Place under construction.
The completion of Providence Place was good news for shoppers and certainly, for tourism officials. But was it good news for the hundreds of construction workers who were employed to build the mall over a span of two years?
According to George Nee, secretary/treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, while the completion of the 1,250,000 square foot mall — and its 4,500 space parking garage — may have closed a chapter in the history books of Rhode Island construction, many more chapters are opening.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
In short, said Nee, there remains plenty of work to go around for laborers in Rhode Island.
“The evidence of that is out there – there has been more advertising by the local trades than ever before,” said Nee. “The ironworkers, electricians, steelworkers — they are all seeking people to go into apprenticeship programs.”
Michael Ruggieri is the business agent for Local 37 of the Ironworkers Union – a division that represents ironworkers throughout Rhode Island, in southeastern Massachusetts and in nearby Connecticut.
Ruggieri said the work is there – it’s the workers he needs.
“Not many people want to go into the building trades anymore,” he said. “Providence Place brought a lot of attentionbut people see it and turn away – they think it’s too dangerous. But it’s a good living.”
Ruggieri’s territory includes the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, a project that began employing steelworkers several years ago – and continues to do so.
“People can say what they want about a casino, but we’ve done well by them,” said Ruggieri.
Closer to home, the projects also continue.
Ground has been broken at the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus, where a 281,00-square-foot, $50 million Convocation Center and Ice Rink is scheduled to be completed by August 2002.
Another major project on the horizon is a planned expansion at Wyeth-Ayerst, a pharmaceutical company with facilities off Route 95, on the Coventry/West Greenwich line. Fidelity Investments continues to build in Smithfield and the City of Providence is moving forward with the construction of a new public safety complex, which will encompass 130,000 square feet and open in December 2001.
Additional building projects also continue on the campuses of URI, Rhode Island College, the Community College of Rhode Island and Bryant College. Work is also on tap at T.F. Green Airport and it appears that after years of discussion, the old Narragansett Brewery property off Route 10 in Cranston will be developed into retail and office space in the coming year.
And talk continues of building a container port at the former Navy base at Quonset Point.
Ruggierri knows that the steady work comes as a result of a strong economy. He knows that the boom in the economy is not quite what it was a few years ago, but it is booming nonetheless.
All he knows is that the mall has come and gone and plenty of projects — both big and small — have come along to replace it.
“It looks pretty good for the next few years,” said Ruggieri. “Everything is based on the economy — and the economy is still strong. All of the building trades are doing well. And if they don’t find work in Rhode Island, they can always go to Boston. It’s a bonanza up there.”
