We have mobilized and installation of the site fence has been completed as we get ready to begin the remediation scope of the project. The Community Air Monitoring Plan (CAMP) equipment has been installed throughout the site and monitoring has begun. Remediation work will begin in the upcoming weeks and is expected to take 9-12 months for the entire site, while we expect to be able to commence foundation operations in approximately 6 months. | |
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Concrete work is charging ahead at the Euclid site, with footings poured for approximately half the site along with the detention tank, elevator pit, and house trap pit completed earlier in the month. We are now excavating and forming the remaining footings this week while making headway on our concrete wall forming. The overhead Verizon wires along with the utility pole have been removed to enable crane operations. The sidewalk shed has already been erected on Glenmore Avenue. |
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At 88 Throop this month, we completed our general cut for excavation, soil removals, and passed our pile load tests! Temporary power equipment and undergrounds are in place, our guardrail system has been installed, and production piles are well underway. | |
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This month at 420 Carroll, soil mixing has been completed on the west building and has proceeded to the east building. The soil mixing process consists of slowly liquifying the existing soil with a grout cement mix using a 10 ft diameter auger. This will produce a hardened soil mix mass, which will be grinded later on, and serve as semi-waterproofed support of excavation for the underground tunnel connecting both buildings. Installation of SOE to support the pre-existing gas line is ongoing. Approximately 17% of the production piles have been installed. |
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At 203 Newport, we are continuing the dewatering process and placing the water proofing, form work, rebar and concrete for our elevator and ejector pit on the east side of the site. We are also preparing trenches for our underground plumbing and electrical. | |
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This month at the Astoria 46 Project, we poured the 1st floor slab of the 46th street building and we are forming the 1st floor columns. Water and sewer services have also been connected on the 46th street side. On the 45th Street building, we are almost finished with foundation work and underground plumbing, and we are preparing to pour the cellar slab in the beginning of September. |
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Exterior brick work continued at St. James. The roofer finished all temp roofs and started the finish roof after the MEP trades finished their stub ups. In the interior, the MEP trades are up to the 8th floor and drywall is being installed on the lower floors. Our elevator contractor has mobilized and is now working on the rails and cabs. | |
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At the Inwood library project this month, work continued on the exterior of the building. The exterior framing and drywood is nearing completion, the waterproofing and brick installation has commenced, and the temporary roof is fully installed. Work in the interior continued at a brisk pace as well. Framing is complete through the 10th floor, MEP rough-ins are complete through the 6th floor including tubs, telecom, kitchen exhaust, and heat and cooling risers. Work on the model apartments has commenced and we have started installing demising wall rock on one side. | | |
Our first window delivery has been received and window installation has started on the 3rd floor. The roofer has started flashing at parapet walls, brickwork is in progress on 8th floor and sheetrock is in progress on 7th floor. Bathroom floor tile is completed up to the 6th floor. The painter has mobilized and completed preparation of exposed plank up to the 5th floor and priming up to the 4th floor. Apartment ceiling framing is in progress on the 5th floor, and sprinkler branches are in progress on 3rd floor. Elevator framing and electrical work in the elevator pit and top of the shaft are complete. HVAC units on the roof are 95% complete. | |
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This month at Nameoke, sheetrock has progressed through the 9th floor, and taping work has begun on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Permanent roofing installation is underway and GRFC panel and EIFS work are both continuing, with scaffold removal in progress throughout. Permanent power has been connected, apartment floor plumbing roughing is complete and apartment Air Handler installation is ongoing. | | |
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178 Warburton
This month at Warburton, brick washdown operations at the hoist line are ongoing as well as installation of fence/railing posts at the terrace. In the interior, the carpenters are concentrating on sheetrocking and taping the 1st floor daycare space. The corridor flooring has been completed throughout the residential floors as we are preparing for final painting. The electricians continue to install finish electrical devices, including fire alarm, cameras, and access control devices.
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This month at 491 Herkimer St., MEP roughing, framing and sheetrocking on the 1st floor are ongoing. Second floor roof terrace roofing has begun, and installation of fence posts is in progress. Temporary elevator Inspection passed and the construction hoist has been dismantled. Corridor priming and first coat painting in apartments is in progress. Window accessories and bathroom accessories installation is nearly complete. | |
Work continues on the north side with the superstructure reaching the 5th Floor as we finalize the foundation elements at the south perimeter. MEP installation in the cellar is nearing completion with the mason mobilized installing the CMU walls and setting door frames. Façade mock-up will begin shortly with the metal panel installation is intended to begin shortly thereafter. |
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Beach 21st Street Ribbon Cutting! | |
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On August 8th, 2022, our Third Avenue project achieved TCO! Third Avenue, also known as El Borinquen, stands 10-stories tall, located in Morrisania, Bronx. The building provides 148 units of supportive housing to the community. Amenities include 24-hour security, a shared laundry room, community room, and computer lounge for residents. There is also bike storage, a landscaped garden courtyard, and on-site social services.
A round of applause to the Third Avenue team!
Chris Marangoudakis
John McNulty
Ari Kikis
Athanasios Balampanis
Michael Vellanti
Tommy Vlahos
Gregory Poulon
Akif Chughtai
Cesar Romero
James Carter
Johnathan Spencer
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Our 420 Carroll project has been all the talk in the press! Read all about it at the links below:
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In effort to highlight the amazing behind the scenes work done throughout our many departments we have been featuring a different department every month under the Mega Marquee section.
The QMP Department
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Mega’s Quality Management Program, aka QMP, is the part of the company that focuses on training and providing technical support to the various departments within Mega in order to achieve and maintain the established quality standards of the company as well as those of the individual projects. This includes determination of quality policy, creating and implementing procedures such as quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. Although QMP borrows from well-established business philosophies such as TQM (Total Quality Management) and ISO 9000 and shares a core belief that the long term success of a company comes from the customers' satisfaction, QMP’s focus is primarily on the quality of the company product and "building it right the first time."
Our QMP department is led by Mike Kitsos, Mega’s first hire! Mike’s architectural background, natural attention to detail, and passion to always build quality buildings, along with his vast experience overseeing multiple projects and working with many development teams, provided a solid base for his work in QMP. Patty Garcia, QMP Assistant and Victor Murillo, QMP Superintendent are newest additions to the QMP department, each bringing their experience and know-how to the table. We thank them for all their ongoing hard work and contributions to QMP and Mega as a whole.
Part of the company wide training seminars provided over the last year by the QMP department included “Cast in place Architectural Concrete,” “Light Gage Metal Framing Systems,” “EIFS systems,” and “How to use Hollow Metal Door checklist.” QMP implements project specific Quality Assurance plans and trains our project teams on how to conduct inspections using the FTQ 360 Application. This past year, 50 PENN and Beach 21st were two of the first projects completed with QMP mandated procedures in place and seven more projects are in construction.
A huge Thank You to Mike and the entire QMP department for their commitment in ensuring we deliver top quality projects to our clients!!!
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Congratulations to Karen Gould, Mario Condeza, Nikolin Baco, Adea Kosumi, Virginia Tolis, and Sandeep Kaur who are celebrating their 1 year anniversary with Mega!!!
We are glad to have you on our team. We thank you for your hard work and focused contributions!
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We would like to welcome the newest additions to our team!
Laert Haxhi - Superintendent
Stephanie Gonzalez - Assistant Project Manager
Max Campos - Labor Monitor
Kenneth Goodall - Labor Monitor
Clinton Reece - Mechanic
Camilo Marin - Driver
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David Tuttelman - September 1st
Laert Haxhi - September 5th
Nikolas Hantzopoulos - September 6th
Tiffany Rodriguez - September 10th
William Grisales - September 11th
Ryan Ocando - September 11th
Max Campos - September 12th
L Naw La Seng - September 13th
Michael Vellanti - September 15th
Boris Medovoy - September 16th
Kevin Hughes - September 17th
Alexa Turck - September 17th
Savvas Lavithis - September 18th
Rosalie Brancaccio - September 20th
Jonathan Arias - September 25th
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Dimitrios Malis - October 2nd
Lissa Polanco - October 2nd
Maruf Shiblee - October 3rd
Bernardo Brito - October 3rd
Makram Halabi - October 4th
Sandeep Kaur - October 4th
Derek Rose - October 8th
Nikolin Baco - October 13th
Max Chiang - October 13th
Harolyn Paredes - October 14th
Anna Krotevych - October 14th
Mirtha Mir - October 15th
Chari Daughtry - October 15th
Ryan Butcher - October 20th
Konstantin Pasternak - October 20th
Benjamin Park - October 20th
Virginia Tolis - October 23rd
Pedro Fernandez - October 26th
Wilber Ovalle - October 27th
Marc Peretzman - October 28th
Victor Ou - October 29th
Constantine Panagiotopoulos - October 30th
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A round of applause goes out to the Nameoke team for being the Requisition Winners for the second period in a row with an AMAZING 18.15%!!!
St. James came in 2nd with an impressive 16.54% and Inwood took 3rd place with a very strong 14.6%!
Congratulations to the winners of the May/June period!!!
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Calling all Volunteers for a Mega Co-Sponsored Back-to-School Event! | |
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Back to school season is officially here and we have an incredible volunteer opportunity you won't want to miss out on!
Mega is co-sponsoring a back-to-school event for our partner the Variety Boys and Girls Club, on Saturday 09/10/22 at their location, 21-12 30th RD, Astoria, NY.
If you are interested in volunteering, even for an hour or two, please email Michelle Ponce at [email protected]
We hope to see you there!
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Mega's Annual Fishing Outing 2022! | |
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We are looking forward to the return of our Annual Fishing Outing which is just around the corner on
Sunday, September 25th, 2022!
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Fall Into Autumn Office Party! | |
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We are excited to announce our 2nd annual Fall Into Autumn Office Party! Join us for a night of delicious food, drinks, and great company! This event is open to significant others and children.
RSVP by sending an email to Irene at [email protected] no later than Friday, September 16th, 2022.
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Mega's 7th Annual Scholarship Winners | |
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We are happy to announce Mega’s 7th Annual Scholarship recipients!
Our scholarship recipients are selected from a pool of applicants that reside in the multiple affordable housing developments constructed by Mega.
We feel that it would be fitting for us to give back to the communities that helped us build our company by helping its youth, build their own future, more so during these trying times.
1. Briana Boachie, a resident of Silverleaf Hall, attending Haverford College, shared with us how a significant experience helped her learn more about herself "I learned from this experience that in order for me to become successful and maintain success, my body and my health also needs to be a main priority."
2. Chelsea Boakye, a resident of Lindenguild Hall, attending Stonybrook University, shared with us the affect COVID had on her education, "I even questioned the potential success of my career, “How can I gain experience through my computer screen if I can never return outside?”
3. Daniel Bamah, a resident of Lindenguild Hall, attending University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, explained how he helped his family and made his community a better place to live, "Finding my cultural identity has made me more confident and influential in my daily life. It has given me a purpose to strive and flourish in all that I do because no matter what I know who I am."
4. Eugene Manu, a resident of 144th Street, attending St. Francis College, wrote about how he took initiative to make his community a better place to live, " As human beings, we all have a purpose on this planet and we must be able to reflect within ourselves and find this purpose that we are destined for."
5. Jennifer Peralta, a resident of Silverleaf Hall, attending SUNY Empire State, wrote about her challenges with the pandemic and her education, "My passion and drive to help those help themselves is not just a career it is a God given gift that I will never take for granted and that is how I overcame and learned from this pandemic"
6. Mariana Cruz, a resident Lindenguild Hall attending CUNY Hunter College, described a significant experience that occured in her life, "It's through these trials and errors that we really learn to become the people we were meant to be.
7. Reagan Malloy, a resident of Silverleaf Hall attending Morrisville State College, shared how the pandemic altered er personal and career objectives, "Through all my setbacks and me losing who I was, I found my way back to the one thing I love more than life itself"
8. Tajh Thronton-Johnson, a resident of Lindenguild Hall attending St. Joseph's University, explained a difficult experience in her life and what she learned from it, "We are all on borrowed time. Therefore, in life, it is important we always celebrate the living because we have no clue when their time is up."
9. Tionna Solomon, a resident of Lindenguild Hall, attending Clark Atlanta University, wrote about how her challenges have changed her perspective in life, "I projected the painful feelings that no one could express on a piece of paper."
10. Victor Alvarez, a resident of Barrier Free, attending Manhattan Community College, shared his experience with COVID and the affects it had on him, "You can still find joy, you just have to look for it."
If you would like to read the essays in their entirety, they can be found on here: S:\Public\Mega Newsletters\2022 Editions\2022 Scholarship Winners
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Do you have Student Loans?
You may be eligible for up to 10K Forgiveness!
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Since 1980, the total cost of both four-year public and four-year private college has nearly tripled, even after accounting for inflation. The Biden-Harris administration announced their plan to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student debt per borrower and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. Individuals earning less than $125,000 per year and married couples or heads of households earning less than $250,000 per year are eligible for the debt cancellation. The Federal Student Aid website (https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/) says, however, that relief can be expected within four to six weeks of completing the application; the website also advises to apply before Nov. 15, 2022, in order to see your loans forgiven by the end of this year. In the meantime, federal student loan borrowers can sign up through the Department of Education subscription page (https://www.ed.gov/subscriptionsto) be notified when the forgiveness process officially opens, and the application form goes live. The deadline to apply, which is noted on the Federal Student Aid website, is Dec. 31, 2023.
FAQ (from Student Aid’s site, link above)
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I know if I am eligible for debt cancellation?
To be eligible, your annual income must have fallen below $125,000 (for individuals) or $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households)
If you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation.
If you did not receive a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $10,000 in debt cancellation.
What does the “up to” in “up to $20,000” or “up to $10,000” mean?
Your relief is capped at the amount of your outstanding debt.
For example: If you are eligible for $20,000 in debt relief, but have a balance of $15,000 remaining, you will only receive $15,000 in relief.
What do I need to do in order to receive loan forgiveness?
Nearly 8 million borrowers may be eligible to receive relief automatically because relevant income data is already available to the U.S. Department of Education. If the U.S. Department of Education doesn't have your income data, the Administration will launch a simple application which will be available by early October.
If you would like to be notified when the application is open, please sign up at the Department of Education subscription page. (Link above)
Once a borrower completes the application, they can expect relief within 4-6 weeks. We encourage everyone who is eligible to file the application, but there are 8 million people for whom we have data and who will get the relief automatically.
Borrowers are advised to apply before November 15th in order to receive relief before the payment pause expires on December 31, 2022. The Department of Education will continue to process applications as they are received, even after the pause expires on December 31, 2022.
What is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program?
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program forgives the remaining balance on your federal student loans after 120 payments working full-time for federal, state, Tribal, or local government; military; or a qualifying non-profit.
Temporary changes, ending on Oct. 31, 2022, provide flexibility that makes it easier than ever to receive forgiveness by allowing borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.
Enrollments on or after Nov. 1, 2022, will not be eligible for this treatment. We encourage borrowers to sign up today. Visit PSLF.gov to learn more and apply.
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Spectacular September Activities!!! | |
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New York in September is a beautiful time of year to enjoy the last rays of sunshine and explore the city in the mild weather that follows the summer heat of August. The city doesn’t ever get boring and there are many events and activities to check out in September.
Broadway Week 2022
-Broadway Week is a bi-annual theater celebration offering discounted Broadway tickets since 2011. For every ticket you purchase, you get another one for FREE! Even though it is called Broadway Week, it actually lasts much longer than 7 days.
Broadway Week is celebrated in New York twice a year: every winter and every summer. The upcoming NYC Broadway Week will take place from September 6 – 25, 2022.
NYC Broadway Week℠ | Discounted Tickets & Theater in NYC | NYCgo
The Feast of San Gennaro
-The annual Feast of San Gennaro attracts both New Yorkers and visitors to Little Italy in September. Why? The 11-day long festival will spoil you with Italian specialties, parades, eating contests, and free concerts.
The Feast of San Gennaro (sangennaronyc.org)
The Tribute in Lights
-September 11th is a time for reflection and remembering those who passed away during the terrorist attacks in 2001. Ground Zero is the place of mourning and commemoration for many of the victims’ relatives and a tribute service takes place at the scene of the attacks where the names of those who passed away will be read. The places where the twin towers once stood are marked by “The Tributes In Light,” a light monument created by 88 lights that are beamed into the night sky. This light monument can be seen up to a distance of 100 kilometers.
Homepage | National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org)
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As Labor Day weekend approaches, we'd like to take a moment to express our appreciation for each and every one of our employees. It is your hard work, day in and day out, that keeps our company going strong, and our clients happy. Keep up the great work everyone— and enjoy the long weekend! | |
On Sept. 11, 2001, America was forever changed. It has been 21 years since the attacks, but that tragic day, which served as a true test of the American spirit, will be remembered always. So on this day, we observe Patriot Day and all that it represents—we honor the value of life, those we loved and lost, our country’s resilience, and the strength of the American spirit. | |
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We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
Este mes celebramos el Mes de la Herencia ó Mes de la Hispanidad, y nos gustaría agradecer a todos nuestros empleados
hispanos + latinos por todo su esfuerzo, trabajo y dedicación!
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Do you have a suggestion, comment, or question? Let me know what it is by emailing me at [email protected].
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