GCA Construction News Bulletin September 2014

NEWS BULLETIN Vol.55 Issue 09SEPTEMBER 2014

Guam Contractors’ Association

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INSIDER NEWS

FEATURE STORY

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your visionour realityAt Hawaiian Rock Products, we are always ready to meet your construction needs. We have a fleet of over 200 construction vehicles and a workforce of over 300 employees. We operate state of the art facilities, strategically located throughout the island with the capacity to fulfill any project size requirements. Our vast fleet of equipment continues to expand along with the growing needs of the industry. We are here to provide you with the quality products and services you need, when you need them.

Building The Marianas Since 1958

14-HRP-014 GCA Your Vision

2008 Business Laureate

Guam Contractor’s Association (GCA) in conjunction with AdzTech and Public Relations, Inc. publishes the Construction News Bulletin (CNB) monthly. Reproduction of materials appearing in this publication is strictly forbidden without written permission by GCA. While we always strive for accuracy, we will from time to time overlook mistakes. In order to help us improve the quality and accuracy of this publication, we ask that you take the time to look at the information provided and notify GCA of any correc-tions as needed. Opinions and edito-rial content of this publication may not necessarily be those of the publisher, staff, GCA members, GCA Board of Directors and advertisers. For more information about advertising in the GCA Construction News Bulletin contact the advertising department at (671) 477-1239/2239 or email at [email protected]. Distributed to GCA members or can be obtained by stopping by the Guam Contractors’ Association office located at 718 N. Marine Corps Drive,Suite 203, East West Business Center, Upper Tumon, Guam.

To find out more about how you can become a GCA member contact Guam Contractors’ Association at Tel: (671)647-4840/41 Fax: (671) 647-4866 or Email: [email protected]

Postmaster. Send address changes to Guam Contractors’ Association, located at 718 N. Marine Drive Corps Suite 203, East West Business Center, Upper Tumon, Guam.

PUBLISHER:James Martinez

SALES & MARKETINGDIRECTOR:Geri Leon Guerrero

AD SALES:Tom MendiolaJaceth Duenas

PRODUCTION:Geri Leon GuerreroChristopher “Taco” Rowland

PHOTOGRAPHERS:Christopher “Taco” Rowland

EDITOR:Adztech

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:John RobertsonR.D. GibsonDave BarnhouseShawn Gumataotao

GCA STAFF:Francine ArceoDesiree Lizama

COVER:Keeping fit for your health

THETEAMTHEDIRECTORS THEEDITORIALSPRESIDENTJames A. Martinez, GCA

PAST CHAIRMANTom Anderson, Black Construction Corporation

CHAIRMAN - ELECTArt Chan, Hawaiian Rock Products

VICE CHAIRMAN - ELECTJohn Sage, WATTS Constructors

SECRETARY/TREASURERWilliam Beery, Tutujan Hill Group

CONTRACTORS DIRECTORS:Narci Dimaoala, Amazon Construction

Carlo Leon Guerrero, M80 Office Systems

Conchita Bathan, Core Tech Interna-tional

Tom San Nicolas, dck pacific guam LLC

Miguel Rangel, Maeda Pacific Corpora-tion

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS:Jeffrey Larson, TakeCare Insurance

Ray Yanger, Fastenal

Patty Lizama, Pacific Isla Life

Michael Kikuta, Matson Navigation

Guam ContractorsAssociation

TRADES ACADEMYGCA

B u i l d i n g S k i l l s F o r A L i f e t i m e

Dear GCA Members: As Guam families celebrate the unofficial end of summer this Labor Day weekend, I'd like to recognize the hard working men and women of the construction and maintenance industry. Guam construction workers build the homes that we live in, hospitals we were born in, schools our kids attend, hotels, shopping centers and entertainment facilities that are enjoyed by our local residents and visitors alike. They build the roads and bridges that we travel on every day. Our maintenance professionals ensure that these facilities are well maintained to last for decades. Few industries touch our daily lives so directly and in so many meaningful ways. What better time to celebrate the sweat, hard work and dedication of our local construction and maintenance workforce than on Labor Day. In addition, the construction and maintenance industry has provided fulfilling careers to Guamanians for generations and, perhaps more than ever, remains a source of excellent career opportunities and prosper-ity. Looking forward, the need for skilled construction and maintenance workers is projected to grow at twice the rate of all other industries. I encourage educators, families and job seekers, including the hundreds of recent high school graduates who are just entering the workforce, and to those still in school deciding their career paths, to explore the well-paying, long-term career opportunities that exist in the construction and maintenance fields. With the creation of the GCA Trades Academy, we can now train more of our local residents and those in our region in these highly professional craft fields utilizing standardized and nationally recognized curricu-lum under our accredited training sponsor designation with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).

On behalf of the GCA Board of Directors, GCA Management and Staff

Happy Labor!

Senseramente,

“Celebrating the Construction and Maintenance Industry this Labor Month”

James A. Martinez

www.guamcontractors.org CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN SEPTEMBER2014 | 5

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President ’s Message

General Membership Luncheon Meeting August 21, 2014

Major James Gingras, Director of Operations, 554th RED HORSE Squadron, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Major Gingras currently manages a $6M dollar operating budget and the execution of the largest garrison RED HORSE troop construction program valued at $20M.

�is Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RHS) is a 194-person Squadron assigned to the 36th Wing supporting the Paci�c Command Area of Responsibility. �ey provide

construction capabilities worldwide.Major James M. Gingras with SAME 1st Vice President Noel Enriquez

was given by

Capt. Naseem Ghandour, USAF Civil Engineer, 554th RED HORSE

Joe Vinch received the SAME Guam Post

Outstanding Support Award for his volunteerism and tremendous support for

STEM program at DoDEA schools.

Bob Shambach received the SAME

Guam Post Award for his continued service to

the Post over the last 6 years.

Sustaining Member Brief was presented by

from GHD

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To join SAME Guam Post, log on to SAME.org and

click on “Membership” at the top of the home page.

2015 Charlie Corn Scholarship Applications

Coming Soon!

Keep up-to-date on all the latest

Guam Post Meetings & Events at

http://posts.same.org/guam/


S.A.M.E. UPD

ATE

Tel: 670-234-6601www.kanoaresort.com

[email protected]

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According to news accounts, there are 42 conflicts globally at this time in which lives are being lost. Prominent among these is the Russian supported conflict in eastern Ukraine, the brutal invasion by “Islamic State” militant terrorists seizing territory in Syria and Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip and the Chinese incur-sion into the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Conflicts and threatened military action by North Korea, the Syrian Civil War, rebellion in Libya and Somalia, continued conflict in Afghanistan and the unsettled situation in South Sudan have fallen off the radar screen for now. Some analysts are saying that the world is more dangerous today than at any time since the Second World War. In many of these conflicts, Russia is in serious conflict with the United States and Western Europe which sets the world back to some-thing similar to Cold War Status.

Conflicts in the Middle-East pose the greatest threat to the U.S. and its allies with promises of a repeat of the never-to-be-forgotten Nine-Eleven attacks which occurred thirteen years ago this month. The U.K. has already raised its threat level and other west-ern countries including the U.S. may soon need to do the same. A direct invasion of the U.S. has been threat-ened in retaliation for U.S. aerial strikes in Iraq. Russia has been unco-operative and was successful in thwarting U.S. plans for Syria last year.

This month we are taking another look

rising group of princes. That is, unless there is some form of insurrection in the mean time. The unexpected bind-ing designation, announced on state television, sets what a royal decree called an "unchangeable" line of succession for King Abdullah, who is in his early 90s, when he dies or steps down. The decree establishes Crown Prince Salman, 79 years old, as the next king and the youngest surviving son of King Abdulaziz al Saud, the late founder of modern Saudi Arabia, second to the throne. Saudi Arabia's announcement, which King Abdullah said was an unchangeable decree, was a surprise because succession issues are typically decided only immediately after the death of a king, rather than far in advance. It antici-pates a sustained period of transition for the Arab world's most powerful kingdom, which at 82 years is itself younger than its leader, and nods to fears among royal and ordinary Saudis that succession struggles could desta-bilize the country. The kingdom's founder had dozens of sons from multiple wives and the ruling family now has thousands of descendants, only a handful of whom are considered real contenders for the throne. Suc-cession quarrels helped bring down a kingdom of the House of Saud in the mid-19th century, and the modern kingdom still has no script for how to pass power to the next generation. Saudi Arabia's ruling family acted "to maintain the structure of the state and its future, and to guarantee—with God's help—continuity on the basis on which it was founded," read the decree, which was signed by the king.

Now Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the com-mander of ISIS, declares the creation of an Islamic Caliphate, in essence branding Saudi Arabia and the Al Saud as usurpers and himself as the protec-tor of true Islam. ISIS is thus a clear threat and the need to confront it is inevitable. Yet the royal family fears being seen by Saudis—particularly the Wahhabi religious establishment and young male fundamentalists—to be opposing what many see as the belated coming of an Islamic Caliphate that the Al Saud rulers have failed to deliver. At least 1,600 militant young

Saudis, according to the Saudi interior ministry, have joined ISIS despite a royal decree imposing up to 20 years in prison for such behavior. Many more young Saudis are taking to social media to support the liberation of Mecca, Islam's holiest site, from the Al Saud. Some wealthy Saudis have provided financial support to ISIS. Some of these funders may be seek-ing to buy insurance against an ISIS victory, but others apparently share a desire for a Wahhabi resurgence in a kingdom that they see as corrupt and unjust—a kingdom in which royal rulers put their own profligacy ahead of the needs of Allah's flock. A Wahhabi resurgence that originates from outside the kingdom but is supported inside the kingdom is a serious threat—and another reason to confront the terrorist army now.

Internal Saudi support for the "caliph-ate" will only increase if ISIS grows. King Abdullah, like President Obama, has so far been long on talk and short on action. Earlier this month he criticized religious scholars for their "laziness" and "silence" in failing to condemn ISIS terrorists. He called on Muslim leaders and scholars to "carry out their duty toward Allah Almighty and stand in the face of those trying to hijack Islam and [present] it to the world as a religion of extremism, hatred and terrorism." Weeks later the Saudi Grand Mufti, its senior religious scholar, finally declared that "extrem-ism, radicalism and terrorism" have "nothing to do with Islam and are the enemy Number One of Islam." The words are on target but the kingdoms only action so far has been donating $100 million to a United Nations Coun-terterrorism Center, a move unlikely to slow the Islamic State. Meanwhile, the Saudi Air Force that the U.S. has been helping to modernize since the late 1970s sits grounded. The Saudis by their own estimates have at least 250 combat-ready aircraft, refueling planes, the U.S. Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and at least 20,000 air-force personnel. While some Saudi airstrikes alone would not be militarily decisive, they would dem-onstrate that the self-proclaimed guardian of Islam is willing to stand up

to Islamic zealots. Such action by the Saudis surely would make it easier for other Muslim countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, the U.A.E. and the West to take more resolute military action against the Islamic State.

Now is the time to confront Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, not cower in Riyadh. Maybe if the Saudis man up, Mr. Obama and Congress will too.

at the radical Islamic organizations in the Middle East and their impact on world peace. The current situation will no doubt eventually influence military and economic decisions in Washing-ton DC concerning Asia and the West-ern Pacific and that forms the connec-tion to Guam. The article in this space a year ago titled “Conflict in the Middle East” provided an introduction to some of the intricacies that religion plays in politics in this part of the world. Since then conflict has continued and inten-sified in Syria and Iraq. Most notably, an organization calling itself the “Islamic State” has emerged as a fight-ing force in Syria then Iraq that has to be dealt with. Sometimes referred to as “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS) and sometimes “Islamic State in the Levant” (ISL) it has used the worst forms of terror and fear to gain ground in its effort to supplant existing govern-ments in the region by establishing an Islamic Caliphate based on Sharia Law.

This subject was high on the agenda at a NATO conference in Wales during the first week of September, right behind the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Neither the Ukraine nor countries in the Middle East are members of NATO, yet there is no international organization better able to deal with the major issues than a U.S. led coali-tion under the NATO banner. It is critically important that Sunni Arab countries in the region such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates take a leading role and that is the tricky part. The U.S. and its west-ern allies have not proven successful at nation building in that part of the world and the current situation in Afghanistan and Iraq proves that. Americans are war weary and would not support major ground operations in the Middle East. It must also be remembered that the Arab-Israeli conflict is front and center in the minds

of officials of those countries and American ally Israel’s recent action in Gaza and annexation of more territory on the West Bank, contrary to U.S. advice, complicates U.S. relations with Arab nations in the region. The Arab League has supported action but how far they will go is an open question.

NATO Summit in Wales

Back to the NATO conference in New-port, Wales—American allies including the U.K. and France said they would help form an international military coalition to fight a growing threat from Islamic State militants. While mem-bers of the North Atlantic Treaty Orga-nization meeting were weighing what role they would play, U.S. officials urged them to commit to a strategy that includes providing more arms to Kurdish forces fighting the Islamist insurgents in northern Iraq. The American plan also entails choking off the financial resources the militants rely on to pay their fighters, curbing the flow of foreign extremists and backing Arab forces capable of battling Islamic State. One of the most impassioned pleas at the NATO summit came from King Abdullah of Jordan, who implored world leaders to create a "coalition of the committed" to fight Islamic State, said participants in the private meet-ings. President Barack Obama's push represents the most ambitious U.S. effort to create an international coali-tion to combat an extremist threat since President George W. Bush enlisted dozens of nations to fight al Qaeda and its Taliban allies in Afghani-stan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. U.S. officials said they were expecting key NATO allies—including the U.K., France and Australia—to commit to the broader fight.

One European diplomat, however, said NATO itself shouldn't have a direct role in any military operations in

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By John M. Robertson

Now is the Time to Confront theIslamic State in Syria and Iraq










Saudi Arabia should do. This is a remarkable omission that ought to shame the Saudis. Saudi Arabia is the wealthiest country in the region. It has by far the largest Air Force, equipped with hundreds of U.S. and British advanced fighter aircraft. With its oil reserves and stature as the birthplace of Islam, the kingdom is an inevitable target for the rolling brigades of ISIS. Moreover, the Saudis have ample reason not to want to be seen again as wards of the West, a fragile society requiring military protection from America which, under the Obama administration, may well not provide it. So why aren't well trained Saudi pilots flying bombing runs over Mosul or against ISIS command and control centers in Syria? The problem is a failure of will even in pursuit of their own interests.

The House of Saud, which has ruled the kingdom off and on for more than 270 years, historically has survived by ducking and weaving, by seeking to avoid confrontations while trying to satisfy everyone. As a result the kingdom has been reliant on others-essentially the U.S. —for its security. An ostrich strategy may no longer be viable. Given President Obama's ducking and weaving on Syria and his cozying up to Iran, Saudi Arabia's Shiite nemesis, the Saudis have ample grounds to conclude that the U.S. cannot be counted on as a reliable protector. The Islamic State also poses a fundamental challenge to the House of Saud's legitimacy as ruler of Saudi Arabia. Since the 18th century, the Al Saud kings have justified their rule by claiming to be the protector and promoter of the one true Islam—the austere version preached by Muham-mad ibn Abd al Wahhab, who joined forces with the Al Saud to conquer Arabia and return it to the Islam of the Prophet Muhammad.

Another matter that the West must take into consideration – Saudi Arabia's royal family locked in King Abdullah's next two successors in March of this year, making it likely that the oldest generation will rule the conservative oil kingdom for decades more before full power passes to a

Iraq. Instead the alliance is likely to be called upon to help coordinate efforts to deliver humanitarian aid and enforce controls along Iraq's porous borders. "NATO's role isn't operational [in Iraq]. It's a role of assistance," the diplomat said. Obama administration officials said they weren't expecting NATO allies to immediately take part in airstrikes the U.S. has been conduct-ing against Islamic State forces in Iraq. The initial coalition effort is expected to focus on Islamic State forces in Iraq, because Syria's civil war has fractured the country. U.S. officials have said that the threat of the group can't be eradicated without targeting its strong-holds in Syria. Mr. Obama has autho-rized surveillance flights over Syria, but hasn't yet decided on airstrikes as of the time of this writing. It is unclear, however, if the U.S. can persuade many allies to eventually expand the effort into Syria. French officials say they are wary of taking the fight to Syria due to the chaotic nature of the country's civil war.

The U.S. has led the effort so far by launching limited airstrikes against Islamic State forces in Iraq, dropping humanitarian aid to besieged Iraqi communities, and creating a widening effort to arm Kurdish forces. The beheading of two American journalists held by Islamic State fighters in Syria shifted the U.S. calculus, creating the urgency to mount a coalition. Mr. Obama is now calling for allies to defeat Islamic State militants.

As in Afghanistan, America's chief ally in the fight is the U.K. The militants who beheaded the two Americans have also threatened to kill a Briton in their custody, and on 4th September Mr. Obama and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron urged NATO to take on the fight against Islamic State. Mr. Cameron said the U.K. was consider-ing joining the U.S. in launching direct military strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq. The U.K. is also reviewing whether to provide arms and training directly to Kurdish forces fight-ing Islamic State. "We are considering actively whether to give them arms ourselves," Mr. Cameron said. While Mr. Obama and Mr. Cameron led the

appeal to summit participants, they were joined by top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Susan Rice, the presi-dent's national security adviser. Before joining the lobbying effort, Lisa Monaco, the president's top counter-terrorism adviser, said the U.S. strat-egy would also lean on intelligence sharing with allies, countering the group's sophisticated use of media, and law enforcement efforts to disrupt the flow of foreign fighters to and from the region. "If left unchecked," she said, the group "poses a potential threat to the homeland." Mr. Kerry and Mr. Hagel expect to continue the lobbying effort later this week when they seek broader support across the region.

Jordan’s King Abdullah told NATO leaders that they had to make immedi-ate decisions to stop Islamic State forces, according to participants in the meetings. Mr. Cameron met with the Jordanian king separately. "It's very important that Western intervention isn't... done against the wishes and against the work of regional neigh-bors," Mr. Cameron said. "That is the mistake that's been made in the past." The U.S. is looking to create new alliances with Sunni tribes in Iraq to battle Islamic State forces, which have taken control of major cities. It also wants to advance sluggish efforts to arm and train pro-American Syrian rebels so they can retake Islamic State strongholds in that country. Mr. Obama was also planning to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo-gan, whose country shelters more than 800,000 Syrian refugees and serves as a conduit for militants heading to fight with Islamic State forces in neigh-boring Syria and Iraq.

A Role for Saudi ArabiaNow is the time for Saudi Arabia to man up. There is broad agreement that the black-clad savages of the Islamic State pose a profound threat first to neighboring Arab regimes and only then to Europe and the United States. Yet amid the debate over how a reluctant U.S. or timid Europe should respond, there is no discussion of what


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Information for this article was obtained in part from articles in the Wall Street Journal authored by Dion Nissenbaum with Stacy Meichtry; Ellen Knickmeyer with Ahmed al Omran; and, Karen Elliott House. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Guam Contractors Association.

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On-site Diesel GCA AD.pdf 1 11/07/12 10:25 AM

by: R.D. Gibson

FocusingOn YourWell-BeingAnd Health

The insurance world can be a bit of a whirlwind of premiums, benefits, and incentives. Some-times it takes looking at the plans to actually see what we’re getting from the deductions in our paychecks. But, for over 40 years, TakeCare has invested to ensure, not only, customer satisfaction and the best possible health management services on Guam and the Marianas.

TakeCare provides over 32,000 patients with service focused toward patient health and well-ness. TakeCare offers health plans designed to meet their needs, including access to over 100 primary and specialty providers on Guam and Saipan, and a network of international, world-class hospitals and physicians.

According to the TakeCare website – takecareasia.com – “TakeCare’s reach has exceeded the boundar-ies of the Mariana Islands and Micronesia, with its growing network of partners in the Asia region,” citing their office in the Philippines, which assists the TakeCare claims and MRO teams in Guam. They also boast excellent medical travel services to help those seeking treatment off-island.

Closer to home, their FHP Health Centers on Guam and Saipan are vital toward realizing TakeCare’s mission to provide the best service possible. At FHP you have

access to Urgent Care, Pediatric and Adult medicine, Radiology, a pharmacy, and dental and vision centers.

In addition to access to the FHP Health Centers, they also have wellness programs to help their clients maintain a healthy lifestyle. Their fitness program classes are held at the TakeCare Wellness Center in the Baltej Pavilion on Chalan San Antonio in Tamuning. TakeCare members have access to free fitness classes like Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumba Sentao, Water Aerobics, and Total Fitness six days a week. This month, they’ve also added new fitness classes, like TC Defense Fitness, TC Cycling, TC Bootcamp, and TC Circuit.

The company also promotes healthy living through their health education programs, including Diabetes Management, Cardiac Risk Management, Prenatal Birth and Parenting classes, Smoking Cessation, and even a Children’s Health Improvement Program targeting child obesity.

Along with all the programs available for members, soon enough, there will be Workplace Wellness opportunities for Employer groups to address health topics for members. “We feel an educated and healthy workforce is a productive and motivated workforce contributing to the overall success of a com-

pany,” said Lissa Talavera, TakeC-are Sales and Marketing Manager.

Anyone who is committed toward healthy living knows the fulfill-ment of losing those extra pounds and inches, but what about gaining? TakeCare is implementing the Wellness and Fitness Incentive Program where members are eligible for reimbursement through certain criteria. For example, if a member works out 10 times a month, TakeCare will reimburse $25 of their monthly gym membership fees or up to $300 a year. Pretty neat, don’t you think?

Additionally, TakeCare members also get special membership discounts with various partners. With Affinity Rewards you can get special offers and discounts at countless restaurants, cafés, and businesses throughout the island. For more information regarding the Affinity Rewards program, contact them at 646-6956 ext. 7108.

TakeCare – as the insurance provider for the Guam Contractors Association – provides not just their competitive list of benefits, but the confidence in knowing you are being taken care of no matter where you decide to go. They also provide a travel allowance benefit where TakeCare can reimburse you up to $500 for the purchase of an airline ticket and/or payment for lodging while accessing care in


FEATURE STORY

The insurance world can be a bit of a whirlwind of premiums, benefits, and incentives. Some-times it takes looking at the plans to actually see what we’re getting from the deductions in our paychecks. But, for over 40 years, TakeCare has invested to ensure, not only, customer satisfaction and the best possible health management services on Guam and the Marianas.

TakeCare provides over 32,000 patients with service focused toward patient health and well-ness. TakeCare offers health plans designed to meet their needs, including access to over 100 primary and specialty providers on Guam and Saipan, and a network of international, world-class hospitals and physicians.

According to the TakeCare website – takecareasia.com – “TakeCare’s reach has exceeded the boundar-ies of the Mariana Islands and Micronesia, with its growing network of partners in the Asia region,” citing their office in the Philippines, which assists the TakeCare claims and MRO teams in Guam. They also boast excellent medical travel services to help those seeking treatment off-island.

Closer to home, their FHP Health Centers on Guam and Saipan are vital toward realizing TakeCare’s mission to provide the best service possible. At FHP you have

access to Urgent Care, Pediatric and Adult medicine, Radiology, a pharmacy, and dental and vision centers.

In addition to access to the FHP Health Centers, they also have wellness programs to help their clients maintain a healthy lifestyle. Their fitness program classes are held at the TakeCare Wellness Center in the Baltej Pavilion on Chalan San Antonio in Tamuning. TakeCare members have access to free fitness classes like Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumba Sentao, Water Aerobics, and Total Fitness six days a week. This month, they’ve also added new fitness classes, like TC Defense Fitness, TC Cycling, TC Bootcamp, and TC Circuit.

The company also promotes healthy living through their health education programs, including Diabetes Management, Cardiac Risk Management, Prenatal Birth and Parenting classes, Smoking Cessation, and even a Children’s Health Improvement Program targeting child obesity.

Along with all the programs available for members, soon enough, there will be Workplace Wellness opportunities for Employer groups to address health topics for members. “We feel an educated and healthy workforce is a productive and motivated workforce contributing to the overall success of a com-

pany,” said Lissa Talavera, TakeC-are Sales and Marketing Manager.

Anyone who is committed toward healthy living knows the fulfill-ment of losing those extra pounds and inches, but what about gaining? TakeCare is implementing the Wellness and Fitness Incentive Program where members are eligible for reimbursement through certain criteria. For example, if a member works out 10 times a month, TakeCare will reimburse $25 of their monthly gym membership fees or up to $300 a year. Pretty neat, don’t you think?

Additionally, TakeCare members also get special membership discounts with various partners. With Affinity Rewards you can get special offers and discounts at countless restaurants, cafés, and businesses throughout the island. For more information regarding the Affinity Rewards program, contact them at 646-6956 ext. 7108.

TakeCare – as the insurance provider for the Guam Contractors Association – provides not just their competitive list of benefits, but the confidence in knowing you are being taken care of no matter where you decide to go. They also provide a travel allowance benefit where TakeCare can reimburse you up to $500 for the purchase of an airline ticket and/or payment for lodging while accessing care in

and HIPPA protected, MyTakeCare provides access to valuable health and wellness resources through Healthwise Knowledgebase. MyTakeCare allows members to get an Online Health Risk Assess-ment. Should you misplace it, you can print your TakeCare Member ID card. You can also access your personal claims history, and even manage your personal health calendar!

In addition to helping their mem-bers, TakeCare is also committed toward strengthening our commu-nity. Through their TakeCare Foundation, the employees have raised voluntarily thousands of dollars to various non-profit organizations, including Big Broth-ers Big Sisters of Guam, Sanctuary, Inc., the Guam Humanities Coun-cil, and Catholic Social Services. What could be better than that? All contributions from employees

are matched dollar for dollar by their employer – TakeCare.

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The latest revision to the ASME B30.3 standard for tower cranes contains significant changes that affect how engineers should take into account wind loading on jobsites, including those prone to typhoons. The standard also calls for more rigorous inspections than in the past, now requiring a major tear down and rebuild every five years.

Tower cranes now must be engineered to withstand wind conditions detailed in ASCE 7, the American Society of Civil Engineers' stan-dard on minimum de-sign loads for buildings and other structures; it was previously a recom-mendation. The volume specifies that ASCE 7 wind speeds must be used for calculating foun-dations and freestanding heights. Even though the latest version of ASME B30.3 was released in 2012, many people are still not aware of the changes.

Operationally, manufacturers and crane suppli-ers, such as rental companies, typically advise users on how to pre-pare for windy conditions, including typhoons. Operators generally are ad-vised to "weathervane" a tower crane, or unlock the swing brake, so its rotating structure can spin freely in the wind. According to the ASME B30.3-2012 document, the site supervi-sor and lift director are responsible for ensuring that weather or other adverse conditions are addressed in each lift.

Major inspections are, for the first time, also included in the new standard. The new inspection category calls for components such as drive systems, motors and gearboxes to be disassembled and, if necessary, rebuilt at 60-month intervals or as specified by the manufacturer. This practice, experts say, is important because some critical components are not visible during a crane's frequent (daily) or periodic (annual) inspection.

Like the wind standard, the major inspection

aims to reduce risk by identifying potential fail-ures. ASME Committee members felt that most of the maintenance issues on tower cranes, especially as they got older, were not keeping pace with the industry and what people in the industry were demanding for quality.

Although it is not a requirement, the volume also recommends non-destructive testing of connection mate-rial, such as bolts and pins, during a major inspection. If you are doing a five-year inspection, it is not a bad idea to do a non-destructive test of all the bolts.

(f) Inspections. (2) Pre-erection inspection. Before each crane component is erected, it must be inspected by a qualified person for damage or excessive wear.

(i) The qualified person must pay particular attention to components that will be difficult

to inspect thoroughly during shift inspections.

(ii) If the qualified person determines that a component is damaged or worn to the extent that it would create a safety hazard if used on the crane, that component must not be erected on the crane unless it is repaired and, upon reinspection by the qualified person, found to no longer create a safety hazard.

(iii) If the qualified person determines that, though not presently a safety hazard, the component needs to be monitored, the employer must ensure that the component is checked in the monthly inspections. Any such determination must be documented, and the documentation must be available to any individual who conducts a monthly inspection.

The latest revision to the ASME B30.3 standard for tower cranes contains significant changes that affect how engineers should take into account wind loading on jobsites, including those prone to typhoons. The standard also calls for more rigorous inspections than in the past, now requiring a major teardown and rebuild every five years.

Tower cranes now must be engineered to with-stand wind conditions detailed in ASCE 7, the American Society of Civil Engineers' standard on minimum de-sign loads for buildings and other structures; it was previously a recom-mendation. The volume specifies that ASCE 7 wind speeds must be used for calculating foun-dations and freestanding heights. Even though the latest version of ASME B30.3 was released in 2012, many people are still not aware of the changes.

Operationally, manufacturers and crane suppliers, such as rental companies, typically advise users on how to pre-pare for windy conditions, including typhoons. Operators generally are ad-vised to "weathervane" a tower crane, or unlock the swing brake, so its rotating structure can spin freely in the wind. According to the ASME B30.3-2012 document, the site supervisor and lift director are respon-sible for ensuring that weather or other adverse conditions are addressed in each lift.


Like the wind standard, the major inspection aims to reduce risk by identifying potential failures. ASME Committee members felt that most of the maintenance issues on tower cranes, especially as they got older, were not keeping pace with the industry and what people in the industry were demanding for quality.



attention to components that will be difficult to inspect thor¬oughly during shift inspections.

(ii) If the qualified person determines that a component is damaged or worn to the extent that it would create a safety hazard if used on the crane, that compo¬nent must not be erected on the crane unless it is repaired and, upon reinspection by the qualified person, found to no longer create a safety haz-ard.

(iii) If the qualified person determines that, though not presently a safety haz-ard, the component needs to be moni-tored, the employer must ensure that the component is checked in the monthly inspections. Any such deter-mination must be documented, and the documentation must be available to any indi¬vidual who conducts a monthly inspection.

A monthly crane and rigging informative column for all personnel directly or indirectly involved with crane safety. Each month we will attempt to explain a different technical issue pertaining to crane operations here on Guam, addressing the sometimes over-looked or misunderstood topics by management and operators alike. By Dave Barnhouse

This month’s topic: Tower Crane’s erection and inspection rules.

Liebherr 22 ton tower crane at Navy Hospital

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The latest revision to the ASME B30.3 standard for tower cranes contains significant changes that affect how engineers should take into account wind loading on jobsites, including those prone to typhoons. The standard also calls for more rigorous inspections than in the past, now requiring a major tear down and rebuild every five years.

Tower cranes now must be engineered to withstand wind conditions detailed in ASCE 7, the American Society of Civil Engineers' stan-dard on minimum de-sign loads for buildings and other structures; it was previously a recom-mendation. The volume specifies that ASCE 7 wind speeds must be used for calculating foun-dations and freestanding heights. Even though the latest version of ASME B30.3 was released in 2012, many people are still not aware of the changes.

Operationally, manufacturers and crane suppli-ers, such as rental companies, typically advise users on how to pre-pare for windy conditions, including typhoons. Operators generally are ad-vised to "weathervane" a tower crane, or unlock the swing brake, so its rotating structure can spin freely in the wind. According to the ASME B30.3-2012 document, the site supervi-sor and lift director are responsible for ensuring that weather or other adverse conditions are addressed in each lift.


Like the wind standard, the major inspection

aims to reduce risk by identifying potential fail-ures. ASME Committee members felt that most of the maintenance issues on tower cranes, especially as they got older, were not keeping pace with the industry and what people in the industry were demanding for quality.



(i) The qualified person must pay particular attention to components that will be difficult

to inspect thoroughly during shift inspections.

(ii) If the qualified person determines that a component is damaged or worn to the extent that it would create a safety hazard if used on the crane, that component must not be erected on the crane unless it is repaired and, upon reinspection by the qualified person, found to no longer create a safety hazard.

(iii) If the qualified person determines that, though not presently a safety hazard, the component needs to be monitored, the employer must ensure that the component is checked in the monthly inspections. Any such determination must be documented, and the documentation must be available to any individual who conducts a monthly inspection.

(3) Post-erection inspection. In addition to the requirements in § 1926.1412(c), the following requirements must be met:

(i) A load test using certified weights, or scaled weights using a certified scale with a current certificate of calibration, must be conducted after each erection.

(ii) The load test must be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s in-structions when available. Where these instructions are unavailable, the test must be conducted in accordance with written load test procedures devel-oped by a registered profes¬sional engi-neer familiar with the type of equip-ment involved.

(4) Monthly. The following additional items must be included:

(i) Tower (mast) bolts and other struc-tural bolts (for loose or dislodged con-dition) from the base of the tower crane up or, if the crane is tied to or braced by the structure, those above the upper-most brace support. (ii) The upper-most tie-in, braces, floor supports and floor wedges where the tower crane is supported components.

(5) Annual. In addition to the items that must be inspected under § 1926.1412(f), all turntable and tower bolts must be inspected for proper condition and torque.

Dave Barnhouse resides in Tamuning and has been involved with operations, maintenance, operator training, and/orinspections, of cranes since 1969. He is a Certified Environmental Trainer, CHST, NCCCO Certified Crane Operator, NCCCO Lift Director, and practical examiner for all types of mobile cranes and the only OSHA ac-credited crane inspector on Guam.

Please e-mail any comments, questions, or specific topics you would like to see addressed in this column to [email protected] and we will certainly at-tempt to accommodate your requests.

View from top of Inland Builders 11 Ton Liebherr Model 280 ECHTower Crane at Outrigger BayviewTumon, recently dis-assembled.

Inland Builders 11 Ton Liebherr Model 280 ECH Tower Craneat Outrigger BayviewTumon, during partial disassembly.


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Locally, the Guam Housing Corporation (GHC) is pushing an initiative to build affordable homes that will also utilize modern sustainable building materials and methods. Five companies are attempting to "woo" the GHC to not only adopt these models as a way to build capacity on Guam, but also to introduce "green homes" into the West-ern Pacific and Micronesia housing marketplace. This effort is in line with a growing trend happening all across the United States.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the authority on all that is sustainable in America, estimates that there are as many as 150,000 LEED-certified green housing units worldwide, a number that more than doubled between 2011 and 2012 and continues to grow steadily.

In their LEED in Motion: Residential report, the USGBC details the U.S. states with the most LEED-certified homes, with California in the No. 1 spot followed by New York and Texas.

With recently warm and dry summer months in Guam and similar conditions across the mainland U.S., most of us are bracing for what we all can expect to be higher energy bills-thus the ben-efits of creating LEED-certified houses are even more pronounced and more attractive to homeowners from Guam

to Rhode Island.

"Our homes are more than just spaces that provide shelter," said USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. "Homes touch practically every aspect of our lives and are a critical element of our overall sense of safety, identity and community. Enhancing our homes' efficiency and resilience offers an extraordinary opportunity to further the revolution in sustainable building and living practices so that it ripples outward to our communities."

The USGBC says that LEED-certified homes provide 20 to 30 percent savings in energy and water use compared to code-built homes, and they maximize fresh air indoors while minimizing exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants.

The LEED in Motion report also explores the multiple LEED rating systems for different types of homes, including new single-family homes as well as new and existing low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise multifamily buildings. USGBC is also developing a rating system for existing single-family homes.

The USGBC Residential report also in-cludes the ongoing monitoring of home performance and accommodation for the growing number of people living

in cities, recognition of the top 10 countries for LEED, demonstrating the international growth of green housing, the importance of local policy in spur-ring the uptake of green homes as well as noting the important connections between green homes and occupant health and well-being.

Will Guam add to the number of green homes in America? The GHC should be commended for this effort and homebuilders and developers alike in Micronesia should pay close attention to the results of this program as the move to sustainable homebuilding takes hold in the islands and is added to the list by the USGBC in 2015.

To find out more about how GET, LLC, through our metal building partners at Ceco Building Systems, can help your next steel building or aluminum roofing project, give us a call at 671-483-0789 or our website at www.get-guam.com for more information.

Demand Grows forGreen Homesby: Shawn Gumataotao

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Documents

GCA Construction News Bulletin September 2014