​SAT, MAY 16, 2020
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

​INTRODUCTION TO MASONRY 28101-13
Provides information about basic masonry materials, tools, techniques, and safety precautions; explains how to mix mortar by hand and lay masonry units; and describes the skills, attitudes, and abilities of successful masons.​

COST: $0 REGISTERED STUDENTS
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​Join Stephen Borg, of The Keelen Group and Jeff Buczkiewicz of the Mason Contractors Association of America as they discuss the recently passed $2 trillion stimulus package and what regulations, tax credits, and funding may impact and be available to mason contractors and small businesses that will ensure you are able to keep your trusted, skilled employees on board and your businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. MCAA is here to support and aid our members and mason contractors throughout the country weather this storm and hope this webinar will be a great resource to you.

The MCAA's Association Healthcare Plan allows small employers to gain access to large group plan designs and doctor networks while avoiding pitfalls that add costs to small group medical plans.
 
The MCAA has partnered with Assurance, one of the premier insurance brokerages in the country, to develop an Association Health Plan (AHP).

FULL DETAILS AVAILABLE HERE: https://bit.ly/2wpRvbs

​By  George F. Will Columnist

Baker Correctional Institution winners of first ever competition


SANDERSON, Fla. — Inmates from across the state traveled to Baker Correctional Institution to compete in the first ever Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) inter-institutional inmate masonry competition. Seven teams from various Florida correctional institutions showcased their masonry skills, judged by members of the Florida Masonry Apprenticeship and Educational Foundation (FMAEF).


“This is a perfect model of how we are trying to take our rehabilitation programming and actually have it contribute to restoring the men and women under our care back to their communities with a skill that can immediately result in employment,” said FDC Secretary Mark S. Inch. “This competition demonstrates the skill that meets industry standards for immediate employment. We have skilled instructors that are following industry standards, and we have great support from the business community; both from professional and educational organizations.”


Masonry competitions are used industry wide to highlight the quality, skill and fidelity of masonry education programs. FDC’s masonry programs offer industry-recognized certifications through rigorous coursework and hands-on experience. This training program equips inmates with the skills necessary for employment. Prior to release, inmates are paired with industry professionals through FMAEF to assist with immediate employment opportunities.

Read more:: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/comm/press/Main/01-27-Masonry.html

  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A four-story apartment building under construction on Jacksonville’s Southside burned to the ground before dawn Sunday morning in a fire that kept the eastbound lanes of Baymeadows Road blocked at Interstate 295 all morning.
Flames from the Fusion Apartment at Baymeadows being built along Baymeadows Road East spread to woods but the fire was stopped before it could spread into the neighboring Hampton Park neighborhood.

The Masonry Association of Florida MASONRY APPRENTICE CLASSES are beginning soon. See dates and locations for Open House events in your area:

​SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020
Individual class times are listed below:

​A man built his vacation home in the fire zone, and when the Thomas Fire blazed through, it reached his property. But it didn't burn it down. He says it's due to his fire-resistant design and materials, and officials are saying it's the way to go.

As Woolsey Fire victims start to rebuild their homes, fire experts say they need to rethink how they rebuild. And maybe they should be doing it the way Jeremy wolf did — rebuilding with specific materials to prevent their home from burning down in a future fire.
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"It’s a beautiful place to spend time," said Jeremy Wolf about his weekend home in Ojai Valley. He built the house five years ago, and knew he had to rebuild wisely.
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Read more: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/fire-proof-home-california-wildfires-ojai-valley-thomas-fire/82278/

"First and foremost they wanted something that was going to be timeless - a classic design. And they wanted something that was going to be secure for the students. Part of that is durability - the wear and tear on middle schools is pretty tough, so concrete block was a 'no-brainer' option."
 
When architect Calvin Durham and his team at Lambert Ezell Durham Architecture in northern Alabama were tasked with designing the new middle school in their hometown of Florence, they knew right away that they could draw upon structures of the past.

The 180,000 square-foot space is a partial Tuscan ode — design-wise — to the former Appleby School, which opened in 1917 and was eventually replaced in 1951.

“We used some of that detailing and some of that ‘feel.’ We didn’t copy it so much as we used that same vernacular of elements to kind of draw back on,” Durham noted.
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What he and none of his associates on the project expected however, was for one of the most renowned voices in the world on the subject of school safety to proclaim their new structure one of the most secure schools he’s ever encountered.

“I was blown away,” said Durham.

Read more> How CMU allowed an architect to design one of the five safest schools in America