Masonry Magazine May 2001 Page. 39
Cast Lintels and Project Management
Cast lintels were expedited and delivered just as the apprentices were completing the top course of brick. All in all, the project was managed very efficiently.
Jay Snyder of Mason Pro in Orlando and Jerry Painter of Painter Masonry in Jacksonville helped locate a few local contractors who were willing to act as job foremen and assist in the initial and finishing stages of the project. They also donated much of the materials used such as the scaffolding, the mixers, the mortarboards and most of all, their sweat. The day before the project began, these local contractors laid all the corners and leads, making sure that the walls were plumb and the dimensions were true. These contractors were instrumental in the completion of the project.
The morning of the project was gloomy, and some rain sprinkles flirted with the site most of the day. There was a fear of rain, which would have suspended the project. Luckily, only a few sprinkles fell, and the cloud cover provided some much needed shade from the sometime brutal Florida heat and humidity. The apprentices arrived at the site around 7:30 am. After a small debriefing by Steven Fechino of WASCO, Inc. in Nashville, they began erecting the wall. Soon afterwards the architects, who were attending the Architect's Symposium, arrived on the site. Mr. Fechino then proceeded to teach the architects the correct methods of laying brick in a staging area adjacent to the site. After approximately an hour of instruction, the architects were paired with an apprentice. The apprentices were responsible for continuing the architects' education on laying brick. The architects received hands-on training on the proper installation of masonry and details. One architect admitted, "It's a lot harder than it looks, I laid only four bricks in a half hour! I have gained a ton of respect for the guys who are skilled in this trade." For the next four hours, mason apprentices from all across North America taught licensed architects about the skill and pride of the masonry trade.
Right before lunch, the channel 9 news camera arrived to cover the event. The cameraman wandered around the site for almost an hour taking various shots of the volunteers hard at work. Later that evening, and Saturday morning, channel 9 news aired a story highlighting the MCAA and their efforts. Some of the volun-
Mason Apprentices
Mason apprentices from all across North America taught licensed architects about the skill and pride of the masonry trade.
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MASONRY MAY, 2001 39