October 05, 2004 4:24 PM CDT

MSJC Considers Public Comments

By Masonry

The public comment period related to proposed revisions to the Masonry Standards Joint Committee's (MSJC) 2002 Editions of its Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (ACI 530-02/ASCE-5-02/TMS 402-02), Specification for Masonry Structures (ACI 530.1-02/ASCE6-02/TMS 602-02) and the companion commentaries closed on July 31, 2004. The MSJC is considering all public comments at the time of this writing with the intent of submitting a closure statement to the sponsoring organizations, including the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (SEI/ASCE) and The Masonry Society (TMS). Once that closure statement is accepted by the Technical Activities Committees (TAC) of the ACI and TMS, it will be posted for public viewing on The Masonry Society's web site (www.masonrysociety.org) and at www.masonrystandards.org. The likely timeframe for the posting of this closure is October 15, 2004.

If substantive changes are made by the MSJC as a result of public comments, those changes will be included in the closure statement and must be accepted, as part of the acceptance process for the closure statement, by the Technical Activities Committees of ACI and TMS.

Members of the public may view the closure statement by accessing it through the web sites listed above. An objection to the closure statement by the public will be considered as new business by the committee or as an appeal in accordance with Section 5.5 of the TMS Technical Committee Operations Manual. ACI and ASCE rules require slightly different closure procedures, and those organizations can be contacted directly with questions regarding the closure of revisions to what will likely become the 2005 MSJC provisions.

Note that both the MSJC and TMS TAC will be meeting at the TMS Annual Meeting in Baltimore in October. Both sets of meetings are open to the public except when items dealing with membership and committee chairmanships are discussed.

Additional details on the MSJC and completion of the 2005 MSJC provisions will be included in future editions of TMS News and posted at www.masonrysociety.org.

For more information on the MSJC, contact Dr. Richard E. Klingner at (512) 471-4577 or klingner@mail.utexas.edu. For information regarding how to view public comments and the closure statement for the MSJC, contact Phillip Samblanet at (303) 939-9700 or psamblanet@masonrysociety.org.

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About the Author

Masonry, the official publication of the Mason Contractors Association of America, covers every aspect of the mason contractor profession - equipment and techniques, building codes and standards, business planning, promoting your business, legal issues and more. Read or subscribe to Masonry magazine at www.masonrymagazine.com.