In This Issue:
Are You Ready for the 2007 Winter Business Meeting and Leadership Conference?
The 2007 Winter Business Meeting and Leadership Conference is next month! If you haven't yet registered or booked your hotel reservation you should do so quickly, as BOMA's room block at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort is filling up fast and is expected to sell out before the January 5 cut-off date.
The Winter Business Meeting provides an opportunity to share ideas, learn from your peers and be part of shaping the future of BOMA International and the commercial real estate industry. Join us for inspiring general sessions, exciting networking receptions and important business meetings. All BOMA International committees, task forces and special interest groups will meet, as well as the Board of Governors. The conference will be held at the beautiful JW Marriott Resort & Spa located 15 minutes northwest of the Las Vegas Strip in the affluent golf community of Summerlin. Visit the 2007 Winter Business Meeting page for program details, golf tournament information, schedule of events, registration information and hotel reservation information.
NOTE: BOMA is going "paperless" for the marketing of the 2007 Winter Business Meeting. All information about this event will be communicated through e-mails, e-newsletters, the BOMA Web site and The BOMA Magazine.
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Outcome of Commercial Real Estate Tax Provisions Still Unsettled
At press time, Congress had yet to pass a package of important tax extenders that had lapsed at the end of 2005 and whose fate had been left outstanding during the entire second half of the 109th Congress. Of those extenders, BOMA International has actively lobbied for passage of the 15-year cost recovery period for leasehold improvements and the immediate expensing of brownfields clean-up costs. The package of tax extenders has fallen victim to the fact that they enjoy wide bi-partisan support and thus, have been used in tandem with other bills to entice legislators to support more controversial issues such as permanent reduction of the estate tax.
BOMA International sent a letter to all members of Congress urging passage of these extenders and mobilized its grassroots network to generate nearly 300 personalized letters written on behalf of BOMA members. We thank everyone that took the time and effort in this important letter-writing campaign and will continue to update you on the fate of these important commercial real estate tax policies.
Contact: Jason Todd, (202) 326-6356, jtodd@boma.org
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BOMA and USGBC Sign Memorandum of Intent
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) to work cooperatively to promote energy efficiency and environmentally responsible building operations and maintenance practices to the BOMA community of building owners, operators and property managers who collectively represent 9 billion square feet of commercial real estate. The announcement was made at the recent Greenbuild Conference and Expo held November 15-17 in Denver.
Among the initiatives outlined in the MOI are joint promotional activities including collaboration at BOMA’s North American Commercial Real Estate Congress® and the Office Building Show in New York City in July 2007 and USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Los Angeles in October 2007, as well as joint educational offerings including Web-based seminars on energy efficiency and green building practices. BOMA will be working with USGBC as a Top-Tier partner, one of a very exclusive group of organizations including the Urban Land Institute and the American Institute of Architects that recognizes the tremendous need for moving real estate to a more sustainable approach. As a Top-Tier Partner, BOMA will be working directly with USGBC on program development for Greenbuild 2007 and beyond.
“This collaboration with USGBC reflects the commercial real estate industry’s continued and growing commitment to promoting energy efficient and environmentally responsible buildings,” said BOMA International Chairman and Chief Elected Officer Kurt R. Padavano, RPA, CPM, FMA, SMA, and chief operating officer of Advance Realty Group of Bedminster, NJ. “Working together to promote sustainable practices not only provides a healthier and more productive workplace environment, but also creates a tremendous potential for energy savings and reduced emissions.”
Contact: Karen Penafiel, (202) 326-6323 , kpenafiel@boma.org
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BOMA Heads Real Estate Codes Coalition Meeting
BOMA International has brought together many of the prominent organizations in the real estate industry to form the Real Estate Codes Coalition. The purpose of the coalition is to disseminate information about events in the codes development arena and to coordinate a united strategy in order to better defend the industries interest.
The first meeting of the coalition held on September 13, 2006, brought together real estate organizations to remind them about the importance of the code development process and to discuss the issues at stake at the upcoming International Code Council (ICC) Conference and Code Hearings where over 2,300 code changes were proposed and reviewed.
Attending the second meeting on December 5, 2006, were: BOMA, the National Multi Housing Council, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the Self Storage Association, the International Facility Management Association and APPA: the Association of Higher Education Facility Officers. This meeting served to inform the group of the results at the ICC code hearings and to develop the next action that would be required in the code development process.
Leading the briefing on the recap of the ICC code hearings were BOMA International’s code and accessibility consultant, Larry Perry, AIA and Ron Nickson, vice president for building codes at the National Multi Housing Council. In addition to issues being raised at the ICC code hearings, reports on several other important issues were presented including the status of the adoption of the International Building Code in California; the misguided initiative to amend ASHRAE 90.1 to require continuous air barriers in new construction; and the status of the Department of Justice development of standards to implement the American with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).
BOMA International is proud to be leading the charge in the codes and standards development arena to better protect the interests of the commercial real estate industry. The Real Estate Codes Coalition next meeting is planned for Tuesday, March 20, 2007.
Contact: Dave Johnston, (202) 326-6357, djohnston@boma.org
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Amy Walter Headlines National Issues Conference
When BOMA members convene in Washington, D.C. on March 12-13, for the National Issues Conference (NIC), they can expect to get the political “lay of the land” by a true insider of Washington’s political scene. Amy Walter will join us for the NIC opening lunch. Ms. Walter is Senior Editor of The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan publication, which provides analysis of the Presidential, U.S. Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. Ms. Walter is responsible for handicapping and analyzing U.S. House races and serves as a political analyst for CNN and has served as a panelist and commentator on CBS' Face the Nation.
Following Amy Walter’s keynote address, NIC participants will be briefed by BOMA International staff on the key issues and messages we will convey to elected representatives and hear from Capitol Hill staff on some of the do’s and don’ts of lobbying. Once fully armed and prepared, BOMA members will head to the Hill on Tuesday, March 13, to meet with their Congressional Representative and Senators.
Join us! To register or get additional information, please visit the 2007 National Issues Conference page.
Contact: Karen Penafiel, (202) 326-6323, kpenafiel@boma.org
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GSA Holds Meeting to Provide Information on ABAAS
The General Services Administration held a meeting on December 1st to provide information about the dates for implementing the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standard or ABAAS. In addition, the meeting served as a reminder to both GSA employees and building owners and managers of the requirements for the new standard. ABAAS provides accessibility requirements for federal buildings and programs, comparable to how Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) serves the private sector.
The revised standard, entitled “What standards must facilities, subject to the Architectural Barriers Act, Meet?” was published on November 8, 2005. The implementation date for the new standard is now February 6, 2007.
To briefly summarize the new standard, facilities subject to the Architectural Barriers Act must comply with ABAAS as follows:
- For construction or alteration of Federally-owned facilities, compliance with ABAAS is required if the construction or alteration commenced after May 8, 2006. If the construction or alteration of a Federally-owned facility commenced on or before May 8, 2006, compliance with the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) is required.
- For Federal lease-construction actions subject to the Architectural Barriers Act, where the Government expressly requires new construction to meet its needs, compliance with ABAAS is required for all such leases awarded on or after June 30, 2006. UFAS compliance is required for all such leases awarded before June 30, 2006.
- For all other leasing actions subject to the Architectural Barriers Act (other than those described in the paragraph above), compliance with ABAAS is required for all such leases awarded pursuant to solicitations issued after February 6, 2007. UFAS compliance is required for all such leases awarded pursuant to solicitations issued on or before February 6, 2007.
Contact: Dave Johnston, (202) 326-6357, djohnston@boma.org
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BOMA Involved in ASHRAE Energy Efficient/Green Building Standards
BOMA International has been working closely with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) to produce and develop several publications on improved energy efficiency and green building technologies for commercial buildings.
ASHRAE Standard 90.1—Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2004)—First developed in the 1970’s, 90.1 has become the standard for energy efficient commercial building design and construction throughout the United States.
BOMA has been involved at every stage of development for each edition of Standard 90.1. Along with other industry groups, we are currently mobilizing to oppose a recently proposed amendment to 90.1 that would require continuous air barriers for new construction despite solid evidence that this requirement will not save energy and will boost the cost of construction significantly.
ASHRAE GreenGuide: The Design, Construction and Operation of Sustainable Buildings is intended to teach designers how to participate effectively on design teams charged with producing green buildings. This book, an update to the 2003 version of ASHRAE GreenGuide, contains a new chapter outlining guidance on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
ASHRAE has begun development on what will be designated Standard 189P—Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low Rise Residential Buildings. A Standard Project Committee (SPC) for 189P has been established this year in collaboration with ASHRAE and the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC). BOMA has applied for voting membership on the SPC and we expect to join the committee early in 2007.
BOMA also continues to monitor and participate in the ongoing work on ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. The ASHRAE committee charged with continuous maintenance of Standard 62.1 is currently sponsoring proposed changes to ICC’s International Mechanical Code (IMC) which would harmonize the requirements of the IMC with 62.1. BOMA has been instrumental in getting these changes updated to ensure both 62.1 and the IMC provide cutting edge but cost effective and technically feasible provisions.
BOMA International is dedicated to working with ASHRAE to positively affect the outcome of all standards that are important to our members. All ASHRAE publications can be ordered from ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723 or through the ASHRAE website at ASHRAE.org.
Contact: Ron Burton, (202) 326-6350, rburton@boma.org
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NIST’s NCST Advisory Committee to Hold Teleconference on December 14
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST), National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Advisory Committee will conduct a meeting via teleconference on Thursday, December 14, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The meeting will be broadcast live via audio Webcast so that the public may listen to the meeting as it takes place. The primary purpose of this meeting is for the NCST Advisory Committee to discuss its annual report to Congress and the status of the investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center 7. NIST is allocating approximately 30 minutes of teleconference to allow for public to comment, however, the agenda may change to accommodate additional committee business. The final agenda, along with instructions on how to access the live audio Webcast, will be available to the public via a link on the NIST Web site at www.nist.gov/ncst.
Contact: Dave Johnston, (202) 326-6357, djohnston@boma.org
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