Small Contractors Work Well I read with interest the cover story "Power Shift; When Public Agencies Won't Take a Small Contractor's Bid," concerning a South Carolina school district and the dispute over prequalification (ENR 12/16/02 p. 32.) I was disturbed by Mr. Smith's rather broad statement concerning his prequalification of firms participating on San Diego Unified School District projects. He boasted, "We disqualified tons of two-person contractors with a pick-up truck." We have always endeavored to be a "good contractor" in lieu of being a "big contractor." For the most part, we have been a "two-person contractor" since inception in
How could we capture the drama, the power, the passion and the beauty of construction in 2002? Invite Engineering News-Records readers to submit photos taken anywhere in the world in the past year. Thats how we conceived this weeks photo contestENRs first. We advertised it in print, on enr.com, in McGraw-Hill Constructions e-mail newsletter Constructionmail and through an alert to our Top List survey participants. About two weeks before the Dec. 2 deadline, we were pleased with the response. We had already received about 100 photos. A week later that had grown to 200 photos. Then in the last week,
Runback Structure Standards In response to the letter to the editor from David B. Pereza, it is true that design loads on construction and personnel hoists and related runback structures were not included in SEI/ASCE 37-02 as loads specifically by that definition (ENR 11/11 p. 5). None of the 80-some members of the committee nor the public commenters brought them up by that specific designation. We expect questions and comments on this first issue of the standard and next spring will begin a thorough review and preparation of revisions for the next issue. I expect a task committee will be
Not The Grand Canyon Your recent story, plan to drill in Grand Canyon Thwarted, for Time Being, stated that Peabody proposes to construct a pipeline in the Grand Canyon (ENR 12/2 p. 11). In fact, the proposal referenced wasnt in the Grand Canyon. It was proposed by others, not Peabody, and the proposal was reviewed and already discarded. The Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, generating plant owners and Peabody are committed to exploring alternatives for a water source to transport coal and ensure continued operation of the Black Mesa Mine and the Mohave Generating Station. This, in turn, provides hundreds of
Time To Look Ahead I am uneasy about reading articles that appear in various newspapers on the collapse of the World Trade Centers twin towers. As your story, "Engineers Seek Corrections," notes, expert engineers promulgate their own theories on the causes, and newspapers that are hungry for some "great" and preferably "scandalous" revelations are all too ready outlets (ENR 11/11 p. 11). I was interviewed [by a newspaper] on the day of the collapse and have had only the benefit of the pictures seen on television. My opinion was, and still is, that first, the impact knocked off all the
Justin D. Bolduc isn't "A-list" material at most ENR Top 400 construction firms. Why? Because most of their recruiters won't hire from two-year schools. But they really should take a look at him and my other students. A panel of constructors watched last month as Bolduc, a 22-year-old construction management major at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, played the role of president of a fictitious company. Pretending to respond to a request for proposals for CM services on a mixed-use project, he seemed as comfortable as a seasoned veteran. And as he and fellow student team members flawlessly handled
Dams And Whitewater I read with great interest your feature on dam construction in South America, "Two Jobs Not for the Faint of Heart" (ENR 8/19 p. 30). Certainly these are very exciting and difficult projects. As a "construction person," I, like most of my peers, really enjoy seeing great projects. But having traveled and rafted in this wonderful region it is difficult to weigh the excitement of these projects with the loss taking place. The BioBio is one of the most spectacular river running locations in the world and Chile is seeking to dam it, much like the Futalafu
Taking the First Step From my perspective as a practicing structural engineer active in code writing bodies, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers 7 Load Standard and chairman of the Task Committee on Wind Loads, I offer some comments on the proposed new load standard described in "Tool May Reduce Jobsite Fatalities" (ENR 10/7 p. 10). First, the standard is a good first step in requiring our industry to address the load effect on a building under construction. This topic has been largely ignored until now. For those of us active in design of long-span roofs where
Men of Steel Thank you for the article reviewing my book, Men of Steel: The Story of the Family That Built The World Trade Center (ENR 9/30 p. 14). When my uncle and our chief engineer failed to require the fabricator to install beam seats to double connections at columns in the Port Chester job in 1964, I believe it was a careless if not thoughtless oversight on their part, certainly not a deliberate "safety shortcut," as ENR has written. Today beam seats are required by law (OSHA). Back then, prudent men like my late father, Karl Koch Jr., demanded
This issue of Engineering News-Record marks an industry first. It presents what may be the most comprehensive survey of architectural, engineering and construction education at the college and university level ever assembled in one place at one time. The job was immense, with the largest component being the first-ever survey of the nations civil engineering schools. Surveys were mailed last spring, and 117 schools are detailed in the listing. This list and ENRs education coverage in general were initially developed by former West Coast Bureau Chief David Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum became so fascinated with the educational process