Category Archives: Construction

By Paul Post

The expected completion this summer of a new $10.1 million sewage treatment plant is spurring transformative economic development in the hamlet of North Creek.

A new Ski Bowl lodge is scheduled to connect to the system when lateral lines are installed this fall, along with the 30-room Public House with two restaurants and the possibility of an affordable housing project that would give people such as Johnsburg Central School teachers a place to live in the community.

“This is exactly how the hamlet of North Creek was zoned by the Adirondack Park Agency more than 50 years ago,” said Town of Johnsburg Supervisor Sterling Goodspeed. “It’s zoned for residential development. The sewer district, which primarily encompasses Main Street and the town-owned Ski Bowl park, is in keeping with that zoning. I think it will attract affordable housing and business growth, particularly restaurants and those things than can feed off the ski industry.”

Plans also call for the opening of a new mountainside alpine coaster ride this summer by the Ski Bowl lodge, making North Creek a more year-round recreational tourist destination.

By Rod Bacon

A recently completed retail plaza in The Outlets at Lake George is now completely tenanted.

The 8,400-square-foot building houses a Subway sandwich shop, a Silver Cannabis Dispensary, a Hi nails beauty salon, and a Tommy Bahama outlet. There are also 24 storage units behind the building, several of which are still available. 

This is the sixth commercial plaza built by developer Russ Faden, who owns 41 Subway franchises in the region.

“One of my Subway shops is in there and I am happy to welcome the other tenants to the project,” he said.

“I built the storage units because it is the best use of the property,” he explained. “They’re hidden behind the commercial building. Now that I’ve had success with these I plan to look for opportunities to build more.”    

He has two other commercial developments in Queensbury that are in the planning stages. One is retail and the other is slated to have approximately 34 apartments.

“We’re about to submit our conceptual to the town on that one, so it’s very early in the process,” he said.

By Paul Post

Heating, cooling and ventilation are the unseen components of buildings that house some of the Capital Region’s largest and most important employers, including colleges, hospitals and senior living centers.

Founded 81 years ago, Eastern Heating & Cooling has evolved into a full-service mechanical contractor with $42 million in annual revenue. It specializes in design-build HVAC systems, controls, fabrication and long-term service, with commercial clients within a 100-mile radius of its Albany headquarters.

“We want to be the solution to the problems that keep customers up at night,” company President Buddy Tricarick said. “If we can maintain their equipment, where they don’t have to worry about it, that’s the goal. That’s what exceptional customer service is. Preventive maintenance goes a long way.”

Business Development Manager Luke Schreiber said, “We meet with the customer, talk to them, ask questions and really try to understand what their business and equipment needs are, tailoring an approach that’s better aligned with their business versus a cookie-cutter solution.”

By Ann Donnelly

When Mark Stewart and Nic Denno merged their independent contracting companies to form Northern Builders in 2020, they brought more than construction expertise to the table. Both men balanced successful careers in law enforcement with their building endeavors, an experience that forged a strong foundation for their business partnership.

Stewart, a former investigator who retired from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department in 2023, and Denno, who worked as a police officer and a contractor for about 20 years before retiring in 2025, met while working the 4 p.m. to midnight shift at the sheriff’s department. Today, their South Glens Falls-based company employs 22 to 24 in-house staff members and manages 40 to 60 subcontractors daily. The team oversees 12 to 14 major projects at any given time, handling custom residential homes, commercial projects and high-end renovations.

“We really wanted to switch from being contractors and home builders to a construction company,” Stewart said.

For Denno, the partnership thrives on the mutual respect they built in their previous careers.

By Rod Bacon

The mantle of leadership of a highly respected longtime area business is in the process of being passed to the fifth generation of the family.

Within approximately 60 days, Pat O’Connor, who is currently the president, will take the reins of 120-year-old E&T O’Connor Construction from cousins Brian O’Connor and Kevin O’Connor.

“Brian and Kevin came to me a few years ago and said ‘You’re the next one to take over if you want to,’ so I’ve been preparing for this for quite some time,” said Pat. “They continued to run the company until now.”

In 1905, Thomas O’Connor started the business hauling dirt between Glens Falls and Ticonderoga with a horse and wagon. The earliest services offered were earth moving and site development using cable excavators for building contractors.

By the 1940s, ownership had passed to Thomas’ two sons, Edward and Thomas Jr. They continued to do site development so contractors could pour foundations for buildings in Glens Falls, one of which was the First National Bank. They also did site preparation for the Glens Falls Civic Center in the 1970s.

By Paul Post

A new service station in Rexford, a Stewart’s Shop in Plattsburgh and dining hall at the Luzerne Music Center.

These are among the many commercial projects on Hilltop Construction Company’s work schedule as it tries to navigate uncertain economic times of rising prices and potential supply chain issues related to the current tariff situation.

“We’re very diversified in what we do and what we can do to help deal with that situation,” co-owner and Vice President Dan Washburn said. “If one sector pulls back the other might not. We get a good mix to help deal with that.”

Commercial work, which accounts for half the company’s revenue stream, is primarily focused on an area from Albany to Lake George, although Hilltop is one of the main firms Stewart’s calls on for remodelling and new store construction projects throughout the region.

It’s nearing completion of a new Stewart’s Shop at the corner of Glen Street and Sherman Avenue in Glens Falls, and is also renovating and expanding a store at the north end of Saratoga Lake, just over the Fish Creek bridge, on Route 9P.

Other upcoming projects include remodeling Anytime Fitness gym in Hudson Falls, and putting a new façade on Glens Falls Tile & Supplies on Dix Avenue.

By Susan Elise Campbell

F.H. Alexander, Inc., the Schaghticoke based commercial construction company, has a full docket for the summer.

Owner Frank Alessandrini said that over the course of business since 1991, his company has become known for building restaurants, convenience stores, and retail spaces, and for renovating hospitals, schools, libraries, and other business and medical spaces.

“But this year is a little bit unusual for us,” Alessandrini said. “We are doing more and smaller projects than in past few years.”

“This trend is not an overall indication of the general economy or the business,” he said. “It’s just what we have landed.”

Starting mid-May, there are two projects for COARC, the Columbia County chapter of The ARC NewYork. One is an addition and a renovation and the other is a smaller renovation, he said.

Also starting soon are some interior renovations for Greenwich Library.

“They are modernizing a number of rooms,” said Alessandrini. “We have done a half dozen projects for them over the years and they are a good customer.”

There have been other recent library projects. The company put a sizable addition onto the Valley Falls Library and did a project with Easton Library. Alessandrini said he has been working with Schaghticoke Library recently to secure a grant to move the entire library to the lot next door.

By Rod Bacon

The skilled craftsmen at Munter Enterprises have plenty to keep them busy for quite some time. The Middle Grove-based construction company is in the midst of several projects, is finishing up others, and has still others in the planning stages.

According to Vice President Mike Munter, one of the more interesting projects for which they hope to break ground soon is a new branch for the Hudson River Community Credit Union. The 2,500-square-foot building in Greenwich will include a drive-thru and state-of-the-art Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs). Munter worked with Paone Architecture of Saratoga Springs for the building’s design and Verity Engineering, D.P.C. of Troy for site design. All approvals are in place and a June ground breaking is planned.

“This project is very interesting because of the demographic in the area,” said Munter. “For the Amish community there will be a hitching post and water hydrant in the parking lot for the horses.”

Another local project is for a firm relocating from Albany to a 15,000-square-foot building on Pierce Road off Northway Exit 10 in Clifton Park. Munter Enterprises is renovating the building for Kinsley Power, a company that supplies a variety of backup generator systems. They carry industrial and residential generators as well as cogeneration and battery storage systems. That project is underway and will be completed in June.

The company has two projects in the WJ Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs. Under construction is a 35,000-square-foot, approximately $6 million, building for a tenant in the warehousing and distribution sector that Munter said he can’t disclose at this time. Site work, which was done by W.J. Morris of Saratoga Springs, started last month and they estimate completion of the project in 2026. Subcontractors for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work have not been chosen. Munter Enterprises will do the concrete work, steel erection, and insulated panel envelope installation.

By Paul Post

Nearly three dozen area contractors turn to Local 773 whenever they land a big job and need to bring on highly-qualified plumbers, steamfitters, pipefitters and HVAC technicians.

The 500-member, Queensbury-based union supplies skilled workers for a wide variety of projects from GlobalFoundries in Malta to recently-completed refrigeration upgrades at Lake Placid’s Olympic facilities.

A five-year apprenticeship includes hands-on work plus September to April classes, each year, at Local 773’s headquarters and training facility at 37 Luzerne Road.

“It’s an earn and learn program,” Business Manager Mike Jarvis said. “When an apprentice comes in they sign up with the union, work during the day for a contractor and go to school at night three times per week.”

Applications are accepted one day each month. When enough applications come in, the union sets up an aptitude test. Candidates are also interviewed by an eight-person Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, comprised of four union members and four contractors, who review the job-seeker’s employment history, attitude and work ethic. Points are given for related college and past military experience.

By Christine Graf

In the Capital Region real estate market and beyond, a shortage of inventory has made it difficult for buyers to find reasonably priced homes. The Center for American Progress, an independent policy institute, believes modular homes may be the answer to the American housing crisis. According to a report issued by the institute in February 2024, “Modular building, if brought to scale, has the potential to reduce construction costs and make building new homes more affordable, especially in areas experiencing severe affordable housing shortages.”

Modular homes are often confused with mobile homes, but the two are distinctly different. While modular home components are fabricated in factories, the homes themselves are assembled on-site and attached to permanent foundations. 

When it comes to the construction process, there is virtually no difference between a modular home and a site-built home. Both are built with the same materials and are subject to the same regulations.