Site work and demolition are underway in North Conway, N.H., on a multi-phased retail development by KGI Properties that includes a new, 170,000-square-foot Lowe's as an anchor tenant. The addition of the second largest home improvement retailer in the world — Lowe's has more than 1300 stores in 49 states — is seen as a significant step in the revitalization of the 36-year-old mall. Located in the retail district of a growing, year-round tourist destination in New Hampshire's White Mountain region, the redeveloped mall is undergoing $10 million in work by building contractor D.F. Pray of Seekonk, Mass. Pray is shelling out an existing 40,000-square-foot building and fitting it out for J.C. Penney; demolishing a 100,000-square-foot building; renovating the exterior of existing mall structures that will remain in place; relocating an existing Fashion Bug retail store; putting in new parking lots for J.C. Penney and a Hannaford supermarket; and constructing a new access road and a traffic rotary. Pray subcontracted the earthwork to Colman Excavating Co. of Conway, N.H. Extensive new landscaping rounds out the exterior work. Other tenants include GNC, Cinema VII and Panda Garden. Still undeveloped at the site is a 5,000-square-foot parcel for which KGI is seeking a sit-down restaurant tenant. KGI purchased Mountain Valley Mall in April of 2005, and has worked closely with the Town to ensure that the redevelopment fits into the design and theme of the surrounding mountain views. The company acquires and develops retail real estate across the northeastern United States and has its own construction management and property management divisions, with offices in Boston and Woburn, Mass., Providence, R.I., and Lebanon, N.H. D.F. Pray, established in 1959, is a general contractor with more than 130 employees, and performs about $80 million worth of building construction, construction management and design/build work each year.

The boom in higher education construction in New England continues, with the latest announced project — a $34-million Science Center building at Stonehill College, a Catholic institution in Easton, Mass. — under design. To be located near the main entrance of the 375-acre campus, the 89,000-square-foot facility is being designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, an architectural firm specializing in education, science, technology, and health care facilities, with offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Georgia. The Building Division of Bond Brothers, an Everett, Mass.-based contractor and construction-management company, will provide pre-construction, cost estimating and construction management services for the project. The new Science Center, which joins 30 buildings that complement the original Georgian-style Ames mansion built on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames, will provide space for integrated science teaching and research in the fields of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and psychology. It will house teaching and research labs, associated support spaces, classrooms, offices, and significant gathering space for major events at the college. The building will feature green building design. Higher education construction in New England is at record levels, with almost $12 billion worth of construction expected to be put in place in 2007.

A fire-ravaged apartment building in Manchester, N.H., has been reconstructed under the management of North Branch Construction, Inc. of Henniker, N.H. Building 15 at the Beech Hill Apartments sustained over $1 million damage in a fire in April. Construction included replacement of the roof and third floor framing, and all new interior finishes throughout the building. Building 17 also sustained water damage as a result of fighting the fire and underwent roof repairs and some finishes as well. Construction was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.

Terex Corporation has been named a winner of a Milestone Member Award by The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Headquartered in Westport, Conn., the equipment manufacturer has been a member of AEM for 75 years. A total of nearly 100 companies have been continuously active in AEM for 25 years up to 100-plus years, dating back to the association's founding in 1894. AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing the off-road equipment manufacturing industry. The association's business development activities include technical and safety services, market information and equipment statistics, global public policy, trade shows, international support services, education and training, workforce promotion, and worksite safety/educational materials.

North Atlantic Machinery, headquartered in Gorham, Maine, is now the dealer for all Terex Finlay products in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Founded in 1997, the dealership specializes in sales and service of such aggregate and recycling equipment as screening plants, wash plants, trommels, impact crusher plants, jaw crusher plants, and conveyors, among others. Owned by Gary Harmon, president, the company has eight employees at the Gorham facility and is planning another location in southern New Hampshire.

The future of some $483 million worth of Rhode Island transportation construction and construction-related programs was assured on Election Day, November 7, when Rhode Island voters overwhelmingly approved (75 percent) Referendum 5, the Transportation Bond Question. A month earlier, James Capaldi, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, had appealed to voters to pass Referendum 5. Without the approval of the $88.5-million referendum, he said, RIDOT would not be able to match $394 million in federal funds for improvements to the state's highways, roads and bridges over the next two years. He also pointed out that the state's federal dollars would be given away to other states if Rhode Island can't match them. Apparently, voters were convinced, and approved the measure. The vote allows RIDOT to continue work on the $500-million relocation of the Intersection of I-195 and I-95 in downtown Providence, and other major projects as well, including road jobs in Middletown, Portsmouth, North Providence, Providence, Airport Road in Warwick, and the Arctic Circulator in West Warwick. Also given the green light are bridge construction projects including Stillwater Bridge in Smithfield, the Conant Street Bridge in Pawtucket, and the Henderson Bridge in Providence. Other construction programs that might have been postponed for lack of funding are improvements to the statewide bike path program, the statewide road-striping program, and overall safety upgrades. Mass transit construction financing is also assured. For example, included in the referendum bond is $7 million for extending commuter rail to South County by building the Wickford Junction Train Station.

Stolen equipment recoveries and arrests are expected to be helped by the launch of PINcheck, a free 24-hour service that allows law enforcement and insurance companies to instantly check the validity of the Product Identification Number (PIN), or serial number, of construction and farm equipment. The National Equipment Register (NER) said this will dramatically increase the accuracy of theft reporting and the efficiency and success of police investigations. Due to the wide variety of PIN formats on farm and construction equipment, many thefts are incorrectly entered into police and insurance computers and much stolen equipment is never recovered as a result. Law enforcement and insurers can contact NER 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to check that a PIN they have is correct for any make, model, type, and year of equipment in question. PINcheck can also be integrated into electronic and online processes. Readers wishing to obtain more information about PINcheck may contact info@NERusa.com , call (212) 297-1805 or go to www.NERusa.com .

METALCON, produced by Newton, Mass.-based PSMJ Resources Inc. , drew more than 7,300 design and construction professionals from 40 different countries October 3 through 5 at the Tampa Convention Center. The 16th annual show filled 80,000 square feet of space with 715 exhibit booths, and included 38 educational sessions and demonstrations of field techniques. Among the educational sessions were 20 new ones that focused on methods for creating buildings that are energy efficient and can withstand extreme weather conditions. Washington, D.C.-based Steel Framing Alliance produced STUD University, an intensive three-day steel-framing program, as part of METALCON. Organizers donated the three-bedroom, handicap-accessible structure built inside the exhibit hall by STUD U instructors and students to Satellite Beach, Florida native U.S. Army SSG Paul Russell "Russ" Marek, who was severely injured in Iraq in 2005 and is still recuperating from his injuries. METALCON Show Director Claire Kilcoyne presented the home and more than $25,000 in financial contributions from the show's exhibitors, suppliers and staff to SSG Marek and representatives of Taunton, Mass.-based Homes for Our Troops. The non-profit, non-partisan organization helps injured service men and women and their families with accessible housing needs. It will manage construction of the new home for SSG Marek in Melbourne, Fla. METALCON is sponsored by the Glenview, Illinois-based Metal Construction Association. The next METALCON will take place October 3–5, 2007, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For information about METALCON, visit www.metalcon.com or contact Paula Parker at PSMJ Resources Inc., 617-965-0055, or 800-537-7765.

Joseph D. Guertin , P.E., of Norwood, Mass.-based GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. , has been named an Outstanding Member by the Underground Construction Association of SME. A GZA senior principal, Guertin was recently presented the award at the North American Tunneling Conference in Chicago. The American Underground Construction Association is an organization of professionals involved in the planning, design, development, construction, and use of underground facilities. A past president of the group, he has worked with GZA for 32 years on some major tunnel projects including the Second Avenue Subway in New York, the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel in Boston and several sections of the Washington, D.C., subway system. With a bachelor of civil engineering degree from Northeastern University in Boston and master's degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he is a trustee of the Engineering Center Education Trust in Boston, a past trustee of The Moles, and past chairman of the Underground Technology Research Council. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Fellows and chair of the David Crawford School of Engineering Advisory Committee at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Founded in 1964, GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. performs environmental consulting, geotechnical and civil engineering, and environmental remediation contracting, among other services. The firm is headquartered in Norwood, Mass., has 460 employees and operates 21 offices throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes region.