Pat Barcas photo
Elgin Community College President Dr. David Sam accepted the first ever Construction Project of the Year award for illustrating collaboration between construction trades and local commerce. ECC’s Academic Library and Learning Center (insert) came in on time and under budget – all done with local, union labor.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, March 21, 2013
     The ninth annual Fox Valley Building and Construction Trades Council St. Patrick’s Day luncheon served to remember the past as well as look to the future of union progress nationwide and locally.
     “Our trades have had a wonderful relationship with the city,” said Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, addressing the crowd of union members, politicians and business leaders. “We have a very cooperative and collaborative effort here.”
     Weisner reported that Aurora is beginning to see the end of the Great Recession.
     “We’ve done reasonably well with dealing with this recession. We’re beginning to see the end of the trouble we’ve had in the past couple of years. There has been a 50 percent pickup in permit requests this year alone,” he said.
     Aurora’s RiverEdge Park is scheduled to open this spring, and construction is also scheduled to begin on a new $28 million downtown public library at River and Benton Streets. Aurora received a $10.8 million state grant to help pay for the new building.
     Cementing an ongoing collaboration between the construction trades and local commerce, Elgin Community College was awarded the 2013 Construction Project of the Year by the Fox Valley Building and Construction Trades Council.
     “We want to issue this award for a project that earned it, and they definitely have value on display,” said FVBCTC President Scott Roscoe as he presented the first annual award to ECC President Dr. David Sam.
     Sam extolled the virtues of the project labor agreement that allowed the success of the $178 million referendum, which allowed for construction of several new buildings on the ECC campus. The construction came in on time, under budget, and injury free, all using local labor.
     Hundreds of jobs were created while building the Multipurpose Classroom Building, Health & Life Sciences Building, Academic Library and Learning Center, and the Health Career Center for Excellence.
     “I want to thank the support of the FVBCTC,” said Sam. “A year ago we had our support drive, it was great to see all the union faces out there. We are making a difference in the community, and we have one more project on the way that will be announced.”
     To round out the day’s presentations, Herschel Luckinbill of Honor Flight Chicago made the official announcement that The Moving Vietnam Memorial Wall will be coming to West Aurora High School Nov. 7-11, 2013.
     “I applied for August and was surprised and thrilled I got the call. Then they said they couldn’t give me the date I requested, was Veterans Day ok? I nearly fell over,” said Luckinbill.
     He said he is currently seeking volunteers for the first class event — anything from security, to setup, to garbage pickup. To volunteer to help at the Moving Wall event, call Herschel Luckinbill at 630-801-9591.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.