CONCORD, N.H. – Kurtis J. Grassett, director of public works for the Town of Hancock, N.H., demonstrates that even the smallest of towns can save time, money and resources while minimizing their impact on the environment.

Director Grassett was presented with a 2008 Portland Cement Association (PCA) Sustainable Leadership Award at the Full-depth Reclamation (FDR) Seminar conducted jointly by the Road Recycling Council-New England Region and UNH Technology Transfer Center on October 23, 2008. The PCA Sustainable Leadership Awards honor innovative public officials who utilize cement or cement-based products to achieve sustainable benefits.

As part of its ongoing commitment to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of cement and concrete to sustainable building solutions, PCA has identified local leaders in eight cities across the nation who have enacted policies or completed projects that promote sustainable development through the use of concrete and other cement-based products.

Director Grassett was honored for using full-depth reclamation with portland cement in the rebuilding of Antrim Road in Hancock. Grassett met the dual challenges of limited resources and an abundance of springtime floods by choosing a rebuilding technique that is long-lasting and cost effective.
Road construction with FDR uses the materials from the deteriorated asphalt pavement and with the addition of cement creates a new stabilized base. There is no need to haul in virgin aggregate or haul out old material for disposal. Truck traffic is reduced and there is little to no waste. In addition, the recycling process can be finished in one day, and traffic can return to the road almost immediately.

Using FDR can reduce the cost of road repair by up to 60 percent. Rebuilding Antrim Road using FDR with cement saved the town about $100,000 in 2006. Hancock taxpayers saw further financial and environmental benefits because the existing base and pavement materials, already paid for by the town in previous years, were recycled into the new stabilized base.

The Award was presented by Tim McConnell, pavements engineer, Portland Cement Association; Dick Martin, pavement recycling specialist, Road Recycling Council - New England Region; and Heather Steffek, marketing assistant, Road Recycling Council - New England Region.

“Recycling with cement makes the reconstruction of old roads a largely self-sustaining process,” said McConnell. “The recycled base is stronger, more uniform and more moisture resistant than the original base, resulting in a long, low-maintenance life.”

The test came in 2007 when a flood hit Antrim Road in April while there was still snow on the ground. The runoff was caught between the edge of the pavement and the snow bank, resulting in severe erosion. The velocity of the water dug a channel about eight-inches deep and one-foot wide down the edge of the road.

“Without the cement-stabilized base, I know I would have lost the pavement and roadway. Instead, the base acted as a barrier to the erosion that was occurring on the shoulder,” said Grassett.

Martin comments, “Kurt Grassett should be recognized not only for his innovation, but for his stewardship of the environmental and financial resources of the townspeople he serves.”

To learn more about the Award and sustainable development benefits made possible by concrete, visit http://www.cement.org/newsroom/SLA_2008_Awards.asp.

About PCA
The Portland Cement Association, based in Skokie, Ill., represents cement companies in the United States and Canada.  It conducts market development engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.  Additional information is available at PCA’s Web site, www.cement.org.