National
Clothesline
SDA plans stain removal courses
Novice and experienced dry-cleaners alike
will have an opportunity to strengthen their stain removal
skills at a pair of courses offered by the Southwest
Drycleaning Association this
November.
Both classes will take place at the
International Textile Center, located on the campus of Texas
Tech University in Lubbock.
First up is a basic stain removal course
that will be held from Nov. 13-15. Students will meet from 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and from 8:30 to 11:30
a.m. on Wednesday.
The 2 1Ž2 day course will emphasize
proper stain removal techniques. Attendees will learn about
dyes, pigments, prints and finishes.
Instructor Jane Zellers will also outline
the proper use of stain removal tools that are used on a daily
basis. She will help students recognize terms such as wetside,
dryside, alkaline and acid.
The cost is $325 for SDA members and $395
for other IFI members. All other cleaners must pay $460 each.
The fee includes lunch and class
materials.
Those who complete the class are eligible
for five IFI Award of Excellence points.
Those students should also be fully
prepared for SDA’s advanced stain removal course from
Nov. 15-17.
The class will meet from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
on Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, and 8:30 to
11:30 a.m. on Friday.
Zellers will offer more advanced stain
removal techniques to help students gain a better understanding
of fiber content, weaves, garment construction and how to test
fiber content by burn testing.
Students will have some hands-on training
on using bleaches and digester. They will also study dyes,
pigments, prints and finishes.
Tuition is $315 for SDA members and $380
for other IFI members. Other drycleaners must pay $445 to
attend.
The advanced class is also worth five
points for IFI’s Award of Excellence program.
All class time at the Lubbock school is
be divided between lecture, group discussion, demonstrations
and hands-on training. Students are encouraged to bring problem
garment from their plants to work on.
Hotel accomodations for SDA students can
be procured at the nearby Holiday Inn Park Plaza. For a special
discounted room rate of $60 plus tax per night (for up to four
people), visit SDA’s site at www.sda-dryclean.com and
fill out the registration form available in downloadable PDF
format.
Scholarship information is also available
on the site. The deadline for application submissions is Oct.
31, 2006. In order to qualify, applicants must be at least 19,
have a high school diploma or GED equivalent, one year of
drycleaning experience, and be an owner or employee of a
company that is an SDA member.
TCEQ gets tougher on fee collection
The Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality has a more aggressive plan of attack designed to help
collect its delinquent fees and penalties.
As of September 1 of this year, TCEQ will
no longer issue or renew permits, registrations, certifications
or licenses to anybody who owes them any outstanding debts.
On the commission’s web site,
www.tceq.state.tx.us, TCEQ noted: “We will not declare any
application administratively complete that is submitted by a
person or entity who is delinquent on a fee or penalty until
the fee/penalty is paid, or if on an approved installment plan,
that payments under the plan are current.”
Delinquent applicants will have “30
days or less to make payment according to the specific program
rules”.
In cases where the payment is not
received in the established time frame, applications will
simply remain unprocessed.
“After a review of the collection
practices across various program areas, we have concluded that
it is necessary for TCEQ to address delinquency more
firmly,” said Chairman Kathleen Hartnett White.
“This new policy is both appropriate and fair.”
It is estimated that the agency is owed
about $5 million out of its $135 million in invoices issued
between Sept. 1, 2004 and Aug. 31, 2005.
Since September 1, 2005, 3,162 accounts
with a cumulative outstanding balance of $3.2 million have been
placed with a collection agency.
For more information on the delinquent
protocol followed by TCEQ, call (512) 239-2104.