The Davis-Bacon Act

June 4, 2021
Terra-Petra News

The Davis–Bacon Act of 1931 is a United States federal law that establishes the requirement for paying the local prevailing wages on public works projects for laborers and mechanics. It applies to contractors and subcontractors performing on federally funded or assisted contracts in excess of $2,000 for the construction, alteration, or repair (including painting and decorating) of public buildings or public works.

The Davis–Bacon Act is part of the United States Code, codified as 40 U.S.C. 3141-3148.

The Act covers four main areas of construction: residential, heavy, buildings, and highway. Within these areas are further classifications, including craft positions such as plumber, carpenter, cement mason/concrete finisher, electrician, insulator, laborer, lather, painter, power equipment operator, roofer, sheet metal worker, truck driver, and welder.

Terra-Petra performs prevailing wage inspections under the following classification:

Craft: Building/Construction Inspector & Field Soils & Material Tester

Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System Design And Installation – Santa Fe Springs, CA

May 1, 2021
Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra News, Vapor Intrusion, Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System, Vapor Intrustion Mitigation

Terra-Petra’s Environmental Engineering Division has partnered with a Los Angeles REOC and investment management firm to design a comprehensive Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System (VIMS).

The new development, located in Santa Fe Springs, CA, will consist of a tilt-up industrial warehouse building, on grade, with an approximate building footprint of 150,500 SF. The gas vapor mitigation system shall be designed in accordance with a site specific Phase II Environmental Site Assessment report, and in accordance with the Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Advisory published by the C.A. EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) dated October 2011 (Cal/EPA 2011a, 2011b).

Terra-Petra Providing Waterproofing Services For New High-End Project in West Hollywood

April 2, 2021
, , CQA, CQA/CQC, Inspection, Terra-Petra News, water intrusion, Waterproofing

Terra-Petra is thrilled to have been a part of this fabulous project being finished off in West Hollywood, The Pendry Hotel. Terra-Petra served as the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Waterproofing Inspectors throughout the entire construction process. We are also in the process of completing the QA/QC Fenestration Testing at the Residence in compliance with the project’s performance specifications.

Our field-testing crew has been ramping up over the last week to ensure we have the necessary labor and material to meet the demand of the water testing schedule. We are currently in production mode as we are testing the exterior fenestrations of the building with 3 crews working simultaneously.

Re-Post From Vogue.com

The Britely, a New Member’s Club in Los Angeles, Is Feather-Filled and Fabulous

There’s this famous Oscar Wilde quote: “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” That very well could be plastered on the gilded door of The Britely, a new member’s only club in Los Angeles where maximalism is the modus operandi. There’s not one, but two Wolfgang Puck restaurants—one of which is painted a flamingo pink. Their rooftop bar, with sweeping views of L.A.’s urban sprawl, is adorned in jade palmeral-tiger print. Then there’s the hangout de resistance: an underground lounge with turquoise banquettes, gold lamé pillows, Hollywood Regency feather lamps, and a bowling alley. Simply put: it’s a place where you can have some serious fun. (Or as Estelle Lacroix, The Britely’s managing director puts it, “a little self-indulgence.”)

READ FULL ARTICLE

Re-Post from LA.Eater.com

First Look Inside Wolfgang Puck’s Pair of New Restaurants at Pendry West Hollywood

Wolfgang Puck is making a pizza. The 71-year-old chef, who has become a household name from his airport eateries, grocery line, and upscale establishments, has been making pizza for a very long time. Best known for creating the smoked salmon pizza at Spago, which was one of the city’s first restaurants to have a wood-fired oven, Puck is contemplating the signature pizza at his new daytime hotel cafe Ospero.

He stretches the dough while posing for the camera, as if this was a shoot for a glossy fashion magazine. Puck is always posing, holding a dish out for maximum exposure. He, and the team at Ospero and the penthouse restaurant Merois, will likely need it as the ongoing pandemic continues to hamper an ideal opening scenario at the massive new Pendry West Hollywood.

READ FULL ARTICLE

artworxLA Terra-Petra

Terra-Petra at artworxLA Virtual Wine Tasting

March 19, 2021
Events, Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra News

Terra-Petra’s VP/General Manager, Justin Conaway, and his wife Robin represented Terra-Petra at artworxLA’s inaugural Virtual Wine Tasting Mixer on March 17, 2021. Despite physical distancing, the attendees were happy to know that we can all still connect by sharing a delicious glass of wine while learning about the wine-making process and show support for the artworxLA’s programming.

artworxLA Board Member Grant and his wife Shaya Kirkpatrick graciously hosted this event by donating wines from their boutique vineyard, William Robert Estate Wines, located in Paso Robles, CA. Justin and Robin are now getting ready for their next road trip to Paso Robles thanks to the recommendations from Shaya and Grant Kirkpatrick!

artworxLA’s next virtual event, Gala 29  will take place May 8th- 14th.

Many thanks to Meghan Beckmann of KAA Design for the invitation.

Soil Management Plan Implementation – Richmond Oil Field

March 18, 2021
Soil Gas, soil management plan, Terra-Petra News, Terra-Petra Press

Terra-Petra recently mobilized to a development within the Richmond Oil Field in Yorba Linda, CA after the grading contractor working on the site encountered what they described as “black colored material”. Soil that carries these characteristics is suspected of being impacted by petroleum-contamination, pesticide impact or other hazardous materials and needs to be tested by a laboratory to verify the actual presence of contaminants and at what concentrations.

In this particular case, Terra-Petra elected to run the following tests on the soil samples we collected from the site under a strict chain of custody protocol.

  • EPA 8260B by 5035 – Volatile Organics by GC/MS + Oxygenates/Gasoline Range Organics
  • EPA 6010B by 3050 – Title 22 CAM 17 Trace Metals by ICP-OES
  • EPA 7471A – Mercury by Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption
  • EPA 9045C – pH
  • EPA 8270C-SIMS Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons

With the laboratory results Terra-Petra was able to conduct a site assessment to delineate the potentially impacted area, which was approximately 90’-180’ .  The Soil sampling was implemented in accordance with the site-specific Soil Management Plan (SMP), which is essential for any development where impacted soils may be encountered. Within an SMP should be a section describing the specific response/remedial actions that will need to be carried out for any impacted soils.

Numerous agencies can become involved with remedial actions for projects in Orange County in particular. For example, the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) and Orange County Fire Authority as well as the local planning department will be notified and involved in such matters. Additionally, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) and South Coast Air Quality Management District may become involved until a no further action status is attained.

In the coming days and weeks Terra-Petra will be drafting and submitting a Work Plan to carry out the remedial activities under the oversight of the local agencies involved.

Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System – Palo Alto, CA

February 19, 2021
CQA/CQC, State of California Construction, Terra-Petra News, Vapor Intrusion, Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System, Vapor Intrustion Mitigation

Terra-Petra’s Environmental Engineering Division has partnered with a significant environmental consulting firm in the Bay Area to prepare a comprehensive Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System (VIMS) for a new development located in Palo Alto, CA.

Terra-Petra designed the passive mitigation system with the ability to convert it to an active system in the future if deemed necessary. The VIMS System was reviewed and approved by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).

Having completed the VIMS design we have moved on to the construction administration phase which includes submittal review and RFI responses, as well as the QA/QC inspections. We are currently on-site overseeing the smoke testing of the subslab membrane system.

For more on this project visit the City of Palo Alto Website

How Terra-Petra is addressing Covid-19

March 20, 2020
Environmental Health, Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra Leadership, Terra-Petra News

We are open and operating.

Many of you have heard the announcements from the Governor and local LA county officials regarding “safer at home” mandates. Based on a review of the orders and applicable exemptions, Terra-Petra is continuing to operate under the Essential Business category.

As we continue to operate, however, we will comply with all pertinent requirements of the orders.

As an engineering firm that works with contractors and other engineers on critical projects, we also fall into the “Necessary Services” category, along with the various other disciplines of engineering.

The majority of the work that we take on includes municipality, public works, affordable housing, and critical transportation projects.

Our waterproofing division also falls into this category, as our team is in a position to keep properties safe by resolving issues that could ultimately lead to health concerns such as mold and mildew spores, along with other health irritants impacting a person’s well-being.

We will continue to work diligently with our clients to provide safe working conditions on-site for all of our people. We also want to stress the importance of all of our people practicing proper safeguards that have been published, such as washing hands frequently, keep hands away from the face, using hand sanitizer as frequently as possible, and practicing proper “social distancing” while on-site with other people, if required to attend any meetings (on or off-site).

Please be safe, and feel free to report any concerning issues to management with respect to job site conditions, practices, activities, or anything that you feel is not conforming to health guidelines during these challenging times.  Contact us if you should have questions or a need at hand.

Sincerely,

Kevin Buchanan
Terra-Petra | President

Los Angeles Office:
700 S. Flower Street
Suite #2580
Los Angeles, Ca. 90017
213-458-0494

TERRA-PETRA SPONSORS CLA ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CONFERENCE AT YOSEMITE

Terra-Petra Sponsors 27th Annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite®

October 12, 2018
Environmental Construction, Environmental Engineering, industry Conferences, Terra-Petra News

The Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite® is presented annually by the California Lawyers Association (CLA) and is held at Tenaya Lodge At Yosemite, Thursday-Sunday, October 18-21, 2018.

The Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite® is nationally recognized as the largest and most prestigious gathering in California of leaders in environmental, land use, and natural resources law. Many of the nation’s top environmental officials, lawyers, and other professionals will be at this well attended conference in the spectacular setting of Yosemite.

Read more about schedule, program, etc. here.

Here are some highlights from this year’s conference.

Terra-Petra consults on newest LA Multifamily Developments to Implement Tetris-Style Parking System

September 16, 2018
, , City of Los Angeles, Construction Industry, Environmental Engineering, Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra News, Waterproofing

Two new multifamily developments in Los Angeles are getting a unique Tetris-style semi-automated parking system that could lead to a shift in how residents park their vehicles. In late summer 2018, Beverly Hills-based Markwood Enterprises broke ground on a 14-unit, 16K SF multifamily property in mid-Wilshire and a 13-unit, 12K SF multifamily development in Larchmont. Each offers one unit for very-low-income tenants.

Terra-Petra provided environmental consulting pre- and during the ground breaking as well as waterproofing consulting  services for the  a two-level subterranean semi-automated puzzle shift parking system developed by CityLift.

“Every developer in LA knows if you can’t park it, you can’t build it,” Markwood Development Director Simon M. Aftalion said. “This enables us to pack in the density in a responsible way. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to house this many units because we wouldn’t be able to park them.”

Multifamily developments in Los Angeles are required to have two parking spaces for each two-bedroom unit, one and a half spaces for one-bedroom units and one space for studios. But the innovative system by Oakland-based CityLift could start a trend in the city’s multifamily landscape that allows developers to build more density with less space, Aftalion said.

Dunsmuir Row, 1233 South Dunsmuir in mid-Wilshire will offer 18 parking spots, while the project, Elmwood Row, on 4807 Elmwood Ave. in Larchmont will have 16 parking spaces.

Read Urbanize Los Angeles Article.

The puzzle shift — sometimes referred to as a puzzle lift — system appears as a stacked four-by-two grid. When a resident parks in a reserved spot, the system shifts or slides the vehicle or lifts it into place. The cars can be accessed independently. It takes an average of 30 seconds for a resident to retrieve a vehicle.     Read the entire article on Bisnow.com.

Courtesy of CityLift – A CityLift puzzle shift parking system

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

erra-Petra Silver Sponsor IVCIA

Terra-Petra Supports IVCLA as a “Silver Sponsor”

June 4, 2018
Terra-Petra Company News, Terra-Petra News

Last week, the IVCLA gathered to get to know Global Ties U.S.‘ new President, Katherine Brown, at its Citizen Diplomacy Celebration. As a IVCLA Silver Sponsor, Terra-Petra is (once again) looking forward to continuing to support the IVCLA as its partners as they continue working on Citizen Diplomacy in Los Angeles. Follow on Facebook and Twitter: #CelebrateCitizenDiplomacy

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