Elite Monument Earthquake Repair Team Taps BAC Contractor, Members

JOURNAL: ISSUE 1 - 2013

Members of Local 1 Maryland/Virginia/DC, employed by BAC signatory contractor Lorton Stone LLC of Springfield, Virginia, will soon begin exterior stone restoration of the Washington Monument that was badly damaged by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Washington D.C. area in August 2011. Lorton is an integral part of the highly experienced team assembled by Perini Management Services, Inc. of Framingham, Massachusetts, which was awarded the contract by the National Park Service in December, that also includes general contractor Grunley Construction Co. and the scaffolding firm of Universal Builders Supply.

The repair project is expected to take between 12 and 18 months to complete.

Lorton and Local 1 members performed the Washington Monument's previous comprehensive stone restoration from 1998 to 2000. 

Compared to the West Coast, is the built environment of the eastern United States under- or ill-prepared to withstand another seismic event of similar or greater magnitude than the 2011 'quake?  "Yes," says BAC President James Boland, who has advanced the shared concerns of seismic experts with public officials that mid-level unreinforced masonry structures must be evaluated and in many cases, retrofitted, to safeguard the public. Adds Boland, "There is ample  evidence that when properly reinforced, masonry has excellent seismic resiliency. Doing so will not only help save lives but preserve our architectural heritage."

For more on BAC's and IMI's efforts to raise awareness on the need for regional seismic retrofitting, turn to page 7.