Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
October 6 2010
$3.00
Vol. XXIII • No. 20
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Theatre Restoration Takes Center Stage Lining up for a matinee at the Franklin Theatre in 1949.
Funny Car Champ Visits Linder Machinery…8
By Angela B. Hurni
CEG CORRESPONDENT
The 1930s-era Franklin Theatre on Main Street in downtown Franklin, Tenn. is getting a facelift. The owner of the theatre, the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, is a nonprofit organization that has been actively planning and fundraising in anticipation of the restoration and expansion ever since it acquired the theatre in 2007. Batten & Shaw Inc., is Photo courtesy of Holly Hines Photography the general contractor on the project, and
SSA Gulf Terminals Put Komatsu to the Test…22
The reconstruction is intended to mirror the original theatre’s aesthetic from the 1930s to the 1940s, yet this presents a host of challenges for the contractor.
Martin & Martin Holds Annual Fall Sale…66
Table of Contents ........4 Mini & Compact Equipment Section ........ ..............................29-39 Paving Section ......42-55 Parts Section ..............57 Auction Section ....70-77 Business Calendar......72 Advertisers Index ......78
see THEATRE page 16
Gas Pipe Explosion Inspires Spending and Debate on Nationwide Issue Its Effect on By Garance Burke and Jason Dearen ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS
SAN BRUNO, Calif. (AP) The tragic explosion of a gas pipeline in a San Francisco suburb has shed light on a problem usually kept underground: Communities have expanded over pipes built decades earlier when no one lived there. Utilities have been under pressure for years to better inspect and replace aging gas pipes many of them laid years before sprawling communities were erected around them — that now are at risk of leaking or erupting. But the effort has fallen short. Critics said the regulatory system is ripe for problems because the government largely leaves it up to the companies to do inspections, and utilities are reluc-
tant to spend the money necessary to properly fix and replace decrepit pipelines. “If this was the FAA and air travel we were talking about, I wouldn't get on a plane,” said Rick Kessler, a former congressional staffer specializing in pipeline safety issues who now works for the Pipeline Safety Trust, an advocacy group based in Bellingham, Wash. Investigators are still trying to figure out how the pipeline in San Bruno ruptured and ignited a gigantic fireball that torched one home after another in the neighborhood, killing at least four people. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the pipeline's owner, said Sept. 13 it has set aside up to $100 million to help residents recover. Experts say the California disaster epitomizes the risks that communities face with old gas lines. The pipe was more than 50 years see EXPLOSION page 40
Construction By Giles Lambertson CEG CORRESPONDENT
An enduring story of the current recession has been the nation’s construction swoon, which has industry leaders and government officials alike in a daze about how to correct a grievous loss of construction jobs. With the industry’s jobless rate hovering around 17 percent and no instrument in sight to lower it, it’s little wonder that two-thirds of surveyed industry leaders believe the dilemma will continue at least another year. see SPENDING page 58