Buquet & LeBlanc receives safety awards

Buquet & LeBlanc Inc. recently announced that it received the following two awards from Bituminous Insurance Company:

• 2002 Public Safety Award, awarded for excellence in protecting the general public from jobsite hazards
  
• 2002 Fleet Safety Award, awarded for commitment to fleet safety and safe driving practices

Bob Lemoine, Buquet & LeBlanc's corporate safety manager, accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

"This accomplishment is a result of Buquet's continued commitment to safety," Lemoine said. "It is proof that we have made jobsite safety our number one priority. A safe and healthy work environment is conducive to attaining the high work standards Buquet & LeBlanc desires to provide.

"Our objective is a safety and health program that will reduce the number of injuries and illnesses to an absolute minimum, not merely in keeping with, but surpassing, operations similar to ours."

Buquet & LeBlanc was established in 1945 by Al Buquet and Elegie LeBlanc.

Corps' Coastal Board focuses on coastal restoration

The Coastal Engineering Research Board (CERB), which provides guidance to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers for coastal engineering research, met recently in Lafayette.

The theme was "Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration," envisioned by a federal-state study as a $14 billion project. The CERB meeting was open to the public.

The Corps' Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg, Miss., and the Corps' New Orleans District hosted the CERB meeting.

The board is supported by the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, U. S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center, based in Vicksburg.

The CERB is a Congressionally authorized advisory board that provides policy guidance and review of plans and funding requirements for coastal research and development to the Corps' Chief of Engineers. The board meets semiannually at coastal and Great Lakes locations.

Board members include four Corps of Engineers generals and three civilian engineers/scientists who are experts in coastal engineering. Maj. Gen. Robert H. Griffin, the Corps' chief of civil works, is president.

Bisso performs heavy lift of production deck

Bisso Marine Co. Inc.'s heavy lift derrick barge Cappy Bisso loaded out a 150-ton production deck onto a barge for Production Management at its Harvey Canal facility.

The deck was transported by cargo barge to Ship Shoal Block 35 in the Gulf of Mexico.
The derrick barge Lili Bisso lifted the deck off the cargo barge and set the structure onto pilings in 11 ft. of water.

DOTD unveils scholarship award program for civil engineering students

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Kam Movassaghi recently announced the availiability of five $1,000 awards to civil engineering juniors or seniors of Louisiana universities who are interested in transportation as a career.

Beginning in the fall semester of 2003, these five scholarships will be awarded each year for the next three years.

Although the funds are provided by the Southeastern Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (SASHTO), Movassaghi's leadership was instrumental in the decision by the board of directors, of which he is a member, to utilize SASHTO technical conference funds in this manner.

When Louisiana hosted the meeting in 2000 in New Orleans, Movassaghi awarded scholarships to participating states. Before coming to DOTD as secretary, he was a life-long educator and chairman of the civil and environmental engineering department at ULL.

The association made an allocation of $15,000 to each of the states that make up SASHTO. Recipient states include Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Based on scholarship qualifications, applicants will compete on the basis of academic excellence as well as the ability to relate their elective course choices of their curriculum to their vision of transportation as a vocation. Applications for these awards will be submitted to the chair of the civil engineering department of the respective academic institutions.

Tindall Utilities Division re-certified by NPCA

The National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) recently announced that Tindall Corp. of Spartanburg, S. C., has re-certified its manufacturing facility. Tindall has been certified with NPCA since 1990.

The NPCA Plant Certification Program is a challenging test of a plant's ability to produce quality precast concrete products. The inspection is a comprehensive look at all aspects of precast concrete production. Precast plants that become certified must meet high standards in all areas of production, safety and information management.

According to Ty Gable, president of NPCA, Tindall Corp. has proven its commitment to producing the highest quality of precast products by continuing its involvement with this elite group of precasters.

Tindall Corp. is one of the largest privately owned producers of precast concrete in North America. Typical projects and applications include parking decks, office buildings, schools, wall panel systems, industrial, other institutional and utility products.

LCA forms new foundation

The Board of Directors of the Louisiana Chemical Association recently announced the formation of the Louisiana Foundation for Excellence in Science, Technology and Education (LAFESTE), a tax-exempt organization.

LAFESTE supports programs such as the Process Technology Program (PTEC), cancer research, teacher training, career development and other projects. The creation of the foundation is in response to a depletion of the skilled labor pool caused by the expected retirement of 10,000 workers from the petrochemical industry in the next 10 years.

The mission of LAFESTE is "To promote excellence in science, technology and education by supporting educational and research projects that enhance the economy of Louisiana."

Corps examines deepening Houma Navigation Canal

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers' New Orleans Districti is examining the ramifications of deepening the 36.6-mile Houma Navigation Canal beyond the current 15 ft.

Deepening is being considered because the offshore oil industry is moving to larger vessels that require deeper water. The offshore industry is the primary user of the canal, which links the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway.

"The canal's depth is an issue important to America's ability to compete in the offshore construction industry," said Col. Peter J. Rowan, district engineer, New Orleans District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. "We are also working to balance environmental and economic needs."

The re-evaluation study on deepening is being coordinated with the $680 million Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection Project.