Like someone flipped a switch, the general demeanor of the industry has turned somewhat more positive since the beginning of January. There are a lot of positive indicators for 2013, although after the last two years I think we should wait to see how things pan out. One thing that does not seem to be bothering regional businesses too much is the ‘fiscal cliff’. Most construction related businesses seem to understand that business will go on even if there are higher taxes. The shock value of the cliff seems to have worn off.

As everyone is turning off the lights for Christmas there are still some tidbits worth noting.

WVU opened bids yesterday afternoon on their Student Health/CPASS building to find some very competitive numbers. From the low bidder to the high was a 2.5% spread and the gap between first and second was 8/100 of a percent (that’s .0008). The results were:

PJ’s news from yesterday wasn’t all bad. Seton Hill selected PJ Dick as construction manager for their $15 million project. Another intersting news item from yesterday was the rumor that USSteel was going to extend their lease for a couple more years, pushing back any decision about construction of a new corporate campus.

Another WVU job on the radar is the $8 million Arts Museum project, for which the university approved a short list for bidding in January. The approved contractors are Whiting-Turner, PJ Dick, Rycon, Massaro, Turner, Mascaro, Landau, March Westin and Mosites.