Texas

The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program – a business-intensive program that awards students with a four-year bachelor’s degree in concrete industry management – announced the addition of CIM to the curriculum of Texas State University, beginning in spring 2009. The university will join four other schools including Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and California State University, Chico, in offering the program. “The industry is growing at a rapid pace, so the need for professionals devoted to the concrete industry is critical,” said David L. Vickers, interim executive director of the CIM National Steering Committee.

Virginia

Vulcan Materials Co.’s request to moor barges in James River has some local citizens reacting badly. According to the Times-Dispatch, Vulcan applied to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to set up a mooring site near two historic plantations. Local residents, including the plantation owners, expressed concern over the proposed site, and the Charles City County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the proposed location, citing concerns that barge traffic would harm the area’s recreational, educational, and natural resources. Tom Carroll, a spokesman for Vulcan, told the newspaper that it undertook a comprehensive review of five or six sites and found the proposed location to be the one that is most practical, based on considerations such as cost, safety, and environmental impact. He also noted that moving products by barge cuts down considerably on area truck traffic and said the company intends to maintain its environmentally friendly track record.

Province News

Nearly 150 people attended a community meeting in Edmonton to voice concerns about the impact of a proposed gravel pit. According to the Edmonton Journal, Yellowhead Aggregates has proposed mining a 7.8-square-kilometer gravel pit near the town of Onoway. The company’s general manager, Marlea Sleeman, told meeting attendees that it could mine only where reserves are located. She added that the area was chosen, in part, because it was already zoned as a potential gravel pit. The company’s proposal is for a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week operation. At that rate, mining would be completed in about six years and the site would be reclaimed as farmland. Despite protests, the council refused a request to extend the proposal period in order to give community members time to hire their own environmental consultant.