Cleveland Building Trades Secure PLA on Newburgh Heights Project

Members of the Cleveland Building Trades gather for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Newburgh Hts fire station.

In what he called a “no-brainer decision” and a great way to support local labor, Trevor Elkins, the Mayor of Newburgh Heights, signed a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Cleveland Building Trades in November 2015, to turn a vacant warehouse into a new fire station and service department garage.The contractor, RL Hill Management, was awarded the bid on the $2 million project that will move the fire department from its current location on East 49th Street into the renovated structure on Harvard Avenue.The current fire station, originally built in 1943 and expanded in 1965, is obsolete and costly to maintain. Several years ago, the building was condemned and the Village had to spend taxpayer dollars to fix all the violations. By moving into the warehouse on Harvard Avenue, Newburgh Heights expects to save nearly $30,000 a year in maintenance and other repairs.Crews began work on the project in January. Work includes all new electrical, plumbing, drainage and HVAC/exhaust systems. In addition to concrete, drywall and flooring, some masonry work and sheet metal work will be done as well.The village of roughly 2,100 residents is a middle class community with a strong union and labor base of supporters and members, including several members of council who are or have been union stewards.Besides supporting local workers, the Mayor noted the importance of using a well-trained, skilled and qualified workforce to safely complete the project.“It was a no brainer,” said Elkins. “Numerous studies have shown trained, skilled labor delivers quality work on time, and on or sometimes under budget. All these factors made it an easy decision.”Workers have until the end of June to complete the work on what the mayor calls an important safety project.