January 2005

Craig Mongeau - January 2005

We at Profile hope all of you have had a happy and healthy holiday season.

As yet another New Year arrives (thankfully) so do the annual commitments to change called resolutions. Though often much more fleeting than permanent, these promises to ourselves or to our family and friends, if not successful, at the very least offer a glimpse of what we'd like to be in the future or how we want to be better in some way than we were in the past – in short, resolutions are products of wisdom.

Very early this year on Jan. 19, many of you have the opportunity to share your professional wisdom with the New York State legislature in Albany, showing them the error of their ways since 1997, the last time there was an increase in CHIPS funding.

On page 60 of this issue, you'll find William Nichols’ column. Nichols, as you may know, is the executive secretary/treasurer of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways Inc. In his column, he articulately pleads his case for additional funding, while requesting help from all of you to make Albany understand – and then act on – the dire lack of funding that so profoundly affects your departments. Again, let’s try to get the New Year off to good, productive start and fight for positive change in our industry.

One final note, it is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of our own at Profile. Jim Van Horn died on Dec. 19, 2004 after a brief illness. Among an extensive and accomplished portfolio of stories involving the construction industry, he was the author of three Profile articles over the past two years: John Miller of the Town of Babylon, Ed Lynch of the Town of Smithtown, and John Liszewski of the City of Yonkers. Jim had a rare talent for writing in this industry; he was both able to delve deeply into a construction project, relay all the technical details of it, while still making the story “sing” as we call it … making it easy and fun to read. Jim will be missed and we send our condolences to the Van Horn family. P