CCA Staff

Tony Milo
Executive Director 
tmilo@ccainfo.org  


Terry Kish 
Director of Safety and Workforce Development
  tkish@ccainfo.org   


Jim Moody
Director of Owner Agency Relations
jmoody@ccainfo.org 

Laura Driver
Director of Communications
 ldriver@ccainfo.org

Donna Murphy 
Financial Services
 dmurphy@ccainfo.org  


Kelly Lehto 
 Executive Assistant
klehto@ccainfo.org

Tristin Rosen 
 Administrative Assistant
trosen@ccainfo.org

On Capitol Hill

CCA Endorses FASTER to Boost Transportation Funding, Create Jobs
This week CCA endorsed FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) which if enacted will raise more than $250 million per year for transportation construction, allow for the tolling of existing interstate routes under certain conditions, facilitate public private partnerships and set up a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) pilot program.  On Wednesday, Governor Ritter joined a broad coalition of business, civic and elected leaders to announce the introduction of the transportation plan. The Governor said this legislation will help our economy recover quicker, create vital jobs and allow us to build a modern, safe and efficient transportation system.  "Colorado effectively spends as much on transportation today as we did 25 years ago, and our current funding formula simply is not sustainable," he said during today's news conference. "If we're going to build a 21st century transportation system to get our economy moving again, we can't do it using a 20^th century financial model."   

Primary sponsors of the bill are Senator Dan Gibbs (D-Silverthorne) and Representative Joe Rice (D-Littleton).  While no Republicans attended the press conference, GOP leadership expressed a willingness to work with the co-sponsors and supporters to find a viable way to fund Colorado’s transportation system.  The CCA lobby team will be at the Capitol daily lobbying for the bill, counting votes and facilitating negotiations.  CCA members will be kept informed as the process moves forward.  Watch for a “Call to Action” coming soon that will ask all CCA members to contact their legislators to urge support of FASTER.  

Governor Ritter, flanked by supporters including many CCA member highway workers, outlines the main components of FASTER

Governor Ritter with CCA apprentices rally to support FASTER

Click here for a fact sheet on FASTER.  

Click here to see photos from the press conference.  

Click here to read the complete news release from the Governor’s office. 

Click here to read the GOP response.  

Click here to view CCA’s press release.  

Training Days Is Back!!!

CCA is pleased to once again offer Construction Training Days to the CCA membership and the construction industry.  We realize that construction foremen, superintendents, project managers and other professionals are under incredibly tight schedules and deadlines.  This sometimes makes it difficult to allot the time required for the training needed in our changing and growing industry so we have set aside one week of the year to provide the most popular sessions that CCA conducts throughout the year.  

This year’s Training Days is scheduled for February 16-20, 2009 at the CCA Office.  

Click here for the Training Days Brochure and registration form.

Congressional Leaders Release Details of Stimulus Package
Yesterday the House Democratic Leadership announced details of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Details of the $825 billion package were released by the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees. The total package consists of $275 billion in economic recovery tax cuts and $550 billion in targeted investments, coupled with several unprecedented accountability measures. AGC estimates that approximately $150 billion of the spending proposed in this bill would benefit the construction industry.  

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), said today that she hoped these Committees would take up the bill late next week, with the goal of sending a final product to the White House by mid-February. According to House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI), this package would create and save 3 to 4 million jobs and jumpstart our economy.  

In many instances, funds would be distributed through existing formulas. How funds are spent, all announcements of contract and grant competitions and awards, and formula grant allocations must be posted on a open government web site. Governors, mayors or others making funding decisions must personally certify that the investment has been fully vetted and is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. A Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board would also be created to review management of recovery dollars and provide early warning of problems. Federal and state whistleblowers who report fraud and abuse are protected. Finally, there are no earmarks in this package.   

The House Ways and Means Committee’s $275 billion tax package would provide tax, health, and other benefits to American families, as well as incentives for businesses to grow and create jobs.  Highlights in the package benefiting the construction industry include: 

• One-year deferral of the 3 percent withholding law from 2011 to 2012

• Bonus depreciation

• 5-year carry-back of net operating losses

• Extension of increased small business expensing

• Repeal AMT limits on new private activity bonds

• School construction bonds

• Remove repayment requirement on $7,500 first-time homebuyer credit

• Tax exempt and tax credit bonds to “recovery zones” (i.e., areas of high unemployment, foreclosures, or poverty)

• Various energy efficiency tax incentives and bonds  

AGC’s CEO Stephen Sandherr released a statement indicating that the newly released details of the proposed stimulus package provide encouraging signs that Congress is willing to make significant, but essential, investments needed to rebuild our aging infrastructure and inefficient public buildings while repairing America’s ailing economy.  However, he pointed out that in an environment where almost 900,000 construction workers have lost their jobs, the construction community has the capacity to do even more work than is currently being considered.    

AGC is continuing to meet with House and Senate leaders to identify every possible avenue to increase the proposed investments in infrastructure in the draft package and enact the bill as soon as possible.  

Click here to read an overview of the stimulus package.

Important Update Provided for CCA Members on Fax Solicitation Rules
CCA Legal Counsel Berenbaum, Weinshienk & Eason, P.C. has provided CCA with an update on fax solution rules that apply to contractors who solicit for subcontractors or suppliers for bids or other commercial activities.  The rules have been updated since CCA first provided information to its members back in 2004.  An exemption for “established business relationships” has been added.  

Click here to read.

A-1 Chipseal Acquires Rocky Mountain Pavement
DENVER (January 13, 2009) – A-1 Chipseal, a construction company specializing in chipseal, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Rocky Mountain Pavement, a 15-year Denver-based asphalt preventive maintenance company. Full terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

The combination of these two companies further solidifies A-1 Chipseal’s strategic initiative to become the leading company for pavement maintenance services in Colorado. Moving forward, all of Rocky Mountain Pavement’s operations and processes will combine with A-1 Chipseal.

“As the asphalt industry enters a new millennium, there is a strong focus on preserving and maintaining our existing asphalt surfaces,” said Ben Vagher, president of A-1 Chipseal. “This acquisition positions us to be a leader in preventive maintenance for both the private and public sectors. Our goal is to provide a timely application of maintenance treatments to preserve and extend asphalt surface life to give our customers a high return on investment.”

The company will operate from Rocky Mountain Pavement’s current location: 2001 W. 64^th Lane, Denver, Colo. 80221. Click here to read more.

AGC 2009 Highway & Utilities Contractors Issues Meeting: Feb 5-7
AGC’s 2009 Highway and Utilities Contractors Issues Meeting will be held February 5-7 at La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs.  For agenda and registration information, click here.  CCA members planning to attend are also asked to contact Jim Moody at jmoody@ccainfo.org or at 303/290-6611 if you are interested in joining CCA for dinner on Friday night.

Xcel Energy Changing Locating Companies 
Effective February 2, 2009 Xcel Energy will be using new locating companies in Colorado: SiteWise and Safe Site.  Both companies will perform locates exclusively for Xcel Energy. 

SiteWise will perform Xcel Energy locates in the South Denver, Pueblo and Western Slope Xcel Energy service territories.  Safe Site will perform locates in the North Denver and Northern Colorado Xcel Energy service territories.  
Click here for map of Xcel Energy Service Territories. 

Questions with regard to these changes should be directed to Ron Erickson at 720-253-6470 or Heath Buster 720-253-9506 

Please note:  This change is exclusive to Xcel.  Xcel’s former locating companies, ELM and Underground Locators, will continue to perform locates for Qwest, Comcast and other facility owners. 

Finally, as part of the Xcel Energy Damage Prevention Program during 2009, Xcel will continue to offer Best Excavation Practice presentations on excavating around Xcel Energy buried facilities.  If your company is interested in an Xcel Energy presentation, please contact Jeb French at 303-359-8358.

DHS Publishes Interim Final Rule Amending Form I-9
The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has published an interim final rule making changes to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  Beginning on February 2, 2009, employers will be required to use the new form to verify all new hires and to reverify any employee with expiring employment authorization beginning on February 2, 2009.  The new form will be available for download from the USCIS website by February 2, 2009.

Under the interim rule, employers will no longer be permitted to accept expired documents to verify employment authorization.  The rule also adds a new document to the list of acceptable documents that evidence both identity and employment authorization, and it makes several technical corrections and updates.  The two main changes of potential concern include the elimination of an expired U.S. Passport as an acceptable document to prove identity and employment eligibility, as well as a change to the attestation.

To view a FAQ page from USCIS on the changes, click here.  Click here to view the complete rule, including an “informational” copy of the revised form.

CSU Career Fair
You are invited to participate in the Spring Construction Management Career Fair at Colorado State University. Career Fair will be held on February 24, 2009.

Visit our website to access the online registration link at www.cm.cahs.colostate.edu. Click on the Careers/Internships link to register. 

Must register by February 6, 2009. Space is limited, register early. Click here for more information.

CDOT News

CDOT Adopts Significant Revisions to Erosion Control Specification
In order to comply with the terms of a Consent Order between CDOT and CDPHE, CDOT has adopted significant revisions to its Erosion Control specification.  These changes affect all CURRENT projects as well as new projects.  Please note that CDOT intends to review the entire Erosion Control spec sometime in first half of 2009, so please let Jim Moody know any problems you encounter with erosion control.  For more details, click the following links:  

• Link to Current Spec Language [Click first bullet after Dec 23] 
• Construction Bulletin [Click “Implementation of the Water Quality Control Consent Order”] 

To learn more about the latest changes, be sure to register for the CCA Annual Convention and attend a brief seminar on January 30 with CDOT’s Rick Willar

Seminar at CCA Convention on CDOT’s Good Faith Effort Process for DBE Goals 
CCA will be hosting a brief seminar on January 30 on CDOT’s Good Faith Effort process as part of the CCA Annual Convention.  Contractors interested in the details of a Good Faith Effort review process - from outreach efforts prior to the bid through the appeal process – are encouraged to register for the Convention and attend this seminar.   

CDOT Bid Opportunities
To review CDOT projects currently under ad, click here.
To review CDOT’s current letting and advertising schedule (the “Go Sheet”), click here. 

CDOT Bid Results for January 15, 2009
To review this week’s CDOT bid results, click here.

Member Product Spotlight 

Do You Have A Product/Service That You Would Like The CCA Membership To Know More About? 
Here's your opportunity. Once a week we will be spotlighting one member's product/service. To have the spotlight turned on your wonderful product/service contact Laura Driver at 303-290-6611 or ldriver@ccainfo.org. Products/services will be spotlighted on a first come first serve basis. We will include a descriptive paragraph, contact information, logos, pdfs, websites and links. 
 

NEW BID OPPORTUNITY:  Penrose Sanitation District
CCA has learned of a bid opportunity with the Penrose Sanitation District.  The project consists of Sanitary Sewer Collection System Improvements, and bids are due on January 28.  For a copy of the notice, click here.

NEW UPCOMING BID OPPORTUNITY:  
City of Louisville – Dillon Road
A project for the City of Louisville is expected to advertise soon.  The project will consist of the reconstruction of Dillon Rd between 96th Street and 104th Street, including new asphalt pavement and asphalt overlay, a new traffic signal at Pierce Street, approximately 1300 LF of 60 inch diameter rcp and 580 feet of helical rcp, 1200 LF of 12 inch pvc water main, and jack and bore for an 84 inch steel casing under the BNSF railroad tracks.

Weld County Damage Prevention Council Hosting Breakfast on Feb 11
Excavators who work in Weld County are invited to the Weld County Damage Prevention Council’s Annual Damage Prevention Breakfast meeting on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at the Island Grove Exhibition Building. For RSVP and other additional information, click here.
  

Sales/Use Tax Rates for Cities, Counties and RTAs
For an online summary of the sales and use tax rates by Colorado’s different cities and counties, click here.  Note:  Information on Home Rule Cities is at the end of the document.

2009 Colorado Discretionary Aviation Grant Program Released
CDOT’s Division of Aeronautics has released a list of airport projects that have received grant money for 2009 (click here).  The list does not indicate which projects have already been awarded and/or when projects will be advertised, but it provides information about potential bid opportunities for CCA members that pursue airport work.


Links to Selected M & U Bid Results
Below are links to Bid Summaries on local projects that are available on the web without registration and are known to CCA.  If you are aware of other municipalities, counties, or special districts that post their bid summaries online and without registration requirements, please contact Jim Moody at jmoody@ccainfo.org or at 303/290-6611. 

• Boulder Solicitations and Bid Tabulations 

• Colorado Springs Bid Results 

• Denver Construction Bid Tabulations 

• Grand Junction Bid Summaries

CCA Through AGC of America Will Offer Focus Four Hazards Training
On April 15 & 16, 2009 CCA, AGC of Colorado and AGC of America will be offering the Focus Four Hazards in Construction Training.  The same training will be offered both days and the training is FREE. 

The Department of Labor (DOL), through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), offers the Susan Harwood Grant every year to stakeholders. For the seventh year in a row, AGC of America is offering a Susan Harwood Grant training seminar, which is FREE for attendees. This year's grant training - the Focus Four Hazards in Construction, is being offered in 14 locations. The course covers falls, electrocutions, struck-by's, and caught-between's, which account for the greatest number of fatalities in the construction industry.  To register for this training go to the following web site http://www.agc.org/cs/event_details?eventId=1055.

Top 10 Reasons to Join CCA
Are you not a member? You should be. Are you recruiting an industry business partner. Here are just the Top 10 Reasons to be a member of CCA.  If you would like more information or have questions regarding membership, contact CCA’s membership guru, Laura Driver at 303-290-6611.  Click here  for the top 10 reasons.

For more information on additional CCA Benefits click here.

Safety Resource Center

Click Here for more information.

Save the Date

2009 Board Retreat * New Date *
Thursday, February 26 - Sunday, March 1, 2009
Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center 
Breckenridge, CO 

Kiowa Creek Trap Shoot
Sunday, April 19, 2009

Redlands Mesa Golf Outing
Monday, May 18, 2009

Metro Golf Outing- Course TBD
Monday, June 22, 2009

2009 Summer Conference
Thursday, July 30 – Sunday, August 2, 2009
Keystone Resort & Conference Center

Southwest Golf Outing- Course TBD
Friday, August 28, 2009