—Leads Plant Training in Oklahoma—
In September, with support from members Duit Construction Co. and RexCon, ACPA presented plant manager training for Duit personnel who audited and provided feedback on the course—Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
The training is part of a specification requirement for a project at Tinker Air Force Base, in Oklahoma (OK).
John Privrat, Duit Construction and ACPA Airports Task Force vice chair, who praised the team efforts led by Gary Mitchell, Airports Director-ACPA, said, “The team ‘knocked it out of the park,’ especially since we had to put this whole class together in less than a month. Gary did a great job anchoring most of the presentations, and we also had several other quality speakers. The feedback I received from our team, the USACE, and the Air Force was overwhelmingly positive. We very much appreciate the support from ACPA and all of the work Gary put into this. As always he did an outstanding job.”
Private added that he hopes this training module will be included in future airfield pavement specifications.
—Pennsylvania Chapter Drives Competition Message—
Chuck Niederriter, Golden Triangle Construction (and past-Chairman of both the ACPA Board and the Pennsylvania Chapter Board) presented formal remarks before the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee last week. The focus of the meeting was a discussion about the usage of concrete and asphalt pavement with PennDOT and Turnpike.
From the outset of his comments, Chuck emphasized the importance of competition, noting that inter-industry competition saves money for taxpayers and highway users in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania Chapter President John Becker provided supporting remarks during the meeting.
The full hearing can be viewed at: http://www.pahousegop.com/Video/Transportation. The concrete pavement portion is in the video link marked ‘September 17th’ and appears between markers 40 to 85.
In related news, some members of the Transportation Committee were among the industry members and other invited guests to participate in a reception on Monday of this week at the Federal Tap House in Harrisburg. Chapter members had the opportunity to speak one-on-one about the concrete pavement industry, transportation funding and their individual company’s interests with Commonwealth legislators representing each side of the aisle from both the House and Senate. Leif Wathne of ACPA participated in the event on behalf of ACPA.
—Mid-Atlantic Board Highlights—
The Mid-Atlantic Chapter‘s Annual Board and Membership Meeting in late September included updates and discussion about ongoing activities, promotion successes and challenges.
Jerry Voigt, CEO-ACPA, participated in the meeting and provided an update on ACPA‘s national marketing and local promotion plans and emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities identified in ACPA‘s planning initiative. Ray Seipp, Chapter President-Mid-Atlantic-ACPA discussed programs that focus on attention on both policy and technical issues throughout the region. For example:
- Virginia—Chapter is making good progress with policy changes with VDOT
- Delaware—an active inlay program by the DOT continues to gain traction with new projects
- Maryland—progress is being made in cities and counties to use cementious solutions, including full-depth reclamation (FDR)
- West Virginia—competition remains a focal point and one which has gained support among senior highway officials. At a recent meeting—the second in two years—WVDOT officials reiterated their support for working together to understand and inform personnel of the value of inter-agency competition
- Progress is being made in ongoing activities to update and enhance alt design/alt bid specifications
Competition, backed by MIT‘s research findings on the topic, gaining support as ACPA National and chapters work together to inform policy-makers and agencies on this important topic.
—Colorado/Wyoming Chapter Leads Bike Ride
Focused on Concrete Pavement—
The “Pedal the Plains (PTP)” Event—an annual cycling event in Colorado—was twice as nice this year as the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter staff and members drew attention to concrete pavements along the route. PTP is a 3-day tour that averages 50 to 80 miles per day. The event was sponsored by The Denver Post and the State of Colorado and celebrates the agricultural roots and frontier heritage of the Eastern Plains of Colorado. The route is unique every year, highlighting different communities, based on requests for proposal and an internal selection process.Tim Hogan, Project Manager-Castle Rock Construction Company helped place signs along US 287 from Springfield to Lamar, CO, to draw positive attention to concrete pavements along the tour route—using orange cones and tie bars to keep the signs in place. Scott Mueller, ACPA supplied the special “Count on Concrete” racing jerseys. To view map of the SIGNS, please go to: http://www.acpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PTP-2019-COC-Sign-Locations.pdf
—Newest ACPA Local Promotion Affiliate ‘SWCPA’—
ACPA announces the affiliation of the Southwest Concrete Pavement Association (SWCPA)—expanding the association’s network to 21 regional and local paving associations. Formed in 1990 and joining ACPA National in 2019, the SWCPA is the regional trade association for the concrete pavement industry in California and Nevada. Supported by the multifaceted capabilities and a range of technical, advocacy, and promotional resources from ACPA National, the SWCPA along with all ACPA-affiliated chapters and state paving associations, provide direct support to agencies/owners and other customers in states/provinces and regions throughout the United States and Canada.
Jerry Voigt, ACPA President and CEO stated, “We’re very pleased to welcome the Southwest Concrete Pavement Association as an ACPA-affiliated local paving promotion association. We look forward to supporting and working closely with SWCPA as it provides support to members and agencies/owners.”
SWCPA is part of the ACPA’s national marketing and local promotion plan and represents a significant step in supporting promotion activities and supports its members through concrete pavement promotions, specification development, government affairs, and pavement research—through technology transfer, technical service, advocacy, and promotion of concrete pavements. Members include:
• Paving contractors
• Cement companies
• Equipment manufacturers
• Material producers and suppliers
• Ready-mixed concrete producers
• Allied associations/organizations
• Consulting firms
• Individuals.
In addition, the SWCPA is dedicated to promoting the long-lasting, sustainable benefits of concrete pavements for use in:
• Interstate Highways
• State and County Highways
• Municipal Streets
• Local Roads
• Military Facilities
• Airports
SWCPA is committed to improving the quality of concrete pavements through:
• Workshops
• Seminars
• Technical Support
• Other Educational Opportunities
For the SWCPA, please go to: https://www.swcpa.org
For the 21 ACPA-affiliated chapters, please go to: http://www.acpa.org/ournetwork/
56th Annual Meeting (AM)
New Orleans, Louisiana | Dec 3-5, 2019
Make your HOTEL (by Nov. 11) and EVENTS registration plans NOW!!! This will ensure accurate counts for planning luncheons, receptions and other details of the meeting.
New Orleans Marriott Hotel specially-priced reservation closes Monday, November 11 (or until the room block is sold out).
To take advantage of the discounted rate of $189/night, please go to: https://book.passkey.com/event/49850978/owner/6139/home
For EVENT REGISTRATION, ACPA Members, Spouses, and Guests are eligible to receive a 20% discount off any registration ticket type. To receive the discount, please enter the following promotional code at the top of the ticket selection screen before you proceed to checkout: “member20″
56th Annual Meeting website one-stop registration/information website: http://2019meeting.acpa.org/