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Chicago Revamps Minority, Women Set-Aside Ordinance
The Chicago City Council has voted to adopt a new Minority
Business Enterprise/Women Business Enterprise construction
ordinance.
The city hopes the measure meets constitutional scrutiny while
ensuring minority- and women-owned firms continue to participate
in city construction projects.
The revised ordinance was developed largely by a task force
appointed in response to a ruling issued by Federal Judge
James Moran in Builders Association of Greater Chicago vs.
City of Chicago.
The judge found that "the city has a compelling interest
in not having its construction projects slip back to near
monopoly domination by white male firms."
The issues addressed in Moran's ruling include personal net
worth, size standards, sunset date and the determination of
presumptive groups to be included in the program.
Based on statistical evidence, African Americans, Hispanics
and women are considered members of presumptively socially
disadvantaged groups. Members of other groups that have faced
discriminatory construction contracting practices will be
able to participate in the program by submitting an affidavit
detailing the discrimination and presenting it to members
of the city's Affirmative Action Advisory Board, which will
make a determination.
In the meantime, the city has ordered further studies to determine
if additional groups can qualify as presumptively presumed
groups in accordance with guidelines imposed upon the City
by Federal Constitutional standards.
Other key points of the new ordinance include:
The annual aspirational goals are 24 percent MBE
and 4 percent WBE participation. Goals will be set on a contract-by-contract
basis, based upon availability of certified M/WBE firms.
The applicant's owner must be economically disadvantaged,
defined by a personal net worth less than $750,000, indexed
by the Consumer Price Index from 1999, excluding the owner's
equity in his/her personal residence and the business seeking
to become certified.
The city will now use the U.S. Small Business Administration's
size standards, allowing businesses to graduate when its gross
revenues exceed the size limit in its industry for five fiscal
years.
Prime contractors who request waivers must document
their good faith efforts to meet goals, including a process
to challenge the city's decision whether good faith efforts
were made.
A race-neutral small local business market program
will replace the current Target Market Program in construction.
The ordinance is to be sunset after a period of five years,
unless there is strong evidence that the city retains a compelling
interest in remedying identified discrimination. The program
will be revised as necessary based upon new data, including
regular disparity and availability studies.
Wal-Mart to Open First Chicago Store
The Chicago City Council has voted to allow Wal-Mart to
open its first store in the city.
The 150,000-sq.-ft. outlet will be on the city's West Side.
However, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant lost by
one vote a bid to open another store on the South Side.
Wal-Mart's drive to open its first stores in the city drew
both support and opposition.
Backers argued that the stores were needed in economically
disadvantaged neighborhoods, while opponents knocked the
retailer for its alleged opposition to unions and low wages.
$82M Battle Simulator Planned for Great
Lakes
A group of Navy recruits descends into the depths of a
guided missile destroyer to discover a fire raging. Casualties
loom above. They stagger with huge swells from high seas.
All this will take place 30 mi. north of Chicago in a building
at the Great Lakes Naval Station. It will meld the latest
in virtual reality, entertainment technology and modern
construction techniques.
Chicago-based James McHugh Construction Co. has been awarded
the $82 million contract to create a warship simulator that
reproduces a variety of trials at sea that will help U.S.
Navy recruits prepare for the worst.
McHugh will create a 500-ft.-long, reduced scale replica
of a portion of a ship, floating in water in a 171,000-sq.-ft.
building and add multiple layers of the latest technology
to create a realistic battle experience.
Recruits will conduct a 12-hour mission on the Battle Stations,
capping their recruit training. Traditionally, the Battle
Stations experience marks the final rite of passage for
recruits; after successfully completing it, recruits earn
the title of Sailor.
Great Lakes has been holding the exercises in five different
buildings using low-tech simulations.
McHugh will serve as team leader in the design/build project,
working with leading entertainment industry firms that have
engineered theme park simulations and movie special effects,
to create the Battle Stations experience. The lead architect
is Detroit-based SmithGroup, also serving as structural
and MEP engineers for the training facility.
Demolition for the project will begin in July, with completion
scheduled for February 2007.
Sustainable Design Honored with Award
The Center for Neighborhood Technology building has been
awarded Mayor Daley's GreenWorks Award for excellence in
Sustainable Building Design.
The renovation of the 80-year-old building at 2125 W. North
Ave., a former textile factory, was named 2004 Outstanding
Non-Residential Project.
The award comes for using a resource-conserving design to
create an energy-efficient, high-occupancy building with
minimal impact on the surrounding environment.
The building's features include native landscaping and natural
storm water management, low-emitting VOC materials and thermal
ice storage system for air conditioning.
Over 50 percent of the building's electricity comes from
renewable energy sources.
During the renovation process, 87 percent of construction
and demolition debris was recycled.
Applications were evaluated on how well buildings integrate
systems, use energy efficiently, provide a healthy environment,
reflect sensitive to natural surroundings and minimize the
environmental impact of materials, construction and operation.
Sun-Times Leases Space
In a sign that the Donald Trump's proposed tower will be
built, the Chicago Sun-Times has leased a 128,000-sq.-ft.
space at 350 N. Orleans St. and plans a Sept. 30 move to
its new offices.
The paper will depart its home of 46 years at 401 N. Wabash
Ave., the proposed site for Trump's 90-story Trump International
Hotel & Tower.
Restoration Starts on Wright's Unity
Temple
An approximately $12 million to $15 million restoration
has started for Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, which
was originally constructed in Oak Park in 1909.
Already, the building's cantilevered roof overhangs have
been restored, announced the Landmarks Preservation Council
of Illinois.
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