Happy New Year Mega Family!!! We are very excited to kick off this new year with quite a few wonderful milestones. Many of our projects are moving right along and some are expectantly concluding. As our projects change, so do things in our office. Keep reading to the end to see how we celebrated multiple new beginnings for many of our Mega family members. We also pay tribute to our colleague Selwyn Taylor who sadly passed away this month.
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Fence installation has begun and we are actively working to set up the site. Our next step is to install soldier piles, shoring and begin excavation.
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Underlayment rough infill pours continue and are nearing completion. Layout and framing have begun on floors two and three. MEP riser coring and installation have also commenced on floors two through five. Select demolition in the historically sensitive area of the first floor and cellar is under way.
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All underground electrical and plumbing work has been completed. The south half of the mat slab will be poured in the coming days. Shoring, rebar, and form work have been installed above the first floor on the north half of the site.
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West wall demolition has been completed. First floor and cellar slab removal have commenced. We recently began excavation and drilling piles for the new building. Apartments on floors 2 through 6 of the existing building have been framed and electrical and plumbing roughing is 90% complete in those locations. Window framing and ceiling rips have commenced within the apartments on the 4th and 5th floors
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Ninth floor plank is being set. Partition layout and framing is in progress on the 7th floor with MEP roughing following behind on the 6th floor. Fire stopping is in progress before we begin tub installation. Bricks and relieving angles are on site and brickwork will begin soon.
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WE'VE TOPPED OFF!!
Temporary roof installation is wrapping up including installation of roof equipment rails, curbs, and hatches. HVAC, Plumbing, Carpentry, and Electrical trades are preparing floors 2-6 to receive spray insulation before sheetrock installation. Our masons have been working quickly on our brick façade which has progressed up to the 8th floor. It should be completed very shortly. Air/vapor barrier installation is ongoing. ConEdison has opened up the street in preparation of installation of permanent electrical services in the coming weeks.
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We are scheduled for interior elevator inspection this week. Subsequently we will be removing the exterior hoist assembly. We expect ConEdison to provide permanent power very soon.
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Brick wash down is complete and the scaffold has been completely removed. Sheetrock installation is nearly complete up to the 8th
floor. Bathroom tiles are currently being installed on the 7th floor and bathroom fixtures are being put in place on floors 1 to 3. Fin tube radiator installation has commenced, the metal panel team has mobilized and is preparing the drop scaffold rigs, and the solar panel installation is in progress.
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Brick installation is proceeding at the 9th floor, windows are installed up to the 8
th
Floor, and our traction elevator rails are complete. Our carpenter has installed sheetrock up to the 5th
floor, and bathroom tiles are installed up to the 4th Floor. The painter has started work on the 2nd and 3rd floor apartments. We’ve received our roof HVAC equipment, and the plumber has completed testing on our copper lines.
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Scaffolding on the north and west façades have been removed. We will be removing rear yard scaffolding shortly. Bathroom tile laying is ongoing through 5th floor. Priming apartments is also ongoing. Kitchen cabinet installation has begun and we are currently prepping for apartment floor tiling to begin.
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***BREAKING NEWS***
OUR TCO HAS BEEN ISSUED!!!!!!
The building has been substantially completed. Currently we are working on remaining architectural and engineering punch list items, as well as remaining MEP commissioning items.
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We are wrapping up the last few floors of drywall taping with the painter following right behind. Kitchen cabinets are halfway complete and counter tops have started. Tile and plumbing fixtures are moving well also. The elevators are almost ready for testing. Our EIFS work is on the final elevation, and the roof is more than half done. In the backyard we are waiting for pavers and plantings.
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The building is getting its final touches. Kitchens, flooring, fixtures, accessories and appliances are being installed. Scaffold is 50% removed, hoist is being disassembled, and we are gearing up for BPP in the near future. The smell of fresh paint is in the air.
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Prospect Plaza Park Final Sign-off
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Congratulations to the Prospect Plaza Park team for receiving the final sign-off from the NYC Parks Department. This milestone marks the official culmination of all the hard work from our PP4 team. Prospect Plaza Park located at 1825 Sterling Place. The park features new state of the art playground equipment, basketball courts, seating, and open green space for the community to enjoy.
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Congratulations to the Villa Avenue project team for recently topping off. Upon completion, 3188 Villa Avenue will stand 10 stories tall and bring 68 new residential units to this Bronx community. Join us in congratulating our Villa Avenue Project team on this milestone!
Charles Sotiriou
Christopher Kunkle
Kevin Greene
Leonidas Milas
Mirtha Mir
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Congratulations to our newest
Site Safety Manager
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Stefanos Varelis
has been part of the Mega family for many years. He started his journey with us by working in our office on summer and winter breaks during high school and college. Initially he supported John Gigos with our new (at the time) computer systems in accounting. Then he supported the launch of our Labor Monitoring program at our Barrier Free Living project.
After college, Stefanos returned to Mega to be part of our Administration team. He pulled permits, resolved violations and even did IT troubleshooting. He showed persistence and tried his best to handle whatever task was asked of him. Over the years he branched out to support our Estimating and Purchasing teams.
Finally, he found his home in the field at the end of 2017. He initially helped the team at 39th Street as Assistant Superintendent. Then, after being approached by the Site Safety Team, he decided to start his Site Safety Manager Apprenticeship process.
Over the course of the next 18 months, Stefanos split his time at TSA and Dumont were he completed his superstructure and excavation safety apprentice work.
After all this hard work and persistence and after successfully completing the DOB examination and review process, in early January Stefanos received his Site Safety Manager's license. This wonderful accomplishment is amazing for anyone but especially exceptional given the professional growth Stefanos has shown over the years. He is a shining example of the amazing journey that we know every member of the Mega family can have.
Congratulations Stefanos! Thank you for all your time and commitment to Mega over these years. We look forward to seeing the bright future that lies ahead of you as a Site Safety Manager and beyond!
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Nov.- Dec. Requisition Winner
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Congratulations to the Villa Avenue project team , snagging the top spot and coming in with 15.4% of work requisitioned for this period. Great work Villa team!! We would also like to recognize Edwin's Place and 3500 Park who were neck to neck. Edwin's Place coming in with 10.57% and 3500 Park with 10.55%. Congrats to all of our winners keep up the great work!!
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Our Quality Management Program (QMP) held a training session reviewing American with Disabilities Act & Fair Housing Act standards for construction of new multi-family residential buildings. Mike Kitsos introduced Harold Bravo of Stephen Winters Associates, who made a very interesting presentation discussing a range of topics from accessibility and compliance, to best practices and common oversights, and answered various questions from our operations team.
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Celebrating a Beautiful Mega Journey
Dora's Retirement
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Since 2006, Dora has been a pillar of information and direction in our main office. Over the years she's gone from supporting multiple executives to being the point person for setting up field offices, preparing DOB license applications, and coordinating company events. Having been a member of the Mega family for so long, she quickly became the person to ask for help if you didn't know who to go to.
In addition to offering a helpful hand whenever she could, Dora has also been a constant source of wisdom, encouragement, discipline, and occasionally laughter. Whether you worked with her from the field or in the office, you could rest assured that any job she took on would get done efficiently.
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Her retirement party was attended by more than 70 colleagues, who came to the Sweet Spot restaurant on Friday the 17th to thank her for her hard work, dedication, and commitment and to wish her well for her retirement.
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Dora, we hope that you go into this next chapter of your life with the same passion you brought to work every day. May you enjoy all the trips, experiences, and opportunities you've looked forward to. And please, no matter what you do, never stop laughing!
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As we brought in the new year, office staff gathered in the kitchen for the traditional cutting of St. Basil's cake
Vasilopita.
Hercules began to cut slices for each department and project, in search of the good luck coin. As all the departments were called out with no coin in sight, the anticipation grew. Then as we started to name project teams, the Beach 21st Team got the coin, symbolizing good luck for this year. Great start to a new project, congrats Beach 21st team!
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Miles Hunter- Super T- Building
Antonios Gementzopoulos - Intern
Felix Garcia- Public Relations Associate
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We extend our warmest congratulations to Savvas and Dora Lavithis on the birth of their daughter. Elena Lavithis, their first child and the newest member of the Mega family arrived on December 29, 2019. Welcome to the world Elena! We wish you and your parents lots of health, wealth, laughter and happiness!
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9 year-old Luis Jeremiah Vargas joined his mom Mimi Mir for a visit at the Villa Avenue project during his Christmas break. While Luis was on site, he wanted to learn more about the bobcat and its features. Luis was also interested in understanding how the building progressed in real life as compared to the drawings. Thanks for joining us on site Luis. We hope you had fun!
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Nichelle Allman
,
Lissa Polanco
,
and
Walda Yaccarino
are celebrating their 1st year of work at mega. Thank you for you wonderful contributions to the Mega family. We look forward to all that your future holds here with us.
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Capricorn Birthday Celebration!!!
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Nia and Alrashied were the only Capricorns in the office for their birthday celebration but Sandy didn't miss a beat out in the field. Please join us in wishing them a very Happy Birthday!!!
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Monique Denson - February 1st
Dimitrios Kostopoulos
- February 2nd
Mike Kitsos - February 5th
Robert Cheong - February 5th
Hany Hassan - February 8th
Krystin Bogan - February 10th
Gabriela Petrova - February 11th
Christopher Kunkle - February 14th
Bill Devine - February 15th
Gabrielle Graziano - February 15th
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Alfreedi Phundar - February 16th
Andrew McGann - February 17th
George Argyriou - February 17th
Jessika Tapia - February 18th
Daniel Fiore - February 19th
Michael Rakhar - February 20th
Nancy Chan - February 20th
Ellen Song - February 21st
Brian Wong - February 23rd
Brad Helm - February 25th
Victoria Sercia - February 26th
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Miles Hunter- March 2nd
Athanasios Vlahos- Kitas- March 9th
Walda Yaccarino- March 9th
Alexander Bu- March 17th
Jozef Mucha- March 19th
Pavel Medovoy- March 23rd
Samden Lama- March 25th
James Samuels- March 25th
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Flexible Savings Account (FSA)
Do not miss signing up for FSA, the deadline is
Jan 31st
.
FSA is a pre-tax deduction account that can be used for certain eligible medical and dependent care expenses. The FSA policy year will begin February 1 and in order to be eligible to enroll in the FSA plan, you must be employed with Mega for at least 6 months.
- When enrolling you will make an annual election for medical and/or dependent care expenses separately (as applicable).
- The maximum annual contribution per employee is:
$2,750 for Medical FSA with a $500 rollover
$5,000 for Dependent Care FSA.
Annual max contributions may change from year to year
- If you know that you will be spending some out of pocket dollars this year for medical expenses not covered by your insurance (copay, dental, pharmacy, chiropractor etc.), having an FSA plan may save you some taxes as you will be paying for some of them with pre-tax dollars.
- However you must be conservative and not overestimate on how much to contribute because funds that are not used are lost (except for $500 for Medical FSA accounts which may be rolled over from one plan year to the next).
- You do not need to be participating in one of Mega’s health plans in order to qualify for FSA.
For more information you check out this
brochure
or speak with Alexa.
Don't forget to enroll by FRIDAY JAN 31ST!!
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Commuter Benefit Plan (CBP)
Do you spend money to park? Take the train, bus, or uber? Then the CBP may be able to save you some money. CBP is a pre-tax deduction for commuter expenses.
- Contributions can be made toward a Mass Transit and/or Parking Account, both with a $270 monthly maximum.
- You can specify how much you would like to contribute and which account and can adjust your contributions from time to time.
- Currently enrolled members will need to re-enroll with our new administrator. You will receive a new debit card, but will be able to use all funds on your previous card until the funds are exhausted.
- A new addition to CBP are ride sharing services uberPOOL and LyftLine, which are now also billable through this plan. For more information you can check out this brochure or speak with Alexa.
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Orange Theory Monthly Discounted Rates
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New Year, New You? Orange Theory is offering us discounted rates if more than 10 employees enroll. Let's take advantage of these discounted rates as we strive to hit our fitness goals for 2020.
- Premier membership: Unlimited classes, $179/mo + tax
- Elite membership: 8 classes, $119/mo + tax
- Basic membership: 4 classes, $89/mo + tax
- 1 single class $28 + tax
If you are interested or would like more information contact Alexa.
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Farewell to Selwyn Taylor
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It is with a heavy heart that we say our final farewell to our colleague Mr. Selwyn Taylor. Known to all simply as “Taylor”, he began working with Mega on February 23, 1996, only a couple of years after moving to the States from his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Taylor
was a dedicated employee, who took pride in his work and excelled at it. Not only was he an exemplary employee but a valuable member of our Mega Family who will be dearly missed
. His smile was contagious and he always greeted all the “passengers” of his hoist with a warm hello. Those of us that attended the especially warm and moving “Celebration of Life” service at the St. Gabriel Spiritual Baptist Church last Sunday, realized that Taylor was loved by everyone in his neighborhood and his community as well. Taylor who is survived by his wife Gloria and his children Racquel Fung and Kristal, will always be remembered fondly by everyone that ever met him.
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Do you have a suggestion, comment, or question? Let me know what it is by emailing me
at
njackson@megagroup.nyc.
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