Jun 25, 1996

Holland America Line-Westours

Holland America Line-Westours has appointed Charles Dunwoody to director of national accounts, and Penny Paxton to district sales manager for North and South Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Both will represent all of Holland America's divisions, including Windstar Cruises.

Public Art Commission

Cheryll Leo-Gwin, director of arts and personal enrichment at Bellevue Community College, has been appointed to the new Public Art Commission by King County Executive, Gary Locke. The new Public Art Commission was formed through a merger of King County and Metro and will oversee the purchase and placement of art in public spaces within King County.

Cole & Weber

Karen Ridings will be joining Cole & Weber as vice president/director of relationship marketing, leading the agency's direct marketing client services group. Ridings will team with Brian Ribbey, who joins Cole & Weber from The Mednick Group, to lead new business development efforts at Cole & Weber's newly created Integrated Marketing Group.

Alaska Sightseeing/Cruise West

Alaska Sightseeing/Cruise West is expanding its group tour department. Melinda Burghduff has been hired as the new position of manager of group sales. As a result of the expansion, AS/CW will increase capacity on several of its Alaska routes and will be able to offer greater flexibility in accepting group bookings.

Whittal Management Group, Ltd.

Cece Kliemann has been appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Whittall Management Group, Ltd., a human resources consulting firm. In her new position Kliemann will be responsible for the three major operating divisions of the company; recruiting and compensation, vocational services, and workers compensation services, as well as the support functions of marketing, finance and administration.

AMS honored

Bryan Kelley of Approach Management Services has been recognized by the National Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers for his efforts to increase the number of regular and student ASSE members. With Kelley's assistance, ASSE signed 2,800 regular and 700 student memberships. Kelley is ASSE's president-elect for 1996-97 and its current treasurer.

ACPA moves

The American Concrete Pipe Assoc. has relocated its national headquarters to Irving, Texas, from the Washington, D.C., area. The move is part of an ongoing program to retool the association's mission -- which now includes marketing in addition to government relations and technical education. The new address is: 222 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 641, Irving, TX 75039-5423.

Grants available for environmental projects

RENTON -- The King Conservation District and the Puget Sound Urban Resources Partnership are making grant money available for projects that would enhance or restore the natural environment in urban areas of King County. Citizen groups, economically disadvantaged communities, non-profit organizations and local public entities may apply for the grants, which will be administered through the 1996 King County Urban Resources Partnership Competitive Grants Fund. This year, a total of $95,000 is available in grants ranging in size from $2,500 to $10,000 each. The Urban Resources Partnership is a partnership of seven federal agencies. It was formed to address the environmental needs of urban communities through more efficient use of federal technical and financial resources. Another goal of the partnership is to heed President Clinton's directive on environmental justice by supporting projects in communities that have been overlooked or even harmed by past environmental policies. Examples of eligible environmental projects include, but are not limited to, the following: planting trees, shrubs and flowers; converting vacant lots and open spaces into parks and forested areas; restoring wetlands, rivers and streams; providing environmental education; and organizing community gardening efforts. Two workshops on the details of the grant program are scheduled for 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. July 2 at the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle. Application packets are now available from the King Conservation District. Applications must be postmarked by July 15. To receive an application packet, call or write to Brandy Reed at the King Conservation District, 935 Powell Ave. S.W., Renton, WA 98055, (206) 226-4867.

Contaminated sediment site list available

OLYMPIA -- The Department of Ecology's Sediment Management Unit has released a list of 49 sites in Puget Sound that have underwater sediment contamination. The Puget Sound Water Quality Authority mandated Ecology to compile the list, which represents Ecology's current understanding of the nature and location of contaminated sediment sites. This is not a Model Toxics Control Act contaminated sediment site list, and it does not imply liability. The intent of the list is to help determine where to focus new cleanup efforts as resources become available. The list also provides more certainty for financing and insuring construction work and property sales at waterfront locations. To receive a packet of information that includes maps and site status descriptions, call the Department of Ecology at (360) 407-7557.

USA Waste to acquire Sanifill for $1.6 billion

DALLAS (AP) -- USA Waste Services Inc., the third-largest solid waste company in North America, said Monday it will acquire landfill operator Sanifill Inc. for about $1.6 billion in stock and assumed debt. The acquisition will give USA Waste operations in 33 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, including 108 collection operations and 83 landfills. The deal comes as competitor Republic Industries Inc., which is controlled by billionaire investor H. Wayne Huizenga, has been rapidly announcing takeovers in the waste-collection industry. Republic has announced acquisitions of nine waste companies in the past two months, worth nearly $650 million. USA Waste will pay 1.7 million of its shares for Houston-based Sanifill. The acquisition will boost its annual revenue to $1.3 billion. The company will move its headquarters from Dallas to Houston as part of the deal, which is scheduled to close in the late summer or early fall. In morning trading after the news, USA Waste stock was up $1.25 at $29.12 a share on the New York Stock Exchange. Sanifill shares were up 37 cents at $48.25, also on the NYSE. Sanifill chairman and chief executive Lorne D. Bain and chief financial officer J. Chris Brewster will relinquish their posts but assist with the merger transition. In late 1994, USA Waste announced it would acquire Chambers Development Co. for about $725 million to create the No. 3 solid waste company. The deal put USA Waste behind only Chicago-based WMX Technologies Inc. and Houston-based Browning-Ferris Industries Inc.

Hanford Advisory Board meeting set

KENNEWICK -- The Hanford Advisory Board's Environmental Restoration Committee is scheduled to meet this week. The meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Department of Ecology's Kennewick office at 1315 W. Fourth Ave. For more information, call Naseem Rakha at (503) 873-7709.

Ecology plans hearings on permit process

LACEY -- The Department of Ecology will have two public hearings this week on amendments to Chapter 173-09 WAC, Coordinated Permit Process. The amendments would provide a faster appeals process at Ecology and would affect the timeliness of the permit decision-making process. The hearings will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ecology's Eastern Regional Office at 4601 N. Monroe St. in Spokane, and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Ecology headquarters at 300 Desmond Drive S.E. in Lacey. For more information on the hearings or the Coordinated Permit Process, call Scott Boettcher at Ecology at (360) 407-7564.

Integrated contingency plan for spills

WASHINGTON -- Several different emergency response plans for releases of oil and hazardous materials have been rolled into one in the just-released recommended Integrated Contingency Plan. Integrated Contingency Plan (ICP) Guidance was released June 5 by the National Response Team, which includes representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Mangement Service, the Research and Special Programs Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The individual emergency response plans of all of the participating agencies were consolidated into the ICP. In addition to these requirements, state and local agency rules must continue to be followed. The National Response Team is requesting comments on the ICP, particularly regarding specific implementation issues, problems and suggestions for improvement. For information, call William Finan at (202) 260-0030 or the Superfund Hotline at (800) 424-9346.