in Clifton Park.
“CDPHP, in partnership with a number of independent physical practices, is building what we consider to be the medical park of the future,” said Ali Skinner, CDPHP vice president of strategic communications. “The goal is to provide the ultimate patient experience in a state-of-the-art complex.”
Though April groundbreaking plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis, the plan remains for the facility to open in late 2021.