For Immediate Release

June 12, 2002

CONTACT: Pam Joseph at (419) 995-8284 or Jon Rockhold at (419) 995-8390

Waterway Design School for contractors comes to fields of Ohio State Lima

The Ohio Land Improvement Contractors Association will sponsor a Waterway Design School at The Ohio State University at Lima from 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Thursday, June 20, 2002. The training session is one of the first such workshops to be held in the United States and is designed for contractors interested in earning a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Letter of Competency in waterway design concepts, layout construction and checkout.

“Our industry is always changing,” said Ron Cornwell, education chairman for OLICA. “Over the past several years OLICA has been looking for opportunities to work more closely with the NCRS and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts to create information programs where conservation contractors can keep up to date, as well as earn recognition and/or credit for their experience and education efforts.”

Local NRCS personnel will be on hand to help participants learn the latest design and laser surveying techniques. The course will feature both classroom and hands-on field work.

“Program participants will work with four different grass waterways under different stages of construction,” said NRCS Engineer Paul Chester. “They’ll be able to see demonstrations and work with design, layout and checkout procedures first-hand. The various work sites will give everyone a pretty good idea what goes into this particular type of construction project from start to finish.”

The cost for the Waterway Design School is $50 and includes all materials, lunch and refreshments. For information, contact OLICA at (614) 249-8150 or darnold@ofbf.org .

The Waterway Design School is being held in conjunction with Ohio State Lima’s second Land Improvement Field Day, which will be open to the public from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday, June 21, 2002, at the campus of Ohio State Lima. For more information about the field day, call Deborah Reinhart Brown, Agricultural Programs Coordinator, at (419) 995-8452.

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