Well, I can say it now: 2015 has been a boom year for U&R! After seven years of economic recession, this year is proving to be a welcome change. With 130 new projects started since January 1st and more than two months remaining in the year, we are on pace to shatter our record high of 138 set in 2005.
Projects have come from every sector, with strong residential, commercial, and educational markets leading the way. We have several multi-story residential condominium buildings going up to help soothe the hot housing market around Silicon Valley. From Santa Cruz to Stockton, we have many new and refurbished car dealerships being constructed. And in the educational market we are engaged in more school district facility bond measures than ever before—namely Eastside Union High, Cupertino Unified, Moreland Elementary, Fremont Unified, Hayward Unified, San Lorenzo Unified, Salinas Unified, San Francisco Unified, and Evergreen-San Jose Com-munity College School Districts. The expanding charter school movement has necessitated new school construction for Rocketship Education, Aspire Public Schools, and Downtown College Prep. Soon the new Salinas High School #5 project we’ve been designing with Kasavan Architects will begin construction. This new 40-acre high school campus will take two years to construct and be the largest school project ever by U&R.
We’ll be putting aside a few days this month for our annual volunteer work with California State Parks. We are completing the surveys we started last year for four important historic sites at the Monterey State Historic Park.
We still believe it is important for companies to take time to give, no matter what the demand from new work is.