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Newsletter Archives |
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| Third Quarter 2006 |
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NCMA's Segmental Retaining Wall Installer Certification Program |
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GravityStone Modular Wall During Installation |
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At the 2003 MCPX Show in Salt Lake City, NCMA began offering a certification program for retaining wall installers. The idea grew from the need to raise the quality of segmental retaining wall (SRW) construction. There are a number of excellent wall builders in the marketplace, but as more and more companies start up as wall builders, the quality of the work has not increased satisfactorily. The certification program is a means to educate the overall industry, create an excellent working knowledge of SRW systems, and to help assure that SRW’s will remain a product of choice to solve site solutions.
NCMA began launched the Train the Trainer courses primarily through the licensors of the wall systems and producers. Accordingly each trained licensor began to market the courses around the country, working with the producers in their specific markets. To date more than 2,000 individuals have been trained in the first module of the Segmental Retaining Wall Installer Certification program. The courses have a common outline used by the trainers which gives continuity to the course regardless of who presents it. The basic topics are history and background of retaining walls, understanding the block products, soils, geosynthetics, and minimum standards required in the construction of walls, practical and effective construction practices, water issues, basic planning and business issues. |
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WestBlock Systems has been involved in the certification process from the beginning, and employee Ken Headley was in the first group of trainers to be approved. “During the last two plus years that we have promoted the program and it has been a huge success,” says Ken. “Class sizes have ranged from 3 up to 75, with an average size in the teens.” The WestBlock Systems’ program is set up as a partnership between the local producer, WestBlock Systems, and NCMA. The producer is responsible for arranging the dates, location, and marketing. WestBlock Systems assists in the marketing, putting on the presentation, and coordinating with the NCMA to assure attendees have the proper industry course materials provided to them. The attendees pay between $150 and $200 depending upon the scope of the event. Without exception attendee comments have been supportive and positive, “Very informative.” “Picked up many useful tips and invaluable knowledge.” “Money and time well spent on my guys”, are typically comments.
WestBlock Systems will again offer these programs around the country this fall and winter. So if you have interest in attending please contact us to learn about or establish a date and location for you or your companies training. You can also visit our calendar of events on the WestBlock Systems website, www.westblocksystems.com , to learn more about programs planned for your area. |
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Project Highlights: The Villages - Ocala, Florida |
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This 32-square-mile Ocala, Florida, retirement community has become quite a magnet of new-home purchases. With nearly 4,000 new homes constructed annually, this self-contained community sports quaint shops, great eateries, and peaceful living. But it’s the 16 professionally designed golf courses that especially beckon residents and visitors.
The well-appointed links, which include both a Nancy Lopez and an Arnold Palmer course, wind throughout the entire community. To help golfers meander the expansive grounds, the developer installed 20 underground golf-cart paths. To achieve structural integrity, he opted for precast concrete to line the walls and headways—a choice that quickly proved less than ideal. As Tommy McDonough, project coordinator for The Villages, explains, “We hadn’t even completed the first installation when we realized we needed a more functional, visually appealing and cost-effective alternative to precast concrete walls. So we called in a pro.”
Larry Falls, owner of Associated Concrete Products (ACP), answered the call. “Tommy faced two immediate challenges. First off, the winding curves in the road leading to and from the course required a more flexible retaining wall option than his current precast concrete wall could offer. Second, the landscape architect wanted to create an Old-
World, timeworn appearance to match the rest of the development. We convinced Tommy that he needed to take a modular approach and that we had just the product to get the job done, on time and under budget.”
Falls recommended using a combination of GravityStone MSE and Modular. ACP installed a total of 20 tunnels with four walls each, ranging in height from 1 to 14 feet. To achieve the aesthetics, the Falls’ |
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crew tumbled the GravityStone Modular until it took on a timeworn look and feel. “I don’t know of any other product on the market you can do that with,” says Falls.
In addition to achieving the structural integrity, functionality, and aesthetics for his underground tunnels, McDonough reports that GravityStone helped The Villages realize significant cost savings. Falls says the savings are a result of the block’s innovative Designs. “GravityStone’s lightweight, mortar-less design and modular approach make it easy to install and eliminates the need for heavy equipment and high-cost certified masons.”
According to McDonough the savings did not stop with the installation of GravityStone. The precast concrete walls involved a lot of additional time and money for painting, pressure-washing, and repainting every several years, while GravityStone walls are maintenance free. Also, as soon as the walls are completed, they are ready to be landscaped—no time lost waiting on the precast concrete to be ready to work with and backfilled.
With yet another satisfied customer under his belt, Falls concludes, “We’ve been involved in building retaining walls for about 10 years. The GravityStone system is an amazing product. While cost-savings for the material and labor are huge in comparison to the precast concrete wall option, the ability to match colors and speed installation puts it over the top.” McDonough adds, “That’s what drew us to GravityStone: It has both substance and at a great price.” |
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