http://cig-pr.com/ee/index.php en jimmy@cig-pr.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-17T14:38:53+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/u.s._36_widening_project_shifts_into_higher_gear/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/u.s._36_widening_project_shifts_into_higher_gear/#When:14:27:15Z By John Aguilar The $425 million U.S. 36 widening project — between Denver and Boulder — is moving into "the meat" of the work this summer, transport officials say. Miles more of roadway will be squeezed into constricted lanes, three major bridges will be pulverized and brought to the ground, and the new concrete road surface will get its first pour starting late next month. The number of workers in the corridor will swell, from the 250 or so today to more than 400. “It will be a little more cramped for a longer distance,” said Jason Estes, construction manager for Ames Granite Joint Venture, the design-build firm in charge of part of U.S. 36’s makeover. But from the discomfort of heavy construction this summer and fall will come the reward of seeing what rises from the commotion and dust, he said. “We’re getting into the final product,” Estes said recently, standing atop the BNSF bridge west of Church Ranch Boulevard as an excavator moved bucketfuls of dirt nearby. That final product is a state-of-the-art overhaul of U.S. 36, which aims to add 40 feet of width to the roadway in each direction. Inside that bigger envelope, a managed lane will be built each way. The lane, which will require solo drivers to pay a toll, will accommodate bus rapid transit service and high-occupancy vehicles for free. The highway will continue to have two general-purpose lanes east and west. Also planned for the length of the corridor is a dedicated bikeway. The revamped U.S. 36 also will get a fiber-optic backbone designed to feed real-time data to electronic highway signs — informing motorists of accidents and delays — and to TV displays at the bus rapid transit stations along the corridor, letting commuters know when the next bus is due to arrive. Work on the project will ramp up in the coming weeks as bridges are torn down and new roadway is laid out. “This will be one of the most high-tech stretches of highway in the country,” Estes said. The project is split into two phases, the first stretching 11 miles from Federal Boulevard to 88th Street between Louisville and Superior. Work on the $312 million phase — funded by the Regional Transportation District along with state and federal grants and loans — began last July and is expected to wrap up at the end of 2014. CIG Clients in the News 2013-06-17T14:27:15+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/strp_ascend_program_tour_and_open_house_big_success/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/strp_ascend_program_tour_and_open_house_big_success/#When:14:02:30Z BY THE DBETODAY.COM PUBLISHER/EDITOR True to its goal to ensure that Minority and Woman-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) are viewed as valued partners, Denver International Airport’s South Terminal Redevelopment Program (STRP) provided MWBE subcontractors an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Program site on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. More than 25 individuals representing various firms participated in the tour, which was made possible through the STRP’s ASCEND Capacity Building Program. “From the beginning of this program, the STRP has been committed to setting the bar for how future DIA projects engage with the local M/WBE community,” said Program Manager and Tour Leader Stuart “Stu” Williams. “Beyond simply setting participation goals, the STRP is proud of the ASCEND Capacity Building Program, as it has provided training and education opportunities to our M/WBE partners so they will be even more competitive on their next bid – whether that happens to be on a project at DIA or elsewhere.” ASCEND teams the STRP with community partners that include the Contractor Academy, Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Contractors of Colorado, the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Denver Small Business Development Center/Connect2DOT, and the Minority Business Development Agency. The partnership provides capacity building, training and education opportunities to M/WBE firms that have had, or currently have contracts on the STRP. “During the past 2-3 years, the DIA/Parsons team has led the way at introducing one of the more advanced concepts for developing DBE’s, M/WBE’s and SBE’s than any other major contractor in this region and possibly the nation,” said George Crochet, SPHR, of Boulder Professional and Technical Services and ASCEND Program Participant. “The ASCEND Program that was an idea by the DIA/Parsons team has taken root and the leaders are serious about including and developing this local talent. I’m beginning to see some very positive, mutually beneficial relationships develop with my primes.” In addition to the tour, firms in attendance participated in an ASCEND program open house, and had an opportunity to network with staff from the DIA Commerce Hub and other STRP firms. CIG Clients in the News 2013-06-12T14:02:30+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/resiliency_center_set_to_open_doors_to_victims_of_trauma/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/resiliency_center_set_to_open_doors_to_victims_of_trauma/#When:15:42:12Z “We were looking for something that conveyed strength and the long-term nature of what resilience is all about,” Morales said. Aurora Sarah Castellanos, Staff Writer The city’s therapeutic “resiliency” center will open to victims directly and indirectly impacted by the July 20 Aurora theater shooting in mid-June. The vacant Hoffman Heights Library will house the center, which will offer free services including group counseling, individual counseling, and health and wellness activities such as yoga and Zumba classes. The center will cost about $35,000 annually to operate and will be open for up to two years. We’re still in the process of getting all the pieces in place,” said Karen Morales, spokeswoman for the 7/20 Recovery Committee. The facility will be named the Aurora Strong Resilience Center. “We were looking for something that conveyed strength and the long-term nature of what resilience is all about,” Morales said. “It’s not something you accomplish because of a trauma that you went through, it’s about how you prepare for a lifetime of experiences that you might not have been prepared for.” The resiliency center will open during the second or third week of June, initially to victims who were directly and indirectly impacted by the Aurora theater shooting. Then, it will have a grand opening celebration in mid-July, opening to all Aurora residents who have been affected by any kind of trauma or tragedy, or those who want to learn coping skills to prepare themselves for an unexpected tragedy. “We’ve got a lot of folks in the community who are actively managing the after-effects of the (7/20) tragedy, and then we’ve got the rest of the community who we’d like to start introducing to this concept of resilience, and what the individual can do to prepare themselves for trauma,” Morales said. The plan for the center was loosely based off of “Columbine Connections,” a healing center for victims of the Columbine High School shootings and “Project Heartland,” a mental health services center for victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Kevin Everhart, a psychologist and associate clinical teaching professor at the University of Colorado’s Department of Psychology said the resiliency center is an innovative and “excellent” resource for the community. “This is something that can bring about positive change and help the community cope with and even come to thrive in the face of the 7/20 shootings,” he said. “This is a progressive step.” For many people, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder don’t occur until months or even years after the tragedy or trauma. The resiliency center will give people an opportunity to take advantage of services they might not even know they need, Everhart said. “We have evolved a great many mechanisms for shielding ourselves from anxiety and distress,” he said. Combining mental health services with active, exercise-focused activities at no cost will be hugely beneficial to the Aurora community, he said. Members of the 7/20 Recovery Committee came up with the idea for a resiliency center after discussions about the long-term healing process in the wake of the theater tragedy. Communities that don’t respond to post-event stress see increases in domestic violence and divorce, family dysfunction, substance abuse, increases in drop-out rates and fatalities due to suicide, according to the documents. Partners involved in the creation of the resiliency center include the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora Mental Health and the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space department. Representatives from the Colorado Organization for Victims Assistance will have regular office hours at the center, and will also be conducting group victim support services. CIG Clients in the News 2013-05-23T15:42:12+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/pursuing_happiness_patience_young_grasshopper/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/pursuing_happiness_patience_young_grasshopper/#When:13:38:53Z What is the old saying? Patience is a virtue? If you ask me - and I know you did – it’s more than that: Patience is a gift. It is also vital in cracking the safe surrounding ever-elusive happiness. In the interest of time, I won’t get too existential on you in this forum. No need to thank me. Now, I’ve always considered myself a patient person, as patience was long the most heralded quality of my late father. He was a friend to many and an enemy to none, working extraordinarily well with any personality type. He was also sincerely honest, kind and trusted by all who knew him. For me, this makes him someone more than worthy of emulation. But I digress. The issue here is that patience isn’t simply about having a long fuse or remaining level-headed under fire. There is an entirely separate end of the patience spectrum; one that many - especially eager young professionals such as I - tend to disregard. Since I couldn’t seem to find a name for this type of patience, I’ve decided to come up with one on my own… I’ll let you know what it is when I think of it. It has been exactly one year since I was forced to confront this particular end of the spectrum for the first time. It all started when I said final farewells to my beloved alma mater, the University of Colorado at Boulder (cue fuzzy flashback transition). It’s a funny thing, graduating from college. There’s a whole lot of “hurry up and wait” followed by a series of sleepless nights, lazy days and a toxic dose of self-doubt. The last few weeks of classes represent the ultimate sprint to the finish, with students packing libraries and tossing back Red Bull by the gallon. Then, in the blink of an exhausted eye, it’s over. And then – if you’re like me – unemployment awaits. Oh, and you’re moving back home. Oh, and your peers are snatching up jobs left and right. Or maybe that was just me. Regardless, it’s easy to lose patience and wonder whether or not you will make it. A laundry list of questions seep into your everyday consciousness: Why can’t I land an interview? Is my résumé subpar? Should I have gone to a different college? Did I pick the wrong industry? Am I not smart enough? Am I not good enough? Whoa. Take a deep breath, champ. It’s a scary world out there, especially when you don’t feel a part of it yet. In the months between college graduation and signing on the dotted line, making my first “real” job a reality, there were many moments when I questioned everything from my intelligence to my hair style. Only when I relaxed, gave myself a break and made the decision to let the chips fall where they may did I even land that first interview. In a way, finding happiness is like finding love – it sneaks up and bites you when you least expect it. Until that point, all you can do is prepare, be steadfast in your pursuit, be confident in your abilities, and worry only about what you can control. This is where that other type of patience comes in. Although, on second thought, patience may not be a strong enough word. Faith. There’s the word I was seeking. Not necessarily faith in a particular religion or worldly philosophy; rather, a broader faith that, in this crazy mixed up world, things typically work out the way they are meant to. This leads to the biggest single lesson I have learned to this point in my infantile career: If you’re patient, have faith and stay true to your convictions, CIG will offer you your dream job… Or some variation thereof. Keep calm and carry on – happiness will be there in the end. Believe it. 2013-05-17T13:38:53+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/denver_hopes_to_buy_2_million_sculpture_by_ned_kahn_for_dia/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/denver_hopes_to_buy_2_million_sculpture_by_ned_kahn_for_dia/#When:00:35:00Z Denver, Colo. Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post Denver International Airport is proposing the largest single purchase of public art in city history, a $2 million sculpture by internationally recognized artist Ned Kahn. The piece, a kinetic work animated by the wind and spread across thousands of square feet, is intended to enliven the experience of air passengers crossing between the main terminal and the new transit station and hotel going up on the airport’s south side. The purchase is part of a massive art buy, totaling $5.2 million, mandated by rules that require 1 percent of the construction budgets of major city projects go toward art. The set-aside, common to major municipalities across the U.S., ensures public officials will consider aesthetics, and not just function, when completing new buildings. The south terminal project has an overall price tag of more than $500 million. DIA has already hired Colorado artist Patrick Marold to create a $1.5 million work for the massive bowl that will surround the train platforms where light rail passengers arrive and depart. Officials are also in talks with French installationist Yann Kersalé to create a $1.1 million piece incorporating the escalator that will take rail riders to the Jeppesen Terminal’s upper floor. The projects are being ushered through the city’s bureaucracy with considerable speed so they can be integrated into the South Terminal project’s construction and landscaping, scheduled for completion by the end of 2015. Another $1 million has been reserved for art that is temporary or needs a shorter lead time to place. The large purchases require approval from the Denver City Council, which recently gave the nod to the Marold piece and is likely to have the Kahn sculpture on its agenda this month. The council’s Business, Workforce and Sustainability Committee voted unanimously in favor of the idea last week. The council’s consent is one of several layers such deals must go through. DIA’s art staff first proposes projects to its in-house Art Committee, made up of eight volunteers representing the fine arts, academic and civic communities. Then, projects proceed through the city’s 24-member Commission on Cultural Affairs. Dozens of officials and art experts, as well as the building project’s architects and construction staff, will have signed off before the latest pieces are completed, said Matt Chasansky, who oversees DIA’s Art and Culture Program. “It’s not just one guy making decisions on behalf of everyone,” he said. The airport is perhaps Denver’s busiest showcase for art. More than 53 million people pass through each year, half of whom never leave the building as they connect between flights. For many, the airport’s design, efficiency and art provide their only impression of the metropolis. “What we say to them is basically what we’re saying about Denver overall,” Chasansky said. DIA’s art collection has been the subject of praise and criticism, much of it generated by artist Luis Jiménez’s 32-foot “Blue Mustang,” which greets visitors arriving via Federico Peña Boulevard. The fiery horse, with its electric, red eyes, has emerged as a lightning rod on public opinion about art. Among its nicknames: “Blucifer” and “Satan’s Steed,” though it has many defenders who cite its recognizability, as well as success generating wide-spread conversation about fine art. The airport operates an aggressive, international art program that taps new technologies and evolving ideas about visual art. Recently, it commissioned several, short digital pieces to play in rotation on electronic screens above the security check-in lines. Another work, “Lightning Blues Express,” by artist Humberto Duque and on display through July, is a performance piece that has actors roaming the terminals, pulling behind them amplified music players that look like carry-on bags. The wheeled, boom boxes play various recorded songs with a theme of farewell, generating odd and amused stares from airport users. DIA paid $75,000 for the work. In addition to making the airport a more lively place, the pieces are meant to shake people out of their hurried routines, if only for a moment. For some passengers, the art fills the down time air travel forces upon them. For others, the works offer an invitation to relax. One “intent is to create artwork that will pull people out of their fear and anxiety,” said Kendall Peterson, who is heading up the art efforts for the South Terminal expansion. The Kahn piece will put Denver into an elite list of cities who own one of his works. Kahn, based in Sebastopol, Calif., is best-known for large, graceful and easy-to-like sculptures, often made of aluminum, that move without electrical power. His best works are at public spaces such as San Francisco International Airport, as well as private spaces, such as the ultra-trendy 21C museum and hotel in Louisville, Ky. The exact shape and size of the DIA piece is yet to be determined. It will be mostly horizontal with moving parts that reflect the patterns of the wind and other natural elements. It will be integrated into the architecture in a way people can walk around and through it, Peterson said. Marold is known for working with light, and DIA hopes his piece will be visible both day and night. Kersalé is creating an entire environment that will envelop the main escalator and entertain riders along their 90-second journey between levels. In all, DIA solicited proposals from 180 international artists. Peterson said the airport wanted to work with established professionals who have demonstrated they can bring quality art projects in a timely manner to large public spaces. “There’s a pretty small sample out there,” she said. CIG Clients in the News 2013-05-17T00:35:00+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/social_media_cheat_sheet/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/social_media_cheat_sheet/#When:17:10:55Z If you are like most individuals, the whole social media explosion tends to be a bit daunting and overwhelming. Trying to decipher which site you should use and for what reason can be a challenge. Thanks to the fabulous folks at Flowtown you can now have access to your very own cheat sheet which provides some basic tips, lingo and relative audience size for various social networking sites. Click here to download or see below. Enjoy! 2013-05-09T17:10:55+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/blasting_at_twin_tunnels_signals_start_of_i-70_improvement_project_read_mor/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blasting_at_twin_tunnels_signals_start_of_i-70_improvement_project_read_mor/#When:20:45:16Z By Monte Whaley, The Denver Post IDAHO SPRINGS — With a bang — literally, a boom and a cloud of dust — major rock blasting began Friday on the Twin Tunnels project, signaling the start of major improvements to the traffic-choked Interstate 70 mountain corridor. Local, state and federal officials pushed down an old-time ceremonial dynamite plunger to set off the explosive charges at the east-bound bore of the tunnels. There has been some preliminary blast work around the tunnel, but now workers can start “turn-under” work inside the structure, said officials. Idaho Springs Mayor Jack Morgan said it’s about time. Communities along the corridor have waited for decades for improvements to the interstate. “There will be short-term pain for people traveling on I-70” as regular blasting continues through much of the summer, he said. “But there will be long-term gains because of this project.” The $106 million project includes adding an eastbound lane from the east Idaho Springs interchange to U.S. 6 as well as the expansion of the eastbound tunnel to include three lanes and shoulders. The work also calls for improving lighting in the tunnel and widening the entrance to encourage eastbound drivers to keep driving into the tunnel without braking, Colorado Department of Transportation planners say. Improving the Twin Tunnels, built in 1961, is the first of several projects designed to improve safety and mobility along the interstate, CDOT executive director Don Hunt said. “When this highway was built, there were 1.8 million people in Colorado,” Hunt said. “Now we’re at 5.2 million people, but the highway has stayed the same. Something has to be done.” Expansion along the corridor will reduce accidents by an estimated 35 percent and save Sunday travelers about $11.4 million in travel time and fuel costs, Hunt said. Among the first things necessary to widen the eastbound tunnel is large drilling equipment to create holes in the hillside. Explosives are then packed into the cavities for controlled, localized blasts that remove large sections of rock, CDOT said. During each blast, I-70 traffic will be stopped in both directions just before the tunnels. Eastbound traffic will be stopped for up to 20 minutes and westbound traffic for up to 30 minutes. This will give crews time to conduct the blast, clear out any materials and inspect the westbound tunnel bore before allowing traffic to proceed. The project contractor — Kraemer-Obayashi — is using two sets of drilling equipment to speed up the tunnel blasting and widening. Blasting should be complete by midsummer, and eastbound I-70 traffic probably will be moving through the new tunnel by the end of the year, CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said. Read more: Blasting at Twin Tunnels signals start of I-70 improvement project - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23168538/blasting-at-twin-tunnels-signals-start-i-70#ixzz2SYK3GsuS CIG Clients in the News 2013-05-03T20:45:16+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/cdot_and_hpte_select_concessionaire_to_complete_the_us_36_express_lanes_pro/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/cdot_and_hpte_select_concessionaire_to_complete_the_us_36_express_lanes_pro/#When:20:05:08Z Denver, Colo. Today, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) announced the selection of Plenary Roads Denver as the Concessionaire for phase II of the US 36 Express Lanes/Bus Rapid Transit project between 88th Street and Table Mesa, which will complete improvements to the entire US 36 corridor between Denver and Boulder. The project is CDOT’s first public-private partnership (P3), an innovative partnership where the public and private sectors team together to provide transportation improvements and services to the traveling public. “We are extremely excited to have a partner on board to complete the final phase of the US 36 improvements that will address the needs of this vital corridor and support continued economic growth in the area,” said Mike Cheroutes, Director of the HPTE. “We wouldn’t be here today without the dedication and hard work by our local, state and federal stakeholders.” CDOT and HPTE will enter into a 50-year agreement with Plenary Roads Denver who will: Construct Phase 2 of the US 36 Corridor which includes: • Constructing an Express Lane in each direction of US 36 between 88th Street and Table Mesa for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) and tolled Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV); • Reconstructing two general purpose lanes in each direction between 88th Street and Table Mesa • Widening the highway to accommodate 12-foot-wide inside and outside shoulders; • Replacing the Coal Creek Bridge and rehabilitating and widening the S. Boulder Creek bridge and widening the McCaslin Boulevard bridge to accommodate a diverging diamond interchange; • Adding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) improvements, including new electronic display signage at stations and bus priority improvements at ramps. The improvements also will allow buses to operate on the shoulders of US 36 between interchanges to decrease bus travel time; • Installing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for tolling, transit and traveler information, and incident management; • Installing a separate commuter bikeway along the rest of the corridor; and • Improving the RTD station at McCaslin Boulevard. • Operate and Maintain the following highways, which includes snow and ice removal: • The entire US 36 corridor between I-25 and Table Mesa • I-25 Express Lanes between downtown Denver and US 36 “The ability to construct large-scale roadway improvements has become more and more challenging as construction dollars are limited and we must look for ways to be more economical, efficient and effective with those limited resources,” said Trey Rogers, Chair of the HPTE Board of Directors.  “The public-private partnership allows us to do just that, and as a result, we are able to move into the final phase of construction years ahead of schedule.”  About two-thirds of the Phase 2 Project costs are funded through private sector equity and non-recourse debt. The project delivers much-needed capacity, while shifting operations and maintenance and replacement obligations to the private sector for the next 50 years. And, the P3 arrangement enables the project to be completed 20 years sooner than originally planned. The Concession team includes the following partners: The Plenary Group- team lead and managing partner • Ames Construction, Inc.- construction • Granite Construction- construction • HDR- engineering design • Transfield Services- maintenance • Goldman Sachs- financial advisor The second phase of the US 36 Express Lanes project is expected to begin construction in late 2013 and will be complete by late 2015. # # # CIG Clients in the News 2013-04-05T20:05:08+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/dia_-_south_terminal_redevelopment_program/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/dia_-_south_terminal_redevelopment_program/#When:13:16:28Z The South Terminal Redevelopment Program will complete the original vision of DIA, which includes adding a hotel and a Public Transit Center to house the RTD East Rail Line station connecting DIA to downtown Denver. Click on http://www.flydenver.com/ConstructionCam to see a live webcam of the action! CIG Clients in the News 2013-04-05T13:16:28+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/the_20-somethings_vs._work/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/the_20-somethings_vs._work/#When:14:05:32Z Growing up, I always thought that going to work was the last thing I wanted to do. Sure, I knew that there were things called “vacation time” and “bonuses” and “staff retreats,” but I also knew that there were things called “overtime” and “internal politics” and “downsizing.” In short, I knew enough to convince myself that the elusive four-letter word – WORK – was to be feared, to be made anxious by, and if at all possible, to be avoided. Now that I am in my 20s, I see things a bit differently. I have had a couple of jobs that reinforced my premature theory, but have also had a couple of jobs that turned this hypothesis on its head. Most of the time, I have been pleasantly surprised, and when I dislike an environment, I find I am good at doing the best I can to make it better, or I am good at finding something better. We are the 20-somethings. We are the ones who enjoy every day like it’s our last, and who refuse to settle for anything less than perfect. We are carefree and have accepted that sometimes, it takes a little bit of time to find the right job or the right fit. We are selfish and ambitious, we are determined and motivated. We are naive. We love money. We think that we deserve the best, and that only the best deserve us. Oddly enough, it is this attitude that has landed me a job that I didn’t even know existed. I don’t dread going to work, and I look forward to the challenges that each day brings. I have the upmost respect for my colleagues, and admire every person I interact with. I get constructive criticism, great guidance, projects that I am proud to complete, and I get to put the specific skill set I have to very good use. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out to be one of those awful philosophizing people who pretentiously wags a finger. I’m just saying that I truly enjoy going to work, and that it’s never too late to do that. If, when you read the first sentence of this blog post, you found yourself tight-lipped and in silent agreement with my old hypothesis, go out and find a job that gets your heart racing on a Wednesday, with some emails that you won’t dread reading on a Monday, with some smart, motivated people who you will go out with on a Friday. After all, all the 20-somethings are doing it. 2013-04-04T14:05:32+00:00