Masonry Magazine September 2004 Page. 49
News
Local, State and Regional
# California
Reported by the Record-Searchlight (Redding).
"Economy gaining jobs, but many have a low salary, Aug. 1, 2004: The economy has put 1.5 million Americans back to work since last summer, but are the new jobs good jobs? It depends on where you look... Economists and critics of the Bush administration who label many of the new jobs as low-paying are largely correct. The biggest producers of new jobs are employers that pay below average - one of every three new jobs is in restaurants or administrative services - businesses that includes temp agencies, call centers and janitorial services. At the same time, the administration and its allies have a valid point when they hail the economy as adding numerous new opportunities, many of them well-paid. Hiring is surging, for example, at medical offices. Architecture, engineering and other technical service businesses are also adding significant numbers of jobs, and there is strong demand for skilled tradesmen expert in masonry and other construction crafts... The debate over job quality is hashed over data, but it is really about people. The shifting job mix is important because it could signal permanent changes in the economy and the work people do. The bottom line, analysts say, is that the economy is adding both low-paying and better-paid jobs - but they are frequently very poor matches for the positions unemployed workers lost.
# Colorado
Jefferson County Public Schools recently instituted a program calling for Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI) to be consulted during the plan review and construction inspection stages of all schools containing masonry. In addition, it recently conducted a review of its schools in the planning and development stage to determine how much masonry is being used and whether masonry cavity wall systems can be utilized in designs where lesser systems of veneer over steel studs are being considered. Kudos to Diane Travis, RMMI Technical Director, for her ongoing work with Jefferson County and other metro area school districts, and to Texas architect Chris Huckabee, who made such a strong case for all-masonry schools when he appeared at the RMMI Masonry Schools Symposium last fall. For more information on RMMI, please visit www.rmmi.org.
# Kentucky
Reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader, "Maybe nothing is finer than vinyl but I pick brick," July 24, 2004: ...Consumers like me are the last thing the vinyl industry wants... Even the vinyl industry seems in no hurry to defend older vinyl siding. Vinyl companies would prefer you look at their current products when you're evaluating claims that vinyl siding will never rust, rot, corrode or require replacement or repainting. If you then feel compelled to update your faded 15-year-old ivory vinyl with new vinyl "cedar" and vinyl fish-scale trim, they would be happy to sell you some. To counter, the brick trade group posts names of cities that have forced residential vinyl into the background, among them Aurora, Colo; Eden Prairie, Minn.; and Orland, III. It dismisses vinyl siding as "beige fungus." "The reality is that the builder owns the home for a few months, the new home buyer may own it for a few years, but the community will own it forever," says Charles Ostrander, Executive Director of the Masonry Advisory Council. And Louisville architect Gary Kleier offers an essay on "The Vinyl Lie" on the www.oldlouisville.com web site, disputing the claims that vinyl saves money and increases the value of your home. Kleier scoffs at the term "maintenance-free." "Every material, every installation requires maintenance... Even the best vinyl siding will fade. The deeper the color, the faster it will happen and the more noticeable it will be."... The anti-vinyl lobby also points to the independent movie "Blue Vinyl," which slams the industry's environmental record... But even vinyl might eventually be eclipsed in the marketplace. Thicker fiber