January 2015, Vol. 70, No. 1
Features
Stuart Tillery Guides NASSCO Through Another Active Year
NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Companies) continues to have a positive impact on the nation’s sanitary sewer systems by establishing and improving standards for the assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure.
As the association prepares for its annual convention in February, outgoing NASSCO President Stuart Tillery said that “we’ve had a busy and productive 2014.
“The number of professionals trained in our Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) was more than ever before. Recertification classes are continuing to ensure that students stay current and maintain the ability to make the correct assessments. We have also worked very hard on the next version of PACP, which has been reviewed and peer reviewed by industry professionals worldwide.”
PACP Version 7 is projected to be available in the spring of 2015.
Inspector Training Certification Program (ITCP) for CIPP (cured in place pipe), and manhole rehabilitation programs, will continue, said Tillery, confirming the importance of making sure the trenchless technologies used to rehabilitate sewer infrastructure provide the best possible results.
Tillery added that NASSCO Technical Director Gerry Muenchmeyer, members of the CIPP committee, Manhole Rehabilitation Committee, the International Pipe Bursting Association (IPBA) and others have done a “wonderful” job getting ITCP off to a strong start, training 1,500 students in the U.S. and Canada with future scheduled classes filling up fast.
As it has for many years, in January 2014 NASSCO sponsored the popular RehabZone at the UCT Show (Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition) where members manned various stations providing generic information about various rehabilitation technologies. NASSCO continues to sponsor the ’Zone at the 2015 show as well.
Areas of emphasis
NASSCO also remained active in many other areas.
“Members of the Industry Standards Committee,” said Tillery, “worked together to complete the NASSCO Specification Guideline for Sewer Pipe Cleaning which now is available to members on the association’s web site.”
The NASSCO Manual of Practice is getting a needed update to include the latest proven technologies. The association’s annual Technical Day continues to be well attended, allowing municipal leaders and contractors to learn about the latest advances that will change the rehabilitation industry.
In addition, NASSCO divisions have worked with the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to conduct a series of webinars about pipe bursting, infiltration control and grouting, manhole rehabilitation and construction inspection for trenchless rehabilitation. NASSCO has committed to work with WEF to continue these webinars in 2015.
At NASSCO’S bi-annual meeting in October, a major by-law revision was adopted making members in the association’s Professional Category voting members and providing these members a seat on the board of directors. Another change was moving Public Municipal Works Employees to the Professional Category, making them eligible for a seat on the board with the stipulation that the board member be a professional engineer (P.E.).
“While NASSCO is a contractor’s association, and contractors will always represent a majority of the voting members of the board,” Tillery said, “we appreciate that the technical nature of our business requires that a professional engineer be on the board.”
Tillery is southeast regional manager for Duke’s Root Control and his term as president will end at the association’s 2015 annual meeting in February. At that time, Vice President Mark Metcalfe will assume the president’s position. Metcalfe is vice-president of Hoffman Southwest Corp.
“I have enjoyed my term as president and want to thank the staff and volunteers,” concluded Tillery.
Established in 1976, NASSCO is a national association composed of several hundred members representing sewer and rehabilitation industry manufacturers and suppliers, municipalities and utility districts, engineers and contracting firms dedicated to establishing and implementing standards for rehabilitation of underground utilities.
NASSCO offices are in Marriottsville, MD. Ted DeBoda, P.E., is executive director. Information about NASSCO and its projects is available on its web site, www.nassco.org, or by calling (410) 442-7473.
Comments