Conferees Eye "Ambitious" Schedule
for Multi-Year Highway/Transit Bill Enactment
House
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.)
declared today (Nov. 18) the short-term extension of the federal highway
and public transportation programs currently working its way through
Congress would be the last such extension and laid out a schedule for
enactment of a multi-year bill by Dec. 4. Click here to read more.
Time
Is Running Out Make Your PAC Contribution Today
The
Ohio Contractors Association has been very engaged at the Ohio Statehouse
representing the concerns of your heavy/highway construction
industry. The first six months of this year included the introduction,
debate, and passage of the ODOT budget bill. It included billions of
dollars in funding for road and bridge construction and maintenance, along
with many policy issues affecting our industry.
The general revenue fund budget bill also was passed on June 30th
and it too contained policy issues that affect your business. So far
this year, OCA has successfully fought off attempts to raise competitive
bidding thresholds, abolish the prevailing wage, and raise force account
limits for townships. We have moved a bill through the House and
Senate that would prohibit cities or the state from imposing residency
requirements on public works contracts. Our goal is to achieve final
passage of that legislation before the end of this year.
Part of the reason for our success at the statehouse is
due to your contributions to the Ohio Contractors Political Action
Committee. Having an active PAC allows OCA’s Legislative Director to
attend fundraisers and build relationships with legislators who are deciding
which laws get passed and which don’t. It allows us to support the
campaigns of those legislators and statewide candidates who value good
government by supporting our issues, and to say no to those who don’t
support our issues.
It is important for our industry and for you
individually to engage financially via the Ohio Contractors PAC to ensure
that our voice is heard at the state government level. Your financial
commitment to a strong PAC helps make the Ohio Contractors Association one
of the most effective associations in the state.
If you
haven’t already contributed to the Ohio Contractors PAC this year, please
call the OCA office today at 800.229.1388 to make a contribution on your personal credit
card. Or mail a personal
check to Ohio Contractors PAC, 1313 Dublin Rd., Columbus, OH 43215. Contributions must be received by November 30 to count towards this year’s
Chapter of the Year contest. We appreciate your
support in advancing the concerns of our industry at the Ohio Statehouse.
Nominations Open for Don Conaway Partnering Awards
Projects may now be submitted for
consideration in the 2016 Don Conaway Partnering Awards. There are
three awards given at the Conaway Conference every year – projects less
than $5 million, between $5 million and $20 million, and above $20
million. Click here for the nomination form. The deadline to
submit nominations is Friday, January 8, 2016. Submit the nominations
to:
Chase P. Wells, P.E.
ODOT Central Office | Div. of Construction
Mgmt.
1980 West Broad Street | Mail Stop 4090
Columbus, Ohio 43223
[email protected]
Click here to see the Don Conaway Partnering Award announcement
letter from ODOT Director Jerry Wray and OCA President Chris Runyan.
The ODOT/OCA Partnering Steering Committee is looking forward to your
participation.
OCA Annual Convention in the Dominican Republic
The deadline for deposits is next Wednesday, November 25th! We
have very few Royal Service Ocean Views and Ocean Fronts not
reserved. This is the first time our association has been to the
Dominican Republic. We have lined up an exciting week of
activities: Sessions, excursions, and our theme trip to Altos de
Chavon. There are numerous sponsorship opportunities available as well.
Contact Rachel Sirca about convention details or Emily Pickens about
registering. If you have not received the invitation or excursion
details, contact Rachel or Emily.
Estimating
Competition Member Coaches
We
couldn’t do it without our coaches! Thank you to the following
members who are working with the students for the 2016 Estimating
Competition:
Morgan
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Montgomery
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Vernon Nagel, Inc.
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Bowling Green State University
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Doug
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Shealy
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Mosser
Construction, Inc
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Bowling Green State University
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Matthew
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Blesi
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The Great Lakes Construction Co.
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Cleveland State University
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Jon
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Niebel
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The Shelly Co.
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Ohio Northern University
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Corey
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Brown
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Kokosing Construction Co., Inc.
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Ohio University
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Pete
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Kinzer
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Shelly & Sands, Inc.
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Ohio University
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Nate
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Smith
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Shelly & Sands, Inc.
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Ohio University
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Andrew
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Norman
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Kokosing Construction Co., Inc.
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The Ohio State University
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Chuck
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Gillombardo
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The Ruhlin Co.
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University of Akron
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David
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Thelen
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The Ruhlin Co.
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University of Akron
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Rob
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Lichter
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John R. Jurgensen Co.
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University of Cincinnati
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Larry
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DeRoo
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University of Dayton
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Aaron
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Peterson
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Paul Peterson Company
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University of Dayton
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Jason
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Baden
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Gerken Paving, Inc.
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University of Toledo
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Brad
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Carpenter
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Black Swamp Steel, Inc.
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University of Toledo
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Steve
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Sieracke
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Black Swamp Steel, Inc.
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University of Toledo
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Sharon
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Szymanski
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Miller Bros. Const., Inc.
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University of Toledo
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Stephen
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McCloskey
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Shelly & Sands, Inc.
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Youngstown State University
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SB 378
Update
The
Ohio House of Representatives announced several appointments to the
Underground Technical Committee (UTC) this week. Please see the information
below. Once we receive word that additional UTC appointments have been
made, we’ll be sure to distribute that information.
Pursuant
to Ohio Revised Code Section 3781.34, the Speaker hereby appoints the
following individuals to the Underground Technical Committee:
David
Celona – representing the natural gas distribution industry;
Shaun
Corrin – representing locators of underground utility facilities;
William
Hocevar – representing the stakeholder group of the commercial excavator
industry
We’ll
continue to share more information with you as is becomes available.
What Contractors Need To Know About Erosion & Sediment
Control (SWPPP) Inspections
Coyle SWPPP Professionals is offering training on erosion
& sediment control BMP's and SWPPP designs. Earn 8 PDH's towards
your CPESC & CESSWI certification.
Topics
include:
- Inspectors: What You Need to Know
- Alternative BMPs for Erosion &
Sediment Control
- More Effective Alternative BMPs
- Regulations Update
- ODOT Compliance: Borrow, Use &
Waste Areas
- Ecological Resource Evaluation &
Management
- Hands on SWPPP Design
Hamilton - Tuesday, December 1, 2015 - 8:00 - 4:30
Butler
Soil and Water Conservation District
1802 Princeton Rd. Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Columbus
- Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - 8:00 - 4:30
Franklin
Soil and Water Conservation District
1404 Goodale Blvd., Suite 100, Columbus, Oh 43212
Medina
- Wednesday, January 13, 2016 - 8:00 - 4:30
Medina
Community Recreation Center
855 Weymouth Rd. Medina, Ohio 44256
Registration fee $195 per person (Lunch Included!)
For more details and to register visit our website: CoyleSWPPP.com
Opportunities
in Transportation Safety
The Ohio Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services
Association (ATSSA) is hosting Opportunities
in Transportation Safety in conjunction with ODOT on March 3, 2016.
For more details about the
conference or to submit questions for ODOT officials to address in the Ask the Owner Q&A
session, please visit www.ohioatssa.com.
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