March 2012, Vol. 67 No. 3
Features
NTA Holds Annual Meeting; 1st Training Event
The Northeast Trenchless Association (NTA) got 2012 off to a good start with its
annual meeting in January and already has hosted its first training event — a safety and 10-hour OSHA training seminar in mid-February.
Held at the training facility of ECI Directional Drilling in Burlington, VT, the OSHA session covered CPR and first aid certification, confined space safety, respiratory protection and fall protection.
Established by a small group of New England directional drilling contractors in 2004, membership has grown with the support of a diverse group of associate member suppliers and service providers who have expanded the scope of the organization to include a broad range of trenchless technologies.
Indeed, the NTA has become the most active and visible regional organization in the United States dedicated to promoting trenchless construction.
“Our 2012 annual meeting in January included two days of educational and training sessions and was capped off by the ‘christening’ of our new board of directors,” said Bill Haines, P.E., Vari-Tech, Topsfield, MA, who will serve as president for the year. NTA introduces a new board at each annual meeting.
New officers, directors
Other 2012 officers are: Secretary Steve Marcucio, EJ Prescott, Concord, NH; Treasurer Tod Cote, Engineers Construction, South Burlington, VT. At Large Directors include: Brian Dorwart, P.E., Brierley Associates, Bedford, NH; Bruce Hubbard, ETTI, Lisbon Falls, ME; and Jim Hargraves, retired, Ashby, MA.
Haines said NTA’s commitment to the industry remains unchanged with education and training the association’s two core functions.
An impressive array of educational sessions were conducted at the 2012 annual meeting, including care of HDD drill rod, guided pilot tube tunneling, pipe ramming, advanced tracking, sliplining, grouting, electrofusion of HDPE pipes, CCTV pipeline inspection, pneumatic drilling, opportunities in the geothermal industry, health insurance, interpreting financial reports, OSHA training and the Dig Safe program.
Keynote speaker at the meeting was Dr. Robert McKim, administrative director of the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University.
Receiving the association’s Founders Award was Bruce Hubbard, ETTI, Lisbon Falls, ME. The award is presented annually for outstanding service and support of the NTA. Hubbard has been a member of the association since its establishment, is a past president, member of the 2012 board of directors, and has served several previous terms on the board.
Plans
“Going into 2012,” said Haines, “NTA’s plans are to develop and provide certified crew-based training programs for our members on an annual basis. The first crew training session was in February with the second scheduled in March. Regarding education, the NTA plans to support the TTC at Louisiana Tech in an upcoming municipal forum in Massachusetts, and to provide trenchless education to engineers, and public and private entities.”
The NTA web site, (www.northeasttrenchlesscom) has evolved into a valuable source of news and association events, member contacts, general industry news, and information about trenchless utility construction that is useful not only to NTA members, but for public works representatives and engineers involved in planning utility construction. Information is updated continuously. Web site sections include overviews of horizontal directional drilling, pipe bursting, pipeline construction and sample project specifications.
“With links to key industry organizations and general information about technologies, the NTA web site truly has become a solid resource for engineers and contractors, wherever they are located,” said Haines.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Northeast Trenchless Association, www.northeasttrenchless.com
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