The weather's tough, the terrain is rough and contractors must pay a decent wage or lose their crews to fishing fleets or the oil and gas outfits. The city manager of King Cove agrees, but some of his neighbors say the project is an ill-conceived boondoggle, that road dollars would be better spent in a more populous area such as Anchorage. The road would run through the Izembeck Wildlife Refuge, a nesting ground for several species of ducks and geese. The Alaska delegation portrays opponents of these schemes as enviroracists who value birds and trees over native Aleuts. They also had lap dogs in Washington.
Some roads are circular.
T he survey by ENR, conducted in partnership with the Associated General Contractors of America and published in this issue, shows that the life of an equipment manager is no bed of roses. And most managers who bought on the gray market indicated that they received deep discounts off of list price. But before you walk into a gray market equipment deal with your eyes wide shut, think about what you are buying. Since most gray market goods come from overseas markets, the equipment specs may be different from similar models in the U.S., making servicing and parts replacement difficult or impossible. And it may be out of compliance with any number of federal or state regulations.