Masonry Magazine July 2005 Page. 42
News
LS&R
Alabama
Reported by the Scottsboro Daily Sentinel, "Masonry students building a career." May 16. 2005:
The masonry program at the Earnest Pruett Center of Technology (EPCOT) has won at the state level in the SkillsUSA competition for the fourth year in a row.
Masonry student Jerry Miller placed first in the state competition, and Donny Wilkerson placed second. Miller's father, Jerry Miller Sr., competed 20 years ago and earned seventh place in the national competition for the Earnest Pruett Center of Technology.
The masonry program began its winning streak three years ago when a student placed seventh in the national competition. The following year, a student won second place, and last year EPCOT student Andrew Miller placed first in the nation in masonry.
Colorado
Reported by the Denver Post, "Study: School repairs lagging May 4, 2005:
... A recent Donnell-Kay Foundation survey found that school officials believe it would take $5.7 billion statewide to cover capital construction needs.
The Denver nonprofit last month completed two surveys that attempt to gauge the extent of unmet capital construction needs in the state's 178 public school districts, said Mary Wickersham, Director of Special Projects...
The survey found that the average facility was built in 1967 of concrete masonry. Just under half have air conditioning, and facility managers rated 37% of their facilities as less than "good."
"We think the state needs to do a total statewide assessment," said Wickersham, who is also advocating for a change to the way Colorado funds school-building construction and maintenance.
Districts can raise property taxes to pay for construction projects. But because the levies are based on property values, poorer districts can't raise as much as their wealthier counterparts.
Georgia
The Masonry Association of Georgia, Inc. (MAG) Apprenticeship Coordinator, Jamie Buck, recently distributed the MAG Masonry Apprenticeship Brochure to Career Resource Centers throughout Atlanta and surrounding counties.
For those who may not have heard, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has approved Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding for those interested in learning a skilled masonry trade. For those who qualify, the ARC will pay for tuition, books and tools for three years of training-a total of $3,700 per applicant! Contractors will be able to interview and hire individuals from this pool of candidates without cost to the contractors for training these potential apprentices.
In Memoriam
Bud Anderson
Masonry Industry Loses a Leader
At 60 years old, Bud Anderson of Anderson Masonry in Bigfork, Mont., passed away on May 18, 2005, after a valiant struggle with a rare illness. Bud provided guidance and leadership in the masonry industry for over three decades.
"Bud always understood the importance of giving more to your industry than you take," says Kevin Krebs, Executive Director of the Masonry Industry Promotion Group. "If he was needed at a contractor or promotion meeting, he would pound the pavement between Bigfork and Spokane to be there, regardless of how busy he was with his own company."
Following his service in the U.S. Air Force as a second lieutenant, Bud took over the family masonry business in 1968 after his father suffered a heart attack. With his brother, Don, and later partner, Tom Arvidson, Bud built the company into the successful construction and retail business it is today.
Bud was committed to providing quality workmanship and was particularly proud of his company's work at Montana State University and the University of Montana. Also dear to Bud's heart was Anderson Masonry's ongoing work restoring the natural stone guardrails on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Anderson Masonry's Washington projects include the North Town Mall, Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, Washington State University and current work on the Spokane Convention Center.
Bud served as Past President of the Mason Contractors Association of Spokane, the State Chairman of Montana for the Mason Contractors Association of America, and was the Co-chairman of the Masonry Industry Promotion Group for the past 10 years.
"Bud was a good competitor and a good friend," says Tim Spilker of Ken Spilker Masonry Co. "Anybody who knew Bud knows what he has done to improve the masonry industry. He will be greatly missed."
Les Albert of Les Albert Masonry recalls, "The first time I met Bud, I could tell he was an honest, sincere person who would be a great asset to our industry."
"Bud was a great guy for the masonry industry," says Lyle Johnson of Johnson Masonry. "He was always positive and had a great spirit about him."
Krebs, who has worked with Bud for almost 30 years, says, "You can't replace a Bud Anderson. The masonry industry lost a true leader, but more importantly, those of us who knew him lost a great and true friend."
MCAA sends its deepest condolences to the Anderson family.