SC&RA presents Crane & Rigging Safety Awards

The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) recently presented a 2004 Crane & Rigging Safety Award to Burkhalter Rigging Inc. of Columbus, Miss.

The award was presented during the association's annual conference in Destin, Fla.

The Crane & Rigging Safety Award recognizes SC&RA member companies with superior safety records. First and second prize awards go to winners in five categories based upon the total man-hours worked during the year.

SC&RA is an international trade association of nearly 1,100 members from 43 nations.

Barbour discusses transferring of funds at MRBA meeting

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour addressed a standing room only crowd during a July meeting of the Mississippi Road Builders' Association (MRBA) in Jackson. He discussed the millions of dollars transferred this year from the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to the state's general fund.

Barbour told MRBA members and MDOT officials that the highway department "wasn't the only state agency affected by the transferring of funds for 2004-05. Our state Constitution says that we have to have a balance budget and with our overall revenues down we had to take appropriate steps to balance the budget.

"The exact amount of money transferred directly from MDOT is uncertain because of the difference in MDOT's figures and our administrative figures," Barbour said. "My office has pledged to sit down with work with MDOT officials and determine how much funding is affected so all of us will be on the same page and can find solutions."

Estimates of the funds transferred range from about $53 million to more than $100 million. One of the funds in question is the 12 percent in "game tax" money received by the state from casinos.

"I am committed to making MDOT money available so we can match the federal highway funds that are committed to Mississippi during our 2004-05 fiscal year. If necessary, I am open to working with MDOT on a line of credit to make sure we can take advantage of all federal highway funds for the fiscal year," the governor said.

Gov. Barbour said his office "only controls 21 percent of all of Mississippi's budget, and none of that is MDOT. I welcome their suggestions on budget solutions to our state's financial problems. Our state revenues are down and all agencies are affected by cuts because of our requirement to approve a balanced state budget. MDOT may also be affected to some degree for our 2005-06 state budget."

MDOT deferred 22 construction projects statewide in its June bid letting, according to a news release from Larry L. "Butch" Brown, MDOT executive director. Postponed earlier were city projects funded under the Local Surface Transportation Program.

"We (MDOT) hate it, but we are forced to defer the letting of these 22 projects until we have a firm assessment of our financial situation," Brown said in the release. "It is our agency's obligation to build and maintain the state transportation system, but we are forced to comprise that obligation in order to get back on track financially."

Volvo Construction Equipment Rents signs franchise contract in Mississippi

Volvo Construction Equipment Rents Inc. recently announced the signing of a franchise agreement for Volvo equipment rental centers in Jackson, Hattiesburg and the Gulfport/Biloxi metropolitan market areas in Mississippi.

GGCS Inc. of Hattiesburg entered into a Volvo CE Rents franchise agreement to own and operate independent Volvo CE Rents centers in the three areas. The company's first equipment rental center will open in Hattiesburg, with rental centers for the other markets to open during the next several months.

All Volvo CE Rents centers are independently owned and operated franchises within the Volvo Construction Equipment rental program. The new rental centers being established in Mississippi will carry, in addition to Volvo construction equipment, a line of essential equipment and tools for the construction, commercial, industrial and homeowner markets.