One of the most massive reinforced concrete projects in recent years is taking place in the North Bronx where the New York City Department of Environmental Protection is building one of the largest water filtration plants in the world in a 10-story-deep hole blasted from bedrock.
The big hole was dug in late 2004, and members of Local 46, Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Ironworkers continue to be at the center of the process with a crew of 62 lathers responsible for cutting, bending and placement of more than 21,000 tons of reinforcing steel.
When finished, the Croton Facility will be hidden under a driving range and will include enough concrete to build a sidewalk from New York to Miami and enough pipe to reach the top of the Empire State Building 140 times.
Union laborers have dug enough dirt from the ground to fill more than 100,000 dump trucks. Union crane operators situated 10-stories into the earth relay iron to the Local 46 members.
The $3 billion facility, slated for completion in July 2011, will treat hundreds of millions of gallons of drinking water daily, or approximately 10 percent of the city's demand.
Strict quality control and tight security imposed by the Department of Environmental Protection hasn't hampered the work of the skilled craftsworkers of the Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Ironworkers who work almost non-stop at the project.
State-of-the-art computerized bending machines are being used by Local 46 journeypersons to enhance production and ensure perfection. A "handle man" runs a computer, punching appropriate codes into a keyboard while the union labor force loads and unloads high-tech machinery for the project.
Construction Managers Robert Barnes, Community Outreach Director for DEP and Jim Mac Donell, Project Manager for URS Malcolm-Pernie say the use of union craftsworkers at this massive project is means an "Added Value" opportunity for economic and educational growth within the community.
Requiring a strong union labor force for the project created new job opportunities for young New Yorkers. About 30 students completed 20 weeks of training in the construction trades, enabling those would may otherwise be unemployed to link to apprenticeship programs with area building trades unions.
The DEP is partnering with BCC's Project H.I.R.E. (Help in Re-entering Employment), a training and development program to prepare men and women for careers in the construction trades. Graduates of the program have been referred to union apprenticeships and employers in the property maintenance industry. Project H.I.R.E. has already begun testing and interviewing candidates for the next training cycle. Nine students from the current class have already been accepted into apprenticeships in various construction labor unions.
