“deemed denied” provision re-
moves uncertainty as to the effect
of the director’s failure to timely
act. Without the Director’s written
final decision on a Verified Claim, a
contractor is unable to seek fur-
ther review of its claim either by
commencing a contested case
under the North Carolina Adminis-
trative Procedure Act or by com-
mencing a civil action in North
Carolina Superior Court. The addi-
tion of deadlines and the deemed
denied provision are welcome
changes to the Verified Claim
process. The amendment to the statute
was effective on Jan. 1, 2020 and
applies to Verified Claims submit-
ted on or after that date.

https://www.ncleg.gov/enact- edlegislation/sessionlaws/pdf/201
9-2020/sl2019-39.pdf. Paul Davis is a construction lawyer
with Conner Gwyn Schenck
PLLC, based in Raleigh. He has
studied and briefed virtually every
aspect of construction contract law
and concentrates his practice in
the areas of construction arbitra-
tion and litigation and contract
drafting and negotiation for public
and private clients, including
general contractors, construction
managers, and subcontractors.

He can be reached by email
at pdavis@cgspllc.com or by phone
at (919) 789-9242 (Ext. 2343).

Raleigh-Durham top growing
city in country – if you’re
arriving with a U-Haul
North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Raleigh-Durham is the top-grow-
ing city in the country, according to
new data from the do-it-yourself
moving company U-Haul.

The metro area was number one
for growth in 2019, the company
said in a statement, adding that the
rankings were based on the number
of self-service trucks that went to
various cities and left on one-way
trips. “We’re seeing Silicon Valley tal-
ent and companies flock to the
area,” Kris Smith, the company’s
Raleigh president, said in a January
news release. “With a competitive
cost of living, good wages and job
growth, Raleigh-Durham is experi-
encing a boom in population.”
Statewide, North Carolina ranked
No. 3 for growth in the United
States, a jump from No. 24 the pre-
vious year, according to U-Haul.

“Arrivals of one-way U-Haul
trucks in the Raleigh-Durham market
were up more than 3 percent, while
departures dropped more than 2
percent, compared to the market’s
2018 numbers,” the news release
said. Wilmington also cracked the top
25 list of places for growth – finish-
ing at 24.

U-Haul says its numbers don’t
have a direct correlation to popula-
tion but can be “an effective gauge
of how well cities and states are at-
tracting and maintaining residents.”
North Carolina Construction News (NCCN) is distributed throughout the
Carolinas construction industry.

NCCN is circulated on a controlled circulation list to qualified readers
including members of most major construction associations in the Carolinas.

The magazine is supplemented by a weekly e-letter which reaches more
than 4,000 industry leaders each week.

For information contact:
Chase, Phone: 1-888-627-8717 ext 212
chase@ncconstructionnews.com www.ncconstructionnews.com. ISSN 1940-3682.

The North Carolina Construction News — JAN/FEB 2020 — 9