Construction Bulletin articles from April 2008

Construction Bulletin archives from April 2008

Franklin Kern dies.(president of Kern & Tabery)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 7, 2008... Staff Frank Kern, president of Kern & Tabery, Inc., highway contractor, died at his home in Wadena, Minnesota. Kern was born in Leaf River Township, Minnesota; served in the U.S. Navy; and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Holy Name...

Diederich named to Foundation.(Brief article)
April 7, 2008... Staff Paul W. Diederich, president of Industrial Builders, Fargo, North Dakota, was named 2008-2009 president of the AGC of American Education and Research Foundation board of directors. The foundation supports education, scientific...

Spring weight restrictions.(Brief article)
April 7, 2008... Staff The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced spring road weight restrictions that began on March 13 in south and southeast frost zones and on March 14 in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In the south: Iowa border north to...

Aggregate tax exemption.
April 7, 2008... Staff Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed an omnibus tax bill that includes exempting the delivery of aggregate products from paying sales taxes. Specifically, the provision exempts delivery charges from paying sales tax on aggregate...

CGA Data Reporting.(Public notice)
April 7, 2008... Staff The Common Ground Alliance Data Information Reporting Tool is used to report utility locating problems on a national basis. The information is compiled and reported nationally and is used by underground contractors to determine the...

Region contractors receive awards.
April 7, 2008... Staff AGC of America selected Hills Materials in Rapid City, South Dakota, to receive a first place Construction Safety Excellence Award in the Heavy Division, given to companies who have developed and implemented excellent safety and...

PCI announces competition.(Brief article)
April 7, 2008... Staff The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) announced a call for entries for its 2008 Design Awards Competition. Any structure in the U.S., Canada and Mexico built in the last three years from plant-manufactured precast,...

CMRA promotes recycling.
April 7, 2008... Staff The Construction Materials Recycling Association, a non-profit organization that promotes recycling construction and demolition materials, recently issued documents that outline techniques to recycle asphalt shingles. The guide...

Landscape Contractors Serve Different Niches.
April 7, 2008... By Ivy Chang Landscaping became a separate discipline within construction because of public needs and new government rules and regulations. During the last decade, environmental concerns and regulations have prompted landscape...

Safety Apparel Redesigned.
April 7, 2008... By Ivy Chang New regulations on safety apparel offer many choices for construction workers. Watch out, George Clooney. Stay back, Angelina Jolie. This year, you won't be on the Best Dressed List. That's because fluorescent lime...

McFee is project manager.(FlowSense, LLC has appoints Don McFee as a project manager )(Brief article)
April 14, 2008... Staff FlowSense, LLC, Maple Grove, Minnesota, hired Don McFee as a project manager in its Building Services Group. He is responsible for the Midwest and Southwest areas of the U.S. in mechanical and general contracting. McFee is a graduate...

Kraus-Anderson rehires Hayden.(Kraus-Anderson Construction Company has appoints John Hayden as director of business development and marketing)(Brief article)
April 14, 2008... Staff Kraus-Anderson Construction Company, Minneapolis, rehired John Hayden as director of business development and marketing. He will oversee company offices in Circle Pines, Lino Lakes and Duluth, Minnesota; and regional offices in...

Bentler receives license.(Joe Bentler, American Engineering Testing, Inc. earned his professional engineering license )(Brief article)
April 14, 2008... Staff Joe Bentler , American Engineering Testing, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota, earned his professional engineering license in Minnesota. Last September, he presented a paper based on his master's research on instrumentation of cantilever...

AGC scholarships.
April 14, 2008... Staff AGC of North Dakota will present scholarships to high school seniors pursuing a career in construction-related fields for 2008-2009. At North Dakota State University, $1,000 scholarships are available to students majoring in...

Safe Routes to School grants.
April 14, 2008... Staff The Minnesota Department of Transportation provided more than $2 million in grants in 2008 to improve safety conditions in local communities for students to walk or bike to school. The 27 selected projects are part of the Safe Routes...

Canoe competition in Montreal.(Brief article)
April 14, 2008... Staff This year's America's Cup of Civil Engineering will be held at Acole de technologie superieure, Universite du Quebec, in Montreal, Canada, from June 19-21. The 21stt Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition will include civil...

MC&MCA elects officers.
April 21, 2008... Staff The Minnesota Concrete & Masonry Contractors Association elected 2008-2009 officers and directors at its annual meeting. Todd Frantz of Donald R. Frantz Concrete Construction is the new president; Rick Morris, BOR-SON Construction,...

FHWA awards grant to 3M.(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... Staff The Federal Highway Administration awarded a $500,000 grant to 3M Traffic Safety Systems Division as part of its Highways for Life Technology Partnership. 3M will conduct research on its all weather paint for work zones to fulfill...

Editor's Report.
April 21, 2008... By Ivy Chang On March 20, the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed the Highway 23 Division Street bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Cloud because bridge inspectors found bent gusset plates in four locations. Acting...

Higher, Smaller, More Capacity.
April 21, 2008... By Ivy Chang and Amber Reed Material handling becomes easier as equipment manufacturers downsize equipment and load them with features that make work easier for the operators. That describes the new wave of construction equipment. On...

Partnerships in Action.
April 21, 2008... By Dan Hannan Minnesota OSHA and AGC formed a partnership to promote safety. The value and benefit of Minnesota OSHA partnerships began with the Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) program in February 2003. The oldest...

Prom earns certification.(Greg Prom, environmental scientist at American Engineering Testing, Inc. has earned Certification)(Brief article)
April 28, 2008... Staff Greg Prom, environmental scientist at American Engineering Testing, Inc., St. Paul, earned a Certified Hazardous Materials Managers Certification. Prom conducts Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments, corrective actions design...

Fabcon appoints Westman.
April 28, 2008... Staff Fabcon, manufacturer of structural fabricated concrete wall panels, appointed Don Westman to its board of directors. Westman, vice president of Global Operations at Tennant Company, Minneapolis, has more than 25 years of management...

Kraus-Anderson names PM.(Kraus-Anderson Construction Company has appoints John Solberg as vice president )(Brief article)
April 28, 2008... Staff Kraus-Anderson Construction Company named John Solberg as vice president in the Minneapolis office managing construction of a casino in Rock Island, Illinois. Greg Wood was hired as project manager working with the Facilities Group...

New company supplies hardscape.(Rochester Brick, Mankato Brick and Concrete Materials joint venture)(Brief article)
April 28, 2008... Staff Rochester Brick, Mankato Brick and Concrete Materials, all in Minnesota, announced they are joining resources to form North Star Stone and Masonry, LLC, to provide brick, stone, blocks, concrete masonry and masonry supplies, and...

Safety conference.
April 28, 2008... Staff The third annual Transportation Safety Conference in South Dakota drew over 139 people to identify, prioritize and discuss possible solutions to safety issues. This year's theme emphasized youth because statistics show that young...

Help! Report potholes.(Minnesota Department of Transportation)(Brief article)
April 28, 2008... Staff MnDOT wants to know about potholes on Minnesota's state and interstate highways in the northeastern part of the state. As warmer weather arrives, the freeze/thaw cycle increases and causes pavement and roadbeds to deteriorate...

Safety is Good Business.
April 28, 2008... Staff May 4 - 10, 2008, is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. The goal of this initiative is to focus employers, employees, partners, and the public on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at...