Georgia Engineer Feb/March 2012

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GeorgiaEngineer Volume 19, Issue 1 February | March 2012

EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING

2011 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS See story on page 10

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GeorgiaEngineer Publisher: A4 Inc. 1154 Lower Birmingham Road Canton, Georgia 30115 Tel.: 770-521-8877 • Fax: 770-521-0406 E-mail: GeorgiaEngineer@a4inc.com Managing Editor: Roland Petersen-Frey Art Direction/Design: Pamela Petersen-Frey Georgia Engineering Alliance 233 Peachtree Street • Harris Tower, #700 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Tel.: 404.521.2324 • Fax: 404.521.0283 Georgia Engineering Alliance Gwen Brandon, CAE, Executive Director Thomas C. Leslie, PE, Director of External Affairs Carolyn M. Jones, Outreach Services Manager Georgia Engineering Alliance Editorial Board Jeff Dingle, PE, Chairman GSPE Representatives Sam L. Fleming, PE Tim Glover, PE Jimmy St. John, PE ACEC/G Representatives Robin Overstreet Carley Humphreys ASCE/G Representatives Daniel Agramonte, PE Rebecca Shelton, PE GMCEA Representative Birdel F. Jackson, III, PE ITE Representatives Daniel B. Dobry Jr., PE, PTOE John Karnowski ITS/G Representatives Bill Wells Shaun Green, PE WTS Representative Angela Snyder ASHE Representative Ed Culican, PE SEAOG Representative Kurt Swensson, PE

The Georgia Engineer is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc. for the Georgia Engineering Alliance and sent to members of ACEC, ASCE, ASHE, GMCEA, GEF, GSPE, ITE, SEAOG, WTS; local, state, and Federal government officials and agencies; businesses and institutions. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the Alliance or publisher nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Parts of this periodical may be reproduced with the written consent from the Alliance and publisher. Correspondence regarding address changes should be sent to the Alliance at the address above. Correspondence regarding advertising and editorial material should be sent to A4 Inc. at the address listed above.

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Advertisements AECOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 AEI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 American Institute of Architects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ARCADIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Atkins/PBS&J . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Auburn Engineering On-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Ayres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Burns & McDonnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Brown & Caldwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 50 Cardno TBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 CDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Chastain & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 CROM Prestressed Concrete Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Cummins Power South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Deemer Dana Froehle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Edwards Pitman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Engineered Restorations Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Foley Arch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 G. Ben Turnipseed Engineers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 GCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Georgia Concrete Paving Association. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Georgia Institute of Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Georgia Power Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Geosyntec Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Greater Traffic Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hayward Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Hazen and Sawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 HDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 43 Heath & Lineback Engineers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 HNTB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 JAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Keck & Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Mercer University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Middleton-House & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 O’Brien & Gere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Photo Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Pond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Power Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Prime Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 RHD Utility Locating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Rosser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 RS&H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Schnabel Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Silt-Saver Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 S&ME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Southern Civil Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Southern Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Stantec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Stevenson & Palmer Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 T. Wayne Owens & Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Terrell Hundley Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 TTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 United Consulting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 University of Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Wilburn Engineering LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Willmer Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Wolverton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Woolpert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Woodard & Curran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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THE GEORGIA ENGINEER

FebruAry | mArch 2012

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Opening Issues for Georgia Engineers in 2012 General Assembly

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Excellence in Engineering Awards

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EDI Ltd. Celebrates 25 Years

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What’s in the News

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Engineering Economic Growth Georgia Tech shows how the ‘innovation discipline’ works in myriad ways to create jobs and prosperity

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

2011 Engineering Excellence Awards Engineering Excellence is an annual design competition provided by the Georgia Engineering Alliance and held in conjunction with Engineers Week. Engineering Excellence recognizes engineering achievements demonstrating the highest degree of merit and ingenuity. Entries are rated on the basis of uniqueness and originality; future value to the engineering profession; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owner’s needs, including schedule and budget. Engineering Excellence offers all competition entrants a valuable opportunity to be recognized by showcasing their talent, their experience, and their profession.

See story on page 10.

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GEA

ACEC

GEF

GSPE

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ASCE

ASHE

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ITE

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ITS

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GMCEA

SEAOG

WTS

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Opening Issues for Georgia Engineers in 2012 General Assembly

By Thomas C. Leslie | Georgia Engineering Alliance « Director of External Affairs.

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o it began, as always, on the second Monday in January. The Georgia General Assembly convened at the Capitol (in Atlanta since 1868 and in the current structure since 1889). At this writing, we are in the lull of Christmas. By now, most legislators have a few set legislative initiatives, a wish list, a keen eye on what unfolds, and an ear tuned to constituents. So too do ‘interest groups,’ which, in the present case, is engineering/engineers in the broadest sense of these words.

As a brief reminder, the Georgia Engineers Legislative Coalition is a group organized under the Georgia Engineering Alliance umbrella in 1999. This year it is composed of representatives from ten engineering/technical associations. Each association may have its own independent, legislative/governmental affairs committee that drills deeply into specific issues important to that association. The Coalition is a setting where information is shared about those issues. For over ten years, this organizational format has allowed each association to leverage its influence over legislation by having a coordinated message supported by the associations in the Coalition.

2012 is the second year of the two-year 2011-2012 General Assembly. State representatives and senators elected to serve in the 2011 General Assembly continue to serve in the 2012 Session. Legislation introduced in 2011, that did not pass, may still be voted on in the 2012 session. In November 2012, all members of the House of Representatives, and a portion of the members of the Senate will be up for election to the 2013-14 General Assembly.

In 2011, bills of interest were passed that (1) considerably tightened requirements intended to control illegal immigration and (2) provided significant relief from unrealistic state ‘lobbying’ reporting requirements for engineers that only devote a modest amount of time on selling professional services for public works projects.

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Also in 2011, a carefully watched tax reform issue (that did not actually become a bill) suggested a vast expansion of the state sales tax to include professional services e.g., engineering and surveying). It does not appear that taxing professional services will be resurrected in the 2012 session.

Probably the biggest issue for engineers/engineering in 2012 is the 12 regional referenda on a ten-year, one percent sales tax devoted exclusively to transportation investments. This vote is on July 31, 2012. These referenda could mean something like $15 billion in additional funding for transportation infrastructure. Equally important in the long-term is the huge effect this investment will have on the state’s economic competitiveness for future growth (at least in regions that pass the referendum).

A related issue will almost certainly become new legislation in 2012. The Governor appointed a Task Force, co-chaired by Representative Donna Sheldon and Senator Jeff Mullis, to prepare legislation that addresses transit governance in the Atlanta region. There is general agreement that numerous, uncoordinated transit agencies (e.g., MARTA and bus services provided by GRTA, and Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton counties) is inefficient. In addition, mass transit would be considerably expanded if the referendum passes in the Atlanta region.

A new governance arrangement that would assure coordination among the providers and provide clarity to their interrelationship would surely benefit a favorable outcome in the referendum. At this writing, the Governor’s Task Force has not released its recommended legislation.

HB 166 was introduced last session by Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) which would amend the requirements to qualify for the PE and RLS licensing examinations. It did not move during the 2011 session. If you read this bill, you’ll certainly get a headache. In short, however, it would eliminate one path-

Thomas C. Leslie way to the licensing exam and leave the other pathways unaltered. After a several year phase-in period, a candidate for the exam must have a four-year college degree. Very few candidates for the PE exam would be affected by this amendment (this number is declining each year and approaching zero).

Current requirements for ABET accredited engineering or engineering technology are not altered, as is also the case for the licensing board’s discretion in approving a related science degree.

The associations in the Georgia Engineers Legislative Coalition support the ‘fouryear degree’ bill. They have discussed the relationship of the ‘transit governance’ bill to the outcome of the T-SPLOST referendum and are anxious for a favorable action by the General Assembly. This support is contingent, of course, on careful review of new language during the legislative process.

Finally, you can be assured that there will be unanticipated legislation which will draw the attention of our community. We will watch and report to be sure there is a flow of relevant information. v

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xcellence in Engineering Awards GRAND AWARD Hickory Ridge Landfill Solar Energy Cover Submitted by HDR Inc.

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megawatt of clean, renewable electricity for the owner, Republic Services, and the local community.

The Hickory Ridge Landfill closure represents a milestone in the solid waste industry because it replaces a traditional Subtitle D closure—which covers a geomembrane liner with layers of soil and grass—with an alternative cap system that provides many environmental and economical advantages. The solar energy cover helps avoid thousands of tons of greenhouse gases that would be emitted from the mowing and soil replacement activities needed for longterm care of a grass-covered cap. Also, because rainwater runs off the geomembrane liner like water coming off a roof into a gutter, reusable water can be harvested without the need for sedimentation and cleaning. But perhaps most importantly, this remarkable cover system creates clean, renewable solar energy.

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By using exposed geomembrane solar cap technology, the at-capacity, 48-acre Hickory Ridge Landfill has been transformed into the largest solar energy generating facility in Georgia. The solar energy cover produces more than 1 megawatt of renewable electricity— enough to power 224 homes.

This new and innovative technology caps the landfill with an enhanced geomembrane anchoring system developed by HDR— essentially taking a durable, high-strength geomembrane material made for outdoor exposure on roofs and securing it to the landfill like a bedsheet through the use of vertical anchor trenches. The geomembrane-covered landfill sideslopes provide an ideal, clean, and stable surface for thin-film photovoltaic solar panels to be directly adhered. The Hickory Ridge Landfill Solar Energy Cover uses over 7,000 solar panels to convert sunlight into more than 1

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The installation costs of an exposed geomembrane closure are substantially less than a traditional closure, and this alternative closure eliminates the annual long-term care cost of turf and soil maintenance. By reinvesting those savings in solar panels, long-term maintenance costs can be replaced with a positive revenue stream. The Hickory Ridge Landfill Solar Energy Cover provides immediate economic and environmental benefits, as well as a wider array of future reuse opportunities for the property.

HDR was responsible for the permitting and construction design of the alternative closure cap. The firm also submitted the permit application package for landfill final closure to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as a first-of-its-kind, alternative landfill final closure in the state. HDR provided the bid and construction documents, inDECEMBER | JANUARY 2012

cluding the construction drawings and specifications for the components of the alternative closure cap construction, earthwork grading, anchor trenches, geomembrane deployment, solar panel layout, wire pathways, and inverter locations. The firm also provided construction management and field engineering services during the exposed geomembrane and solar cap deployment.

HDR is an employee-owned architecture, engineering and consulting firm with more than 7,800 professionals in 185 locations worldwide. All of them are committed to helping clients manage complex projects and make sound decisions. HDR is ranked No. 11 overall in the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms survey, and No. 8 in transportation.v 11

State Award

Regional Water Planning in Georgia Submitted by AECOM, ARCADIS, Black & Veatch, CDM, CH2M Hill, Jacobs, Tetratech

Georgia’s economic prosperity and quality of life are vitally linked to the sustainable management of its water resources. Until recently, however, Georgia did not have consistent, reliable statewide forecasts of how much water its residents will need, nor how much wastewater will be discharged, as the state continues to grow. While many local governments and water utilities have excellent water resource data and information for their locales, prior to this effort, Georgia did not have reliable statewide measurements of the capacity of its state waters to meet future demands for water supply and wastewater discharge. Quite simply, the state could not answer the question: “Can our rivers and groundwater support the needs of our children and our children’s children?”

To answer this question, ten Regional Water Planning Councils were established (in addition to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District) to examine and develop technical information about the state’s water resources, refine water use forecasts, and compare these forecasts to expected demands. The Regional Water Planning Councils also identified a range of strategies that, when implemented, will help meet the state’s water challenges. In regions facing challenges with availability of surface water and groundwater, the councils recommended actions, such as improving the efficiency of water use, master planning for local water systems, expanding or optimizing use of existing reservoirs, constructing new reservoirs where needed and feasible, and shifting to alternative sources of water.

The result of three years of study by the Regional Water Planning Councils was a set of regional water plans that represents a new integral part of the overall framework for sustainable water management for the state’s residents through 2050. The regional water plans provide practical approaches that are, in essence, generated by each region to guide state agency decisions on water permits, as well as grants and loans for water-related projects.v

State Award

Old Peachtree Trunk Stabilization Submitted by Brown and Caldwell

Due to a heavy storm event in 2008, and again in 2009 from a reported 500-year storm event, different portions of the 73-year-old non-reinforced, concrete 90-inch Peachtree sewer trunk burst, overflowing into residential neighborhoods and backyards.

Using the design-build-type approach, Brown and Caldwell (designer) helped the city of Atlanta make emergency external repairs in late 2008-early 2009. The success of these emergency repairs helped the city choose a cost–effective approach to help with longer-term solutions.

When the 500-year flood event happened in late 2009, the city determined a permanent repair had to take place, otherwise the remaining portion of the pipeline would likely crack open during every heavy rainfall event going forward.

The Peachtree Trunk Stabilization project marked the first time spiral-wound PVC had been used for trunk refurbishment in the city.

Despite the loss of structural integrity and frequent rain, distraught homeowners, limited access points for cleaning or rehabilitation, and the fact that the most obvious options were either cost-prohibitive or impossible for wet or dry conditions, the team was able to repair the trunk without disruption to customers, to the great satisfaction of the client, on time, on budget, and with a 50-year design life expectancy. v 12

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State Award

Emory Village

Submitted by URS Emory Village is one of the best examples of urban revitalization in the Atlanta area. The once declining historic neighborhood commercial district adjacent to Emory University is being transformed into a Livable Center that accomplishes the mission of its visionaries: “To create a safe, economically viable, walkable and compact mixed-use community that is compatible with and a resource to the historic Druid Hills neighborhoods and Emory University.” Major challenges to overcome included unsafe traffic circulation problems, congestion, and a lack of safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities. After several design charettes involving the stakeholders, planners, and engineers, a set of transportation improvements were proposed. These improvements included: a roundabout at the North Decatur Road/Oxford Road/Dowman Drive intersection; a road diet on North Decatur Road between Clifton Road and Oxford Road; on-street bike lanes within the right-of-way; signal improvements at North Decatur Road/Clifton Road; and streetscape improvements including on-street parking and improved sidewalks/ crosswalks/street trees/furniture.

URS played an integral role throughout the project implementation. This project assures that visitors to Emory Village have a choice of transportation options—motorized/non-motorized vehicles, transit, and pedestrian—within a renewed urban environment. Project construction was completed in October 2011. v

State Award

Morgan County Public Safety Complex Submitted by Pond & Company

The Morgan County Public Safety Complex is drawing interest from jail operators across the country due to its unique reuse properties. The first jail of its kind in the Southeast, this $19-million project, located in a former CD manufacturing plant, personifies the county’s original vision of investment.

The Pond/Hogan team progressed this vision by viewing every existing component of the building as a potential asset. Occupying nearly 100,000 sq. ft. of the 186,000 sq. ft., the facility includes a 192 bed jail, associated jail core support space emergency operations center, E-911 dispatch center, magistrate court, and the Sheriff ’s Department Headquarters.

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Honor Award

Grimes Bridge

Road Intersection Improvement Submitted by Gresham, Smith & Partners Gresham, Smith and Partners conducted safety and operational improvements at the Norcross Street/Warsaw Road intersection with Grimes Bridge Road in Fulton County. The five-legged roundabout design solution is the first public roundabout to be constructed by the city of Roswell DOT. Since its opening in June, mobility at the intersection has greatly improved and the city has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the public.

Prior to construction, the intersection experienced a high volume of crashes and peak hour delays. The site ranked 12th in the city in the number of yearly traffic accidents. Several alternatives were studied and compared before the unique single lane, five-legged roundabout design was considered the preferred solution. The design helps to streamline traffic at the intersection and improve safety.

Due to the residential nature of the project area, aesthetics were highly important to the city of Roswell. Red stamped concrete is used in the splitter islands and truck apron while the larger islands are grassed. Landscaping and wood-plank fencing were installed in the southwest corner of the intersection to reduce the visual impacts to the residents. Landscaping was also designed and constructed in the raised center island to enhance the visual appearance of the roundabout. v

Honor Award

F.J. Torras Causeway/SR 25 Spur East Submitted by Gresham, Smith & Partners The F. J. Torras Causeway/ SR 25 Spur East, which serves as the sole land connection from Saint Simons Island to the Brunswick mainland and bridges over five bodies of water including the Mackay River, sees significant traffic volume over its four travel lanes—more than 30,800 vehicles per day on average. In recent years, the causeway has experienced numerous severe crashes. These crashes created strong public support for a median barrier between opposing travel lanes.

The Georgia Department of Transportation programmed a safety project through the Office of Traffic Operations, and the design project was awarded to Gresham, Smith & Partners. GS&P was tasked with completing the preliminary and final plans for roadway median barriers and bridge median barriers, while accounting for several complications and public concerns including a shallow pre-existing natural gas line in the center of the causeway, the need for openings in the barrier to accommodate diamondback terrapin’s crossing of the roadway and the desire for emergency access openings for rescue vehicles.

With the input of multiple GDOT offices, GS&P designed a GDOT Type S-1 roadway median barrier that replaced the existing twoway left turn lane, avoided the natural gas line, and provided the necessary animal-crossing slots and emergency-vehicle openings. v 14

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Honor Award

Garden Walk Boulevard Submitted by Gresham, Smith & Partners Garden Walk Boulevard, a 1.7-mile multi-modal corridor, provides a new connection between Upper Riverdale Road and State Route 85.

The Clayton County Department of Transportation selected Gresham, Smith & Partners (GS&P) to develop design plans and perform construction engineering inspection (CEI) services for the project as part of the county’s 2004 SPLOST program, a one-cent sales-tax program which allows counties to collect funds for specific improvement projects. GS&P assembled a team to develop a four-lane divided corridor with a 20-foot raised median that serves as a primary vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle access path to major public facilities including two schools, a stadium, a bus depot, a fire station, and a hospital.

Throughout design development and construction, GS&P had to consider numerous design constraints including wetlands at multiple locations along the project, the coordination of hospital, fire station and Holly Tree Townhomes access during construction, local school schedules, existing utilities, and the coordination of the State Route 85 traffic signal. GS&P also coordinated meetings with stakeholders to ensure all key issues were addressed, and collaborated with county staff, programs managers, and two construction companies throughout the process. v

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Honor Award

Windy Hill

Road/Macland Road Connector Submitted by HNTB Corporation Windy Hill Road/Macland Road Connector located in Cobb County, Georgia is a 2.1-mile project that is a four-lane divided roadway and which opened to traffic on August 10, 2011. The project was funded through a 2005 Cobb County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). For more than 20 years, Cobb County sought to connect an east-west ‘gap’ in transportation connectivity that was causing heavy traffic congestion on local streets. This unique project included a detailed alternatives analysis and an extensive public involvement process.

Through the public involvement process, HNTB and the Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) staff built a consensus among major stakeholders by utilizing an innovative visualization program, HNTB’s TrueViz® TransportTM. Using TrueViz the public viewed a real time fly through of the proposed alignment overlaid on aerial photography, and the public chose a preferred alternative that benefited the surrounding community. By partnering with Cobb County, HNTB worked with the various stakeholders to deliver a successful project approximately 15 months ahead of schedule. v

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Honor Award

Little Mill

Road Revitalization Project Submitted by Keck & Wood Visitors to downtown Buford traveling from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard now have a much safer and attractive gateway into the city.

The City of Buford retained Keck & Wood, Inc. to assist with design and project management of a multi-phase project to revitalize historic Little Mill Road and change it from a narrow, dangerous, winding lane into a beautiful experience for drivers and pedestrians, while at the same time maintaining its historical integrity. The final result enhances the “livability� and beauty of the corridor with dramatic landscaping, street geometry that meets modern standards, and new sidewalks where none previously existed.

The planning and design of the project had to contend with rocky, mountainous terrain, a narrow corridor through the city’s historic cemetery, and an environmentally sensitive stream near the roadway. In implementing the project, Buford chose to break the project into multiple phases to provide more opportunities for local small businesses, and to maximize the use of City resources as a cost-saving measure. v

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Honor Award

550-STPD

Sulfuric Acid and High-Pressure Steam Plant Submitted by Prime Engineering Prime Engineering significantly increased client Southern States Chemical’s production capacity and efficiency by designing a state-ofthe-art sulfuric acid and high-pressure steam plant in Wilmington, North Carolina. Prime Engineering furnished start-to-finish architectural, engineering, process design, permitting, and project management for this greenfield facility. The new plant exceeds all established benchmarks, furnishing Southern States with the following benefits: • Increased Capacity: Sulfuric acid (SO2) is the most widely traded commodity in the world and a key component of nearly all manufactured products. Therefore, maximizing capacity was crucial.

Prime’s design produces 550 short tons per day (STPD) of SO2 – nearly quadruple the facility’s original capacity of 150 STPD, making it one of the highest-capacity plants in North America.

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Secondary Revenue from Waste Steam: To support the client’s business payback model, Prime designed systems to capture high-pressure steam byproduct produced during the SO2 production process, then package and sell the steam to a neighboring plant for use as an energy source. By doing so, the plant converts an environmentally hazardous waste product to an additional saleable commodity—effectively doubling the plant’s marketable goods.

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Recovery of Decommissioned Equipment: To construct the plant in the most economical way possible, Prime Engineering recovered and converted equipment from a decommissioned spent acid generation plant in Wisconsin. The single-absorption sulfuric acid plant equipment was transported 1,100 miles, converted for use in a sulfur burning and double-absorption sulfuric acid plant, and reinstalled. This process reduced construction costs by approximately 20 percent.

•

Sophisticated Operating System: The process solution centered on replacing the plant’s obsolete, manually operated marshalling cabinets with the DeltaV process automation system's electronic marshalling and character module (CHARM) technologies. Installing CHARM reduced wiring costs by 40 percent; cut engineering, construction, and startup costs; and increased reliability and workflow by providing a control system that highlights production bottlenecks as they occur.

•

Low Industrial Emissions: The steamrecovery system described above, combined with installation of the XLP low-pressure drop and SCX-2000 super cesium catalyst, reduces air, water, and solids industrial emission rates to less than 50 percent of mandated thresholds. v

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The GeorGia enGineer

Honor Award

Savannah Gardens I Submitted by Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co. Thomas & Hutton (T&H) provided design development and construction management services for the Savannah Gardens Phase I project. Savannah Gardens is a 44-acre property located in east Savannah that housed Strathmore Estates, a dilapidated housing community that became one of the most dangerously crime-plagued neighborhoods in the city. The property was demolished to make way for Savannah Gardens—a new sustainable housing development that includes a mixture of housing types, neighborhood retail, public infrastructure, and green space. The property was acquired by the city of Savannah by a non-profit housing development known as CHSA Development Inc. CHSA is the master developer and its development partner is Mercy Housing, Southeast. This project is seeking EarthCraft Coastal Communities certification. Savannah Gardens is the most ambitious and largest urban housing redevelopment project the City has ever undertaken and will be an improvement to an area that was once the location of extreme urban blight and transform it into a mixed-used, mixed-income neighborhood promoting pedestrian-friendly, smart growth, new urbanism, and EarthCraft or LEED community design principles. v

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Honor Award

Georgia Aquarium Dolphin Expansion Submitted by Uzun & Case Engineers With only 1.07 acres available on the property, and an operational program that included an 1800-seat auditorium, full water treatment systems, support activities, and five animal pools totaling 1.8 million gallons of salt water, the building design team faced numerous challenges. The site presented further challenges from the abutting existing facility on two sides and the Luckie Street sidewalk and power company easement on a third side. Through systematic analysis, coordination, and creative design, Uzun & Case Engineers met each structural challenge head-on, creating an exciting addition to the Georgia Aquarium experience.

The new gallery includes a soaring, naturally lit entrance lobby featuring a 25-foot-long underwater viewing window through which guests can first glimpse the dolphins. The lobby leads to the AT&T Dolphin Tales theater, a state-of-the-art enclosed auditorium venue designed as the perfect backdrop for a theatrical performance incorporating not only the talents of the Aquarium’s dolphins, but also live human actors, dramatic costuming, and amazing effects. Behind the scenes, the building includes full life-support systems for the maintenance of the water quality, trainer and caretaker functions, and full theatrical support systems including catwalk, sound system, and 40feet tall scenery elements suspended over the performance tank.

AT&T Dolphin Tales Gallery is an important addition to Georgia Aquarium’s commitment to educating the public about marine mammals. v photo credit: copyright© EPIC Metals Corporation 2011

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The GeorGia enGineer

Honor Award

Cherokee County Regional Airport Improvements Submitted by W.K. Dickson & Co. Inc. WK Dickson’s engineering expertise as well as their experience in aviation planning and familiarity with the FAA and GDOT enabled them to assist with leveraging of federal, state, and local resources to achieve a transformative grouping of projects at the Cherokee County Regional Airport including: an extension of the runway to 5,002 feet to accommodate business jet aircraft; a parallel taxiway for safety and efficiency; a new terminal building and new hangars.

Requirements included compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards; Georgia Environmental Protection Division standards; environmental requirements for the Etowah Aquatic Habitat Conservation Plan; as well as Georgia Department of Transportation and Cherokee County Building Codes. The transformational grouping of projects had an estimated cost of thirty four million dollars ($34,000,000). Impacts resulting from improvements were noted even prior to completion. The new terminal and self-service fuel facility have resulted in a significant increase in operations and fuel sales.

Completion of the first of the new hangars brought additional based aircraft including new business jets, and completion of the runway extension brought an increase in corporate jet traffic. These mean additional revenue and opportunities for the community.

Extending the runway required fill adjacent to a tributary to the environmentally sensitive Etowah River. The site design meets the strict provisions of the new Etowah HCP. The design incorporates storm water runoff protection and detention facilities into the runway extension and infiltration ponds for recharging groundwater into the Etowah River Basin aquifer. This was the first large, multi-year project to comply with the new Etowah Habitat Conservation Protection (HCP) requirements, and demonstrates feasibility for future engineering designs.

The success of this project holds unique character due to the extensive public involvement and support, execution of significant safety and capacity improvements for the airport, and cost effective design solutions to avoid or minimize adverse impacts, and still remain on time and under budget.

The project will have a significant and longlasting impact on the economic well being of the community, and stands as a demonstration of what can be accomplished with broad support and focused leadership. v

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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The GeorGia enGineer

Honor Award

SR 225 Realignment and Bridge Replacement Submitted by Wilbur Smith Associates Wilbur Smith Associates teamed with the Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Environmental Services (Department) to complete a turnkey design and environmental project for the realignment of SR 225 in Gordon County, including the replacement of two structurally deficient bridges. The project was challenging because of its location and the nature of the surrounding environment.

Challenge: The challenge was to improve the safety of the roadway while minimizing negative impacts to the historic, cultural, and community resources. These resources included the New Echota Historic Site, the capitol of the Cherokee Nation from 1825 to 1838, a designated National Historic Landmark with a surrounding area classified as a Traditional Cultural Property, a public golf course and boat ramp, and access to farmland. In addition, the project required coordination with several Tribal Governments, Department of Natural Resources, State Properties Commission, and other stakeholders.

Solution: From the project outset, the project team viewed the stakeholders as the client, but kept at the project forefront the overriding goal of improving public safety. This mindset reassured those involved that they not only had a voice but that they had ownership of the project. The use of a reader-friendly document helped achieve the owner/client’s needs by providing information in simple language with explanations of technical terminology easily interpreted by nonprofessionals. The Department and WSA worked as a team to complete the environmental assessment (EA), develop a design that improves safety, implement a communication and stakeholder involvement process, incorporate Context Sensitive Solutions that ensured success and provided a sense of place for the New Echota Historic Site. v

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Honor Award

Fort Valley State University Utility Inventory & Assessment Submitted by Woodard & Curran and Rochester & Associates Fort Valley State University (FVSU), a land grant institution located in Peach County, has experienced significant growth in the past five years, growing from just over 2,000 students in year 2006 to over 4,000 in 2011. The university expects to serve up to 10,000 students in the near future. The projected continued growth of the university, coupled with the need to renovate mid-20th century construction on campus, prompted the university to investigate the buried infrastructure which serves the campus. While planning for this growth and revitalization, the University discovered that the existing infrastructure that would serve the new or renovated construction was often undersized or deteriorated and unable to adequately serve the new growth. Thus, the university commissioned a survey and assessment for its six utilities on its campus: water distribution network, sanitary sewer collection system, storm drainage system, gas distribution system, fiber network, and electrical distribution system. The work was divided into three phases.

Phase I included developing the basemap for the campus. Land survey was performed on the campus, using both land and aerial survey techniques. Research of historical maps provided additional information when information could not definitively be identified (such as diameter on water mains or location of plastic lines where tracing wire was not functional). The information collected during the survey phase was transferred to an on-line GIS system, or WebGIS. The WebGIS allows anyone with internet access and the username and password to access FVSU’s infrastructure mapping, as well as run queries on collected information.

Phase II included the condition and capacity assessment of the utilities. The condition assessment was the evaluation of the condition of the infrastructure independent of the existing or projected load. Condition assessment identified pipe defects such as cracks, root intrusion, or other defects. The condition assessment also identified defects in appurtenances, such as flooding or debris in vaults or valve boxes. Results from the condition assessment were also integrated into the WebGIS. Future loads were estimated using population and building infrastructure projections, as defined in the 2009 Addendum to the 2005 FVSU Physical Master Plan.

Phase III was the development and delivery of a report which provided a capital improvements plan for the university, along with the delivery of the WebGIS to FVSU. v

Engineer of the Year ~ Thomas Gambino, PE

24

Thomas D. Gambino is the founder and

state, and as a means to better quality of life

president of Prime Engineering Inc., a con-

for the citizens of the state.

sulting engineering, architecture, and con-

Mr. Gambino earned a B.S. in Civil En-

struction firm with offices in Atlanta,

gineering from the Georgia Institute of Tech-

Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Hong

nology in 1979. After graduating from

Kong, China. Mr. Gambino’s career as a

Georgia Tech, Mr. Gambino joined Camp

professional engineer in the state of Geor-

Dresser & McKee as a project engineer.

gia spans 30 years. Through his career, he

Later, he was employed by W.L. Thompson

has worked to advance engineering as a

Consulting Engineers, where he worked on

profession, as an economic engine of the

numerous large-scale high-rise projects in The GeorGia enGineer

Honor Award Fort Jackson Starship 11000 Renovation & Trainee Complex Submitted by Woolpert Inc. Woolpert announced that the firm’s Atlanta design group has been awarded its third contract to perform renovation and design work for four additional Starship barracks for the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. This contract will give Woolpert a total of nine Starship barracks the firm has been involved with on design over the past four years.

“We’ve performed design and engineering work for Starships now on multiple military bases and posts across the southeast U.S.,” said Dave Rickard, Woolpert vice president and director of design services.

“We truly appreciate the importance of the military’s facilities, and the part they play in a soldier’s training while on post. With similar barracks located throughout the U.S., we look forward to performing more of this work in coming years.”

Several bases throughout the U.S. have Starship barracks, which get the name from their unique, star-like shape that includes five elevated bays extending from the center where the main educational functions are held. The design allows soldiers to live, eat, train, and work together in one complex. The first Starship barracks at Fort Jackson were built in the 1970s, and required these renovations and additions to meet the expanding functional and technical needs of troops housed on the post. The barracks accommodate approximately 1,200 soldiers each and include classrooms, latrines, and detached mess halls as well as sleeping quarters.

Woolpert performed civil, architectural, structural, electrical and mechanical engineering, and surveying services for their latest work at Fort Jackson. Woolpert is familiar with performing this type of design work for their construction partner Balfour Beatty. The firm recently completed renovations on five other Starship Barracks at Fort Jackson along with design for a new track and training facility. The firm completed work on the first buildings of the initial contract in 2011.v

his role as vice president and managing partner. From the

treatment; airports and airport facilities; petroleum/chemi-

sophisticated fueling systems at the Cincinnati Airport to the

cal process, bulk storage, and transportation; and manufac-

basic human needs of correctional facilities in Georgia, Mr.

turing and product distribution facilities.

Gambino has engineered and managed a wide variety of

With more than 30 years of experience on hundreds of

civil, environmental, and industrial engineering projects

local, national, and international projects, Mr. Gambino has

worldwide.

extensive experience in capital planning, project master plan-

In 1990, Mr. Gambino founded Prime Engineering Inc.

ning, and engineering design and construction. His interna-

The firm specializes in the planning, design, and construction

tional experience with several project delivery methods

of: power generation and distribution; petroleum and bio-

provides clients with a unique project implementation per-

fuels refining storage and distribution; water and wastewater

spective. v

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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Lifetime Achievement Award ~ Thomas Furlow, PE providing drinking water, wastewater treatment, and storm water services for nearly 750,000 residents of Gwinnett County. In 2005 Thomas retired from his position at Gwinnett County, and returned to Jordan, Jones, and Goulding (JJG). Upon his return, he worked with governments in northeast Georgia to identify water resources to deal with growth and water shortages in the region.

In 2009, Jordan, Jones and Gould-

ing was acquired by Jacobs Engineering. Mr. Furlow used this opportunity to work internationally, and in 2011, he served as a resident engineer on a large industrial wastewater treatment plant expansion in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. In August 2011, he retired for a second time.

Mr. Furlow is active in local affairs and involved in various organizations.

He enjoys biking, hiking, collecting clocks, and water related activities with his wife Cindy and their children. v

Mr. Furlow was born, raised, and educated in Atlanta. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Master of Science in Sanitary Engineering degrees from Georgia Tech.

After graduating from Georgia Tech, Thomas spent three years as a weather forecaster in the U.S. Air force, followed by three more years with the State of Georgia, Environmental Protection Division, working on wastewater treatment issues. He spent eighteen years with Jordan, Jones and Goulding engineers working with many long term clients and managing projects.

In September 1999, Mr. Furlow accepted the position of Director of the Gwinnett County Department of Public Utilities (DPU). DPU is responsible for

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

27

sistant general manager.

Drinkard also served as co-director of planning for the Department of Aviation with primary focus on the $6 billion Capital Improvement Program.

Previously, he served as consultant project manager for several major projects at Orlando International Airport, including the major new fourth parallel runway, North Crossfield taxiway bridge, and South Terminal complex infrastructure development. He also served as a consultant project manager for major airfield and landside development projects at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Houston Intercontinental Airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Charleston International Airport, Baton

Rouge Metropolitan Airport, Huntsville International Airport, Savannah International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport.

Drinkard has been actively involved in the Airports Council International, North America Technical Committee, Consulting Engineers Council of Georgia, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Drinkard is a native Atlantan and holds a Bachelors of Civil Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. v

Nicaragua, he moved to the United States where he completed a Civil Engineering degree at the University of Miami. He then moved in 1982 to Atlanta, Georgia to start his professional career as a structural engineer.

While in Atlanta he

worked for four different structural engineering firms prior to becoming a founding partner of Uzun Engineers in 1992 which later merged with Case Engineering to what is now known as Uzun & Case Engineers LLC where Mr. Cuadra is Senior Principal.

He has 29 years of experience in structural design, contract administration, due diligence review, structural repairs, and retrofit of existing structures.

Mr. Cuadra is a registered engineer in 17 states and has been successfully involved with a large number of projects located in the USA and the Caribbean. He has designed or has been in charge of

millions of square feet of new construction as well as involved in retrofit and repairs of many structures and has earned a reputation for effectively balancing the structural and architectural requirement on projects. The combination of this approach with a focus on construction costs results in integrated designs that are efficient, cost effective, and sensitive to the design intent. He has also been hired as a consultant on several legal cases.

Mr. Cuadra has been married to Maria Cuadra for 32 years and has two grown professional daughters and a granddaughter. v

and critical infrastructure under earthquake loads, and seismic risk assessment. He has a particular interest in mitigating the impacts of earthquakes in the Central and Southeastern U.S., and developing parts of the world, such as the Caribbean and Western Africa. He has given over 100 presentations in 30 different countries.

After the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Dr. DesRoches served as the key technical leader in the U.S. response.

He was a member of the early response team that traveled to Haiti to conduct critical building safety assessments for the United Nations.

DesRoches has traveled to Haiti numerous times since

the initial recovery effort to continue to study the impact.

Dr. DesRoches holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. v

Engineer of the Year for Government Jim Drinkard, P.E. Assistant General Manager, Planning & Development Jim Drinkard has more than 30 years of airport planning and engineering experience and began his career as a design engineer working on the original midfield design for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 1977.

He returned to HartsfieldJackson in 2000 as a consultant planning manager prior to his current appointment as as-

Engineer of the Year in Private Practice Martin Cuadra, PE Mr. Cuadra was born in San Jose, Costa Rica in 1959, however as a child and teenager he lived in Managua, Nicaragua where he attended and graduated from the private, Catholic, all-boy school run

by The La Salle Christian Brothers.

He started his college years by attending the Universidad Centro-Americana where he embarked in a five year combined Civil Engineering and Business Administration Degree. After almost three years of college in

Engineer of the Year for Education Dr. Reginald DesRoches Reginald DesRoches is the Dean’s Professor of the College of Engineering and Professor & Associate Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His primary research interests are design of buildings 28

The GeorGia enGineer

Georgia Power, Huling held a number of positions in the areas of power plant construction, project management, corporate communication, regulatory affairs, marketing, consumer affairs, external affairs, and environmental affairs.

For the past six years, Huling has guided Georgia Power’s environmental efforts through increasing regulatory require-

ments and unprecedented construction to install new emission-control equipment on the company’s largest coal-fired power plants. These controls will reduce Georgia Power’s emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury by a projected 93, 85, and 75 percent, respectively, by 2015.

Under his leadership, the company also secured the necessary environmental permits to transform Plant McDonough in Smyrna, Georgia, into a 2,500 megawatt natural gasfired plant from a 540 megawatt coal-fired plant. In addition, Huling spearheaded efforts to introduce a new mindset about Georgia Power’s environmental commitment, challenging management and

employees to consider the question, “How Green Can We Be?” in daily business decisions.

Born in Atlanta, Huling is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Georgia.

Huling serves on the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District Governing Board, advisory panels for the State of Georgia Small Business Environmental Assistance Program , Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering, and The University of Georgia’s College of Public Health. v

great distinction with a BS in civil engineering in 1999.

After a summer as a staff engineer for GZA consultants in Boston during the summer of 1999, he matriculated to

Georgia Tech to pursue graduate studies (MS and PhD).

While at Georgia Tech, he was a graduate research and teaching assistant, a Department of Defense Fellow, a National Science Foundation Visiting Summer Fellow at the University of Western Australia, and was granted a US patent for the soil testing device developed during his PhD studies.

During his time at Georgia Tech, Greg was awarded numerous academic, research, and teaching honors, including: a National Defense Science and Engineering

Graduate Fellowship, a National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship (served at the University of Western Australia in Perth), the James S. Lai award as the top geosystems MS student in 2001, commendation as the outstanding civil engineering teaching assistant in 2002, the George F. Sowers Award as the top geosystems PhD student in 2005, and the Jean-Lou Chameau award as the top civil engineering PhD researcher in 2005. v

ily with a long history of sea captains and his love for the water led him to become an underwater cave diver and later a Licensed United States Merchant Marine Officer, of Steam or Motor Vessels of 100 Gross Tons.

Garrett began his study of engineering at Southern Polytechnic State University in

2009. He is currently in his final year of his major and maintains a 4.0 grade point average.

Garrett remains active in the community. He has been a volunteer fireman and coaches youth soccer at the Cherokee Outdoor YMCA, baseball for the East Marietta National Little League, and

provides administrative assistance to charitable organizations such as the Marine Corps Association of Georgia Lawyers and the Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Greater Atlanta.

Garrett is married to the former Rachel Smith of Dunwoody, Georgia, and they are the parents of three children.v

Engineer of the Year for Industry Charles H. Huling, P.E. Chuck Huling serves as an Executive in Residence with Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), providing consulting expertise in energy matters. Prior to joining SEI in January 2011, Huling served as Vice President of Georgia Power’s environmental affairs organization. In that position, he directed the company’s environmental stewardship and compliance programs to meet or surpass all environmental laws and regulations. Huling retired from Georgia Power in December 2010.

During his 36 years with

Young Engineer of the Year Gregory Hebeler, PE Mr. Gregory L. Hebeler, PhD, PE was chosen for the Young Engineer of the Year award in Georgia for his accomplishments in the field of civil engineering.

Greg pursued his academic engineering training at Clarkson University in New York where he led the university’s concrete canoe team for two years, served as a teaching and undergraduate research assistant, and graduated with

Engineering Student of the Year Garrett Bailey Upon graduating from George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Georgia, Garrett earned a B.A. Degree in Philosophy from Georgia State University.

Garrett comes from a famFEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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The GeorGia enGineer

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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EDI, Ltd. Celebrates 25 Years Don Kinser, President & CEO – EDI, Ltd.

I

n the design and engineering business, there’s no shortage of firms who can ‘do it all.’ We just don’t happen to be one of them.

For almost 25 years now, EDI, Ltd. has been leading the way in delivering quality solutions in Network & Communication Technologies, Data Centers, Security & Audio-visual, and Workflow & Process Engineering. We have come a long way though in the past 25 years!

Setting a goal to start your own business is one thing. Actually taking that big step and starting the firm is something quite different.

Such undertakings are risky and full of unknowns. The births of organizations, like many things in life, often do not follow concrete, deliberate plans. Goals shape and direct behaviors, but fateful and unforeseen events often serve as catalysts to make things happen.

It seems like just yesterday that Joe Milam, Dan Clifford, and I were sitting around my kitchen table planning the beginning of Kinser & Associates Consulting Engineers (KACE), now EDI, Ltd. KACE was incorporated on September 19, 1986. We built an office in my basement—much to my wife’s dismay, bought our first computer and began to build the company. We were so proud of that first computer, an 8 MHz 286 with a whopping 1 mb of RAM that we paid over $5k for! We were officially committed to the new age of technology, a commitment that would significantly impact the development of our firm in the years to come.

Working from my basement was trying, but not as trying as it was for couriers who came daily to the house to deliver drawings and supplies. Obviously, the front door was off limits for business purposes. All deliveries had to come around the house to the basement door entrance, which required entering our dogs’, Alta’s and Molly’s, territory.

Fortunately, Alta and Molly were easily befriended (“hey—can you throw that stick for me so I can chase it?”) and the couriers had a good sense of humor!

One morning, very early, I heard the dogs out back barking and playing around— 32

Don Kinser, Jim Harrison, Jerry McDonell sounded like they were having a great time, very unusual though for this time of the day.

One look out the bedroom window and I knew exactly what was going on. Apparently, several rolls of project drawings had been delivered, probably the evening before, unbeknownst to me, which Molly and Alta had discovered and were now shredding to pieces all over the yard.

We officially moved out of my basement and into our first ‘real’ office in February 1988. Molly and Alta stayed home!

Joe and Dan both eventually departed from EDI. Since then, I have had the pleasure of working together with Jim Harrison, EDI Senior Vice President, and Jerry McDonell, EDI Vice President, as business partners for over 20 years. Our path has taken many twists and turns over the years, and it has been a wonderful journey. But I would not trade it for anything, and EDI would be not be what it is today without these two truly special and gifted people.

A lot has changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: our commitment to honesty and integrity in everything we do. This is the foundation of EDI, Ltd., and it is a key reason we are still going strong a quarter century later. EDI continues to lead the way “integrating technology through design” by providing innovative planning and

programming of critical healthcare technology systems, specializing in medical communication technologies, information systems infrastructure, security, audio-visual systems, and data centers.

Looking back, too, is interesting to see how EDI’s services have changed over 25 years. Early on, we believed all you needed to succeed was to do good work. We also believed the market in 1986 wanted and would accept a single-discipline mechanical engineering firm. We learned very quickly how naïve we were though. The market wanted a mechanical AND electrical package, which we did not have. So, in order to provide the complete MEP package and survive as a company, we partnered with several small electrical engineering firms. This worked well for several years and KACE grew.

Today, with 2015 fast approaching, EDI is heavily involved with our healthcare customers and the industry’s mad dash to achieve ‘meaningful use’ of a certified electronic health record (EHR) mandated by the 2009 ARA/HITECH legislation, guiding them through this pivotal change in healthcare full of twists, turns, and potential dead ends. This is an exciting and challenging time in healthcare information technology, and we are definitely prepared to meet the demands.Our services include strategic planning, systems assessments and design, comThe GeorGia enGineer

plex technology program management, commissioning, and technology integration.

EDI’s talented professionals have designed solutions and managed their implementation for major healthcare projects constructed across the US and around the world.

EDI works with clients across not only the healthcare sector, but also those in the corporate, education, and government sectors. Several of our clients have included UPS, King & Spalding, Office Depot, American Cancer Society, IRS, Veterans Administration, Brigham Young University, Auburn University, eBay, Brown University, J. Craig Venter Institute, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, University of Alabama—Birmingham Health System, University of Chicago Medical Center, and VCU Medical Center—to mention only a few!

What is even more exciting than our success over the last 25 years is the path that lies ahead. We are very excited about our bright future here at EDI and look forward with great anticipation to our next 25 years. v

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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W h a t ’ s

i n

t h e

NEWS Hole-In-One Helps in the Commitment to End Childhood Hunger!

The Annual Pulte Partners Classic Charity Golf Tournament on October 17, 2011 turned out to be a very exciting event for everyone!

Michael Twiner, President of Planners and Engineers Collaborative Inc., was on the front nine holes and was on the 187-yard par three (a hole on the course to be known as challenging) when he decided to put on his game face. Michael struck a ball that sailed high and straight, directly at the hole, as we all observed the ball land about five-feet from the hole and roll in for a Hole –In-One!!

Amazing shot!

This was Michael’s first ever hole-in-one and he was really excited, however he does not remember what club he hit it with. By the end of the tournament the clubhouse and course was buzzing because everyone knew a Hole-In-One had been made!

Thanks to Pulte for such a great tournament and charity.

Congratulations to Michael and all the other participants for helping end childhood hunger! Share our Strength® is a national organization committed to ending childhood hunger. The organization’s Atlanta beneficiaries include the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Genesis Shelter, and The Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger. Pulte Homes has assembled a group of more than 75 trade partners from its Pulte and Del Webb communities. www.strength.org www.excellencecommittee.com v

The Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Bioscience Leadership Council was honored for their success in strengthening the bioscience and

health IT industries, and increasing jobs in these areas in metro Atlanta.

The Georgia Bio Community Awards

Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Bioscience Leadership Council Recipient of the Georgia Bio Community Award FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

35

each year recognizes individuals, companies and organizations for significant contributions to Georgia’s life sciences industry. The recipients were honored at Georgia Bio’s annual awards dinner January 26 at the Fox Theater.

“We are very excited that MAC’s Bioscience Leadership Council has been recognized with a 2012 Georgia Bio Community Award,” said Donna Hyland, president and CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and chair of MAC’s Bioscience Leadership Council. “This award solidifies the innovative work that the many members of the council are doing to increase jobs in the bioscience and health IT industries, as well as growing jobs in our region.”

MAC’s Bioscience Leadership Council was chosen because they bring together thought leaders in capital expansion, clinical trials, marketing and workforce development, and made recommendations for addressing these issues to strengthen the existing bioscience and health IT industries with a focus on attracting new companies to Georgia. The council was successful in

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bringing together two of its members, Georgia Institute of Technology and Gwinnett Technical College—which applied for and received a $1.6 million workforce de-

velopment grant. For more information about MAC's Bioscience Leadership Council visit www.Bioscience.MetroAtlantaChamber.com v

The GeorGia enGineer

erraTa-Table 1

December-January Issue 2012

Program Type Roadway Capital Roadway, Bridge Maintenance Safety, Traffic Ops. Freight, Logistics Aviation Bicycle, Pedestrians Transit Capital Transit Operations, Maintenance

Investment Allocation Target Ranges (Percent) Georgia DOT Recommendation 50-70% 0-10% 15-50% 2-10% 0-5% 1-5% 0-10% 0-10%

The December-January Issue 2012 featured an article entitled: Transportation Investment Act 2010 authored by John D. Edwards. Table 1 of the article contained information on the recommended allocation of improvement funds by the Georgia Department of Transportation for the various modes of transportation, i.e. Highways, Traffic Operations, Freight Logistics, Aviation, Bicycle and Pedestrian, and Transit.

The purpose of the table was to show the differences in allocation for each of the Transportation Regions and to draw conclusions why the Regional Roundtables varied in their allocations from the recommended ones by DOT. Unfortunately, the headings for each column were inadvertently omitted so the numbers in the table did not mean anything for the reader.

CSRA, Georgia Mountains N. E. GA; N.W. GA; River Valley; S.W. GA; Southern GA 50-70% 0-10% 15-50% 2-10% 0-5% 1-5% 0-10% 0-10%

ARC 20-50% 0-10% 5-15% 0-5% 0-5% 1-5% 10-40% 5-20%

Rural/Urban Variations ~ One would expect that there would be differences in the perceived needs of transportation improvements based on the development characteristics of the Regions. This is apparent when one examines the Constrained Project Lists. For example, in the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region, many major projects are for roadway and bridge maintenance, while in the Middle Georgia Region the emphasis is on economic development and safety with the Fall Line Freeway and improvements to the interchange operations such as the I-16/I-75 interchange in Macon. In the Atlanta Region, the major emphasis is on capital transit investments and transit operational improvements In the River Valley District a variety of projects in Columbus, including the exten-

Heart of Georgia 40-70% 40-50% 10-50% 2-10% 5-15% 0-1% 0-5% 0-5%

Middle Georgia

Northeast Georgia

Three Rivers

50-80% 50-80% 15-50% 5-20% 5-20% 0-5% 5-20% 5-20%

50-70% 0-10% 5-15% 0-5% 0-5% 1-5% 1-5% 0-10%

50-90% 50-90% 50-90% 50-90% 0-5% 0-5% 0-10% 0-10%

sion of the Riverwalk, the Intercity Bus and Ride Facility and the South Lumpkin Multiuse Facility (pedestrian, bike trail) attest to the multi-modal character of the TIA 2010.

In the Coastal Region, major improvements for widening, improved and new interchanges are related to I-95 and I-16. These projects will improve freight movement and access to and from the ports and will benefit most of the counties in the Region. Another distinction is in the urban/rural transit projects. One would expect that the Savannah and Brunswick urban areas would have substantial allocations to transit improvements but one finds that Liberty County, an urban expansion area for Savannah, has a substantial allocation for a transit system as well. v

Table 1 above has all of the captions added and the information in the table is ‘decipherable.’ For instance, the comments in the text of the article mention: “In general, seven of the transportation districts accepted the DOT recommended allocations as presented, and three accepted most of the allocations. ARC, Middle Georgia, Heart of Georgia Altamaha, and Three Rivers made substantial revisions or simply combined several of the programs into one or two. In the case of Atlanta, transit is a major consideration, and in the case of Heart of Georgia Altamaha, the road and bridge maintenance over river crossings is of major concern.”

Regional Differences The project selection process is unique to each Transportation District based on the character and goals of local development, the types of existing transportation facilities, the Roundtable adopted criteria, the level of traffic congestion and other factors in each region.

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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38

The GeorGia enGineer

Engineering Economic Growth Georgia Tech shows how the ‘innovation discipline’ works in myriad ways to create jobs and prosperity

By Gary S. May, Dean | College of Engineering

T

o a non-engineer, the idea that a standard inkjet printer could be used to detect hidden explosives might seem farfetched. But Georgia Tech engineers have discovered that this is entirely possible.

Last year, these researchers developed a wireless sensor that can detect trace amounts of the concentrated ammonia commonly used in explosive devices. The sensor can be ‘printed’ on photographic paper using novel ‘inks’—emulsions containing silver nanoparticles—which attract ammonia in infinitesimal quantities.

Thus, a tool for identifying an explosive device can be manufactured anywhere that an inkjet printer can print.

Obviously, such an invention could have a profound impact on human safety.

What is less known is how it might impact our economy. The next step is to expand testing of the sensor and begin commercializing the device. If successful, the birth of another new company could be in the offing, and another economic chain reaction will be ignited.

Such a chain reaction holds great promise for Georgia and the nation. New companies bring new jobs; new jobs grow the economy and expand the tax base. Institutions across the country have launched their own enterprises out of breakthroughs in engineering’s varied fields—a vivid reminder that engineering can be a powerful engine for economic growth and job creation.

That’s certainly true at Georgia Tech.

In 2010 alone, Tech evaluated 125 research innovations, which led to the formation of 16 new companies that attracted $60.5 million in investment. In fact, Georgia Tech is third in the state among patent producers.

More than 400 invention disclosures are filed annually, with the majority coming from engineering.

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

These are promising numbers from a single institution—promising because studies have consistently shown the strong connection between innovation and economic growth. As much as a third of the nation’s economic growth over the last half-century is owed to technological innovation. Advances in engineering not only bring new products and services, but also increase productivity and output.

So new inventions and discoveries are crucial to America’s economic future. Clearside Biomedical is another example of how a brilliant idea can bring commercial potential. A brand-new venture between Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Emory University’s School of Medicine, Clearside is developing a microneedle to deliver drug therapies to areas in the back of the eye.

The device solves a real-world problem for ophthalmologists—the retinal area of the eye is difficult to reach, and current options all have drawbacks. Eye drops, for example, are limited in their ability to reach the retina.

Pills taken by mouth expose the whole body to the drug, often producing unwelcome side effects. And few patients are comforted by the option of having a hypodermic needle inserted into the eyeball.

The microneedle from Clearside could open up new ways to treat macular degeneration and other eye diseases. As the company develops, it could also inject life into the economy. Medical devices are big business— $300 billion worldwide—and the United States is the largest medical device market.

A more established enterprise that sprung from Georgia Tech engineering ingenuity is Sentrinsic, which turned a sensing technology discovery into an entire platform for making industrial systems smarter. While the company’s first two products on the market may seem less than glamorous—they extend the life industrial pumps while reducing energy use—the implications of these products are enormous. Several Fortune 500 companies are using a Sentrinsic device that calculates and adjusts the amount of compressed air needed to run certain kinds of pumps, thus lessening the amount of energy needed for the task. Another device never forgets when to turn a pump on or off.

Sentrinsic has generated great interest and a healthy share of venture investment. It is a company to watch. And like other com-

SnapShot: Five WayS GeorGia tech enGineerinG driveS economic GroWth • • • • •

Producing a highly skilled workforce to meet industry demand Supporting and incentivizing students to be entrepreneurs Partnering with companies to develop and improve products and services Promoting research and development across the enterprise Providing robust commercialization support for the most promising innovation 39

panies that have been propelled out of Georgia Tech, it is the product of an environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship.

This environment is, by necessity, inclusive. While Georgia Tech is home to a number of brilliant engineering faculty and scientists, the kind of innovation that drives economic growth is more likely to result from the collaboration of several minds rather than the brilliance of one—and that means students can play a key role.

Georgia Tech has a portfolio of programs to engage students in discovery and invention. One of these is VIP, or Vertically Integrated Projects, which allows undergraduates to earn academic credit for helping faculty and graduate students with R&D in their area of technical expertise. Students get the opportunity to make a substantial technical contribution to a research project as well as play multiple roles on a large design team. One team, for example, designed and deployed a mobile application called eStadium to give football fans on-demand access to game stats and video clips of plays.

Another program is the InVenture Prize, an innovation competition for undergraduates affectionately known to students as “American Idol for geeks.” Entrants present their inventions to expert panelists, and the finalists make their presentations live on Georgia Public Broadcasting. The winning team or individual receives $15,000 and a free U.S. patent filing and automatic acceptance into Flashpoint, a Georgia Tech startup accelerator program.

Flashpoint itself is unique. Believed to be the first program of its kind in the country, it exemplifies the interest and involvement of the investor community in generating marketable new ideas at Georgia Tech. Sig Moseley of Imlay Investments

40

worked with some of Atlanta’s most prominent angel investors to create a Flashpoint Investment Fund that invests between $15,000 and $25,000 in promising new enterprises. The amounts are designed to give recipient teams enough cash to raise additional funds from other sources.

These and other programs at Georgia Tech encourage the thinking needed to generate new answers to problems and challenges. While new ideas often give rise to startups, they represent another kind of currency for economic growth—helping existing companies develop products and services.

For example, when Super Lawn Technologies Inc. of Fort Valley, Georgia, needed manufacturing assistance, Georgia Tech personnel applied both manufacturing princi-

ples and design engineering expertise to help the fast-growing company. The assistance helped Super Lawn develop a lighter, stronger, and more efficient hydraulic ramp system for the specialized trucks it builds for landscaping companies.

What is the impact of these activities?

In short, the answer is competitive advantage. By graduating skilled engineers, promoting innovation, and building solution-creating relationships with companies, Georgia Tech adds to Georgia’s competitive advantage among other states—and to the United States’ competitive advantage in the global economy.

It also illustrates the extraordinary power of engineering to meet challenges, improve society, and simply get the job done. v

The GeorGia enGineer

AcecNews

James R. Hamilton, PE President ACEC/G

Engineering Excellence What is in Your Trophy Case?

Not long ago, I visited Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Whether you are (or not) a huge Elvis fan, I suggest you put a Graceland visit on your list. To say the least he was the most famous person on the planet back in the late ’50s and ’60s. Everything he touched set trends in music and he helped create and advance rock and roll. At Graceland you will see the boom-boom room, the pink Cadillac, the outfits he wore, his private racquetball court, his airplane, and other parts of the King’s existence. Also you will see all of his trophies—mostly gold records, letters, mementos, and other significant items attributed to his performances, his music, and his star power. These are symbols, as they are, to his excellence in his profession.

So, what is in your trophy case?

Recently, we recognized engineering firms and individual engineers for applications of

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

excellence in their practice of engineering.

None performed what they do in front of standing room audiences; none get standing ovations for calculating the static and dynamic loads on super structures or for a flood model of a river basin- or other significant feats. But the projects built through engineering excellence are worth more than the trophies in Elvis’ trophy case. If you are like me, when you drive by one of your projects you take great pride in what you helped build: a sewage treatment plant, an earthen dam, a high rise hotel, office tower or multifamily structure, a school, a highway, a municipal water system, a nuclear power plant, an auto assembly plant, a stadium, etc. These are your trophies and are a testament to your skill and excellence. In engineering—our trophies are everywhere and are a testament to excellence in what we do. Be proud and tell your story—you should.

I was recently asked, “After this recession, would you recommend engineering to

a young person as a career worth living?”

Without hesitation my answer is YES. What we do means so much to so many— today, tomorrow, and for many years to come. I challenge you to perform your work with excellence each day and continue your Kaizen quest for continuous improvement of your skills and your contribution to our profession.

To those firms and individual engineers we celebrated during Engineers’ Week – you have my standing ovation. You make me proud of what I did, continue to do, and will continue to do until…the engineer has left the building.

Thanks for your contribution to Excellence in Engineering in Georgia.

All the best…

James R. Hamilton, PE President- ACEC/G v

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AsceNews

Jim Wallace, P.E., President American Society of Civil Engineers, Georgia Section | jmacrina@dekalbcountyga.gov As we begin 2012, the Georgia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers has numerous goals. In this month’s issue, I’d like to focus on the top three: (1) Develop a strategic plan to guide the Section for the next five years, (2) Celebrate the Section’s centennial year, and (3) Spearhead the second annual “What does a civil engineer do?” contest for middle schoolers. Since these three goals are critical to the success of the Section in 2012, I’ve provided some additional insight below—the Section is counting on the support and participation of all members this year.

1. Strategic Plan: The Section Board, along with the chairs of various key committees, participated in an initial planning session and developed the following draft statements of vision, mission, and goals: • Vision~ To be the recognized leader and

premier resource of the civil engineering profession that builds a better quality of life for Georgia.

•

Mission~ To promote and advance the profession of civil engineering through public, legislative, and student outreach while providing value to our members through networking and professional development.

•

Goals~ (1) Promote the civil engineering profession, (2) Increase participation in the Georgia Section, ASCE, and( 3) Promote life-long learning by members of the profession. These goals represent only a start in accomplishing our mission and we expect to add to these as we make progress through the year.

In developing the Strategic Plan, we believe

we are creating a blueprint for the Section’s next five years.

2. Centennial Celebration: This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Georgia Section. In celebration of our centennial, the Section is planning many activities, focusing on our history, and looking toward the future. Planned centennial activities include: celebratory articles in the Georgia Engineer magazine, press releases, celebrations, a calendar showcasing significant civil engineering achievements in our first century, and a commemorative book.

3. Spearhead the second annual “What does a civil engineer do?” contest for middle schoolers: Much research has drawn attention to the need to shed light on our profession as a means to ensure its future growth. This was brought to light last year

2011 - 2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Jim Wallace, PE jrwhaw@comcast.net

SECRETARY Ernie Pollitzer, PE epollitzer@bellsouth.net

INTERNAL AFFAIRS Keith Cole, PE keith.cole@mindspring.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT Lisa Woods, PE Lisa.woods@jacobs.com

DIRECTORS

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Dan Agramonte, PE daniel.agramonte@obg.com

VICE-PRESIDENT Katherine McLeod Gurd, PE Katherine.gurd@aecom.com PAST-PRESIDENT Jo Ann Macrina, PE jmacrina@AtlantaGa.Gov TREASURER Rebecca Shelton, PE rebecca.shelton@gwinnettcounty.com

42

Northeast Georgia Branch: Paul Oglesby, PE paul@georgiacivil.com Savannah Branch: C J Chance, PE cchance@hgbd.com South Metro Branch: James Emery, PE jemery@troupco.org

YOUNGER MEMBERS Julie Secrist, PE secrist@loweengineers.com TECHNICAL GROUPS John Lawrence, PE John.lawrence@atcassociates.com www.ascega.org

The GeorGia enGineer

by one of the speakers at a Georgia Section monthly meeting, Dr. Don P. Giddens, Dean Emeritus of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. The topic of Dr. Giddens’ presentation was “Changing the Public’s View of Engineering.” The presentation was based on research conducted by the National Academy of Engineering, which found that youths of today have a limited understanding of engineering; they see engineers as indirectly helping people or as desk jockeys, disconnected from people.

Based on the obvious need within the engineering community to help change some of these misconceptions and to promote the results of a November 2010 Money magazine article that found Environmental Engineers and Civil Engineers were rated as the #5 and #6 top jobs in the country, the Georgia Section initiated the middle school contest. While the contest was quite successful, a great deal was learned. We think the next contest will be more successful and can reach even more students.

The Georgia Section represents and belongs to its membership. While we have taken the first steps in the vision, mission, and goals, this is an ongoing process that will

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

greatly benefit from your input. We would like very much to hear from any of our readers regarding your views of our plan. We would especially like to know the opinions of the members of the Georgia Section and what the members would like to see and experience as we move into the future. Also,

we would solicit your input and involvement in Section activities, including the centennial celebration or the student contest. Please feel free to contact any of the Board members whose contact information is included on the previous page. v

43

GeFNews

Jim Wallace, P.E., President Georgia Engineering Foundation On November 3, 2011, an Awards Banquet was held to recognize those individuals who had been selected to receive scholarships from the Georgia Engineering Foundation (GEF). A photo of the recipients can be seen as part of this article. This was the 40th year that GEF has supported and encouraged some of our brightest and best young people to make the profession of engineering their way of contributing to the public well-being.

As we recognized the 40th anniversary of GEF, we were fortunate to have two of the founding members present, Mr. John Prien and Mr. Gordon Dalrymple. John Prien addressed the attendees, which included the scholarship recipients and their family members/friends as well as members of GEF, and spoke about how engineering leaders 40 years ago understood both the need for the foundation and also labored to make the foundation a reality. Many of the early leaders of the organization included the foundation in their estate giving. Their gifts of time and money continue to support students today as well as those who will travel the path of engineering in the future.

I would like to note two of the scholarships that were given for the first time this year: The Joanne Frances (Eppard) Prien Scholarship and the Gordon Dalrymple Scholarship. John Prien established the Prien scholarship in memory of his wife, Joanne.

She was a Life Member of a highly regarded women’s organization, Philanthropic Educational Organization, and was also a past-president of the Auxiliary to the National Society of Professional Engineers. The Dalrymple Scholarship was given by former employees of Law Engineering who wanted to recognize Gordon for his many contributions to society, including his outstanding leadership of Law Engineering, where he served as Presi44

dent for several years.

For those of you who have been blessed by a leader such as Gordon Dalrymple or by a family member such as Joanne Prien, I ask you to consider the method chosen by the friends of Gordon and the husband of Joanne to recognize these outstanding individuals. Look at the young, dedicated, and talented students shown on the photo on this page and ask yourself if you would not want to bless youths such as these with a contribution to the Georgia Engineering Foundation, and at the same time recognize someone that has been a blessing to you.

Any member of the board would be pleased to talk with you about this. The list of member organizations and their representatives is shown below.

Finally, all who have benefitted from the gifts of sponsorship and contribution to GEF would like to express our appreciation for

your gifts and those of your organizations.

The sponsors of our 40th Awards Banquet are shown below. v We wish to give a special thanks to our Sponsors for making the 2011 Awards Banquet and Dinner possible

The GeorGia enGineer

GsPeNews

William G. Wingate III, P.E. President Georgia Society of Professional Engineers

What a great time it is to be a professional engineer. How many of us have said or heard someone speak of wanting to live in a different point in time than their own? Since we have not solved this engineering problem yet, and time travel is not an available form of transportation, then we will have to be satisfied with being where we are today.

Over the past two years we have all felt the demand for change. This change has been difficult for our industry, but I believe it is short lived and long term positive for our profession. Throughout time there have been events that have brought on significant change, and these events have guided the development of our communities and lives.

This is not unlike any of those times. The question is what do we make of it? The term ‘new normal’ is a term that we have come to be familiar with in recent days. This is just another nice way of saying that although change is constant throughout our lives, there are events like this which force change at an uncomfortable rate. These changes pro-

vide immense opportunities for those willing to embrace the challenge. It is time for us as professional engineers to answer the bell. The new opportunities are endless from new building designs for a green era, alternative forms of transportation, new forms of cargo delivery, ample drinking water supply reservoirs, alternative energy options, multimedia communications, biomedical applications, and agricultural production methods

just to name a few.

GSPE is here to support all professional engineers in the state of Georgia with our place in the ‘new normal.’ But your participation is critical to the strength of our endeavors. Ask yourself a simple question. As a registered engineer, have I contributed something to make the profession better than when I started? If the answer is no, then you need to be a member of GSPE and give

Thank You To The Sponsors Who Made The 2011 New PE Recognition Dinner A Tremendous Success Marquee Sponsor Bronze Sponsors LOC Engineering W.K. Dickson & Company

Mentor Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Association Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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back to the profession. I would like to urge each of you to look inside and find a way to contribute in 2012. GSPE has numerous items on the agenda that are available to you. Each of these is significant in its own way, and will provide more value to you as a professional engineer than the time you invest in them. Here are just a few: • Local Mathcounts Competitions ~ Chapters around the state will host local math competitions for middle school students. Come see this next generation of engineers.

•

•

•

•

•

•

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State Mathcounts Competition ~ Winners from the local competitions will advance to the largest state competition in the nation to compete for chances to advance to the national level competitions.

Mathcounts Golf Tournament ~ Enjoy an afternoon of golf with fellow engineers, industry associates, and friends in support of the Mathcounts fund that allows us to sponsor this wonderful competition for our youth.

Engineers Week ~ During E – Week take an hour and get out into a local school near you and talk with young people about the amazing opportunities that are out there for them in engineering.

Engineers Week Banquet ~ Some of the best engineers in our state will be recognized at this banquet for accomplishments throughout the year and their career. Come enjoy the evening with us and meet fellow engineers from around the state.

Monthly Chapter Meetings ~ Our chapters around the state host monthly programs with PDH credits available.

These events are exceptional locations to network with your peers and stay in touch with coming opportunities.

PE Exam Luncheon ~ Help us in providing lunch for these prospective engineers on the this challenging day in their career.

•

Legislative Reception ~ Participate in the annual legislative reception this spring to discuss with our representatives the issues that are important to us in our communities and profession.

•

Spring PDH Program ~ We will be working with industry leaders to prepare an exciting Spring PDH program to stimulate your brains and satisfy our responsibilities for continuing education.

•

Summer Conference ~ This is a significant opportunity for engineers across the state to come together for fellow-

ship, recreation, and professional development. If you have not participated in the past, consider this in June as a great way to meet with the best in our industry and learn about the emerging trends impacting our state.

All of these items will be published on our Web site at www.gspe.org for your convenience and consideration. Contact any of our officers or our executive director for assistance in getting involved in these opportunities to support engineering in Georgia. We look forward to seeing you all there. v

2011 – 2012 GSPE Board of Directors President Trey Wingate, P.E. W.K. Dickson & Company, Inc. President-Elect David Simoneau Cranston Engineering State Delegate and Past President Luther Cox, P.E. LOC Engineering, Inc. Treasurer Stuart McRae, P.E. Vice President Region I Cobb/Northeast/Northwest/ West Georgia Doug Benner, P.E., F. NSPE DEB Consulting Vice President Region II Atlanta Metro Vacant Vice President Region III Augusta/Columbus/ Middle Georgia/ Savannah/South Georgia Kristen Courson, P.E. ESG Operations Inc.

Metro Atanta Chapter Farley Wolford, PE Joe D’Alessandro, PE Gale Sights, PE Cobb Chapter Earl Ferguson, PE West Georgia Chapter Ed Fiegle, PE NW Georgia Chapter Greg Gaston, PE NE Georgia Chapter Vacant Middle Georgia Chapter Patrick Rhodes, PE Kevin Berry, PE Augusta Chapter David Simoneau, PE Columbus Chapter Vacant Savannah Chapter Tim Baumgartner, PE South Georgia Chapter Henry Lee Everson, PE

Vice President at Large Earl Ferguson

The GeorGia enGineer

iteNews

John Karnowski, PE Georgia Section, Institute of Transportation Engineers When I got the call a couple of years ago hands. Bless his heart! that the ITE Nominating Committee had I am the 50th President of the Georgia tagged me for Secretary-Treasurer, the Section of ITE. The 1st (John Edwards) was thought entered my head, ‘hey, that’s cool; in the room for the Annual Meeting and inI guess that means I’ll be the President in a auguration in December. So, if I’m the 50th few years.’ That thought immediately led to then 2012 marks our 50th year. (I did that my second thought, ‘dang, I hope I don’t math in my head.) We will be looking for all mess it up.’ Well the day has come and now kinds of ways to celebrate 50 years. We some of you might be thinking, ‘Bless his might even give out gold nuggets at some of heart; he means well.’ our monthly meetings… so make sure you I’ve been in this organization since Walt attend. (tic) Rekuc, now with the city of Sandy Springs, 2012 holds great potential. People dragged me to monthly meetings with the once said that “the world comes to Atlanta promise of a free lunch and two hours of not in 1996.” In our industry, the world comes counting cars—ah, the memories of intern- to Atlanta in 2012. The ITE International ing at the city of Roswell. At that time, I Annual Meeting will be in Atlanta, and probably looked like I was a freshman in high Kenny Voorhies with Cambridge Systemschool. Yet, the professionalism and accept- atics, Marsha Anderson Bomar with Stanance shown to me at those monthly meetings tec, and their local arrangements influenced me to change my major and my committee are hard at work to showcase chosen profession. It also sealed my resolve to the Georgia Section as incredible host, in be more involved in this organization. the southern tradition. Please be on the In the ensuing years, I gradually became lookout for more information. more and more involved. I even performed Georgia has a historic vote this year. many of the duties of Secretary-Treasurer The idea of a regional sales tax to pay for when Walt had that role and I was the low transportation projects is ground breaking man in his office. (Did I mention that I was and, if successful, will mean that we can a co-op?) When I was ready to graduate, I provide better and safer transportation to somehow missed the GA Tech Student Chap- the public. It will admittedly mean perter resume packet so I just stood up in a meet- sonal and professional prosperity for all of ing and introduced myself and said I was us. It is incumbent upon us that we be looking for a job. Wassim Selman (now with good leaders in the community. We are not Arcadis) and Marsha Anderson hired me at an advocacy organization when it comes to Street Smarts and set my career in motion. legislation but we are advocates for better So it is with great pride and just a bit of transportation. We don’t lobby but we do nervousness that I take the gavel from Mike educate. Now is the time to educate.

Holt. Are you nervous, too? The organizaOn that subject, ITE has a chance to tion that launched my career, that has given start something significant in 2012. Scott me my closest friends in the industry, and Mohler of URS Corp has led an effort to prethat has afforded me numerous opportuni- pare elected officials for service by educating ties to serve the profession is now in my them on transportation subjects. He and his FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

committee have put together a course that will be taught to commissioners at the ACCG Annual Conference. The intent is to arm these elected officials with facts, many of whom have had no more exposure to roundabouts than watching European Vacation (‘look kids… Big Ben, Parliament’).

Our hope is that we can make this a regular part of county commissioners training and maybe move on to the Georgia Municipal Association. Imagine an elected body that will know to refer to the MUTCD in their decision making process for multi-way stops.

Next year will require leadership. Not just mine but yours. I’m not going to accomplish anything alone. I cannot get the TIA passed; I cannot host the international meeting attendees in my house (my wife will not go for that); and, I’m not even planning to attend the ACCG conference. So, how will you make ITE the premier organization for everything transportation? How will you impact the industry to improve the conditions for the public at large?

For my part, I plan to be as visible as possible. I know what many of you might be thinking: “is it too late to get someone else?” … yes, it is. I want ITE to be ubiquitous.

(You can look that up on Google.) I want the press to seek out ITE for comments on congestion and safety, not a TV or radio commentator. Instead of asking the Chair of the House Transportation Committee if DDIs are good solutions, they should ask an ITE member who is an expert on the subject.

When you are speaking at a conference, writing a paper, serving on a special panel, or doing something professional where it isn’t critical that your employer get the credit, be an ITE representative. When you hire new people into your organization, make sure you 47

sign them up to be members and then encourage and support their involvement. If you work for a local government, invite an administrator, mayor, or commissioner to an ITE monthly meeting. If you do something Board Position

great in transportation, let ITE send out a press release on your behalf.

Finally, I can’t do this job on my own wit and charm. Let’s be honest, that just barely got me through this article. ITE needs

and welcomes your time, input, advice, and

E-mail

Phone

Member

even your criticism…just do it right, use the phrase ‘bless your heart’ somewhere within the critique. v

President

John Karnowski

jkarnowski@foresitegroupinc.com

(770) 368-1399

Vice President

Dwayne Tedder

dwayne.tedder@urs.com

678.808.8840

Secretary/Tresurer

Jonathan Reid

Reid@pbworld.com

404.769.4058

Past President

Mike Holt

mholt@worldfiber.com

(770) 407.7799

District Representative

David Benevelli

david.benevelli@transcore.com

(770) 246.6257

District Representative

Carla Holmes

carla_holmes@gspnet.com

678.518.3654

District Representative

Jim Tolson

jtolson@dot.ga.gov

404.624.7119

Affiliate Director

Andrew Antweiler

aantweiler@roswellgov.com

678.639.7540

Committee

Chair(s)

E-mail

Phone

2012 Intl Meeting

Marsha Bomar

marsha.andersonbomar@stantec.com

(770) 813-0882

Kenny Voorhies

kvoorhies@camsys.com

(404) 460-2604

Activities

Patrick McAtee

PMcatee@ThompsonEngineering.com

(404) 574-1985

Annual Report

Carla Holmes

carla_holmes@gspnet.com

(678) 518-3654

Jim Tolson

jtolson@dot.ga.gov

(404) 624-7119

France Campbell

france_campbell@gspnet.com

(678) 518-3952

Audio/Visual Awards/Nominations

Mike Holt

mholt@worldfiber.com

(770) 407-7799

Career Guidance

Brendetta Walker

bhargro@bellsouth.net

(404) 364-5235

Clerk

Elizabeth Scales

elizabeth.scales@hatchmott.com

(770) 200-1735

Comptroller

Jim Pohlman

pohlmanj@bellsouth.net

(770) 972-9709

Engineers Week

Steven Sheffield

ssheffield@georgiatolls.com

(404) 893-6132

Finance

Martin Bretherton

wbretherton@hntb.com

(404) 946-5709

Georgia Engineer Magazine

Dan Dobry

ddobry@croyengineering.com

(770) 971-5407

John Edwards

jdedwards4929@bellsouth.net

(404) 264-0789

Georgia Tech Liaison

Paul DeNard

pdenard@dot.ga.gov

(404) 635-8278

Historian

Charles Bopp

charles_bopp@hotmail.com

(404) 848-6054

Host

Sujith Racha

sujith.racha@arcadis-us.com

(770) 431-8666

Legislative Affairs

Bill Ruhsam

bruhsam@maai.net

(678) 728-9076

Life Membership

Don Gaines

dgaines@gcaeng.com

(404) 355-4010

Marketing

Shannon Fain

shannon.fain@stantec.com

(770) 813-0882

Membership

Sunita Nadella

sunita.nadella@parsons.com

(678) 969-2304

Monthly Meetings

Dwayne Tedder

dwayne.tedder@urs.com

(678) 808-8840

Newsletter

Vern Wilburn

vwilburn@wilburnengineering.com

(770) 977-8920

Past Presidents

Todd Long

tlong@dot.ga.gov

(404) 631-1021

Public Officials Education

Scott Mohler

scott_mohler@urscorp.com

(678) 808-8811

Scholarship

Tim Brandstetter

tim.brandstetter@kimley-horn.com

(404) 419-8714

Southern Poly Liaison

Bryan Sartin

bryan_sartin@gspnet.com

(678) 518-3884

Summer Seminar

Josh Williams

josh_williams@gspnet.com

(678) 518-3672

Technical

Winter Horbal

winter.horbal@temple-inc.com

(678) 412-5554

Website

Shawn Pope

spope@camsys.com

(404) 460-2609

Winter Workshop

Jody Peace

Jody.Peace@arcadis-us.com

(770) 431-8666

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The GeorGia enGineer

its

News

Scott Mohler, P.E. ITS President It is an honor and privilege to have been elected president of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia (ITS Georgia) and to represent this great chapter and its important work. Over the next two years, I plan on sharing with you the many accomplishments of the chapter and our member organizations.

ITS Georgia is fortunate to have had quality leadership since its inception from the late Wayne Shackelford as founding chairman to my immediate predecessor, Marion Waters. Marion has been a model president for the past two years, and I want to extend an enormous thank you for all of his hard work and dedication to the betterment of ITS Georgia. His leadership in ITS Georgia and in the ITS industry are invaluable,and I’m thankful that Marion will remain a member of the board during my presidency.

I also want to thank outgoing board members Marwan Abboud and Ron Boodhoo, and the new and returning officers and directors who are listed below.

2. Educate our members on national directions and technologies 3. Develop a broader ITS constituency 4. Educate policy makers on benefits of continued operations and maintenance and how ITS can help We did a great job in 2011 on Goals 1 and 2 and an okay job on Goal 3. In 2012, we will continue to provide our members with forums to network and learn about new technologies and lessons learned from our colleagues from around the state and the nation. We also plan on reaching out to new member organizations and to increase participation from existing members, especially younger associates and students.

Goal Four has been a challenge and we need to do more to get decision makers to understand the benefits of ITS solutions and the value they bring to state and local trans-

portation infrastructure.To reach Goal 4, we are teaming with the Georgia Section Institute of Transportation Engineers and the TIME Task Force in a cross-organizational Public Officials Education Committee which I will chair. We plan on conducting a training class on the benefits of ITS with county officials in April at the Association County Commissioners of Georgia Annual Meeting. GDOT’s Todd Long has agreed to be the instructor for this class. We think that is a good start. Next are city and state decision makers.

2012 and Beyond ~ Over the next two years we plan on turning our mission and goals into facts and accomplishments.

Our Mission: Promote and educate people about ITS and encourage incorporation of ITS into transportation projects.

Our Goals: 1. Provide forums to share and coordinate ITS Georgia member missions and experiences FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

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On an organizational level, we plan on increasing chapter revenue so we can continue to fund scholarships and provide our membership with access to the latest in ITS technology and forums for networking and

professional growth. We also plan on expanding our membership outside the reach of our typical members to include the growing number of automotive and high tech companies in Georgia that provide traveler and fleet information.

In addition to providing scholarships to students studying ITS, we plan on increasing their involvement in chapter activities to facilitate networking and learn more about potential employers in the area to keep and attract talent to Georgia.

As always, our monthly and annual meetings will be packed with outstanding speakers and topics in 2012. We’ll learn about everything from how ITS solutions help move millions of tons of cargo in and out of Georgia’s ports to creative funding opportunities, how well our products and services stack up, and what the future holds from our excellent research institutions.

Please visit our Web site (www.ITSGA.org) for information about our monthly meetings for 2012. v

ITS GEORGIA CHAPTER LEADERSHIP President Scott Mohler, URS Corporation

Vice President Tom Sever, Gwinnett DOT

Secretary Kristin Turner, Wolverton and Associates nc.

Treasurer Christine Simonton, Delcan

Directors Mark Demidovich Susie Dunn Kenn Fink Eric Graves John Hibbard Carla Holmes Patrece Keeter Keary Lord DOT Bayne Smith Grant Waldrop

GDOT ARC Kimley-Horn City of Alpharetta Atkins Gresham Smith DeKalb County Douglas County URS GDOT

State Chapters Representative Kenny Voorhies

Cambridge Systematics Inc.

Ex Officio Greg Morris Jamie Pfister

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Federal Highway Administration Federal Transit Administration

The GeorGia enGineer