Masonry Magazine March 2004 Page. 65
MCAA News
Local, State and Regional
# Iowa
The Masonry Institute of Iowa is pleased to announce the selection of Eric Fogg as Executive Director.
"Eric is an accomplished communications professional with an extensive background in marketing, advertising and public relations," said Tod Boucher, Board President. "He brings a broad range of experience to the Institute, and we're excited about his abilities, potential and fit with our organization."
Most recently, Fogg worked for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., in community investment and as the marketing communications manager for a high tech environmental subsidiary. He also managed client accounts for two Des Moines advertising agencies, handled advertising for a national healthcare association, and was responsible for marketing and sales support for a major packaging company.
A veteran, Fogg was born and raised in St. Louis and has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He lives in Clive with his wife, Jane. They have a son, Bryan, who lives in Dallas, and a daughter, Karen, who is a senior at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
The Masonry Institute of Iowa is committed to providing service, leadership, education and promotion in support of its members and the masonry field statewide. A recognized leader in the industry since 1975, Institute members include bricklayers, laborers, mason contractors, brick and block manufacturers and distributors, cement companies, masonry product suppliers, architects, and engineers - all working together to build a better Iowa.
# Los Angeles
Reported by the Los Angeles Times, "State Still Unprepared for Great Earthquake," January 14, 2004:
Ten years after the Northridge earthquake the costliest temblor in the state's history California has made extensive safety improvements but remains unprepared for a great quake, experts say. In the city of Los Angeles, 99% of the unreinforced masonry buildings - 8,210 structures have been retrofitted or demolished. Most older steel-frame buildings, however, have not had their welds redone, even though welds failed in about 200 such buildings because of the Northridge quake.
# Michigan
The Michigan Mason Contractors Association plans to participate in the MCAA Masonry Showcase in March. In addition to the activities planned by the MCAA, we will welcome members and their guests to a reception at the Venetian Hotel & Casino Sunday evening, March 21st. A golf outing will be held Monday morning, followed by lunch and a general membership meeting.
# New York
Reported by the N.Y. Newsday, "Punishment for Cavalier Act: Prison time in scaffold deaths." January 15, 2004:
Calling the collapse of an illegally constructed scaffold that killed five immigrant workers a "tragic certainty" rather than an accident, a Manhattan judge yesterday sentenced the man responsible for the deaths to at least 3 1/2 years in prison.
State Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller said she imposed the 3 1/2- to 10 1/2-year sentence on Philip Minucci, 32, of Commack, to reflect "the magnitude of the tragedy" and as a deterrent.
The five laborers killed were among 20 masonry workers on a job in Manhattan Oct. 24, 2001. The majority of workers were illegal immigrants paid $7 an hour in cash.
Minucci, owner of Tri-State Scaffolding & Equipment Supplies, of Deer Park, designed and built the 130-foot scaffold at 215 Park Ave. S., despite not being a licensed architect or engineer, as the city's building code requires for any scaffold over 75 feet high. Minucci never determined how much weight the scaffold could bear and erected it on three slender beams so that it exceeded the weight it could carry by more than 200%, according to the judge.
Minucci, who pleaded guilty in October to second-degree manslaughter, faced five to 15 years in prison if convicted at trial. At the time, he admitted he was aware the scaffolding was dangerous.
Uviller said the case had given her an education in how "astonishingly ineffec- Regional News continued on page 52