City of Cambridge Appoints Construction Advisory Group to Plan Safe Reopening Strategy

The City of Cambridge announced today the appointment of 23 members to a new City Manager’s Construction Advisory Group. Representing public health, building trade unions, inspectional and public works officials, contractors, development project managers, and universities, the Advisory Group will provide advice on drafting best practices that the City can incorporate into a safe construction reopening plan.

On March 18, the City of Cambridge instituted a Temporary Emergency Construction Moratorium on all construction activity on both public and private property. This Moratorium was put in place to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and safeguard the health of construction workers and all other workers associated with the construction industry, as well as members of the public.

“The decision to pause construction in the city was made out of an abundance of caution. Our planning approach for the eventual resumption of work is focusing on creating procedures and phasing that will protect both construction workers and the public,” said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale in a joint statement. “This new Construction Advisory Group will provide input on the factors and safety protocols that need to be considered for determining when and how construction will resume.”

The plan will include recommendations and guidance on how to safely resume various categories of construction projects permitted in Cambridge. An initial task of the Working Group is to conduct a comprehensive review of the current Cambridge Construction Guidelines for approved work during the Moratorium and review other guidelines that are being proposed, such as the city of Boston’s draft safety protocols and best practices recommendations. Previously approved emergency construction during the moratorium will continue.

Members of the Advisory Group include:

• Jason Alves- East Cambridge Business Association
• Joe Bonfiglio – Mass Laborer’s
• Sisia Daglian – Inspectional Services
• Brian Doherty – Boston Building Trades
• Jason Edic – Lee Kennedy Co.
• Anthony Galluccio – Galluccio & Watson
• Nancy Glowa – Law Department
• Terry Hayes – 38 Siena Construction
• Sean Hope – Hope Legal Law Offices
• Claude Jacob – Chief Public Health Officer
• Mark Johnson – Divco West
• Jay Kiely – Brookfield Properties
• Kent Kunkel – Turner Construction
• Michelle Lower – Alexandria Properties
• Tom Lucey – Harvard
• Duncan Macarthur – MacArthur Construction Company, Inc.
• Carl Nagy-Koechlin – Just- a- Start
• Michael Owu – MIT
• Owen O’Riordan – Public Works
• Richard Pedi – Carpenters Union Local 328
• Don Sheehan – IBEW Local 103
• Ranjit Singanayagam – Inspectional Services
• Kathy Watkins – Public Works

The Construction Advisory Group will be supported by staff from the City Manager’s Office and will meet weekly. The City is committed to identifying new resources to help residents and businesses navigate this difficult time. For more information and to sign up to receive updates on COVID-19, please visit the City’s dedicated information page: https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19