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By JILL ESTERBROOKS, Special to the Daily Transcript
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
"A large part of our business is working with the Department of Defense in the Western U.S. and since Sept. 11, we've seen a number of changes related specifically to force protection," said Douglas Barnhart, chief executive officer of contractor and construction manager Douglas E. Barnhart Inc.
"These range from construction techniques to consideration of where parking lots are situated in relation to structures. Also, it is a lot harder to get crews on and off military bases with the average wait between 30 and 60 minutes," he said.
Long lines and frequent delays at airports have propelled his employees to "drive to construction projects throughout the state instead of flying because it takes less time and there are fewer hassles," Barnhart said.
On the commercial side of his business, which includes schools and other buildings where large groups of people convene, he said there is more awareness of security and greater use of new materials and construction techniques to ensure the safety of the structure and those who use it.
Insurance costs also are shooting up and availability going down. "We are paying a lot more for A-plus carriers than we did last year and we're seeing softness in our sub contractors who are getting B carriers -- and we're having to accept that," he said.
The Wall Street scandals and sluggish economy also are impacting the construction industry. "There's been a drop-off in our commercial construction activity with new hotel projects particularly hard hit. I've heard that in many markets, hotels are well below the 60 percent occupancy rate and this doesn't bode well for new hotel construction."
"No doubt that Sept. 11 has changed the world. ... The country lost a whole lot of its innocence," Barnhart said. "We're living different today -- more cautious, more anxious -- and we'll probably will have to be this way from now on."
Esterbrooks is a free-lance writer based in San Diego.
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