COMPANY NEWS Safety OSHA teams with San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association to protect employees in that industry AUSTIN, Texas -- Providing better workplace safety for employees working in the San Antonio metropolitan area is the goal of a partnership agreement between the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association (SAMCA). SAMCA is a local trade group of more than 50 member companies committed to providing the San Antonio metropolitan area with quality masonry products and services. Partnering companies of SAMCA have committed to developing and sharing best practices as well as to provide specialized training to their employees so that they will recognize commonly encountered workplace hazards. Eric S. Harbin, director of OSHA's Austin Area Office, and Joann Natarajan, OSHA's compliance assistance specialist in Austin attended the partnership signing ceremony, along with representatives of the 12 partnering companies, including Lundberg Masonry, inc. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. TEXAS CONSTRUCTION Project: Boot Ranch Club House Architect: Marsh and Associates General Contractor: Hooker Contracting, Inc. Mason: Lundberg Masonry, Inc. Masonry Fits Golf Development to a Tee - Hal Sutton made a lot of history on the PGA Tour during his career, including a 1983 PGA Championship. These days, Sutton is looking to create some history in the Texas Hill Country with his new Boot Ranch development. The exclusive golf course community near Fredericksburg is centered around a village of newly constructed buildings designed to appear as though they've been onsite for nearly a century. Through extensive use of masonry, the project aims to capture a place of permanence in the hills outside Austin and San Antonio Work began on the project in July 2004 ... and is slated to complete in the fall of 2009. The job's designer, Marsh and Associates of Denver, was tasked with honoring the heritage of Fredericksburg, which was established by German settlers in the 1800s, while making Boot Ranch distinctive. "We were asked to replicate the German craftsmanship vernacular of the region, but we set out to do it differently than what is typical in the Texas Hill Country," said Zach Smith, project manager with Marsh and Associates. "This has more of an Old World style." Masonry is used extensively throughout the development to capture the historic feel. The property features 11 stone-clad buildings, stone pavers, stone stairs, fieldstone walls and stone water features. Although the look honors local style, designers chose to use dark sandstone quarried in Oklahoma rather than the local white limestone seen on many structures in the area.