PCA Executive Report

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PCA Assists with World’s First Outdoor Shake Table As a member of the Board of Advisors, PCA’s Ed Alsamsam was on hand earlier this month for the dedication of the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center. The innovative facility features the world’s first outdoor shake table, the country’s largest soil-structure interaction facility, and the world’s first blast simulator for studying the effects of bomb blasts and testing technologies to harden structures against bomb attacks. The dedication ceremony included a demonstration of the unique capacities of the outdoor shake table in preparation for performing an earthquake simulation on a seven-story residential concrete building. In affiliation with PCA’s Research and Development program, the school will issue a special report on the performance of concrete shear wall buildings in seismic regions. Englekirk Center is the only facility capable of verifying seismic safety of full-scale structural systems. Englekirk Center is part of the University of California – San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering and the Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories and is committed to the construction of safer and more economical concrete buildings. Contact Ed Alsamsam More information

Productive First Year for Concrete Home Building Council PCA participated in last week’s Spring Board Meeting of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), including the meeting of the Concrete Home Building Council (CHBC), formed early in 2004. The Council has accomplished a great deal in a brief span of time. In addition to virtually all of the concrete products trade associations, Council membership includes 21 builders, 26 manufacturers, and numerous associate members. The CHBC is responsible for two new educational courses through NAHB’s University of Housing. These classes, now available to any local home builders association in the country, cover cast-in-place concrete foundations and building with insulating concrete forms. The Council will host a “Concrete Technologies Tour” in Kansas City, Mo., June 26-28. More information about the Tour and other CHBC activities. Contact Jim Niehoff

PCA Helps FHWA with Education of New Bridge Design Specifications PCA is assisting the Federal Highway Administration to reach its goal of educating bridge engineers in all 50 states on the new AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications by October 2007. In that effort, PCA presented a bridge design seminar last month to over 100 bridge engineers in Baton Rouge, La., on behalf of the National Concrete Bridge Council (NCBC). The seminar was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, NCBC, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Contact Shri Bhide

Cement Manages Radioactive Waste Since the emergence of the nuclear age, engineers have used solidification/stabilization to manage radioactive waste. Cement-based S/S treatment has successfully treated wastes from the production of the first atomic bomb through the remediation of contaminated Department of Energy sites today. PCA's Waste Treatment Web site now includes backgournd information, case histories, and resources on S/S with cement for radioactive waste. It's also the focus of the latest Waste Treatment e-newsletter, which was issued last week. More information. Contact Chuck Wilk

St. Lawrence Denied Key Zoning Permit On Tuesday, April 19, New York’s Department of State denied a key zoning application by St. Lawrence Cement to build a replacement plant in Greenport, N.Y. The DOS ruled the plant would not be consistent with its coastal zone policies. The Greenport project aims at replacing an older cement plant presently in operation in nearby Catskill by a state-of-the-art plant also contributing to fill the current cement gap in the country. The project would also have a major, positive economic impact for the region, by retaining vital cement jobs for decades to come, creating over 1,500 construction jobs and generating at least $800,000 in local tax revenue once operational. More information

TXI Announces Expansion in California Texas Industries Inc., said on April 21 it will expand and upgrade its portland cement plant in Oro Grande, Calif. The two-year job will increase plant capacity by 75 percent, adding 2.3 million tons of new capacity. When the expansion is completed, 1.3 million tons of current production will be retired. The work will increase Texas Industries' total cement capacity to about 6 million tons, or by about 20 percent. Adapted from Reuters News

Wathne New ACPA Highway Director The American Concrete Pavement Association has appointed Leif G. Wathne, P.E., as director of highways, effective May 30. Wathne will work closely with the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and other key agencies and organizations. He will be responsible for research and development, technical support, and marketing/promotion for the highway market.

pcaStructurePoint Helps Rebuild Afghanistan pcaStructurePoint is providing software in the rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan by the Louis Berger Group, Inc., contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, as part of the Rehabilitation of Economic Facilities and Service (REFS) Program. Louis Berger has been selected to perform engineering and construction work on schools, medical facilities, and government buildings in addition to public works projects in the war-battered country. More information

Professional Promoters' Workshop May 3-5, 2005 Skokie, Ill. Contact Karalin Derencius Regional Economic Seminar May 12, 2005 Kansas City, Mo. Contact Karen Arneson	IEEE-IAS / PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference Kansas City, MO May 15-19, 2005 http://www.ieeepcaconference.org/

PCA's education and training group will conduct the following courses at PCA's Skokie, Ill., facility. Customized and off-site courses are also available. For more information or to register, contact Julie Lisiecki.
Skokie Courses Concrete: Principles and Practice October 10-13, 2005 Microscopy of Clinker and Cement October 31-November 4, 2005	Troubleshooting: Solutions to Concrete Field Problems November 14-16, 2005 Mill Grinding October 17-19, 2005 Kiln Process October 3-6, 2005

Portland Cement Association 5420 Old Orchard Road Skokie, Illinois 60077 847.966.6200 info@cement.org 1130 Connecticut Avenue, N. W., Suite 1250 Washington, D.C. 20036 202.408.9494 fax 202.408.0877 ©2005 Portland Cement Association All rights reserved

04.25.05

The Executive Report is distributed free of charge to members of PCA and to individuals interested in PCA activities or the cement, concrete, and construction industries.

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The Portland Cement Association conducts market development, research, education, and government affairs work on behalf of its members—cement companies in the United States and Canada.