Western Builder articles from November 2007

Western Builder archives from November 2007

WUCA Fundraiser For Make-A-Wish Foundation.
November 5, 2007... Staff The Wisconsin Underground Contractors' Association (WUCA) is holding an Octoberfest-themed fundraiser benefiting the Make-A Wish Foundation of Wisconsin on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Weissgerber's Golden Mast Inn on Okauchee Lake,...

Fox Cities Trestle -- Friendship Trail Receives AASHTO Award.(American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials)(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... Staff The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has presented its 2007 Legacy Award to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and its partners for their involvement in the Fox Cities...

Leopold Legacy Center Sets Record For LEED Rating.
November 5, 2007... Staff The United States' "greenest" building sits near Baraboo, Wisconsin. Fittingly, it is named after the pioneering conservationist Aldo Leopold. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental...

R.A. Smith Named One Of Best Firms To Work For.(R.A. Smith & Associates, Inc.)(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... Staff R.A. Smith & Associates, Inc. and its National Survey & Engineering division, Brookfield, Wis., have been selected among the nation's top winners in CE News magazine's "Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For" contest for 2007. R.A....

"Click It!" Safety Campaign Takes Off.
November 5, 2007... Staff The recently launched "Click It!" safety campaign that features stickers encouraging all users of boom-supported platforms to wear a full-body harness with a short lanyard attached to a suitable anchor point has found acceptance with...

Printed Copies Of PEI Overfill-Prevention Practices Available.
November 5, 2007... Staff The Petroleum Equipment Institute's Recommended Practices for Overfill Prevention for Shop-Fabricated Aboveground Tanks (PEI/RP600-07) is available for purchase. This latest recommended practices document was produced by the...

ABC Launches Construction-Documents Website.(Website overview)
November 5, 2007... Staff The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has partnered with ConsensusDOCS, a new online service where ABC members can search for and purchase more than 70 standard construction contracts and forms. ConsensusDOCS, the product of...

ARTBA Books Help Communication With Spanish-Speaking Workers.
November 5, 2007... Staff The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is offering two books it says will help contractors communicate better with Spanish-speaking workers. One is a Spanish-English Dictionary. The other is The...

WUCA Awards Scholarships.
November 5, 2007... Staff The Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association has awarded $1,000 scholarships to the following students for 2007: Stacy L. Oszuscik, attending UW-Madison seeking a degree in engineering. Tori M. White, attending UW Green...

Tracking Tire Data Helps Cut Costs.
November 5, 2007... By Doug Siefkes, SiefkesPetit Communications Tire-management systems help identify best options. Unless you want to pick tires for your construction trucks based on "gut feelings," intuition or data gathered by your peers, a good...

Wacker Previews Two Dozen New Products For 2008.
November 5, 2007... By Mike Larson, Editor Light equipment manufacturer will introduce two dozen new or improved products at World of Concrete 2008. Leading light equipment manufacturer Wacker Corp., Menomonee Falls, Wis., recently gave...

Le Monds Is PSC's New Director of Governmental and Public Affairs.(Public Service Commission of Wisconsin appoints Tim Le Monds )(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Staff Tim Le Monds has joined the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) as its director of governmental and public affairs. He will oversee the agency's media and public information efforts, legislative relations and policy...

Wind Farm Obtains Financing.
November 12, 2007... Staff Invenergy Wind L.L.C., of Chicago, has found financing for the wind farm it is building and will operate in Wisconsin's Fond du Lac and Dodge counties. Power generated by the wind farm will be sold to a number of Wisconsin...

Cement Association Offers Pervious Concrete Design Book.
November 12, 2007... Staff The Portland Cement Association (PCA), Skokie, Ill., is offering a new publication, "Hydrologic Design of Pervious Concrete," that can guide civil engineers, landscape architects and other design professionals in selecting and...

All Wisconsin Electric Providers Meet Renewable Energy Standards.
November 12, 2007... Staff The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) has announced that all 118 Wisconsin electric providers have met or exceeded their 2006 renewable portfolio standards. Forty-nine providers have exceeded the requirements, and most are...

Geotechnology, Inc. To Provide Engineering Services For Pipeline Projects.
November 12, 2007... Staff Geotechnology, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., has been selected to provide geotechnical engineering services for a portion of the Enbridge Southern Access/Southern Lights pipeline expansion projects running from Delavan, Wis., to Patoka, Ill....

Bonsal Names Golter New Territory Manager For ProSpec.
November 12, 2007... Staff Bonsal American, Charlotte, N.C., has named Peter Golter as its senior territory sales manager responsible for ProSpec concrete repair and restoration products in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Golter has more than...

New Effective DateFor Fall Protection Code.(Accredited Standards Committee )(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Staff Recognizing the need to allow safety, health and environmental professionals more time to adjust to safety practices recommended in the Z359 Fall Protection Code, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Society of...

Bruggeman Awarded Transportation Engineers Scholarship.
November 12, 2007... Staff John Bruggeman, transportation engineer of R.A. Smith & Associates, Inc., Brookfield, Wis., has received the Harvey Shebesta Scholarship sponsored by the Wisconsin Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). ...

Wireless Monitoring System Tracks Equipment Location and Service Needs.(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Staff Roland Machinery is introducing free KOMTRAX(TM) training to familiarize equipment owners with the data and reports available for the Komatsu wireless monitoring system. The training is available to anyone who has the system...

Sorensen Joins MSA Professional Services.
November 19, 2007... Staff Erik Sorensen, P.E., has joined MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) as a project engineer. He will oversee or directly prepare reports, plans, building documents, and construction services for infrastructure projects. Sorenson...

Demolition Of Old Allouez Bridge Under Way.
November 19, 2007... Staff Complete removal of the old Claude Allouez Bridge across the Fox River in De Pere is moving rapidly along. The tear-down began just two days after the new Allouez Bridge was dedicated in early October. The old bridge, built in...

National Survey & Engineering Announces Promotions And Certifications.(Sean Gehin, Andy Hunter and Drew Miazga promoted)(Brief article)
November 19, 2007... Staff National Survey & Engineering, a division of R.A. Smith & Associates, Inc., Brookfield, Wis., has announced these employee promotions and professional certifications: Sean Gehin has earned the professional qualification of...

Transportation Section Of New Wisconsin Budget Up $471 Million.
November 19, 2007... Staff The newly enacted Wisconsin State Budget for 2008 - 2009 holds $471 million more than the budget from 2006 - 2007. Reporting on the new budget, the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association says that sources of new revenue...

USDOT: Construction Inflation Not Leveling Off Soon.
November 19, 2007... Staff A recent audit by the U.S. Department Of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG) concludes that record construction inflation throughout the country will likely continue to expand, at least in the near term, taking a heavy...

Oldcastle Names Case A Preferred Provider.
November 19, 2007... Staff Oldcastle Materials, a leading supplier of aggregates, asphalt, ready-mix concrete, and paving services with more than 1,200 locations in 41 states, has selected Case Construction Equipment-North America as one of only three...

300 Pink Hardhats Help C.G. Schmidt Build Breast-Cancer Awareness.
November 19, 2007... Staff In early October, all 300 of CG Schmidt's construction staff wore pink hard hats to help build awareness about the importance of the early detection of breast cancer. The campaign culminated in a fundraising event sponsored by...

Three Wisconsinites Among New ARTBA Directors.
November 19, 2007... Staff Three Wisconsin construction-industry leaders are among the 42 officers and directors recently elected by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), a national organization representing the industry. All three...

Foth Acquires Iowa Engineering Firm.(Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC and Engineeering Alliance Inc.)(Brief article)
November 19, 2007... Staff Consulting Engineering firm Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC has acquired the assets of Engineeering Alliance, Inc., a 27-employee transportation and civil engineering firm headquartered in Iowa. Officials of both...

AGC of Wisconsin Hosts Minority Contractor Open House.
November 19, 2007... Staff To help increase the visibility of minority contractors in Wisconsin, the AGC of Wisconsin teamed with Wisconsin's State Department of Administration and Department of State Facilities to hold an open house in October to help build...

Wachovia Cuts Premium 15 Percent For Increased Aerial Work Training.
November 19, 2007... Staff Wachovia Insurance Services is offering discounted premiums on general liability insurance to companies that adopt AWPT/IPAF training for operators of aerial work platforms. The discount supports the efforts of the International...

Editor's Report.(Aldo Leopold Legacy Center )(Editorial)
November 19, 2007... By Mike Larson State Budget Finally Settled As this is written near the end of October, Wisconsin finally has a state budget set for the next two years (well, year and two-thirds, since it took nearly four months for the Legislature to...

Monitoring The Deck-Truss Bridges.(Editorial)
November 19, 2007... Story by Mike Larson, Editor Electronic strain gauges expected to confirm structural integrity. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is using electronic strain gauges to monitor the state's 14 deck-truss bridges that are...

The World's "Greenest" Building.
November 19, 2007... By Mike Larson, Editor Leopold Legacy Center scores highest LEED rating ever. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center near Baraboo in Sauk County has set a new record by scoring 61 of 69 possible points on the Leadership in Energy and...

Tapping The Mature Worker Resource.
November 19, 2007... By Mike Larson, Editor Like other parts of the country, Wisconsin is looking at a construction-labor shortage over the coming decades. State projections predict that the need for specialty trade workers alone will have grown by 20 percent...

PacLease Announces Four New Locations In Wisconsin.(PACCAR Leasing Corp.)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Staff PACCAR Leasing Company (PacLease), Bellevue, Wash., continues to expand its franchise network in North America with the addition of four new PacLease locations in Wisconsin. Premier PacLease currently has a location in Milwaukee,...

MSA Names Owen CEO.
November 26, 2007... Staff MSA Professional Services, an engineering/architectural/planning firm with its corporate office in Baraboo, Wis., and 12 other locations throughout the Midwest, has named James Owen, P.E., as its new chief executive officer. Owen,...

MSA Names Boyd Director of Business Development.(MSA Professional Services Inc.)(David S. Boyd)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Staff MSA Professional Services, Baraboo, Wis., has named David S. Boyd, FAICP, as its director of Business Development. In this role, he will identify and direct the development of the marketing efforts for the company; identify and...

28-Ton Limit For US 141 Bridge Between Niagra, Wis., and Iron Mountain, Mich.(Michigan. Department of Transportation)(Wisconsin. Department of Transportation)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Staff The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has restricted the weight of vehicles that can use the US 141 bridge over the Menominee River between Niagara, Wis., to 28 tons or less. All vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than...

UW-Milwaukee Students Sweep National Architectural Competition.
November 26, 2007... Staff Four student teams who were recently enrolled in the Spancrete Studio at UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP) swept the 2007 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute's (PCI) Architectural Student Design...

Rexcon Moving To Burlington.
November 26, 2007... Staff Rexcon LLC will move from its plant in northwestern Milwaukee to a new 100,000-square-foot plant it will build in Burlington during 2008. The new location was selected to permit future growth for the manufacturer of...

Michael F. Oliva Named PCI Distinguished Educator.
November 26, 2007... Staff The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago, Ill., has named Michael F. Oliva, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, as its distinguished educator of the year for...