Putnam progress 1

c M Y K 50 inch pUTNaM progress 2013:

www.herald-dispatch.com

progress 2013:

the Herald-Dispatch’s annual progress editions take a look at our tri-state economy and business community. today’s sections focus on education and industry. other topics will be examined over the next three Fridays.

Friday, March 8, 2013

1B

edUcaTioN

Courtesy of Tina Kirk

“DJ” the robot will make his debut at the FIRST Robotics Competition in Pittsburgh on March 14. The Putnam Area Robotics Team, made up of 18 students from Winfield High School, three from Hurricane High School, and two from Poca, completed the robot in February. It is named after group leader Denise Johnson and her husband, James Files. Johnson, a math teacher at Winfield High, started the group after a suggestion from one of her engineering students. She will retire at the end of the school year.

iNside THis secTioN

safety, new facilities A school bond levy

is funding a massive building project that would include the construction of four new schools, while local schools practice safety drills to help ensure safety of students / 4B, 5B

InspIratIon: scIence

Putnam robot ‘DJ’ to travel with team

N

sTorY BY BoNNY rUsHBrooK / For THe Herald-dispaTcH F

early two dozen Putnam County students, two teachers, several mentors from Toyota, parents — and one robot — will head for Pittsburgh on March 14-16 for the Putnam Area Robotics Team’s (PARTs) third appearance at the FIRST Robotics Competition.

Although there will be at least 30 humans representing Putnam County, the star of the show will be “DJ,” the robot, constructed by members of PARTs during a six-week period from early January to the middle of February. Working zealously twice a week after school and Saturdays to complete the robot by Feb. 19, the students will compete with more than 50 teams from several states and possibly some foreign countries. They will also attend a competition in Terre Haute, Ind. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, an inventor and entrepreneuer, to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders.

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Called “the varsity sport for the mind,” the competition gives teams and their mentors six weeks to solve a common problem using a standard kit of parts and a common set of rules. The robots then compete in games designed by Kamen and a committee of engineers and other professionals.

The robotics group, formerly known as RoboGENS and now called PARTs, has come a long way since its first competition in 2011. The first group had eight members who were all from Winfield. This year’s team is comprised of 18 students from Winfield, three from Hurricane and two from Poca. Leading the group are Winfield High School math teachers Denise Johnson and Tina Kirk. PARTs is one of four robotics teams in West Virginia.

Although the goal is to build a robot to take to competition, Kirk said there are many ways students can contribute to the team to help reach that goal. The jobs include constructing field elements, making buttons,

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C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Education

2B The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2776 www.putnamherald.com

Robot

n Continued from 1B

10-year plan big task for Marshall University

By BEN FIELDS

T

The Herald-Dispatch

en years is a long time.

A lot can happen and a lot can ch a nge i n t h at span.

Looking at what needs to change and trying to predict what future needs will demand is what Marshall University is trying to do now in compiling its Facilities and Land Use Master Plan.

“To look 10 years into the future can be a daunting process, from facilities to technology to what students are looking for,” said Marshall President Stephen Kopp. “If you look over the past 20 yea rs , we’ve ta ken ma i nframes and personal computers and put them in the palm of people’s hands.”

When it comes to the land use plan, Kopp said the university has to look at facilities in terms of adaptability for emerging technology.

“To some extent, it’s looking into a crystal ball, and to some extent, it’s examining trends and trying to determine what those trends mean,” he said.

“It’s very hard to anticipate trends and changes in technology and how that’s going to affect things. I think we’ve done a good job over the past few years of taking that into account with our facilities.”

The plan is a comprehensive lookahead that Marshall is required to put together every 10 years for review by the Higher Education Policy Commission.

T he l a st pl a n wa s put together in 2003. Marshall’s new plan is due for review by December 2013, and it must also be approved by Marshall’s Board of Governors.

Area residents got a glimpse of the beginning stages of the process in December at a public input meeting. The meeting was the first of several scheduled before the f inal plan is sent to the HEPC. Marshall officials have said public input is vital because the local community is so involved with Marshall University and vice versa.

Shaping the land use plan is Ma rsha ll’s Master Pla n Executive Committee, along with Ann Arbor, Mich.-based SmithGroup JJR, the planning consultants for the project.

Marshall’s main campus and two satellite campuses are all part of the project.

While it is still very early in the process, Kopp said one of the major projects the university could include would be a renovation or replacement of the Memorial Student Center.

“That’s an iconic part of

“Ultimately, we’re focused on what dimensions we can add that will make Marshall a destination university.”

Stephen Kopp, MU president

the university that has been there since the 1970s,” Kopp said. “That’s a priority, looking at that and saying ‘Should we renovate it or replace it?’

Right now, renovation doesn’t seem that appealing, and we need a student center to be a place where students can socialize and study. Clearly that will be an important issue in the next 10 years.”

Marshall is also continuing its effort to integrate the campus more with downtown Huntington.

MU is set to have a greater presence downtown, as work continues to move the school’s visual arts studio into the former Stone & Thomas building across the street from Pullman Square.

The university is also in the midst of a $30 million project that started over the summer with the demolition of Veterans Memorial Field House.

A g rou ndbrea k i n g took place in the fall for a new $8 million soccer complex to take the spot occupied by the Field House. The new facility will include a park that contains parts of the original Field House and will be dedicated to veterans.

It’s the first visible work on a plan which eventually calls for an entire athletic complex including an indoor football practice field, a track, a Marshall sports hall of fame, athletic offices and a sports medicine facility.

“Those are all things that have started that will have to be part of the master plan,” said Karen Kirtley, senior vice president of administration for Marshall. “The new completed parking garage is also part of that, so you can already see some of the things that the plan will involve.”

Private fundraising for the at h letic complex is bei ng headed up by former M U great and NFL quarterback Chad Pennington, along with Herd basketball legend and L.A. Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni.

That’s part of Marshall’s relatively new philosophy of fundraising through not only public, but also private revenue sources.

It ’s a n id e a K o p p h a s embraced since he took over at Marshall, and which has seen the completion of a student recreation center, a new softball field and work on a

new school of engineering building.

“It ’s gone exceptiona lly well,” Kopp said. “But you have to understand that there are certain types of projects that lend themselves to that.

With the recreation center or the new residence halls, there’s a revenue stream that’s associated with that. There’s money coming in that offsets the cost of the bond issue and makes the ends meet.”

Kopp sa id t h at t y pe of fundraising is less feasible with a project like the visual arts building, where it would be hard to identify revenue sources that would justify a private-public partnership.

“We use a blend of tactics when it comes to fundraising,” Kopp said. “Some projects lend themselves to (publicprivate funding) and some do not. But if you simply rely on the state to provide funding for new facilities, the likelihood is you’re going to be waiting a long time. So we’ve made it a point to try and identify other ways to raise funds.”

Kopp and Kirtley both said they want the public to know the 10-year plan is an open process.

“Public feedback is very i mpor t a nt ,” K i r t ley sa id .

“The master plan provides that comprehensive look and planning process for what we are looking at and for future land acquisition. It not only identifies those projects, but gives us a 10-year outline on how we can get it done.”

Kirtley said the public seems to have taken an interest in the plan, with 50 people attending the f irst public meeting in December, and hundreds hitting the website MU has set up for public input.

“This is a very open process,” Kopp added. “We’re open to ideas. And I’ve been very eager and excited to read what people have had to say and the ideas they have as to what we need to be looking at.

“Ultimately, we’re focused on what dimensions we can add that will make Marshall a destination university. We want to establish the things that define us as a university that students see as unique, and we do that through facilities and technology and how we shape an environment that students are looking for.”

Bonny Rushbrook/For The Herald-Dispatch

Members of the Putnam Area Robotics Team replace a bearing on a prototype they were testing Jan. 19. After testing several prototypes for their ability to throw the frisbee at a goal, they began building the robot the following week. The robot had to be packed and sealed in a bag by midnight Feb. 19 and not reopened until the first day of competition on March 14. inthecompetitionmustbebagged with a special tag and number and then stored by midnight Feb. 19.

The team cannot have access to that robot again until the competition begins March 14. With a twin, the team will have a robot on hand for practicing.

One idea the competition fosters is “Gracious Professionalism,” in which fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions.

Coined by Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST National Advisor and Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Gracious Professionalism” and by extension, its counterpart, “Coopertition,” yield innovation and allow young people to satisfy a drive for competition while also emphasizing the importance of respecting your competitors and treating them with kindness.

Although everyone goes to the competitions hoping to win the whole competition, there are many awards to be handed out. This year PARTs decided to enter the FIRST Safety Animation competition. The job was to produce a 40-second animated video demonstrating a safety aspect of robotics, which they produced with the help of Jamie Cope, the father of a student at Winfield High.

To see the video, go to YouTube and type in Putnam Area Robotics Team-3492.

The FIRST Robotics Competition has programs for younger age groups. Information which can be found online at www. usfirst.org. In addition, Kirk is

working with a group comprised of grades 7-9.

The competition awards more than $16 million a year in scholarships. In 2013, there will be 2,548 teams — comprised of more than 50,000 high school students — from around the world participating in more than 100 qualifying tournaments before the world championship in St. Louis on April 24-27.

Working with the robotics group has helped some of the members develop new skills.

Sierra, 16, who wants to build prosthetic limbs as a career, said she has learned a lot from being a member of PARTs. “I have a lot more friends. I’ve gotten out of my shell. I have friends with the same interests,” she said. “I’ve learned commitment, hard work and about being a team player,” she added.

Cody, 17, a second-year member of PARTs, likes the family aspect of the group.

“I like the community feel ...

I have learned social lessons, life lessons, how to use tools — stuff I can use later in life,” he said.

Michael, 17, has learned he wants to be a biological engineer for research and science.

“I’ve learned the value of teamwork and friendship — to value and trust in each member. I have grown attached to the whole team experience,” he said.

Some also found they could acquire skills they never dreamed possible.

“I never thought in a thousand years I could do this kind of stuff,” Sierra said.

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Construction continues on Marshall University’s new soccer complex on Feb. 11 in Huntington.

making bumpers for the robot, wiring, machining parts, essay writing, website design, coding the scouting program and programming the robot. One does not have to be a science or math whiz, they just have to live in Putnam County and be willing to work hard on the project three days a week.

Jacob Plasters, a team mentor from Toyota, says the second week of construction is still mostly about brainstorming and testing ideas.

“Today we are prototyping — trying different designs to see what works and doesn’t work.

First we brainstorm as a team — the kids have different ideas — and then see if it works,” he said. If the prototype works, the team uses AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor to design the robot.

“You are allowed to buy certain parts up to $400 (separate from the kit parts). Everything else we can machine here.

Using basic tools such as the band saw, the drill press and the lathe, we can manufacture 95 percent of the robot. More difficult pieces we take to Toyota or the Robert C. Byrd Institute,” he said.

The group moves out into the hallway where it tests the prototype to see if the robot will throw discs. At the competition, where this year the game is titled, “Ultimate Ascent,” the robot will have to throw the discs at goals. The first 15 seconds, it moves on its own. Then drivers move in and operate the robot. During the last 30 seconds it must climb a pyramid with 30 points earned at the highest level.

But during the early stages of construction, the group is replacing a bearing before the first disc flies. Finally they place the disc onto the prototype. Not much happens. They try again, and the disc flies about two feet. Finally, a few tries later, the yellow disc comes sailing down the hallway and everyone cheers and ducks.

After about three more successful launches, it is time to call it a day. Construction begins in earnest the following week.

Fortunately, they have four men from Toyota, and one from the Robert C. Byrd Institute — among others — who have put in a large amount of time helping the students put “DJ” together.

This year the team has built two robots because the robotused

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MARSHALL UNIVERSITY Teays Valley Regional Center

FALL 2013 SCHEDULE • AUG. 26-DEC. 16, 2013

www.marshall.edu/tvrc

DEPT

CRSE #

SEC

ACC

215

3

Principles of Accounting I

BSC

227

4

Human Anatomy

BSC

250

4

BSC

250

Title

4

Day

Time

Room/Location

R

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Seville Building

T/R

7:30-9:40 p.m.

Hurricane High School

Microbiology Lecture

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Seville Building

Microbiology LAB

W

5:30-7:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

Microbiology Lecture

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Seville Building

Microbiology LAB

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

BUSN

141

3

Business in the News

M

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

CHM

203

3

General Chemistry I

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

DTS

314

3

Nutrition & Diet Therapy

M

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Seville Building

ECN

250

3

Principles of Microeconomics

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

ENG

101

3

English Composition I

M/W

5:30-6:45 p.m.

Hurricane High School

ENG

200

3

Texting the World

T

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

ENG

201

3

Advanced Composition

W

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

ENG

205

3

Popular Literature

R

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

GEO

317

3

World Regional Geography

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Seville Building

HST

103

3

The World Since 1850

W

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Seville Building

HST

208

3

The Developing World

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Seville Building

HST

440

3

West Virginia History

R

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

ISC

209

4

Chemistry in the Home

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

LE

207

3

Legal Environment

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MGT

218

3

Business Statistics

R

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Seville Building

MGT

320

3

Principles of Management

W

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MGT

419

3

Business & Society

T

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MGT

420

3

Operations Management

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MGT

422

3

Organizational Behavior

M

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MKT

340

3

Principles of Marketing

T

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MTH

98

3

Math Skills I

M/W

5:00-6:30 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MTH

99

3

Math Skills II

T/R

5:00-6:30 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MTH

121

3

Concepts & Applications of Mathematics

T/R

7:30-8:45 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MTH

127

5

College Algebra - Expanded Edition

T/R

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

MUS

142

3

Music & Society

T

4:30-6:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PHL

302

3

Applied Ethics

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PSC

209

3

Fundamentals of International Relations

R

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PSC

303

3

American Political Parties

R

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PSY

201

3

General Psychology

M

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PSY

311

3

Child Development

W

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PSY

360

3

Personality

M

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

PSY

408

3

Abnormal Psychology

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

RST

220

3

Literature of the Old Testament

T

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

SOC

200

3

Introductory Sociology

W

7:30-9:50 p.m.

Hurricane High School

SOC

311

3

Deviance & Social Control

R

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

SOC

313

3

Contemporary Social Issues & Problems

T

5:00-7:20 p.m.

Hurricane High School

Summer 2013 May 13, - Aug. 16, 2013 INTERSESSION May 13- June 7 (2013 03) - No classes scheduled for this term at TVRC SUMMER I

May 20 - Aug. 9 (2013 04)

ENG

200

3

Texting the World

M

6:30-9:15 pm

Seville Building

ENG

323

3

American Literature, 1860 to the Present

W

6:30-9:15 pm

Seville Building

FIN

323

3

Principles of Finance

R

6:30-9:50 pm

Seville Building

W

9:00-11:00 am

Seville Building

W

5:00-7:00 pm

Seville Building

Summer II June 10 - July 12 (2013 05) ISC

209

4

Chemistry in the Home (Lecture online, Lab in class)

ISC

209

4

Chemistry in the Home (Lecture online, Lab in class)

Summer III July 16 - Aug. 16 (2013 06) - No classes scheduled for this term at TVRC

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please give special attention to the exact location of each class. TVRC classes are held at various locations.

If you have any questions regarding directions or locations, contact us at 304-757-7223 or tvrc@marshall.edu

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Teays Valley Regional Center 101 Carriage Pointe Suite 101 Hurricane, WV 25526 304-757-7223 Phone • 304-757-7292 Fax

3B

C M Y K 50 inch 4B The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

Progress 2013: Education

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2776 www.putnamherald.com

School bond levy propels construction, renovations

By BONNY RUSHBROOK For The Herald-Dispatch

In 2009, residents of Putnam County passed a special school bond levy to help fund a massive building project that would include the construction of four new schools, a major renovation of two schools and construction of four gymnasiums. It was the first school bond to pass in Putnam County in more than three decades.

Three-and-a-half years later, three of the new schools are finished with the remaining school set to be built in 2014, all four gymnasiums are completed, one renovation is done and the other one should finish

by August 2014, said Putnam County Schools Superintendent Charles “Chuck” Hatfield.

“This is the fourth year — still a year to a year-and-a-half out. At this point, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

The first two schools to be completed were Buffalo High School and Confidence Elementary. Students at the two schools got to begin the new school year in August 2012 in brand-new state-of-the-art structures.

For years, residents of Buffalo had wanted a new building to replace the outdated structure built in 1951. In 2012 they finally got their wish.

The 93,970-square-foot structure, built by Hayslett Construction and designed by architect Greg Williamson (who designed all of the new schools) at a cost of $21.5 million, is divided into three sections — the academic section, which houses most core classes and labs; the fine arts section which is home to the music and band suite and includes a performance stage with dressing rooms, drama classrooms, a television studio

Poca students will be moving into their new middle school during spring break. Principal C.D. Caldwell said everyone is excited to move into the new building and the difference in the two buildings is like “night and day.” The old building is from 1926.

Courtesy of C.D. Caldwell

and the art department; and a third section containing two gymnasiums, one with a 700-person capacity and the other with a 300-person capacity, locker rooms and offices. In addition, the school has a library/media center, two computer labs, a suite of offices, conference rooms and storage areas. The school was built to house about 400 students from grades 9-12.

Conf idence Elementary’s new school was also a long time coming. The first Confidence Elementary was built sometime during the 1940s, according to Principal Colleen Huston. The staff and students moved into their new 38,000-square-foot building in August 2012. It was built at a cost of $8.8 million by G & G Construction.

“It’s like we won the lottery,” Huston said. “We were in one of the oldest buildings, and now I believe we are in the best,” she added. “They (the students) think they are in a palace.”

The school has 15 classrooms, a computer lab, library/media center, music/art room, dining room, office suite, a gymnasium, storage area, parking area and a playground.

“In our old school we didn’t have room for anything, now we have a separate gym and cafeteria — you can get lost in the kitchen,” she said. “We don’t take anything

for granted,” she added.

The students and staff also have a lot of pride in their new school.

Recently Brad Hodge, assistant superintedent for administrative services, came to the elementary school and was impressed because the floors still looked brand new after six months in the building. Huston said everyone tries to keep it looking fresh, especially the janitors.

“We just have a lot of pride,” she said.

She is also grateful for the bond that was passed by the citizens of Putnam County.

“There’s no doubt it would not have happened without the backing of the public.”

The case for Poca Middle School and Poca Elementary is just a little different. Poca Middle School has a new building, and Poca Elementary is undergoing a major renovation.

Although the new middle school is finished, Poca Middle students have remained in their old building. Instead Poca Elementary students are using the new building for a few months until a four-room addition to the school is completed.

According to Hatfield, the schools are almost ready for the students to move into their respective buildings.

In the next few weeks, Poca Middle school students will be

moving into their new 68,000square-foot building constructed by E.P. Leach and Company at a cost of $21.6 million, a pricetag which also includes the renovation of Poca Elementary.

Hodge says the old Poca Middle School will then be demolished, leaving only the annex, which will then be renovated.

“It will be tied into the new school,” he said.

Principal C.D. Caldwell said everyone is excited about moving from their current building, constructed in 1926, into their new one.

“Having the temperature between 72 and 74 degrees is a dream,” he said. Without central heat, the hallways are always cold.

One week in February, the school had broken water lines, and students and staff had to deal with flying termites the last few years.

When they begin learning in their new building, students will find new classrooms, a computer lab, science labs, a library/media center, dining room, kitchen, a gymnasium with lockers, restrooms and new faculty planning areas. It will house approximately 350 students in grades 6-8.

Caldwell gives the credit to the people of Putnam County.

“It was the people of Putnam County who made all of this happen and we can be thankful

for that,” he said.

Winfield Middle School presented a comparable problem because the students needed a building for classes while the rest of the complex was being built.

The new Winfield Middle School is probably a year or so from completion. Costing about $21.5 million, the school will have 83,000 square feet of new construction while retaining 7,000 square feet of renovated space. The school’s three-story curriculum building is already completed and is currently housing students and staff. The school’s new kitchen is also complete. The outside facade of the building is still under construction.

Although the school will have a new gymnasium, it is retaining the old gym for use as an auxiliary gymnasium. Currently, the old gym is doubling as a dining room until the new dining room is finished.

Principal Gary Cook, who is in his third year at WMS, said everyone is cooperating and working together patiently while construction is being done on the new building.

“We’re making it work. It’s a work in progress,” he said.

Cook said one of the things he likes about the new building is it pulls all of the students together whereas before, the eighth grade

was in the main building, and the sixth and seventh grades were in the portables.

“It was almost like two schools. They never interacted,” Cook said. He is pleased the school has a modern, up-to-date building with three computer labs and three science labs, plus a library/media center, office suite and storage.

The school will be able to house 650 students from grades 6-8.

Just down Route 817 (formerly old Route 35) is Winfield Elementary School. It, too, is under construction at a cost of $9 million, for a new 11-classroom addition plus a new gymnasium.

Students will be moved into the new classrooms soon while the older school goes under a complete renovation which has a target completion date of 2014.

Along with these new and renovated school buildings, Putnam County Schools has added auxiliary gymnasiums at Poca, Winfield and Hurricane high schools at a cost of $7.6 million of bond money.

Hatfield said Putnam County Schools has been successful academically, and now will have schools that are up-to-date and match that success.

“We’ve made wonderful progress. We feel good about where we are,” he said.

MU forensic center assists in national criminal cases Terry

FENGER Marshall University Forensic Science Center is recognized nationwide as a center of excellence. The center is home to a nationally accredited master’s degree program in forensic science and is nationally accredited for its multidisciplinary forensic science program and separately accredited for its computer forensics.

The center also houses accredited investigative laboratories that work in conjunction with the West Virginia State Police and other law enforcement agencies to perform DNA testing and examination of all types of digital device evidence in criminal cases. Although students are not involved in actual casework and evidence handling, they use validated procedures and equipment to analyze mock case samples. Research in the area of DNA for human identification, illegal drugs, explosive and fire debris, and trace evidence allows students to experience laboratory analysis of a wide variety of evidence types.

Academic programs, such as Marshall’s, have been called upon to meet the ever expanding needs of the forensic science community by graduating highly educated and trained professionals in many diverse areas of forensic science. This need is compounded by the large numbers of experienced forensic scientists at the federal and state level, who are at or nearing retirement age. Each year the accredited academic program at MUFSC produces 15 to 20 graduates who enter careers

Courtesy of Terry Fenger

The Marshall University Forensic Science Center, headed by Dr. Terry Fenger, pictured standing, houses accredited investigative laboratories that work in conjunction with the West Virginia State Police and other law enforcement agencies to perform DNA testing and examination of digital device evidence in criminal cases. in a wide variety of forensic disciplines.

Other challenges confronting forensic scientists result from new types of crime and terrorism. MUFSC is expanding its research and course offerings to include analysis of new designer drugs, such as bath salts, training in homeland security topics with emphases on terrorism and rapid DNA analysis. Advances in the digital world require students to be well-versed in current and older technologies as well as to anticipate new digital technologies that are destined for the marketplace and can be used for criminal purposes.

Always mindful that results of forensic examinations will be presented in court, students are instructed in pertinent aspects of criminal law and participate in mock trials where they learn courtroom presentation skills. In certain areas of forensic investigation, such as terrorism, drug trafficking and computer crimes, students learn that these are crimes without borders and are instructed

in newly evolving approaches for investigating and solving international crimes.

In order to promote MUFSC and advance forensic science, faculty and students attended the American Academy of Forensic Science Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Feb. 18-23. Dr. Graham Rankin served on a toxicology panel, and Dr. Waugh and DNA Analyst Seferyn presented research findings. Overall, 36 of our program’s forensic science graduate students attended the academy meeting, 11 of whom gave presentations.

To meet challenges, the training and research laboratories at MUFSC must expand, and more faculty and staff will be required going forward.

The MUFSC is launching a campaign to identify funding to complete the build-out of its West Wing Annex, which will house the forensic chemistry and microscopy labs that are now located off campus in temporary facilities.

Dr. Terry Fenger is director of the Marshall University Forensic Science Center.

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Progress 2013: Education

The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

5B

SAFETY OF STUDENTS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS

Training, drills best prevention, officials say STORY BY BILL ROSENBERGER / ThE hERaLd-dISpaTch F

L

brosenberger@herald-dispatch.com

ocal school officials have said in recent weeks, in light of the deadly elementary school shooting Dec. 14 in Connecticut, that no building is ever going to be completely safe.

That was highlighted at Sandy Hook Elementary when the gunman shot out the glass in the front door, making any camera system or door-locking mechanism useless.

And, just last month, a Huntington High School student who had been suspended made his way into the gym locker room, where he showed at least one other student a handgun he had in his possession.

The 15-year-old left campus and was arrested a few hours later. Law enforcement later determined he was not a threat to the school, but the fact is a student went undetected in bringing a gun into the school.

“The nature of the design of a (school) facility does not lend itself to being secure,” said Mike O’Dell, the assistant superintendent of Operations for Cabell County Schools. “We can do all this stuff, but ... if we want to be serious, we have to ask what to do if a person gets in.”

So — even in the midst of the latest discussion of whether to put shatter-proof, clear film on windows and doors to at least slow down a shooter — the best deterrent is still humans executing safety plans, O’Dell and others said.

Proper training and drills could be the best prevention, because, O’Dell said, “it only takes one careless employee, and it negates all the money we have spent (on technology).

The best deterrence is a welltrained staff.”

That’s why Cabell County performs lockdown audits on every school throughout the year. O’Dell said that entails someone walking the circumference of the school checking for unlocked doors. They also check to make sure every employee is wearing his or her ID badge. It takes just one employee without an badge for

the entire school to fail the audit, he said.

“I want our kids taught if they see an adult in building without a badge, get to the first adult they see and report it,” he said. “We want our kids to react that way.”

Repetition and practice Tim Stewart, the safety manager for Cabell County Schools who was on a panel discussion at a Safe Schools Summit in Charleston in early February, said a plan is only good if it is practiced and taken seriously.

That will lead to the students taking lockdown and fire drills seriously as well.

“We are educators who are practicing emergency response techniques. The key is repetition and practice,” Stewart said.

Fire drills, they said, provide the greatest training efforts.

Schools do about a dozen a year, and a requirement is that at least two must include blocked exits. The reason that is important, said Spring Valley High School Principal Steve Morris, is it forces there to be a plan B. O’Dell and Lynn Hurt, the new superintendent in Wayne County, both recalled that when

they were principals, they even had fire drills in which some classrooms evacuated through a window.

“If you have a good safety plan, it will become second nature,” said Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless, who spoke at a PTO meeting at Fairland West Elementary on Feb. 5.

“You have to be vigilant the entire day and aware of everything going on around you.”

That is something Spring Valley’s principal also said during a talk in his office last month.

The school, though appealing, would not be designed as such today, he said, because the front doors open right into the cafeteria, where hundreds of students congregate during the lunch periods.

“When they put those doors in, I immediately thought, ‘I could blow this door out and keep walking,’” Morris said.

The Sandy Hook shooting also played a role in him assembling a safety committee including JROTC instructors, students, local police and fire officials, and staff to form an evacuation plan. The goal, he said, isn’t just to add the evacuation plan but also to evaluate the current safety procedures

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Students participate in a school bus evacuation drill on Feb. 6 at Fairland West Elementary School in Proctorville. and whether the teachers and students know them.

“I never really thought about it, but when this really happens, seconds mean lives,” Morris said. “You can prepare and plan, but everyone must be able to do it.”

J.C. Booten, a deputy with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department who serves as the school resource officer at all three Wayne County high schools, said he also has met with administrators.

“We started more into the crisis plans and what we can do to update them,” Booten said.

Lawless agreed, telling parents tragedies tend to open up the eyes of a lot of people to make places as safe as possible.

But he said the culture moves at such a fast pace, things are in the rearview mirror relatively quickly for those outside the blast zone. However, he thinks Newtown already is and will continue to force changes.

“In our day-to-day routines, we forget until the next one hits,” Lawless said. “But to see these young grade-school kids slaughtered is something that will be in our hearts and minds for a long time, and real changes are coming.”

Threat assessment

School and law enforcement of f ic i a l s a l so h ave talked about the fact that the shooting in Newtown, Conn., was different than most other school shootings in the nation in the past 20 years. Most involved a shooter under the age of 18, who was a student at the school where they opened fire.

That’s difficult to grasp, as teachers and administrators work to ensure the education process takes place each day.

“First and foremost, they are our students,” O’Dell said.

“We have characteristics we and counselors look for. We’ve got to find a happy balance.”

Todd Alexander, the administrative assistant for Secondary Schools, said following the arrest of the suspended student that a lot of credit goes to other students who report what they hear or see.

“We catch students with knives several times a year,” Alexander said. “Almost every one of those cases, students have provided that information. They are really good to speak up.”

In addition, there is a threat assessment plan that came to

fruition following the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007.

Alexander said for a 2008 story that the assessments were working and recently affirmed that.

“Through our threat assessment process, I think we’ve been able to intervene appropriately in a number of cases,” Alexander said. “It has allowed us not to overreact and get students help.”

Alexander and Stewart said, overall, they think the county has done a good job ensuring that safety is taken seriously. For the past two years, local law enforcement and EMS have held mock shooting drills at both high schools that have included real students taking part as victims and shooters.

In the drills, students are given cards that say what part they play, whether they escape with or without injuries or whether they perish.

And none of the first responders know who is playing what role, so it’s as real as possible.

“I think we are more prepared now than we ever have been as far as school safety goes,” Alexander said.

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c M Y K 50 inch pUTNaM progress 2013: iNdUsTrY

www.herald-dispatch.com

progress 2013:

the herald-Dispatch’s annual progress editions take a look at our tri-state economy and business community. today’s sections focus on education and industry. other topics will be examined over the next three Fridays.

Friday, March 8, 2013

iNdUsTrY

Courtesy of Phil Moye/AEP

A newly completed bridge from the John E. Amos Plant over W.Va. 817, shown here under construction last winter, will allow trucks to transport ash from the plant to a landfill without traveling Route 817. The trucks will begin using the new bridge and haul road in the latter part of 2013.

THE SPAN OF PROGRESS iNside THis secTioN

Blenko glass has returned Blenko Glass Company is finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel after filing bankruptcy in 2011 / 2D

AppAlAchiAn power’s John Amos plAnt

Bridge built to remove ash-hauling traffic sTorY BY BoNNY rUsHBrooK / For THe Herald-dispaTcH F

O

ne of the most significant construction projects of the past year at Appalachian Power’s John E. Amos Plant is the construction of a bridge over Route 817 that will be used for ash-hauling trucks.

The structure, called the G.W. Massey Bridge — named for former plant manager Greg Massey who retired in 2010 — went into service in late 2012, according to Jon Webster, environmental and lab supervisor at the plant. The bridge was built to access the newer Bills Creek landfill across the highway from Amos Plant later in the year.

Although the bridge, which is 350 feet long, is presently used by employees to access the plant’s Bills Creek landfill, ash transport using the bridge and the new 3,700-foot-long haul road won’t begin until the current landfill space off Route 817 near Winfield is depleted, which most likely will be in the third or fourth quarter of 2013, Webster said.

Decisions and planning for the bridge began in 2009, said Webster.

steel industry adjusting

Steel companies report good business / 3D

3d design, printing Since 2009, RCBI has been working with and developing processes of 3D printing, or “additive manufacturing” / 4D

“The idea to build the bridge was a joint decision

by Appalachian Power and Amos Plant management, along with parent company AEP, AEP Environmental Services and AEP Civil and Geotechnical Services (Landfills),” Webster said. The bridge and associated haul road will remove ash-hauling truck traffic from Route 817.

“There are two locations on Route 817 (the plant entrance and the Bills Creek intersection) that have the potential to create sight distance and safety hazards where the ash-handling trucks and the public interact,” Webster said. A new bridge connecting the plant to the area near the landfill was the answer.

Webster said the planning and approval process for the bridge was completed in 2009, and construction took approximately two years. The grading and ground clearing took place in fall 2010 with road construction completed in early 2011. The bridge construction itself began in fall 2011, with bridge deck construction completed during the spring

of 2012. The last section of road construction was completed during the summer of 2012.

The bridge, which was designed by MS Consultants, Inc. in Charleston, is designed and constructed to allow ash-handling trucks to carry a permitted weight of 120,000 pounds compared to a permitted weight of 80,000 pounds on Route 817.

“AEP Project Field Services supervised construction with Brayman Construction as the lead contractor,” Webster said.

Webster said the curved design of the bridge took into consideration the property owners across from Route 817, allowing construction to be completed without encroaching onto the neighbor’s property.

The architectural finish of the bridge abutment wall is designed to give it a decorative “stacked stone” look. The bridge abutment itself is backfilled with bottom ash from the Amos Plant, which

Please see POWER/2D

MORE ONLINE: You’ll find these stories and more online at www.herald-dispatch.com. Other topics include economy, commerce, industry, homes, health and transportation.

1d

C M Y K 50 inch

BLENKO

2D The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

Progress 2013: Industry

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2776 www.putnamherald.com

Power

n Continued from 2D

& BETTER BIGGER

STORY BY WHITNEY JOHNSON/THE HERALD-DISPATCH

Photos by Toril Lavender/For The Herald-Dispatch

Perry Bays works on a Williamsburg Pitch at the Blenko Glass Factory in Milton on Feb. 11.

B

lenko Glass Company is finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel after a few rocky years that resulted in the filing of bankruptcy in 2011.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald Pearson agreed to the company’s reorganization plan in December, allowing the company to move forward with the final stages of bankruptcy. The bankruptcy involved at least 50 creditors, with Big Two Mile Gas Co. being the highest debt.

“It does consist of making some payments to some creditors who well deserve it,” said Katie Trippe, vice president of Blenko Glass Co. “Those payments will be made within closure of bankruptcy.”

Although bankruptcy increased the amount of paperwork for the company, Trippe said it was a good choice for the company because it allowed them to reflect on how they were doing business and how to make it better.

“Everything is heading in the right direction for sure. We’re feeling pretty optimistic about the business as a whole,” Trippe said.

Trippe attributes the company’s success to its faithful supporters.

“I am very thankful that we have been able to get to this point.” Trippe said. “I’m thankful for the support of the community. Without the support of the community, it wouldn’t happen.”

As the company takes its final steps to emerge from bankruptcy, several new projects are in the works.

“We now have a contract with Rejuvenation Lighting,” Trippe said.

“We are producing the glassware for their lamps. We worked all of last year, and they introduced the line in November.”

The lamps are currently available only on the Rejuvenation Lighting website and in its catalog. The business’ website offers vases and decanters made using Blenko Glass, in addition to the table tamps.

“Beyond that, we have been working with PBS and are doing a pretty significant project with them, where we’ve introduced a new documentary,” Trippe said. “It’s more about the way our glass is produced and the families here. It’s more of a human interest piece than it is a strictly historical piece.”

The documentary, which went nationwide in December, has been picked up by Public Broadcasting Services in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio. Kentucky Education Television (KET) is scheduled to air the documentary on March 9, with several other scheduled dates following.

Employees at Blenko create a new hand-blown glass piece each year in celebration of West Vir-

helped reduce earthwork costs and allowed for beneficial reuse of bottom ash that results from the burning of coal at the plant.

Appalachian Power Spokesman Phil Moye said the plant tries to consider all who will be involved when it does this type of construction.

“We try to take our plant neighbors into consideration when we do something like this, and this bridge is a good example,” he said.

Moye said the new bridge will benefit everyone.

“It benefits motorists and people who live near the plant by reducing traffic on the main road, and it helps the plant by providing easier access to the landfill,” he added. The bridge’s design also flows well with the landscape.

“It’s an attractive addition to Route 817, and it serves a useful purpose,” Moye said.

The John E. Amos Power Plant is a three-unit coal-fired power plant owned and operated by Appalachian Power, which is a subsidiary of American Electric Power. It is the largest plant in the AEP 11-state system. Its total generating capacity is 2900 megawatts.

According to Moye, along with the construction of the bridge, John Amos Plant personnel have made recent environmental upgrades including a Unit 3 scrubber which was completed in 2009, and Unit 1 and 2 flue gas desulfurization systems (scrubbers) which were completed in 2011. The scrubbers are designed to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 98 percent.

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) equipment, also installed on the units, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90 percent.

The construction of scrubbers and SCRs at Amos is part of a $4.2 billion effort begun in 2004 by Appalachian Power parent company AEP to install environmental controls on its fleet of coal-fired generating units. More than $2 billion in environmental upgrades have been constructed on Appalachian Power coal-fired generating units.

There are 315 Appalachian Power employees at the John E. Amos Plant. Of those, 44 are dedicated to operation of the plant’s scrubbers.

WV casinos seek break from taxes and racing The Associated Press

Gary Smith works on grinding down lamp bottoms at the Blenko Glass Factory in Milton on Feb. 11. ginia’s birthday. This year marks the state’s 150th birthday. Blenko will be hosting a special event on June 22 for the sesquicentennial, and there will be a special piece available this year.

“We feel like it’s a special birthday, so there may be more than one piece or a couple different options,” Trippe said.

The sixth annual Festival of Glass will be held Aug. 2-3. It features artisans and vendors selling their products, food, classes for people to take and more.

“A lot of people are planning their vacations around that weekend.” Trippe said. “Last year, I think the farthest that we had was Nevada or Washington State.”

Many attendees traveled from the Midwest, Texas and North Carolina last year.

“It speaks a lot for the area and

what we have to offer, and that’s our people,” Trippe said about the long-distance travelers.

Representatives of Blenko Glass have continued to attend shows across the country, including an American craft show in Philadelphia.

The company has started to focus more on shows that involve American-made or handmade projects, where there are more buyers interested in their glass products. These shows have allowed the company to increase its customer base. “(Blenko Glass) is bigger and better but is remaining who we are. Part of what we discovered is that people really do appreciate what Blenko does offer,” Trippe said. “We still want to be humble and still want to be attached to our roots.”

CHARLESTON — As West Virginia’s four racetrack casinos face growing competition from across the state’s borders, several lawmakers introduced a measure Wednesday that would slash the taxes and fees they pay by an estimated $28.3 million a year and allow them to scale back racing.

And while the casinos aren’t seeking to end racing — West Virginia first legalized other forms of gambling at these sites to support the racing industry — they also need greater control of their costs, said John Cavacini, lobbyist and president of the state Racing Association.

“If a racetrack is losing money on racing, it has to consider a reduction of racing days and the viability of live racing,” Cavacini said Wednesday. “It’s purely an economical, business model concept of the operation.”

Groups representing racing workers at the state’s horse tracks did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Five Democratic senators sponsored the measure, including two whose district includes the Northern Panhandle casinos. It would cut the annual fee that each casino now pays to host table games such as craps and roulette by more than half, from $2.5 million to $1 million.

The fees benefit senior citizen programs, and the bill proposes offsetting the resulting annual $6 million revenue loss by dipping into the purse fund for race winners by that amount.

The state’s share of table game proceeds would drop from 35 percent of gross receipts to 25 percent. This tax on table games reaped $78.1 million during the last budget year, and the proposed rate change would have reduced that amount by $22.3 million.

C M Y K 50 inch Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2776 www.putnamherald.com

Progress 2013: Industry

The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

Steel industry adjusts to changing economy

3D

STORY BY BILL ROSENBERGER/THE HERALD-DISPATCH

Huntington’s two steel producers report plenty of projects in the market

T

he two major steel producers in Huntington provide a good pulse on the overall economy. If Steel of West Virginia and Huntington Steel are busy, it means freight is moving and infrastructure is being built.

The heads of both companies both recently reported business was good, despite the downturn in mining and coal production.

Both are heavy producers for the mining industry but are diversified enough to be making up the difference in other sectors.

For Steel of West Virginia, it’s in freight, said Tim Duke, the company’s president.

“Our performance is quite amazing as the steel industry as a whole did not have a robust 2012,” Duke said. “We are fortunate our prime market product demand was quite strong last year.”

That prime market is the transportation industry — making the beams used in production of van trailers, industrial forklift components and rail equipment. That has culminated with Steel of West Virginia having two of its best years ever in terms of sales.

And while Duke he is not sure how long the uptick will last, the company’s success is a great indicator of where the national economy is.

“We measure strength in the economy by how much freight moves in this country,” Duke said. “Freight movements are coming back again. We anticipate the demand to be good in 2013.”

At Huntington Steel, which has been a family-owned business since 1904, fabrication is up 90 percent. It’s less profitable, said President Mike Emerson, because the industry is so competitive. But it is helping to keep the shop busy and offset the 40 percent

losses being seen at the company’s branch locations, which rely heavily on mining.

“The net effect is we’re still down a little bit, but fabrication is up,” Emerson said.

He and Mark Trimble, the marketing manager, said they have two things going for them. They are in the midst of a business cycle of higher education construction that has them fabricating steel for Marshall University, West Virginia University and Glenville State College. Those long-term projects provide steady work to complement smaller commercial and residential projects.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Ronny Hoose uses a grinder to debur a steel plate at Huntington Steel on Feb. 13 in Huntington.

Huntington Steel also has benefitted from the booms in the oil and gas industry, including projects in Morgantown and Floyd County, Ky. The eastern Kentucky project is a plant that turns natural gas into electricity.

Bob Bacon, who came from Special Metals to lead Huntington Steel’s outside sales division, travels throughout the region meeting with companies about the prospect of providing steel.

He said there are projects being discussed, designed and budgeted for.

“We’re seeing consistency in inquiries for projects,” Bacon said. “We’re hopeful those will be constructed.”

One way to stay ahead of the game is by being creative and innovative. Both Huntington Steel and Steel of West Virginia have worked to stay ahead of the curve and to set themselves apart from their competition.

Duke said Steel of West Virginia came up with a beam for solar farms and was the first mill to market the design. Other steel manufacturers have followed, he said.

“We’re always adding product,” Duke said. “We also do a lot of research and development projects.”

At Huntington Steel, customers are provided with a complete budgeting

analysis for projects that includes hard prices and a schedule. That has become critical in being selected for jobs even when the company hasn’t been the low bidder, Trimble said.

Emerson added that it has been a valuable component for the large projects like Marshall, which had bids from steel fabricators in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania. And for the smaller projects, the budgeting figures are a necessity when those companies are seeking financing.

“We offer a broad range of services,”

Please see STEEL/4D

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c M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Industry

4D The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

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Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch Photos by Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

Design Engineer Ronald Cabacar explains the process of the Z Corporation 450 3D Color Printer on Feb. 18 at the Robert C.. Byrd Institute in Huntington.

ADVANCES AT ROBERT C. BYRD INSTITUTE

On the cutting-edge of 3D printing, design

A

STORY BY BEN FIELDSF / ThE hERaLD-DISpaTch befields@herald-dispatch.com

t the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing, you can hold the future in your hands. Literally.

Since 2009, RCBI has been working with and developing processes of 3D printing, or, as it is now called, “additive manufacturing.”

“Most manufacturing involves cutting, drilling, what you might call ‘subtractive,’” said James Casto, associate director of public information for RCBI. “Here, you’re actually adding fine layers of powder to make something — an actual object you can hold in your hands.”

The institute has 3D printers at its locations in Huntington and Charleston that can literally create a three-dimensional replica or even a functioning prototype of any design a customer wants to build.

Models of stealth bombers, a type of hydraulic lift used in mining and unique screw fittings sit on a table in a small room in the RCBI’s Huntington branch as examples of what the printer can produce.

“Oh yeah, this is Buck Rogers stuff, but it’s real,” Casto said.

“This is a design we did for (J.H. Fletcher & Co.),” Casto said, picking up the model of a tracked piece of mining equipment.

Basically, the process takes decades — if not centuries — of design work and dumps it on its head.

Design Engineer Ronald Cabacar said the process saves customers looking to design equipment uncounted hours in time and uncounted dollars in research.

“Normally, you would have to build (a design), test it and if it wasn’t right, scrap it and start again,” Cabacar said. “In short, you are saving the developer time by printing a design they can hold and look at and analyze.

We want to give (the customer) something they can actually see.”

If changes need to be made, a developer can simply tweak their plan — typically called a CAD (computer-aided design) — and put it into the system again, instead of completely redesigning a working prototype.

Aside from Fletcher, in recent years the RCBI has helped NGK Spark Plug Manufacturing USA create a variety of fixtures used in the company’s automated assembly of oxygen sensors; Allevard Sofegi USA with producing prototype automotive fuel filter housings; and First Impression Patterns in producing a variety of casting patterns, among other companies.

The system is also used for reverse engineering — that is, looking at a finished product and figuring out how to recreate it.

Cabacar said there are many industries out there which need parts that don’t exist anymore for older equipment or machines.

A company can bring the part in, and RCBI can figure out how to re-create it and build a physical model through the printer.

He also said that there are some products that simply can’t be machined, which leaves large applications for additive manufacturing in industry and medical supplies — like replace-

ment limbs or hip joints that can be specified to a person rather than mass-produced.

Casto pointed out that the technology is open to anyone, not just a company or college program.

“Maybe you don’t have a digital file worked up,” Casto said. “Maybe you’re a tinkerer with a bright idea or a sketch on the back of an envelope. You can come here and we can work with you.”

The latest trend in additive manufacturing involves printers that use titanium and can produce real, working prototypes.

“That’s the next step for us,” Casto said. “That’s where we want to get to.”

Of course, RCBI is also still helping develop and improve more traditional means of manufacturing and helping community members find the skills to make a career in industry.

“People tend to think manufacturing is dead,” Casto said. “In high school, kids are told by their counselors that there is nothing there, and, as a result, manufacturers can’t find people to fill needed jobs. RCBI is here to demonstrate to companies that you can manufacture to their rigorous standards.”

Founded in 1990 from a federal grant secured by the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the institute is also home to the “21st Century Manufacturing Network.” The network is a clearinghouse that allows manufacturers to take advantage of global commerce opportunities, Casto said.

It allows smaller businesses to expand their customer bases to agencies like NASA, the Department of Defense and other government agencies, along with domestic and international markets, he said.

RCBI has four manufacturing technology centers, with locations in Bridgeport and Rocket Center in addition to Huntington and Charleston.

The four centers serve all of West Virginia, along with parts of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, though the institute has also assisted agencies in other states across the country.

Steel of West Virginia president Timothy Duke talks about the recent success of the company Jan. 31 at Steel of West Virginia in Huntington.

Steel

n Continued from 3D

Trimble said. “The more services we provide, the more competitive we can become.”

Both companies also have invested millions of dollars in equipment and infrastructure the past five years, doing so during tough economic times because, as Duke and Emerson said, the industry is cyclical.

There are ups and downs, and both are hoping coal mining will start turning back up.

But Emerson and Trimble aren’t sure when that will happen. They noted that it’s not uncommon for coal miners to be laid off or mines to be idled. But they said mine companies have taken it a step further by removing equipment from the mines.

In addition to profitability, both companies also have successes in other areas. Steel of West Virginia had its most profitable year in 2011 followed by its second-most profitable year in 2012. But Duke said he is most proud to report the company had the best safety performance in its history with no lost time due to injuries while working nearly 2 million man hours.

Both companies also are maintaining staffing levels and building strong relation-

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Paul Maynard welds a structural support at Huntington Steel on Feb. 13 in Huntington. ships with Marshall.

Not only is Huntington Steel providing all the steel for the university’s new engineering complex, Emerson said they also are partnering with the College of Information Technology and Engineering.

“T he vision of (CIT E’s dean) is to connect students to the construction project,” Emerson said. “Our hope is to have students come to see the 3-D modeling for their building, see the fabrication, see the steel go up and, ultimately, be in the building.”

And Steel of West Virginia touts that 55 percent of its managers attended or graduated from Marshall. In addition,

the company uses Marshall to help screen new hires. There also are 15 students from Marshall currently interning at Steel of West Virginia.

However, what they really need are industrial electricians and millwrights. Duke said they have and are still willing to work with higher education institutions to provide training programs.

“West Virginia has a great pool of managers and production workers,” Duke said.

“They have grit and know how to get the job done.

Getting skilled workers is a problem here and nationally.

There’s just not enough of them.”

Attention Local Home Owners: 72 of you may be able to take advantage of a limited time special “off-season” offer …

“Call Me A ‘Frustrated Contractor’ Offering $3,258 Value Furnaces for $863 with Off-Season Central Air Purchase (with full 15 year Parts & Labor Warranty)...”

Dear Friend,

Dennis Dodrill Wizard of Comfort

efit from this special off-season offer during my normally slow months, I’ll be ahead by the end of my business year because I’ll be able to …

I’m about to propose a limited time special offer that may be hard to refuse especially if you currently have an older less energy efficient furnace and air • Better pay overhead (rent, utilities, insurance and taxes) during my normally conditioner slow period.

• Help keep my service & installation technicians at work instead of sitting at Ifyouqualify,I’llreplaceyouroldfurnaceANDyouroldairconditioneras home during my normally slow period. a “package deal” during the winter season for much less than you would typically pay me during the summer months for a similar “package”.

As you can see, when a home owner takes me up on my “HottestAND Coolest Deal of the Year” EVERYONE CAN BEAWINNER! Sound too good to be true?

And by the way, there’s no obligation when you have us come out to It’s not and here’s why. I’m making you what may sound like an unbelievmeasure your house and explain the installation … able offer because it actually makes good sense for my business.

If you decide you don’t want to take advantage of this special off-season You see, I know from experience that January, February and March are usually my slowest months which is very hard on my business’s bottom line… offer (although I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to save this kind of then I have to spend the next several months during the spring and summer try- money), it’s no problem. You’re not obligated in any way. In the event that ing to make up for my usually slow winter months. Right now, I have no reason we don’t have available a special offer matched air conditioner/ furnace system that’s right for your home, once again, you’re not obligated in any way. to believe 2013 will be any different.

Just to say “Thank You” for taking time to read this letter and having us out That’s why I want to minimize my losses during my slow months by makto survey your house … we’ll give you a Very Special Free Gift (Life Expecing this special off-season offer available to 72 homeowners who qualify. tancy Checkup and Hydroscan of your current system, a $60 value). Why? Even if we don’t do business together now, I want you to remember us in the So, here’s how I can make the offer at the future. top of this letter …

Of course, we’re always happy to discuss your heating and cooling options Every year, some air conditioning manufacturers have to guesstimate how many air conditioners to produce for a given cooling season. Since there’s no if we don’t have available a special offer matched set that’s right for your home. way of knowing what the weather will be like and other factors that affect sales, But, again there’s no obligation on your part to do this and, in any event, you’ll at this time of the year these guys may have air conditioning inventory they still receive your Very Special Free Gift with our compliments. could have to hold onto until the next cooling season starts.

I’m sure you see that a manufacturer’s “inventory problem” can be a great If you’re thinking a new furnace (& air conditioner) isn’t in your budget – Don’t worry! You may be eligible for financing… opportunity for both of us especially at this time of the year. Through my industry connections, I was able to contact a distributor and order 72 new air condiBecause I’ve tried to think of every reason possible why you WOULDN’T tioners that were most likely going to just be sitting around until the next cooling season starts. Plus, I also “matched” my air conditioner order by ordering 72 take me up on this special off-season offer, I want you to know that I make furnaces – the matched sets that I ordered are in the 5 sizes that are the most financing available for qualified customers.

While I can’t promise you this, it’s possible that if you qualify for this special popular sizes that we typically install in local area homes.

Don’t get me wrong – these are brand new 2012 model air conditioners off-season offer and qualify for a financing plan that I can make available, your and furnaces that come with a full 15 year parts and labor warranty including a monthly payments for your new air conditioner and new furnace could be more lifetime warranty on air conditioner compressor. than paid for by the savings you may see in your monthly utility bills if you currently own a less energy efficient air conditioner and furnace.

How IAmAble To “Package Price” Your New FurnaceAs Part Of This Special Off-Season Offer Talking about lower utility bills…

By putting together this furnace-plus-air-conditioner package (I call it the I’m so sure you’ll see at least a 25% cut in your heating and cooling bills “Hottest AND Coolest Deal of the Year”) then agreeing to order 72 air con- (in reality, it may be more like 35%-50%), if you don’t, I’ll pay you twice the ditioning and furnace systems from the distributor at this time of the year, I difference for 2 years. Not only are you getting a new furnace and air condiwas able to get BOTH the new furnace AND the new air conditioner from the tioner with this special off season offer, I guarantee you’ll lower your heating distributor at a combination price that would have made any negotiator proud. and cooling bills.

This means that if you qualify for this limited time special off-season offer But you’ve got to act soon … call us at 1-866-DODRILL or (304) 776and buy one of these 72 new air conditioner/furnace packages from me during 8094 right now! This special off-season offer ends when my supply of my slow season, I’ll sell you a new furnace that I would typically price during special-offer matched systems run out or on March 15th, no matter what my “busy season” at $3,258 for only $863 when you also buy your new air … conditioner from me at a price that I would typically charge you during my Don’t wait to call me. Here’s why. I have ordered only 72 matched sets of “busy season.” each of the 5 sizes from the distributor. When all of the matched sets of 72 new air conditioners and new furnaces are sold as part of this special off-season offer, the “HottestAND Coolest Deal of the Year” will be over.

Pick up your phone right now …

And if I still have any of the 72 special off-season offer matched sets left on Simply call me during business hours at 1-866-DODRILL so we can schedule a time to come out and measure your home (to see if I have the proper March 15th, this special off-season offer will still end and will not be repeated, size furnace and air conditioner special offer package for your house). Remem- if at all, until, you guessed it, my next “slow period” rolls around in 2014.

So call me right now at 1-866-DODRILL to set up your no obligation ber … this special off-season offer includes only 72 matched systems in 5 sizes so you’ll want to let me know VERY SOON that you’re interested. When home survey or for more details about this limited time special off-season offer. these 72 matched systems that are included in this special off-season offer are gone, they’re gone and this offer is null and void. Call me right now at (304) 776-8094 or 1-866-DODRILLso we can get the ball rolling!

Dennis Dodrill As part of our no-obligation measurement of your home, we’ll show you Serving local homeowners since 1979 how much the new air conditioner will cost you … how much the new furnace would typically cost you if it were not part of this special off-season package P.S. Remember, there’s no obligation and – even if you decide not to take me offer … and your expected savings when you buy your new air conditioner and up on this special off-season offer or we don’t have available a special offer new furnace from me as part of this special off-season offer. The total price that matched set that’s right for your home after we measure your house and give I show you will include all installation materials and labor for both the new air you the estimate – you still get that Very Special Free Gift. conditioner and the new furnace.

P.P.S. Also, these systems come with a full 15 year parts and labor warranty including a lifetime warranty on air conditioner compressor.

Earlier I said that making you this amazing offer is also good business for me …

The way I look at it, if I allow 72 homeowners in the local area to ben- ©2012AirTime 500All Rights Reserved

Design Engineer Ronald Cabacar shows off a finished print from the the Z Corporation 450 3D Color Printer on Feb. 18 at the Robert C. Byrd Institute in Huntington.

261379

Dennis Dodrill

C M Y K 50 inch Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2776 www.putnamherald.com

Progress 2013: Industry

UPS AND DOWNS OF

COAL

IN WEST VIRGINIA

n While exporting coal to China, India remains a bright spot for the industry, a decrease in domestic demand has resulted in the loss of 5,000 mining jobs in West Virginia in 2012

The Associated Press

Workers at Kanawha River Terminals fill a coal barge on the Kanawha River in Quincy, W.Va., in this file photo. Although both domestic demand for coal and West Virginia production of coal has decreased in recent years, a bright spot is coal exports. West Virginia exported 40 percent more coal in 2012 than it did in 2011, but that wasn’t enough to compensate for the decrease in domestic demand.

STORY BY RACHEL BAILEY/FOR THE HERALD-DISPATCH

C

oal has long been a staple of the West Virginia economy. But with the rise of natural gas and changes to the U.S. energy policy, recent years have been a struggle for the coal industry.

“There has been a phenomenal turnaround in energy markets in the U.S. and probably worldwide,” said Cal Kent, a Lewis Distinguished Professor of Business at Marshall University. “The production of coal in West Virginia has gone down for several reasons.”

According to Kent, lower-cost coal seams have coal transloading facility to be built in Oregon, been more or less completely mined, competition the EPA cited concerns about “the potential for from natural gas is on the rise, and environmen- adverse effects from project-related coal dust tal regulations are forcing older, coal-burning and diesel pollution” as well as “the cumulative plants to cease production. impacts to human health and the environment The bright spot, he said, is exports. from increases in greenhouse gas emissions, “The demand for coal in countries like India rail traffic, mining activity on public lands, and and China is growing. That will be the transport of ozone, particulate very, very substantial as those economatter and mercury from Asia to the mies grow, and they don’t follow United States.” The letter from the environmental restrictions we have EPA mentions there are at least five in the U.S.,” Kent said, adding that other similar proposals to export coal the worldwide markets for coal are to Asia from the Pacific Northwest. strong.

Carter, a strong supporter of buildIn the meantime, though, that ing new ports, said, “If the ports are hasn’t stopped coal companies from allowed to be built, then they will be laying off thousands in West Virginia. filled up with U.S. coal, because U.S. Reports from the West Virginia Coal coal is in high demand.”

Association show that, between 2010 Carter, a member of the National and 2011, West Virginia lost 2,256 Mining Association (NMA), is fightmining jobs, finishing the year with Nick Carter ing back. Last summer, the NMA won 20,334. An additional 29,512 people of Natural a suit against the EPA. The plaintiffs Resource Partners worked as contractors. claimed water-quality standards for An uptick in exports of American the coal industry infringed on states’ coal would be a boon for workers authority to regulate mining. The as well as for the state and local governments, U.S. District Court in Washington agreed. which collect revenue in the form of severance Danny Vance, owner of Pump Service and Suptaxes. ply in Huntington, has also taken a hit.

West Virginia exported 40 percent more “It’s off about 40 percent, as far as our business coal in 2012 than it did in 2011, but that wasn’t is concerned, with the coal mining industry,” enough to compensate for a decrease in domestic says Vance. demand, according to government data.

Unlike Carter, who feels competition from The export data released Feb. 25 by the U.S. natural gas is coal’s biggest problem, Vance Department of Commerce shows West Virginia blames the administration’s restrictions. coal exports rose by $2.1 billion to a total of $7.4 “They don’t want to burn coal in power plants, billion for the year. so they’re continually restricting coal and what Despite the increase in exports, West Virginia they can do,” he says. coal production was still down more than 8 perDeputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow cent in 2012, and the mining industry in the state cautions that experts foresee coal production lost more than 5,000 jobs, according to the West continuing to decrease in West Virginia.

Virginia Department of Revenue.

“The United States is not a major steel proMuch of the rise is attributable to increased ducing country like it once was,” Muchow said. demand from Asia. West Virginia coal exports “Between 2012 and 2016, over 8.5 percent of total to China increased more than fivefold, from $93 coal-fired electric power generation in the Unitmillion to $567 million, between 2011 and 2012. ed States is being retired, and about 15 percent Coal exports to Japan increased more than ten- of the coal-powered electric power generation in fold, from $29 million to $395 million.

West Virginia is scheduled to retire.”

But, according to Nick Carter of Natural Service Pump and Supply has diversified its Resource Partners, a firm that owns properties business enough to avoid any layoffs so far. But where coal is mined, the current administration business is much harder with less money rolling has worked to make exporting difficult. in from industries like steel, which uses metal“Last year, we exported 120 million tons of lurgical coal in production. coal, which is a record,” Carter says. “There are “A good coal mine with a lot of pump business a number of applications for new ports and for could be a million-dollar-a-year business. There port expansion that would allow that capacity to aren’t many other million-dollar businesses expand to about 200 million tons of coal.” around here for us. We’ve got to have ten other He says he believes the applications are being customers to make up for that coal account,” held up by the Obama administration out of Vance says. concerns about global warming.

In a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of EngiThe Associated Press contributed to this neers dated April 5, 2012, regarding a proposed report.

The Putnam Herald — Friday, March 8, 2013

5D

While coal declines, W.Va. natural gas is on the rise

By RACHEL BAILEY

“The industry, and rightfully so, is being watched so carefully that you want to make sure that the wells are being maintained correctly.

That can’t be done by someone who’s a high school dropout and has no training.”

For The Herald-Dispatch

Even as coal production in West Virginia declines, the state remains a center of energy production, thanks in large part to natural gas.

The natural gas industry provided 19,956 jobs to West Virginians in 2010, the last year for which data is available, according to the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association. Numbers from the West Virginia Department of Employment Programs (WVDEP) reveal that oil and gas extraction’s “core industries” grew another 916 jobs the following year.

“These are extremely good jobs,” said Cal Kent, a Lewis Distinguished Professor of Business at Marshall University.

Drilling rigs move around the country, drilling natural gas wells and installing equipment. Each job is temporary, meaning crews can be coming from and going to practically anywhere in the country. In other words, they’re not necessarily jobs for West Virginians.

But wells also require maintenance, and for these jobs, Kent said that energy companies are turning to locals to fill the role.

“The industry, and rightfully so, is being watched so carefully that you want to make sure that the wells are being maintained correctly. That can’t be done by someone who’s a high school dropout and has no training,” he said. “Most of the companies are making a major effort to hire West Virginians, especially for the permanent jobs.”

In fact, demand is so high for skilled workers in the state’s natural gas industry that Marshall University’s business school has started an energy management program to meet the demand for people who understand energy markets and can manage energy companies.

“We have always had a large number of students enter the energy industry,” Kent said. “A good quarter of the management, the MBAs and accountants have been out in the energy industry.”

Wages for work in the natural gas industry are rising in West Virginia. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, employment in natural gas

Cal Kent

Lewis Distinguished Professor of Business at Marshall

in West Virginia has grown by 9.5 percent between 2008 and 2011. During that time, wages have risen an average of $8,100, from a 2008 average of $61,898 to $70,082.

Jobs created in the natural gas industry range from skilled labor, like petroleum engineering and geoscience, to positions that don’t even require a high school diploma, like wellhead pumpers, for which there is on-the-job training.

“There can be no doubt the recent upswing in activity within (construction and support sectors) can only be attributed to measurable activity in the Marcellus Shale gas field,” says a WVDEP report on the influence of the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia.

“The drilling of gas wells in 2008 employed 14. By 2011 this activity employed 178, a gain of more than 1,000 percent,” the report continues.

Support activities, such as excavation and surveying, have grown by 112 percent and 1,106 jobs in the same period, with wages in that sector growing by 42 percent.

Whether this growth will continue, the WVDEP says, “time will tell.” But Kent seems confident that, at the very least, the jobs we have are here to stay.

“I’ve been hearing since Jimmy Carter than we had to turn off our gas-powered yard lights because there couldn’t possibly be enough gas. All of this doom and gloom has proved not to pan out,” he says.

“In coal, we’ve mined the better seams,” he continues, “and it’s for that natural gas has come along to replace it.”

For natural gas to continue to grow, Kent says a focus on “downstream industries” is essential.

Downstream industries are industries that help process natural gas into different products. Just as oil is “cracked” into products of various sophistications and uses — aviation fuel, gas, fuel oil and asphalt, for example — natural gas must be separated into different useful components.

“There’s the issue of bringing a cracker to West Virginia.

All hydrocarbons are basically cracked; the stream is separated,” Kent explains. “We have over 200 hydrocarbons that we call natural gas.”

There are two kinds of natural gas — dry gas and wet gas.

Wet natural gas can be cracked into all number of products, from plastics and fuel to ethanes and butanes used in the chemical industry.

“Coal is the same way, which is why we have Chemical Valley, which you’ve seen if you’ve driven from Huntington to Charleston,” Kent says.

“We have to somehow or another develop a downstream industry, get the crackers here to use the liquids that we are taking off of the wet gas,” he says.

Appalachian Resins Inc. is expected to make an announcement soon regarding a planned a multimillion dollar cracker in the Wheeling area, with construction slated for later this year.

Meanwhile, Shell is planning a much larger ethane cracker in Monaca, Pa. While it won’t bring tax revenue to W.Va., the fact that it is only twelve miles from the border may well mean jobs for W.Va. residents in the area.

Developments like these will no doubt mean continued growth in natural gas jobs and wages for West Virginians in the years to come.

Storm strikes Mid-Atlantic; 250K people without power The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A winter storm marched into the Mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, dumping nearly two feet of snow in some places and knocking out power to about 250,000 homes and businesses.

It largely spared the nation’s capital, which was expecting much worse and had all but shut down.

Officials in Washington didn’t want a repeat of 2011, when a rush-hour snowstorm stranded commuters for hours, so they told people to stay off the roads and gave workers the day off. Dubbed the “snowquester,” the storm closed government offices, just as the automatic budget cuts known as the sequester were expected to do.

The storm pummeled the nation’s midsection on Tuesday, killing at least four people in weather-related traffic accidents. It was forecast to head to the northeast on Thursday, bringing strong winds, more snow and the possibility of coastal flooding to New England.

In Washington, where as much as 10 inches had been forecast, the storm did little but drop harmless snowflakes that rapidly melted amid warmerthan-expected temperatures.

Federal offices in the region will be open Thursday.

“They just say that it might snow and the whole city shuts down,” said Sheri Sable, who was out walking her two dogs in light rain and marveled at how even the dog park she frequents failed to open at 7 a.m.

There were bigger problems elsewhere in the region, though.

Lashing winds blew off part of the roof of a Stone Harbor, N.J., condominium com-

The Associated Press

A morning commuter, bundled against the cold, watches the snow begin to fall in Washington early Wednesday. The MidAtlantic region was expected to get 6 to 10 inches of snow. plex and Ocean City officials advised residents to move their cars to higher ground in preparation of possible flooding.

Maryland’s Bay Bridge, which connects Maryland’s Eastern shore with the BaltimoreWashington region, closed in both directions, because of wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

A tractor-trailer overturned on the bridge and leaned against the guardrail. Kelly Kiley, an interior designer, was driving on the span soon after the accident.

“The travel on the bridge was extremely scary,” Kiley said. “The crosswinds were terrible. Some of the taller box trucks were swaying.”

T he bridge reopened Wednesday evening.

I n Vi rg i n ia , Gov. B ob McDonnell declared a state of emergency and about 50 National Guard soldiers were sent out to help clear roads.

Up to 20 inches of snow piled up in central and western parts of the state. More than 200,000 people in Virginia alone were without power and another

40,000 in New Jersey were in the dark. Hundreds of wrecks were reported around the region.

“Over the next 12 hours, as the storm churns up the coast quite slowly, we expect a lot more heavy wet snow, we expect heavy winds and that is a dangerous situation,” McDonnell said at an afternoon briefing. “So stay off the roads, stay inside, enjoy the day off.”

In Richmond, most commuters appeared to be headed home by midday with the exception of Clint Davis, an attorney who was needed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

“Unless they canceled court, I had to be here,” said Davis, who was wearing a hooded slicker over his suit to shield himself from gobs of snow blown from trees. “I’ll be here for two or three hours and come out to a snow-covered car.”

Some communities in Washington’s outer suburbs saw significant accumulation too, including in Loudoun County, which had 9 inches in some places.

C M Y K 50 inch 6D The Putnam Herald —

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