by Rick Stryker
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Every day, camps and conference centers across the country struggle with
what should be simple issues. "Surely, someone has already solved
this problem," they cry in frustration. Your staff may turn to the
national or local ACA offices for answers to program, personnel, or staffing
issues. But sometimes the lament is more along the line, "The work
we paid a fortune for didn't last like it should have." This is particularly
true in camp facilities. Have you ever considered that there are hundreds
if not thousands of organizations that exist to get the message out about
its members' products and services? We take great pride and satisfaction
in our practice, and we are often able to point organizations in directions
where help may lie. This month, we'll look at some of the professional
and trade organizations that you may not even know exist, but whose purpose
is to guide you in the selection of methods, materials, and contractors
for some persistent and troublesome issues.
"Color my world . . . . "
"It's just paint. How hard can this be?"
Ten gallons of the local hardware store's "best" should cover
everything you could possibly need, right? Probably not. Commercial coatings
is a big business where breathtaking amounts of research and development
dollars have gone into products that bond tightly, resist mold and mildew
growth, and protect the surface beneath. To that end, several trade organizations
operate specifically to help the industry and potential clientele get
together. One is the SSPC, previously known as the "Steel Structures
Painting Council," but which has since reorganized and broadened
its scope to protective coatings in general. We regularly rely on their
library of documents and technical expertise when writing specifications
for painting all sorts of structures and industrial works including water
tanks, wastewater treatment plants, and swimming pools. The other organization
which you may find helpful is the Painting and Decorating Contractors
of America (PDCA). This group has established standards and certifications
for commercial painters. Between these two organizations, it's unlikely
that you can present their experts with a coating problem that they haven't
seen and solved before.
"Cool, clear, water . . . water . . . water"
In addition to the state regulators whose job it is to assist community
water suppliers (camps and conference centers qualify!), there are the
American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the National Rural Water Association
(NRWA). The AWWA publishes standards for each and every aspect of water
production, treatment, storage, and distribution. They publish and maintain
four, four-inch thick volumes that describe every detail of water works
from acceptable interior coatings of pipes, to how systems should be disinfected
and pressure tested. Each state has a branch of the NRWA and full-time
associates who regularly visit operators of rural water systems, providing
insight and guidance on all aspects of water systems.
And while we're on the subject of water, let's talk a little about pipe.
All pipes are not suitable for all applications, and knowing what the
different materials are will help you get the most from every dollar spent.
You probably didn't know that there are not less than six different trade
associations with specific knowledge on the installation of buried pipes.
The Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA) obviously represents
manufacturers of ductile iron pipe for both water and sewer applications.
The Uni-Bell Pipe Association's market specialty is PVC pipe, also for
both water and sewer projects. The Plastics Pipe Institute provides similar
information on other plastics including high density polyethylene (HDPE)
the black water line often strung over the ground as a "temporary
fix," corrugated plastic drain pipe, and cross-linked polyethylene
or "PEX" which is used for hot and cold water applications in
buildings and is resistant to freezing. Steel and concrete have been widely
used as water distribution pipe. Vitrified clay (sometimes called "Orangeberg")
has been used for over a century for conveying sewage. Each of these materials
has a nonprofit organization that can provide you more insight to the
proper applications, maintenance, and installation of their particular
line of products. If you have any of these materials on site, it's in
your best interest to find their Web site and bookmark it in your browser!
"Like a rock . . . ."
Concrete is a wonderfully adaptable, strong, and long lasting material
which, when properly designed, mixed, and installed, can serve you well.
It is comprised of three primary components (Portland cement, sand, and
gravel) and one foreign material (steel bars). The American Concrete Institute
(ACI) is a primary source of technical and administrative information
concerning this staple of the construction industry. Their standards are
included by reference in building codes across the country and are the
yardstick by which responsible suppliers and contractors are judged. Their
research and literature cover all of the applications, design criteria,
and methods by which concrete is cast. For example, if you need the concrete
to be water proof, or to resist freeze-thaw cycles, the ACI publications
describe the chemical additives and mechanical processes that will help
your finished concrete product meet those goals. Similarly, the Portland
Cement Association (PCA) governs and researches this primary active component
of concrete: the white dusty powder called Portland cement. The steel
which adds tensile strength to the concrete is governed by the American
Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). Even the gravel and sand is regulated
by the standards of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.
There are literally thousands of similar groups which represent 95 percent
(or more) of the products you use or are installed at camp. Try to use
your search engine regularly and exhaustively to find sources of technical
expertise and guidance, and book mark those that even remotely look like
you may use them again.
As a final thought, some folks would argue that citing standards from
these organizations, or requiring that workers are certified by them will
push up the costs for the project. In a short-sighted way, this may be
true, since any company that belongs to these societies and trade groups
has to recover its costs for training and membership. At the same time
though, couldn't potential guests at your camps make the same argument?
Doesn't membership and certification in ACA carry with it assurance that
your campers are receiving a certain level of care and service? Does that
mean that they're paying more than they would if your camp was not accredited?
Perhaps. But I'd bet that you'd be quick to point out the benefits that
your guests can expect by visiting your, ACA-accredited camp. Why not
take advantage of being a "customer," and let the experts and
specialists of these and many other organizations serve you?
Originally published in the 2005 March/April
issue of Camping Magazine.
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