SEAoT

American Concrete Institute Committee 318 plans to publish ACI 318-08: "Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete," in January 2008. As an important part of finalizing revisions to ACI 318-05, ACI is encouraging you to review and comment on the proposed revisions through ACI's ANSI-approved standardization procedures during a public discussion period open now through August 15. You can download the proposed revisions immediately from the ACI website at www.concrete.org. Alternatively, to have a printed copy or CD-ROM of the proposed revisions mailed to you, call ACI at 248-848-3800 or e-mail your request to acimemberservices@concrete.org.

Comments Needed by August 15
Your discussion comments should be e-mailed to discussion@concrete.org. All public discussion comments and committee responses will be made available at a later time. All comments must be received by August 15, 2007 to be considered by Committee 318.
Please forward this notice to others who may be interested in reviewing the proposed revisions and providing comment.

SPLAWN, ISAAC (IKE) JAMES, born on October 25, 1925 in Mabank, Texas to Grover C. and Edith Lacy (Black) Splawn. Ike died on December 16, 2006 in Dallas. He is survived by his wife of 57 years Dorothy (Kruse) Splawn and two children, Gregory Splawn of Dallas and Valerie Siverling and husband Clifford Siverling and two grandchildren, Kathryn and Alison Siverling, all of Richardson; also two step-grandchildren Aaron Siverling of Garland and Nona Branshaw of Dallas.

Ike served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He graduated from SMU in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Ike had a distinguished career and made his mark on the metroplex and other areas of the country as a Structural Engineer and leaves an excellent legacy of fine engineering. His career spanned 57 years, beginning with the Corps of: Engineers and the architectural firms of Wyatt Hedrick and Thomas E. Stanley. While with Thomas E. Stanley, Ike was the Chief Engineer of Record on the first 50-story building built west of the Mississippi in 1960 (First National Bank building). In 1966 Ike and Sam Munir formed the firm of Splawn-Munir & Associates which merged with YHI in 1982, forming Intertech Engineers, Inc., from which Ike retired in 1996. Aways an engineer, Ike continued his interest in the profession until the end. He was a long-time member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Concrete Institute, and was a founding member of the Structural Engineers Association of Texas.

He was involved in the community and was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church for 45 years, being involved in many aspects of the ministry over the years. Valerie describes her dad in 3 words: wise, gentle and decent.

To help you and your fellow professional engineers gain a better insight into the industry’s technical peer review (TPR) processes and how they can affect your firm financially, D. Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., P.Eng., a senior project manager with Schoor DePalma in Manalapan, N.J., is conducting a survey on behalf of the ASCE’s Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. The results of which also will be published in an upcoming issue of Structural Engineer magazine.

Stuart also is currently gathering information from the insurance industry, state and local agencies, and engineering associations. “The results of the research will provide insight into why there aren’t more structural TPRs done on a regular basis in those portions of the country where neither the building code or local building officials require it,” said Stuart.

To contribute to this valuable research, you can complete the short survey through the Structural Engineers Association of Alabama’s website at www.seaoal.com

Specifiers can now contact the AISC Steel Solutions Center by calling toll-free to 866-ask-aisc (275-2472). The Steel Solutions Center offers an immediate source for the most complete, up-to-date information on the use of structural steel. Engineers, architects, contractors, anddevelopers also can email solutions@aisc.org or visit AISC's website at www.aisc.org.

The Steel Solutions Center's staff has access to a wide variety of technical information and project data to help on any structural steel issue. Additionally, they can quickly obtain information from other technical associations, members of AISC's technical committees, and other leading industry experts.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Homeland security is an issue of concern to the public in general and to us as engineers in particular, since we provide engineering services to protect and design structures against terrorist intent to destroy.
Under bills introduced during the first legislative session since 9-11.Government officials in Texas could refuse to publicly disclose their plans for responding to terrorist attacks. The proposals are part of a national movement among state lawmakers to restrict public access to security-related information after the terrorist attacks.

Aides to the Texas lawmakers who introduced the bills say the measures are a common-sense effort to keep terrorists from getting their hands on information such as details about water-treatment plants or vaccine stocks.

But critics say the bills would provide sweeping exceptions to open-records and open-meetings laws, giving officials wide latitude to cover up poor emergency planning and to exclude the public from important policy decisions.

State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, a longtime advocate of open government, said he expects the proposals to get a receptive hearing this session because attitudes have changed since 9-11. Under a bill by state Rep. Ray Allen, R-Grand Prairie, information collected, assembled or maintained as part of emergency-response plans could be withheld from disclosure if the official in possession of it believes releasing it would interfere with carrying out the plans.

Goodson Engineering Celebrates 50th Anniversary

The year was 1953 when the late Raymond L. Goodson Jr.. an SMU civil engineering graduate and former assistant professor at SMU, formed his consulting Civil Engineering firm in Dallas.
Today the founder’s son David Goodson, P. E. is president of the civil and structural engineering organization. John Stull, P.E. is board chairman.

The Goodson client list, which reads like a “Who’s Who” in Dallas landmarks gives testimony to the company’s success.

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