Aggregates Manager

May 2017

Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine

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by Therese Dunphy | Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com 6 AGGREGATES MANAGER / May 2017 To keep up to date with news from the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates. STATE & PROVINCE NEWS ALABAMA Three of Vulcan Materials' six Quarry Crusher Run events were scheduled between late March and early May. Runs at the Columbia Quarry, Dolcito Quarry, and Norcross Quarry offered runners in those areas a chance to participate in either a Single Crusher run (3.7 miles) or Double Crusher run (7.4 miles) through the various operations. Race prices were $40 for the single lap race and $50 for the two-lap circuit, with proceeds benefitting schools in each area. "The dedication of Vulcan Materials Co. to support the community is evident in this unique event," Jaime Lomas, race director for the Dolcito Quarry event, told the Truss- ville Tribune. "In a world of either typical road races every weekend or new fad races that are not very challenging to runners, we think the Quarry Crusher Run offers a different option for people looking for more." CALIFORNIA ARIZONA INDIANA The Sacramento Bee reports that a federal jury awarded more than $100 million in damages to two gravel mining families that accused Sacramento County officials of putting them out of busi- ness for the benefit of a rival large producer, who they say paid large sums of contributions to various officials. Over a three- year window, their operation was hit with a county zoning code violation, investigated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and issued a cease-and-desist order, removed from a list of approved vendors for state projects by the state Office of Mine Reclama- tion, and faced a county reclamation bond that increased from $164,000 to $8.8 million. After a day and a half of deliberations, one family was awarded $75 million in compensatory damages, while the second family was awarded $30 million. Three county officials, including the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the retired Sacramento County Planning Director, and the county ag- gregate resource manager, were all assessed punitive damages, ranging from $25,000 to $1 million each. An attorney for the county said it will ask U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly J. Muel- ler to overturn the verdict in post-trial motions. Jinhong Zhang, an associate professor of mining and geological engineering in the University of Arizona's College of Engineering, developed a new substitute for concrete. A UANews report says the new material is lighter, stronger, and less expensive to produce than concrete, while using three times as much fly ash. Tech Launch Arizona, the university office that com- mercializes inventions stemming from its research, brought Zhang and entrepreneur Abraham Jalbout together to create Acrete, a startup company that will develop the product and bring it to market. Jalbout told the campus news outlet that they are looking to add technologies to their portfolio, including mine tailings. Mulzer Crushed Stone, an 82-year-old family business, was sold in March to Oldcastle Materials. According to Perry County News, the purchase was part of a $533 million acquisition that included Mulzer Crushed Stone, two vertically integrated businesses in Minnesota, and an asphalt and aggregates company in Washing- ton. Mulzer Crushed Stone was started in 1935 by three brothers, Edgar, Arnold, and Roland Mulzer. The acquisition includes six quarries, five sand and gravel operations, 14 aggregates yards, four ready-mixed concrete plants, and three asphalt plants. GEORGIA The Georgia Construction Aggregate Association (GCAA) announced that it has three new members on its board of directors and named Travis Miller, of Bluegrass Materials, as its board president. New board members include William 'Kim' Duke, president of Vulcan Materials Co.'s Southeast Division; John 'Kelly' Harrington, vice president and general manager, aggregates, Midsouth Aggregates; and Benjamin Jones, sales and transportation director, Georgia & Florida Group, Aggregates USA. "Each of these board members brings with them a passion for the aggregates industry and the unique role it plays in Georgia's infrastructure and economy," said GCAA Executive Di- rector Jeff Wansley. CALIFORNIA In late March, San Bernardino County fire crews rescued a man partially buried at a Lucerne Valley Quarry, according to the San Bernardino County Sun. An extended rescue operation was neces- sary so that crews could remove material before safely removing the man without the risk of further material collapse. The worker was buried to mid torso in a hopper. ALABAMA The Limestone County Commission was questioned by an area resident who was concerned about tri-axle trucks accessing a Rogers Group quarry from a local road. According to the News-Courier, the resident asked the commission to enforce restrictions on the road that would require trucks to enter and exit the quarry from other, wider roads. The county attorney said the road is jointly owned by the county and the city of Huntsville, but county engineers are exploring the legality of weight restrictions. A commissioner said speed limits could be changed or a three-way stop could be installed, but he isn't in favor of imposing weight restrictions. "We'd be targeting Rog- ers Group," Commissioner Steve Turner said. "They came into Limestone County and didn't ask for a dime."

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