Elmhurst and Metra Team Up for New Commuter Parking Deck

The new parking deck in Elmhurst, Ill., a Chicago suburb, used beautiful precast products to compliment the historic downtown Elmhurst area.

The deck features precast load-bearing spandrel panels with thin brick inlaid and a sandblasted architectural finish. Completing the parking deck in a busy urban environment meant that the contractor had to stay aware of traffic and safety at all times, which made precast an excellent choice to help speed construction of the deck. The entire project took 226 working days and included building demolition, tank removal, brownfield re-development, and installation of the precast components as well as other construction.

ARCO/Murray National Construction Company of Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., was the construction manager and designer of the deck, which had precast supplied by Illini Precast of Marseilles, Ill. The five-story structure includes 253 parking spaces, including one subterranean parking level.

The parking deck was open to commuters on September 8, 2010.
More information at www.pci-iw.org

PCA Files Petitions for Reconsideration and Review of NESHAP

Last week, PCA filed a petition for reconsideration and administrative stay with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a number of issues in the final portland cement national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP).

According to PCA, the final rule included regulations that it and other interested parties were not afforded the opportunity to comment on, including the insertion into the final rule requirements for open clinker piles at cement manufacturing facilities and proposed startup, shutdown and malfunction standards.

In addition to the NESHAP, there are numerous additional regulatory requirements anticipated to affect the industry during the coming years. For example, on June 4, 2010, EPA proposed definition rules for commercial and industrial solid waste incinerator (CISWI). This rule could undermine the statistical foundation of the NESHAP rule by switching classification of cement facilities from NESHAP facilities to CISWI-regulated facilities and obviating every one of the calculations that EPA relied upon to establish the NESHAP standards.

Compliance with current and proposed EPA regulations for the cement industry could add a minimum of $26 per ton to domestic cement production costs by 2020.

PCA also filed a companion petition challenging the final NESHAP rule with the D.C. Circuit Court.
Contact Andy O'Hare

PCA Board Holds Productive Fall Meeting

Meeting October 31-November 2 in Palm Beach, Fla., the PCA Board of Directors elected new leadership, approved 2011 budgets and programs, and reviewed progress reports on major initiatives.

Among significant Board actions:
> Elected Aris Papadopoulos (Titan America) chair and  Gilberto Perez (CEMEX) vice chair. (See related items below.) Papadopoulos succeeds Enrique Escalante (GCC America) as chairman of the board.
> Elected four new directors to the PCA board: Olivier Biebuyck (Lafarge North America), Bob Cooper (Lafarge North America), Kari Saragusa (Lehigh Hanson), and Francisco Uzcategui (CEMEX).

At the Town Hall Meeting conducted as part of the Board meeting, an MIT researcher presented some initial findings of the Concrete Sustainability Hub concerning life cycle analysis of concrete pavements. Also on the Town Hall Meeting agenda was a proposal for an advocacy program based on Hub research.

Speakers included Julie Rochman, head of the Institute for Business and Home Safety, a coalition of insurance companies that is a key ally of PCA in promotion of durability and functional resilience. PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan also presented his updated forecast of construction, concrete, and cement. (See below.)

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for April 17-20, 2011, at the Doubletree Hotel, Chicago, Ill.

Papadopoulos Elected Chairman of Portland Cement Association

The PCA Board of Directors elected Aris Papadopoulos as chairman during the association’s fall board meeting last week.  Papadopoulos succeeds Enrique Escalante of GCC of America.

“I am honored to serve the industry as chairman of the Portland Cement Association,” Papadopoulos said. “In the upcoming years, it will be vital for the industry and its segments to unite under the common purpose of enhancing and projecting the social values that concrete structures and contributing materials bring to people, communities and the economy, in order to assure a stronger domestic cement manufacturing base.”

Papadopoulos is the current CEO of Titan America, the Norfolk, Va., based U.S. subsidiary of Titan Cement Group, headquartered in Athens, Greece.  He joined Titan in 1992 to develop its U.S. business. In 1994, he became CEO of Titan Atlantic, which in 2000 became Titan America, following the acquisition of Tarmac America.

Prior to joining Titan, Papadopoulos held engineering and management positions in the power generation and petroleum industries.

In addition to serving as PCA’s vice chairman for the past two years, Papadopoulos served as a member of the Board of Directors of the PCA and CTLGroup.  He was also chair of PCA’s Sustainability and Communications Committees and leads the Concrete Industry’s Joint Sustainability Initiative (JSI).

Papadopoulos earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard University.

Perez Elected Vice Chairman of Portland Cement Association

The PCA Board of Directors elected Gilberto Perez as vice chairman during the association’s fall board meeting last week.  Perez succeeds Aris Papadopoulos of Titan America who was elected chairman.

Perez is the current president of CEMEX USA, headquartered in Houston, Texas.  Perez joined CEMEX in 1988 and has held positions dealing with international sales, logistics, strategic planning and general management.  He has served as president since 1998.

As president, Perez led the integration of Southdown Corporation, the largest cement producer in the United States at the time, which was purchased by CEMEX in 2000.  In 2005, he directed the integration of RMC USA and in 2007, directed the integration of Rinker Materials into CEMEX USA.

Perez previously served as a member of the PCA Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Government Affairs Committee.  He is also on the board of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.

He holds a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico.

Slow Economic Recovery to Hold Down Cement Consumption

The economic momentum that was gathering steam early in the year has dissipated to a large extent and along with it the potential for an increase in cement consumption in 2010, according the recent PCA economic forecast released last week.

In 2010, PCA anticipates nearly flat growth, with a 0.3 percent increase in consumption.  Although this will be followed by small increases of 1.4 percent in 2011 and 4 percent in 2012, a period of sustained growth is forecasted for 2013 and beyond.

The report cited future gains in construction activity would be dictated by current labor conditions. Slow job growth leads to slower home purchases and start activity, it undermines the speed at which state deficits can heal impacting public construction, and implies low occupancy rates for the non-residential market.

While small percentage gains could characterize each of these segments during the next two years, substantive cement consumption volume gains are likely to materialize in 2013.
Contact Ed Sullivan

PCA Offers CSB Design Webinar

“Thickness Design of Cement-Stabilized Bases” will focus on the thickness design of cement-stabilized bases (CSB) for pavements. Techniques to arrive at a thickness for cement-stabilized materials will be discussed as well as an introduction to a new pavement design software known as PCA-Pave.

PCA will offer the webinar on November 9, 12-1 pm CST.
By attending this webinar, the participant will learn how to properly design the thickness of a cement-stabilized base and how to optimize the design when considering strength criteria for cement-stabilized materials.

Upon completion of the webinar, registered participants will be emailed a copy of the presentation slides, a free copy of Thickness Design for Soil-Cement Pavements, Guide to Cement-Treated Base (CTB) and a certificate for one Professional Development Hour (PDH).

The cost of this one-hour webinar is $60. ($30 for PCA members; government officials; students and educators).
More information and register at www.cement.org
Contact Wayne Adaska