NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Doug O’Neill recently invited the newly appointed executive director of the Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association (MaCAPA) Craig Dauphinais on a tour of the concrete pavements in Western New York.
Dauphinais, an industry veteran of 30 years, certainly understands that concrete can be successfully done in New England, but bringing that message to municipal officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island could be aided with a better understanding of how it’s being done in other areas with similar climactic conditions, i.e., what better place than Buffalo, NY?

During the 6-hour drive from his Central Massachusetts offices, Dauphinais stopped at several rest areas to inspect the concrete overlays that have been placed at most car and truck parking areas along that stretch of the New York State Thruway. The two promoters then met in Rochester, NY, where they were met by a NYSDOT official at a concrete roundabout (on Kendrik Road, Rochester seen here) that was successfully placed about three years ago.

The DOT engineer provided some valuable advice and details of how some of the projects in the region came about. Once in Buffalo, American Concrete Pavement Association New York Chapter Executive Director Jim Shea supplied an even more detailed account of the concrete intersections and road paving that has taken place in Buffalo for 20+ years. Along the tour they inspected intersections, roadways, parking lots and several villages that decided to go concrete for their entire Main Street sections. Dauphinais chronicled each stop with pictures along with the detailed background information Shea was able to provide.

"It was amazing to be there and see these intersections in real life working and performing after years and years of heavy traffic and winter conditions," Dauphinais said. "It's exciting to see and gives me hope that we can bring concrete intersections back here to New England."

For more information, contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org. If you get the chance to welcome Craig Dauphinais into his new position as MaCAPA’s executive director, he can be reached at craig.dauphinais@aol.com.

The Portland Cement Association North Central Region (PCA-NC) hosted another in its series of concrete forums last week in metro Minneapolis, reports NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Jon Hansen. The morning session, Economical Parking Lot Pavement for Schools, was targeted to school facility personnel and focused on new and overlay parking lot pavements with a strong emphasis on the growing number of school parking lot concrete overlay projects from around the nation and in Minnesota. After the session, the current chairman of Minnesota Educational Facilities Management Professionals Association suggested that the presentation be on its 2016 conference program, Hansen said.

 

"This is what we all hope happens from a local event like the Minnesota Concrete Forums", said Hansen who was the keynote speaker at the event. "One person in the audience, who sees the value in what is presented and realizes the need for a larger audience to know the information, like his state facility association, is the core of concrete promotion...and in starting a trend of change in a state like Minnesota that has less than 5% market share overall for concrete parking lots."

If you spend any time on apartment living blogs you will find out what tenants want – and what they complain about. As you might expect, the first item on the tenants’ wish list is quiet. The multi-family housing industry knows this all too well and has come up with a variety of ways to address this concern. Now, many of us have spent a sleepless night or two in hotel rooms directly next to a runway or freeway or for that matter adjacent to a noisy neighbor. A noisy air conditioning unit might go a long way toward drowning out outside noise. The challenge for hotel guests is not altogether different from that affecting people looking for an apartment. Once a building is finished it is difficult to know how it was built. Most of these buildings look similar from the outside. But real beauty – in terms of what’s on the inside - is clearly more than skin deep, notes NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Gregg Lewis.

There are minimum code requirements for noise in multi-family construction referred to as the sound transmission class (STC) of various construction types. STC ratings in the real world regularly fall short of this minimum. They also typically fall short of the results found in a testing lab. There are a wide variety of ways that sound can travel through wall and floors whose assemblies leave numerous paths of travel for unwanted noise.

As part of a new market research and outreach program, NRMCA has contacted numerous developers around the country. One of these developers indicated that noise issues result in the number one lawsuit facing condominium developers in Florida and the number one complaint from renters. The problem has become so significant and widespread that developers are shifting their focus from condominiums toward multi-family apartment buildings where the legal frameworks are less risky and therefore less likely to result in financial penalties. The cost and inconvenience to fix a sound transmission problem is far greater than getting it right in the first place. Wood frame systems with sound attenuating drywall – when built correctly in the lab – are shown to meet the minimum standard for sound transmission. The reality is that both interior and exterior walls don’t perform to the same level as they do when carefully constructed in a lab. The result is complaints and in worst case scenarios – lawsuits. One leasing agent - who was already facing tenant complaints about noise in $3,000 a month apartments at a new development in Cambridge, MA - left us with this request: "Please get them to build with concrete."

For more information, contact Gregg Lewis at glewis@nrmca.org.

This past June, a crowded fifth-floor balcony broke off an apartment building in Berkeley, CA, during a birthday party, spilling 13 people 50 feet onto the pavement below. In addition to the six killed, seven were seriously hurt. Normally, any building material – wood, steel or concrete – that will be exposed to the elements requires weatherproofing of exposed elements such as balconies. However, "that wood was decayed or had some serious deterioration to the point where...it was coming off in chunks in their hands," said Darrick Hom, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California after visiting the site of the collapse.

New regulations approved by Berkeley city legislators after the tragedy have placed stricter regulations on building materials (naturally water-resistant wood, or corrosion-resistant materials) as well as design and inspections (read more). At the same time, California lawmakers rejected a bill Tuesday (SB465) which would have required contractors to disclose to their regulator — the Contractors State License Board — any past felonies or lawsuits alleging defects, negligence or fraud.

NRMCA has been promoting the inherent qualities of concrete, including moisture resistance, strength and fire-resistance. In addition to its excellent structural properties, concrete's environmental friendly features throughout the building’s life cycle makes it the most preferred construction material. Unfortunately, for nearly decade, the softwood lumber industry has been eroding ready mixed concrete’s market share in mid-rise apartment buildings. With the growing interest from the design and code community and demand for housing, there will be more tall wood structures built at a rapid pace instead of concrete. It is necessary for the industry to position itself through education, marketing and direct design assistance to demonstrate concrete’s benefits.

A Minnesota developer has broken ground in Minneapolis' North Loop on an all-timber, seven-story office building, the first commercial property in the U.S. to use an engineered wood material on a high-rise building that traditionally would have used concrete and steel. Once completed, this will be the tallest wood structure in the U.S. The developer, Hines, hired Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture in conjunction with the DLR Group, to design the 220,000-square-foot building. Michael Green is an advocate for increased use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) as a material for taller buildings, promoting its reduced carbon footprint and lightweight assembly.

For the past few years, NRMCA has notice the renewed interest in wood structures to shore up the forestry industry. The wood interests took a major step in recent years by updating the International Building Code (IBC) to allow the use of CLT as a building type. Earlier this year, however, NRMCA along with fire experts successfully contested the wood industry’s drive for taller buildings in the International Code Council hearings, citing its fire risks and limited research. Unfortunately, local state officials may choose to take a performance-based approach to the design and not follow the national model codes.

NRMCA is seeking a ready mixed concrete local paving technical and promotion representative. This position is responsible for the implementation of strategies that increase the use of the various forms of ready mixed concrete pavement in parking areas, local streets and roads, and other applications. This primary job function will be accomplished by working with NRMCA partners and members to help deliver successful local concrete paving projects. The successful applicant will work from his or her home in his or her current location and will be required to travel frequently (approximately 33% of the time).

This week, NRMCA continues to highlight companies that have chosen to exhibit at this fall's annual ConcreteWorks conference in San Antonio, TX. The conference is one of the industry's best opportunities for ready mix producers to interact with companies that provide goods and services to the concrete industry. This week, our spotlight continue with the companies listed below:

NRMCA was informed of the death of longtime member and industry supporter Jack Irmscher who died June 14 at the age of 92. Mr. Irmscher was a longtime supporter of the Association and served as the first chairman of the Materials Division, having been elected in 1988 for a two-year term concluding in 1990. He is survived by his wife, Mimi (Perault) Irmscher; daughter, Shawn (Brad) Meinhardt, their daughter, Callie; son, Douglas and his children, Emelia and Jackson; and daughter-in-law, Katherine Brown. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Scleroderma Research Foundation or to First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Please visit the family's online guest book at www.sytsemafh.com for more information.

NRMCA's Technology in Practice (TIP) series topics are developed as brief technical educational discussions for ready mixed concrete industry personnel. The content is developed by the Research Engineering and Standards (RES) Committee and is written in the popular "What?, Why? & How?" format. Two new topics are now available:

TIP 14 – Time of Setting of Concrete Mixtures – discusses the factors that impact the setting characteristics of concrete and outlines the procedure and determination of the time of setting by ASTM C403, Time of Setting of Concrete Mixtures by Penetration Resistance.

TIP 15 – Estimating Concrete Strength using Maturity – discusses a process for estimating in-place strength of concrete using one of the methods outlined in ASTM C1074, Practice for Estimating Concrete Strength by the Maturity Method. This TIP discusses developing the strength-maturity relationship, validation of the relationship and estimating in-place strength for scheduling construction activities.

The TIPs are available in multiple copies for each topic and in collated sets with all 15 topics. These are valuable for training quality control/quality assurance personnel and customers of ready mixed concrete companies.

The RES Committee continues to work on additional TIP topics. Recommendations for future topics can be sent to Karthik Obla at kobla@nrmca.org or or Colin Lobo at clobo@nrmca.org. Click here to preview the content of each topic and to order TIPs.

On Monday, the Obama Administration announced it has finalized a rule to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from coal, oil and natural gas fired electric power plants. Originally proposed in June 2014, the final rule known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), aims to reduce emissions from covered power plants by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030, equaling 870 million less tons of carbon emissions. The proposal had originally placed the reduction at 30%. The CPP hinges on states and regions devising their own approaches to meeting the reduction levels and deadlines or risk having the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to it for them.

Last November, NRMCA voiced its opposition to the proposal stating, "the association objects to the proposal’s strong probability to cause undue economic hardship to ready mixed concrete producers and their customers. NRMCA believes EPA has failed to adequately take into consideration the downstream costs associated with the proposal. As well, NRMCA does not believe EPA has taken the necessary steps to adequately determine the economic burden the proposal will place on small entities, as is required under the Regulatory Flexibility Act." NRMCA’s comments continued, "the clear language in EPA’s proposal stating doubts about the rule’s impact on electric utility companies and their customers, contrary third party analysis, EPA’s reliance on 'illustrative estimates,' and the lack of consideration for small entities begs the question of how and why EPA can in good faith and conscience proceed with finalizing such a proposal without all the requisite and proper information? NRMCA recommends EPA withdraw the proposal and reevaluate its true impacts until they have comprehensively been determined."

Avenues for contesting the final rule unfortunately are limited, however Congressional action, legal challenges, and next year’s election will likely all play a part in determining the final rule’s outcome. The CPP will become effective 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

Click here to view the final rule and accompanying fact sheets. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

Last Wednesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register aimed at clarifying for industry that "the duty to make and maintain accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses is an ongoing obligation." The proposal’s specific clarifications include:

1) OSHA 300 Log. Employers must record every recordable injury or illness on the Log. This obligation continues through the five-year record retention-and-access period. In addition, during that period, employers must update the Log by adding cases not previously recorded and by showing changes to previously recorded cases. 

2) OSHA 301 Incident Report. Employers must prepare a Form 301 Incident Report for each recordable illness or injury. This obligation continues throughout the five-year retention-and-access period. Employers are not required to update the form to show changes to the case that occur after the form is initially prepared.

3) Year-end records review; preparation certification and posting of the Form 300A annual summary. These ancillary tasks are intended to be performed at particular times during each year. They are not continuing obligations.

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for July 27 - 31, 2015, please click here.

Congress has adjourned for its August recess, making this month the perfect opportunity to set up a meeting with one or all of your Members of Congress to show off your plant and highlight the importance of putting Americans back to work by passing a  multi-year, fully funded transportation bill while also stressing the need to reduce regulatory uncertainty. During these questionable economic times and with mounting regulatory proposals, your Members of Congress need to hear from you. Contact information for your Members of Congress can be found at www.NRMCAVoice.com. Guidelines for conducting a successful plant tour can be found here. You may also find updated issues papers and talking points on all of NRMCA’s top legislative priorities.

For information on how to schedule and conduct a plant tour with your Members of Congress please contact Jill Landry at (240) 485-1156 or jlandry@nrmca.org. For more information please contact NRMCA’s Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org or Jill Landry at jlandry@nrmca.org.

Last week the Senate passed the DRIVE Act (HR 22) by a vote of (65-34), providing a six-year reauthorization of guaranteed contract authority and three years of funding for highway and transit programs totaling $45 billion. NRMCA secured language in the DRIVE Act making permanent the Hours of Service 30-minute break rule exemption for the ready mixed concrete industry as well as languague that reforms the application process for other construction and transportation industries seeking exemptions with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. NRMCA is continuing to meet with Members of Congress to advocate for final passage of a long-term highway bill.

After passage of the six-year highway bill, the Senate immediately passed the three-month extension sent by the House the day before. The three-month extension, HR 3236, passed (91-4) in the Senate and by a vote of (385-34) in the House just one day before the highway trust fund faced a funding shortfall. The extension funds highway and transit programs until October 29 via another transfer of funds from the general fund. The House must now introduce a long-term bill or take up and pass the Senate’s highway bill before both chambers can go into conference on the highway bill. Taking up the highway bill again in the fall will be complicated due to other major legislative deadlines approaching when Congress returns, including spending bills to keep the government running, the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization deadline and the Iran deal.

Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed by a voice vote HR 985, the Concrete Masonry Products Research Education and Promotion Act of 2015 introduced by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY). The legislation would promote the concrete masonry industry by allowing the establishment of a commodity check-off initiative. The legislation requires the concrete masonry industry to then vote on whether to pursue a commodity check-off program which the Department of Commerce would oversee. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) reintroduced the companion bill in the Senate (S 1524) on June 11, but there has been no further legislative activity in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee since then.

Last week, Representatives Tom Reed (R-23-NY), Bill Pascrell (D-09-NJ), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25-FL) and Peter DeFazio (D-04-OR) introduced the Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act of 2015 (H.R. 3397) that will help save money, reduce destruction and prevent the loss of lives in disaster-prone areas. H.R. 3397 offers a tax credit of $3,000 and $25,000 per structure, for home and building owners who use life-and-property saving techniques in residential and commercial construction when the structure meets the 2009 or later International Building Code (published by the International Code Council) requirements and has received the designation from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety of FORTIFIED for Safer Living/Business. Structures that are built within a federally declared disaster zone would be eligible for the credit for up to three years following the date of the disaster.

This legislation promotes investing in resilient construction in the wake of natural disasters and works to mitigate the impact of future disasters. Disasters in the United States are increasing in number and severity each year. Once a disaster strikes, we are faced with the task of rebuilding our communities so Americans can get back to work. This legislation will ensure that builders and contractors will take the time to learn resilient building techniques to properly train employees and subcontractors while home and builder owners receive the tax credit. NRMCA applauds Reps. Reed, Pascrell, Diaz-Balart and DeFazio for recognizing the importance and need for introducing this legislation. A Congressional Budget office analysis has found that where federal dollars are spent on pre-disaster mitigation programs, like H.R. 3397, "on average, future losses are reduced by about $3 for every $1 spent on those projects..."

Between October 13-16, NRMCA's Engineering Department will teach its annual introduction to concrete fundamentals at the RMC Research & Education Foundation Center in Silver Spring, MD. The class is appropriate for those who need a broad overview of technical and operations essential, typically sales reps, dispatchers, administrative/home office and mid-level staff as well as those in an executive function whose jobs do not relate to concrete per se, but who should have knowledge of the industry. This class is NOT appropriate for technical ready mixed concrete personnel.

For those working toward their NRMCA STEPS® CCPf certification in Sales and Marketing Track, this is a required class. For others working toward CCPf certification in other STEPS tracks, the class is the qualifying prerequisite or acts as an elective. As a result, this class can quickly fill to capacity – it is NOT too early to register. 

Under the direction of NRMCA’s Executive Committee, the Educational Activities Committee (EAC) will discuss current NRMCA certification courses, as well as future ones, that support the improvement of the industry. Because members often cite industry-specific training as the most important reason why they join NRMCA, this is always a vital discussion as NRMCA enters its next fiscal year on October 1. Therefore, EAC extends a warm invitation to all attendees at NRMCA's 2015 ConcreteWorks to join the meeting on Saturday, September 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (lunch included) at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. 

As the industry recovers, more producers are evaluating what industry-based training would best serve their staff and companies. Please join us for a frank discussion about what your company needs to keep employees performing at a national standard. That includes foreseeable publications, classes, Webinars and out-of-box ideas: creative input is most welcome.

August 7, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

August 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

August 17, Webinar

Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete (Part 1)

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

August 24, Free Webinar

Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets and Roads

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

August 24, Webinar

Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete (Part 2)

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

September 20 - 22, San Antonio, TX

NRMCA's ConcreteWorks 2015

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

September 28 - 30, Ontario, CA

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

October 6 - 8, Webinar

Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

October 13 - 16, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module I: Concrete 101

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

November 2 - 6, Silver Spring, MD

Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

November 4, Free Webinar

STEPS A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

November 17 - 19, Silver Spring, MD

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

November 17 - 19, Charlotte, NC

NRMCA Safety Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 1 - 3, Orlando, FL

Environmental Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 1 - 3, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 8 - 11, Orlando, FL

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

 

February 23 - 25, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

March 13 - 15, San Diego

NRMCA's Annual Convention

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

March 22 - 24, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 5 - 8, Birmingham, AL

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

May 15 - 18, Washington, DC

International Concrete Sustainability & Self-Compacting Concrete Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101