New Construction Exec for Lower Manhattan

A new agency is taking over coordination of the major construction projects in Lower Manhattan. The Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center is opening its doors this month with its new executive director, Charles Maikish, who is working out of the offices of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. He is starting on a transitional basis this month and takes on the role full-time in April.

Created by executive orders issued last year by New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the new agency will oversee all private and public construction projects, with a focus on preventing conflicts, meeting schedules, and minimizing disruption on the downtown area's businesses and residents, according to an LMDC press release.

Among the new agency's main responsibilities will be creating a master schedule for all construction projects in Lower Manhattan and coordinating maintenance and traffic matters. Other functions include coordinating utility work, environmental and safety compliance, and fraud prevention. The center will also push participation by minority and women-owned businesses and monitor the provisions of major contracts for the downtown work. The new center will interact with most of the major participants in projects downtown, including public agencies, businesses, utilities, private developers, and residents.

Maikish, an attorney and engineer, reports directly to Pataki and Bloomberg. Maikish has worked in the construction, real estate, and transportation industries for more than 30 years, including on construction of the original World Trade Center. Most recently, he had been executive v.p. of global real estate services for J.P. Morgan Chase. He also had served as director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's World Trade property office, where he oversaw management of the site, including the reconstruction effort that followed the 1993 terrorist bombings

 

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