Little Sioux Scout Ranch Rebuilds with Concrete

A groundbreaking ceremony last month kicked off reconstruction of facilities at the western Iowa Boy Scout camp where four teenagers were killed and 48 people were injured when a tornado struck the area last June.

Dave Sinsheimer of Kiewit Construction made a presentation on the plans to rebuild Little Sioux Scout Ranch, Little, Sioux, Iowa, about 60 miles from Omaha, Neb. Sinsheimer said the new camp would be equipped with six new safety structures that will be strategically located throughout the 18,000-acre camp.

Featuring insulating concrete forms and concrete roofs, the new structures will meet FEMA standards for tornado shelters.

A new welcome center will also house 200 in case of an emergency and operate as a command center during any future disaster. The ranger house, which was completely destroyed during the tornado, is already being rebuilt and is expected to be complete by the end of this month.

The complete project is expected to cost $2.5 million. Sinsheimer said $780,000 has already been donated, and another $300,000 was collected from the insurance on the camp.  

Concrete industry donors include the North Central Cement Council, concrete firm Lyman-Richie, Scofield, ICF supplier Fox Blocks, and Lite Deck. 

This has been an active year for tornadoes in the U.S., and 2008 is on track to record the highest annual volume with 1,296 confirmed tornados through August, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center.  Tornado-related deaths total 121, the ninth deadliest January-August period since reliable records began in 1953.
Contact Amy Trygestad.

Adoption of First PCA Standard Highlights ICC Final Action Hearings

PCA Codes and Standards staff was involved in a multitude of code changes involving fire safety, structural, and energy issues affecting the cement-based products industry at the International Code Council (ICC) final action hearings, September 17-23 in Minneapolis. 

Notable changes approved for the 2009 I-Codes include:

> PCA’s new standard, PCA 100 (Prescriptive Design of Exterior Concrete Walls for One- and Two-Family Dwellings), was unopposed and will be referenced in the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC).  In addition, for areas other than those that may be subjected to high wind or high seismic loads, the prescriptive design and construction requirements from PCA 100 will be transcribed into the 2009 IRC.  Contact Jim Messersmith. 

> Fire officials showed up in force to support mandatory sprinkler requirements for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. The requirements approved for sprinkler protection in townhouses included a tradeoff by reducing the fire resistance rating of the 2-hour party wall between dwelling units to 1-hour. The influence of the fire officials was evident by the vote record on these proposals.  Whereas the approximate number of persons casting votes on previous days was around 500, the number of qualified voters increased to almost 1,700 on the day the residential sprinkler requirements were debated.  Industries supporting sprinkler protection had been offering travel stipends through a coalition to aid building code and fire code officials in attending the hearings.  Contact Steve Skalko.

> Increasing the robustness of walls enclosing emergency exits and elevator hoistway shafts in high-rise buildings was proposed.  The National Concrete Masonry Association proposals on these wall assemblies were preferred; however, after encouragement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the code officials voting on the changes opted for wall testing provisions submitted by the Gypsum Association.  PCA was able to expand requirements to cover a larger number of buildings and to get specific exemptions from the testing requirements for concrete and masonry walls. Contact Jim Messersmith.

> A new standard for construction of residential buildings in high wind regions, ICC 600 (Standard for Residential Construction in High-Wind Regions), which updates and replaces SSTD10 on hurricane resistant construction, and another standard for construction of storm shelters, ICC 500 (ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters), were incorporated into the IBC and IRC.  These standards include provisions for construction of structures using concrete and masonry materials to resist these high wind events.  Contact Jim Messersmith for ICC 500. Contact Steve Skalko for ICC 600.

> There were numerous energy code changes that attempted to increase energy efficiency requirements for buildings to reduce energy usage 30% without due regard for cost-effectiveness.  Some of the changes increased stringency for the building envelope which would have adversely affected mass walls of concrete and masonry.  An additional change would have mandated air barriers for all buildings to reduce air infiltration.  Representatives from PCA and the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards provided opposing testimony on many of these changes to help in their defeat. Contact Steve Skalko.

A full report identifying the most significant ICC changes that will affect the concrete and masonry industries is available.
Contact Steve Szoke.

IBC Simplifies Masonry Standards

Recently, the International Code Council considered proposed code changes to the "I-Codes" that include the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code. Several individuals and industry groups joined The Masonry Society (TMS) and the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards to support comprehensive changes to IBC requirements for masonry. Referencing the appropriate standards for masonry materials and construction removes redundancy from the IBC. These changes will simplify the IBC provisions, so that users can more easily follow design, construction, and inspection requirements for masonry. Modifications made by the IBC to referenced standards will also be more apparent.

The IBC now references the 2008 Masonry Standards Joint Committee's Building Code Requirements and Specification for Masonry Structures (TMS 402/ACI 530/ASCE 5 and TMS 602/ACI 530.1/ASCE 6). In addition, the IBC updated fire resistance requirements to be consistent with ACI 216-07/TMS 0216-07, Fire Resistance Standard for Concrete and Masonry Assemblies.

For the first time, the IBC will also reference TMS's new Sound Transmission Class Rating Standard, which was completed in 2007 (TMS 0302-07).
Contact Jamie Farny.

PCA Fall Meeting Set for Dallas

PCA’s  Fall Meeting will be held on October 26-28, 2008, at the Four Seasons Hotel-Las Colinas, Irving, Texas.

 In addition to the PCA Board of Directors meeting, the agenda includes meetings of the Legal Counsels Committee, the Board of the Cement Association of Canada, the Board of CTLGroup, the Education Foundation, and the Government Affairs Council.

The first group event will be the Sunday evening reception.  The Board meeting on Tuesday will include a presentation by Ed Sullivan and discussion of imaging, branding, and messaging led by Dittus Communications.

A guest program is planned for Monday, October 27
Contact Jan Farnsworth.

Utah Plant Received National Media Attention for Alterative Fuel Use

The Holcim Devil Slide plant in Utah received national media attention from CNN Headline News for its use of alternative fuels.  Burning waste products, including tires, waste plastic and waste from a nearby diaper factory, including leftover chucks of disposable diapers, generates one-third of the plant’s fuel.

The plant was a tour site for the U.S. Business Council on Sustainable Development.  In addition to CNN Headline News, the segment was featured on the local CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates.

New CAC Web Site Launched

The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) has launched a completely redesigned Web site, www.cement.ca, available in both English and French, and puts forward a refreshed corporate identity, with new branding and positioning for the Association and the cement industry.

The Web site is divided into five main sections:
> About CAC is a briefing room that tells visitors who CAC is, what it does, how it is organized.
> Industry segments profile the cement industry and discuss its commitment to sustainable manufacturing.
> Cement and concrete applications display information on the significant uses of cement, namely, in transportation, solidification/stabilization, concrete structures, and residential and commercial construction.
> Technical resources provide technical information of interest to the cement industry and to researchers.

The new site presents more information, more effectively and efficiently. It is faster, easily searchable and user-friendly, with simple, consistent navigation.
Visit www.cement.ca
Contact Sylvie Moncion

MTC Technical Session Available as Webcast

PCA’s Manufacturing Technical Committee (MTC) conducted its annual technical session on Tuesday, August 26, as part of PCA’s Fall Committee Meetings.

The following technical presentations are now available as archived Webcasts:

> Acoustic Cleaning Applications: A Real World Cement Plant Case Study - Corinne Prince
> Oxy-Fuel Fired Cement Production, Stefan Laux
> XP4i : Innovative Technology, Pierre Stouffs and Olivier Hancotte
> Waste Heat Recovery for Industrial Processes, Dan Wishnick
> The Reduced Emission Oxygen Kiln, Frank Zeman
> Biodiesel: Background, Issues and Opportunities, Richard Nelson

Access the presentations from the manufacturing section of PCA’s Web site, www.cement.org/manufacturing.