by: AIA New York
On Thursday, April 2, AIA New York and a coalition of allied engineering, contractor, and labor organizations sent a letter to the Mayor urging him to restart design work for public projects. Since last week, the Mayor has also suspended payments to vendors for future work on projects currently in design.
AIANY recognizes the gravity of the City’s financial peril, with the health crisis having rapidly eliminated the City’s revenue stream. However, cuts to small expenditures, such as design fees, have much larger financial and economic implications for the City’s future. This puts the jobs of others in the construction industry and city government at risk, as work cannot proceed without designs. The restart of construction in the city will be significantly delayed, thereby hindering the industry’s recovery when the health crisis is alleviated. Furthermore, libraries, schools, and other much-needed public buildings will have their openings postponed, or the projects may be canceled altogether, affecting local communities.
As the health and financial crisis rage on, AIANY will continue to advocate for architects and architecture. Should further significant changes in government functioning arise, we will notify our members so they and their colleagues can adapt.
The letter’s other signatories included the American Council of Engineering Companies New York, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, the Building Trades Employers’ Association of New York City, the New York Building Congress, and the New York City Central Labor Council.