FOcus - Fuss & O'Neill's Company Newsletter - Summer 2021

FO

CUS

Fuss & O’Neill’s Newsletter

WHAT’S INSIDE Message from the President What’s New? Employee FOcus FOcus on The Future FOcus on Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program FOcus on Summer Safety FOcus on Brownfields Redevelopment EWeek

SUMMER 2021

Message from the President Though the calendar signaled a new year months ago, there’s something about summer that seems more like the beginning of something rather than the middle of it. Maybe I was supposed to be born in the southern hemisphere, but summer, to me, signals hope, opportunity, and excitement more than some ball dropping while everyone is cloaked under fiver layers of clothing. Or maybe this feeling is just amplified this year since it feels like we’re finally coming out of the darkness that was the pandemic. And I acknowledge that we still have a long way to go and everyone still needs to do their part and be safe, but the advent of summer seems particularly poignant this year.

In years past, a cookout with family and friends or a trip to the beach were always things I looked forward to. Now I’m excited by just being able to plan for these events. Planning was something that was taken away from us, and the hope and anticipation that comes from planning are things I was starved for, and I wonder if others felt the same. Here in the office, planning for the future is an important thing that we do for our clients, whether it’s to make their community a desirable economic hub, to transform a onceblighted piece of land to new use, or to make buildings and infrastructure more resilient to the effects of climate change. You’ll read more about that herein. While we never stopped planning for our clients, our own personal planning, like everything else, was put on hold. This was a smaller consequence of the pandemic, but nonetheless an important one that I’m glad is coming back to us. As social creatures, we need things to look forward to – to know that we’ll be laughing and eating with others, creating shared experiences and memories, and to take back some of what was taken from us. I hope that you all have many upcoming plans, and that you all have a safe and enjoyable summer.

- Kevin Grigg, PE CEO

What’s New?

Meet Our Summer Interns!

Luke Bowden - UConn Highway and Roadway Intern, Manchester, CT

Max Wondolowski - UConn Survey Intern, Manchester, CT

“I will be working on CTDOT crash data analyses in preparation for the Highway Safety Improvement Program Implementation Plan submission. I will also be working on small-scale road and sidewalk design, and will gain experience with traffic signal patterns.”

“I sought out an internship with Fuss & O’Neill after receiving a scholarship from the company and getting the opportunity to speak with a former employee at the awards banquet. I have spent my time here so far working in the Survey Department doing field work and improving my AutoCAD skills making base maps from the field data I assisted in collecting. I am looking forward to the rest of my time here and all the experiences it will bring.”

Christopher Flannery - Quinnipiac

Kauila Tengan - Amherst College Climate Resilience Intern, Remote

Site/Civil Intern, Providence, RI “This summer I will be working in the Site/Civil Department at the Providence branch. I am very much looking forward to gaining some much needed experience both in the office and out in the field on job sites.”

“This summer I will be working with Diane Mas, PhD, REHS/ RS, CC-P, WEDG as a Climate Resilience Intern! My first major project was to assist Phil Forzley, PE and Patricia Shedd with researching Vermont’s environmental action plans, on a state level, county level, and town level. With the help of David Cook, I was able to update our Climate Resiliency Resource Center story map. I am currently updating 10 years of statistics on a research paper about harmful algal blooms for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Michael Grigoriou - UConn, Landscape Architecture Intern, Manchester, CT “I am excited to be joining the Fuss & O’Neill team as a Landscape Architecture intern. I will be working on both my technical and graphic skills on a variety of different projects using programs such as AutoCAD, Photoshop, and SketchUp. I chose Fuss & O’Neill for the diversity of disciplines and the collaboration that takes place. I was also enticed by the wide array of different project types and scales that Fuss & O’Neill has worked on, something that is helping to change my perspective on what Landscape Architecture is and how it functions in the real world. Having enjoyed my first month, I am looking forward to the rest of the summer!”

Henry Cutler - UConn Wastewater Intern Manchester, CT

Jacob Eberli - WNEU Structures Intern Manchester, CT

Tamara Lord - UMass Amherst Traffic Intern, Quincy, MA

Joscalyn Gallo - Quinnipiac Highway and Roadway Intern Manchester, NH

Aidin Hendriks - Rutgers MEP Intern Manchester, CT

Caitlin Jenkins - UConn Compliance Intern Trumbull, CT

Michael Neumann - Quinnipiac Site/Civil Intern Manchester, CT

“This summer I am working in the Quincy office where I will be helping the Transportation Department with roadway design and traffic analysis projects. I chose Fuss and O’Neill because the interview process made me feel excited for the position and I knew it would be a great learning opportunity.”

Caitlin Strzegowski - WPI Compliance Intern, Manchester, CT “This summer I will be working with the Compliance Department in Manchester, CT! So far I have been working on a variety of permits, for example SIU, MIU, SPCC, and RMP. I have been completing landfill weekly and monthly inspections and I have recently learned how to use CAD! I chose Fuss & O’Neill because of the wide variety of cool projects and the very open community!”

MARCH

FEBRUARY

Meet Our New Employees!

MAY

Nina Marelli Landscape Designer - CDV Manchester, CT

Francis Ingraham, EIT, Mechanical Engineer - BHM Manchester, CT

Justin Penfield Compliance Specialist - EFS Trumbull, CT

Tai Le Transportation Engineer - TRN Manchester, CT

Elsa Loehmann, PE Associate - WNR Manchester, CT

MAY

Tom Galeota Senior Analyst CDV Manchester, CT

Alexandra Duryea Environmental Scientist - WNR Providence, RI

Alexandra Robotham Environmental Engineer - EFS Manchester, CT

Stella Sexton Administrative Assistant - CDV Springfield, MA

John Griglun Project Manager MFS Manchester, CT

Jason Hofmann Senior Wastewater Analyst - WNR Manchester, CT

Robert Terlikowski Wastewater Engineer - WNR Manchester, CT

Daniel Turgeon, PLA Landscape Architect - CDV Springfield, MA

Anthony Oudorn, CPA Accounting Mgr Manchester, CT

Lara Paxton Civil Engineer - CDV Springfield, MA

James Lowery, PE Senior Project Manager - CDV Kennebunk, ME

JULY

JUNE

Sam Worobel Civil Engineer - CDV Trumbull, CT

Alexander Ciofani Environmental Scientist - EFS Trumbull, CT

JUNE

MARCH

James Matthews Survey Technician CDV Manchester, NH

Rowena Sullivan Transportation Engineer - TRN Springfield, MA

Patrick Tierney, PE Transportation Engineer - TRN Quincy, MA

Rigel Wachtmann Civil Engineer - CDV White River Junction, VT

Josue Lugo Delgado, PE Senior Civil Engineer CDV, Springfield, MA

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

Awards

Fuss & O’Neill’s corporate citizenship group

seeks to provide outreach,

volunteerism, and financial support to communities surrounding our office locations. We

ACEC-NH Merit Award Tru Hotel - Manchester, NH

ACEC-VT Transportation Grant Award US Route 7 Reconstruction - Segment 6

endeavor to engage employees in activities and donations, providing them with volunteer opportunities in their own communities and soliciting their suggestions for charitable giving.

will respond to societal needs, seek out organizations that align

with company values, and establish meaningful relationships within the company and surrounding communities.

In FY21,

has been proud to support the following organizations, and

we encourage you to learn more about these amazing organizations:

Happy Retirement

Charlestown Sprouts

Children’s Hospital Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Families in Transition

https://www.facebook.com/ charlestownsprouts/

www.chadkids.org

www.fitnh.org

Granite YMCA

Groundwork Bridgeport

Habitat for Humanity

www.graniteymca.org

www. groundworkbridgeport.org

www.hartfordhabitat.org

Horizons at Westminster School

Museum of African American History

Neponset River Watershed Association

www. horizonsatwestminster.org

https://www.maah.org/

https://www.maah.org/

Providence Promise

Sojourner House

Upper Valley Haven

www.pvdpromise.org

https://www.sojournerri.org/

www.uppervalleyhaven.org

Paul Konieczka, AICP

We wish Paul Konieczka, AICP a very happy retirement! Paul has been a steadying presence in the Manchester, NH office for more than 38 years. We will miss his guiding spirit, even temperament, and dedication to quality. Paul was an expert in traffic analysis and planning. One of his legacy projects was his collaboration with the Towns of Derry and Londonderry to plan for a new interchange off of New Hampshire’s busiest highway, I-93. We celebrate both his exceptional career and his well-deserved retirement, though we are sad to not be working with him every day.

Visit Our Careers Page for Current Job Openings! https://www.fando.com/careers/

FOCUS on Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program

By Julianne Busa, PhD, CSE and Diane Mas PhD, REHS/RS, CC-P, WEDG In 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs created the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program to empower and assist communities identify and reduce local climate change risks. Since the implementation of this Julie Leading a Community Resilience Building program, cities and towns throughout Workshop in Charlton, MA the Commonwealth have drawn on the projects for implementation and identify knowledge and experience of those who live those that are most suited to future MVP and work in those cities and towns to identify Action Grant funding, which is available to vulnerabilities and to prioritize actions MVP communities once the CRB process is that enhance climate change resilience complete. Action grants must fall into one of with consideration of local infrastructure, three categories: environment, and society.

1. Planning, Assessments, Capacity-Building, and Regulatory Updates Working in partnerships with certified MVP 2. Design and Permitting providers (professionals with experience 3. Construction and On-the-Ground in local government, environmental Implementation services, civil/site engineering, water quality, emergency management, etc.), communities are first led through Community Resilience Building (CRB) Workshops. These workshops are led by certified MVP providers, but the critical content and input regarding vulnerabilities and priorities is generated by the discussions with the stakeholders participating in these workshops. Municipal staff, residents, business owners, and first responders who live and work in these communities have specialized insight as to where the vulnerabilities exist. They are the ones that can best identify areas that routinely flood, name bridges that need constant repair, or point to water resources that are subject to algal blooms in the heat of summer.

After the areas of concern are identified, the workshop participants prioritize resilience

Furthermore, action grants must adhere to the MVP Program core principles, which include furthering the actions identified in the CRB process, utilizing climate change data for proactive solutions, incorporating nature-based solutions into projects, achieving broad and multiple community benefits, and conducting robust and inclusive community engagement that increases equitable outcomes and supports partnerships with environmental justice and other climate-vulnerable populations.

With over half a dozen certified MVP providers, Fuss & O’Neill has worked with numerous communities across the Commonwealth in the CRB and planning process and in Action Grant applications and project implementation. These projects, which have involved engineers, scientists,

and planners from across the company, have focused on public water supply resilience, renewable energy feasibility studies, flood resilience for roadways, land acquisition, and engagement in water quality under conditions of future climate stress. To date, we have assisted Massachusetts communities receive nearly $5M in grant funding and are expecting positive results from this year’s applications. More important than the dollar amount, however, is the direct benefit to these Massachusetts towns and cities. These changes bring immediate and long-term improvements.

They set the framework for economic growth, establish safe communities for all, and send a message that we are thinking about the future. With three offices in the Commonwealth staffed by Massachusetts residents, we are obviously concerned for the future of our state and are proud to be part of the solution. We have worked with communities on all three types of the Action Grants, and have partnered with communities to support a resilience project from the planning phase through construction. The Massachusetts MVP Program is a model for other states that are seeking to implement state-funded programs that center resilience at the municipal scale.

Massachusetts is also a leader in consideration of climate justice and equitable benefits to environmental justice and climate-vulnerable communities, an important consideration for both urban and rural areas of the state. Both these elements, resilient design and consideration of environmental justice, are being emphasized at the federal level and are anticipated to be part of infrastructure funding during the Biden administration. At Fuss & O’Neill, we are ready and looking forward to this national approach to infrastructure planning, funding, and design, having been an earlyadopter through our MVP work here in Massachusetts.

FOCUS on the Future

Kathy Nanowski

Diane Mas

Mike Simoneau

Roundtable Moderator Mike Simoneau Senior Marketing Coordinator

The Team Ted DeSantos, PE, PTOE Senior Vice President Community Development Business Line Leader Kevin Johnson

Kevin Grigg

Arnold Robinson

Kevin Grigg, PE Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson, PE, PTOE, NETTCP Executive Vice President of Business Development Diane Mas, PhD, REHS/RS, CC-P, WEDG Vice President Chief Resilience Officer

What Our Leaders Are Looking Forward to in 2021 and Beyond

Since March of 2020, the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has been battling factors from the pandemic, including shortage of labor, rising material costs, and general uncertainty with funding and safety on their projects.

There is a sense of renewed teamwork and optimism. On June 17th, six of Fuss & O’Neill’s leaders came together for a roundtable discussion about a variety of important topics. The message was clear – we are looking forward, not backward.

Kathy Nanowski, CPSM Vice President Director of Marketing & Business Development Arnold Robinson, AICP, NCI, WEDG Associate Regional Planning Director

Changes stemming from the pandemic have impacted Fuss & O’Neill’s Chief Resilience Officer, Diane Mas, both regarding internal work factors and during her work with clients.

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Ted DeSantos

Since the pandemic started, we have had the opportunity to really connect as human beings, and deepen our relationships with our clients.” “We are looking into their living rooms and experiencing their day-to-day in real time, and for those great clients that we have strong relationships with, it has improved the depth of the relationship, because we’re all dealing with the situation, and understanding how their organization is reacting, adapting, overcoming, sharing what we’re doing, and how we’re dealing with this…, it’s a shared human experience.

Kevin Grigg, Fuss & O’Neill’s Chief Executive Officer, believes that the experience through the pandemic has given many people a greater perspective toward both an approach to work, and toward personal life, as those lines were often blurred with so many people working remotely. “As a result of the pandemic and the recession, and seeing the way that social justice has manifested itself over the past year or more, we have been reminded of what I would call our essential humanity. We always need to remember, especially in a business like this, in professional services, that our people aren’t just employee numbers, that they are human beings. As we move forward, as we hope to retain our great people and attract more industry leaders to come work with us, it is going to be essential to tap into that sense of our essential humanity that we all have.”

Diane Mas

“

The pandemic really gave us the ability to do some myth busting around people working from home, and to see how to be productive outside of the normal office environment. It also expanded the frontier for our ability to get new workers. I have a hybrid intern this summer who lives in Honolulu – that never would have happened preCOVID. We wouldn’t have considered it or thought it was feasible, and, so far, so good, it’s working really well. It also allows me to get a different perspective from him as a native Hawaiian, which has been great.

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Ted DeSantos

“We have been fortunate that now, over the last few years, funding has turned toward climate resilience, making it easier for communities to fund those types of projects. The events of the last six months at the federal level have made it easier to have those discussions, have raised the awareness – have not raised just climate, but also social equity into the climate conversations, which it was always a part of, as we’re all affected by climate.”

“

Arnold Robinson, AICP, NCI, WEDG

Sometimes you won’t necessarily know the perfect solution when you start the project. You have to be willing to go into it with an open mind. I urge clients to think about climate change, not as “what are you going to do this year,” but “what are you going to do over the next 20-30 years,” because it can simply paralyze you to think about it in a short timeframe. You have to think about intentional steps, and once you have that dialogue with clients and with stakeholders, they sort of breathe a little bit of a sigh of relief because it’s not all on them, and they start taking steps down the path. That’s one the best things we can advise our clients – it doesn’t all need to be solved at this moment, but start. Start moving, start analyzing, start understanding, and then you can begin to take actions over the long term.

One project example that Fuss & O’Neill is working on where Arnold’s sentiments ring true is Market to Metacom in Warren, RI. This project is a linkage of climate resiliency for a low-lying area that includes a lot of privately-owned parcels and state roads.

“The biggest thing I’m taking away from that is how climate integrates through the project and has lots of tentacles of state and local roads,” added Robinson. “It has all sorts of infrastructure issues, it has social issues of housing, and who lives in that community, and what choices they have in getting out of harm’s way.”

Market to Metacom Redevelopment Project (Click the map to visit website)

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Our staff members want to work on projects that are going to transform the communities that they live in and have them be sustainable into the future, Working on climate resilience aspects of projects is a huge part of employee retention and recruitment. It’s just part of the backbone of who we are now.

“

The majority of the projects that Dr. Mas works on are to help clients prepare for climate change. The topic has been something she began working on more than a quarter of a century ago and, more recently, she has been focused on helping Fuss & O’Neill incorporate climate resilience into all aspects of our work. Part of being able to achieve that goal is an uptick in funding opportunities specifically for these kinds of projects.

Arnold Robinson, Fuss & O’Neill’s Regional Planning Director, works to develop planning solutions that incorporate climate resilience on projects that may not have a linear path to achieve the ultimate goal and that require a collaborative effort from project stakeholders.

“

Dr. Mas works on a variety of public projects across New England and, out of necessity during the pandemic, many public meetings and events were moved into the virtual space. While at first those presented challenges, now firms, clients, and communities are seeing benefits of holding public meetings online. “A virtual format allowed people to join whereas they wouldn’t have been necessarily able to, so I know there’s some hope that elements of those formats will be able to continue into the future. We really did see an uptick and an ability for people to weigh in and to participate in ways that they weren’t simply as capable as doing before due to time and space constraints, so I’m hoping we’ll see that continue in the future.”

Kathy Nanowski

While we work with our clients to understand their infrastructure needs and resilience issues, we also team with them to identify funding sources and help them through the application process. This includes FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program in Massachusetts, and the potential for future federal funds. Kevin Johnson notes: “We have some of the oldest infrastructure in the country, and that’s compounded by some of the harshest weather.

There’s never been a more pressing time than right now to invest in our infrastructure.”

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Kevin Johnson, PE, PTOE, NETTCP

We are experts at finding funding for federal and state projects. We start the process early with our clients, and we’re there with them through each step of the way until they secure that funding. Another advantage for Fuss & O’Neill is our ability to navigate the confusing and sometimes overwhelming regulatory requirements.

We have full-service offices in each of the New England states where our experts know each of these regulatory agencies, and in some cases, the people that work inside of them, which helps facilitate and advance the process.

It is a unique point in history in the AEC industry, and the overall tone is positive and hopeful, even as challenges and hurdles await. “There’s a hunger for people to get back into the room together,” offered Robinson. “I think the year apart has actually made people anxious to get together and talk about community problems.”

Getting back in the room together pertains to projects and to internal staff. “Our firm has largely been remote for so long, and we’re moving to a hybrid model, so, as we move forward, we have to work together to find a format that supports each other,” said Nanowski.

“To Arnold’s point, some folks want to come into the office, but others have decided to work from home, so making sure that we are respectful of each others’ work situations will be a major factor when it comes to internal staff retention and recruiting.”

“I think one of our biggest challenges is hiring,” added Johnson. “We are seeing tremendous growth and we’re set for a bright future, but there are just not enough technical people coming out of school. So that’s a big challenge for us, as well as for many other clients and firms.”

While hiring is an industry-wide challenge at this point, it’s also an opportunity that gives hope to many. “I love working with our younger generation,” mentioned

DeSantos. “With younger employees, it is all fresh and new, and just an opportunity to play a role where you watch them growing in their career, growing around support of the things that we’re all doing collaboratively – that’s what drives me every day.”

Johnson went on to echo those comments about the satisfaction of integrating young staff into project teams. “There is no better feeling than partnering with clients and successfully

delivering on a project, but, at the same time, working with a team – sometimes younger engineers and scientists – you really see how that investment in time and energy pays off. You see the light bulb go off about relationships with clients, and how important it is to work with them and partner with them, and it’s a fantastic feeling to see something completed.”

As we look forward, our CEO continues to want to both provide Fuss & O’Neill’s clients with excellent technical solutions, and wants to create and offer a workplace that staff can be proud of.

Kevin Grigg, PE CEO

“

There is a generation of professionals who want to know that the company they are working for is about more than just the bottom line.

They want to know that companies are addressing climate issues. They want to know that their companies are making efforts to diversify workforce and become more equitable and inclusive in what they do and the decisions they make on behalf of their employees.

And many of them want to know that they work for a company that is willing to speak out with regard to issues related to social justice. My vision is to create a culture that allows folks outside of the firm to view us differently from another AEC firm they could go to work with. Those three elements – dealing with social justice, being intentional about DEI, and addressing climate change – are three of the most important issues that business leaders are going to need to address, not just in the next year or two, but on a permanent basis.

“

As these types of climate resilience projects continue to evolve, one major component of being able to plan and help communities address these challenges is the ability to fund those projects.

FOCUS on Summer Safety SUN PROTECTION1 STAYING HYDRATED2 UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow.

Dehydration can be a serious condition that can lead to problems ranging from swollen feet or a headache to lifethreatening illnesses such as heat stroke.

In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from 10 am to 4 pm daylight saving time (9 am to 3 pm standard time).

Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart more easily pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles. And, it helps the muscles work efficiently.

You can reduce your risk of sun damage and skin cancer by staying in the shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter.

Pay attention to the color of your urine.

Pale and clear means you’re well hydrated. If it’s dark, drink more fluids.

When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts, which can provide protection from UV rays.

Clothes made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection. A wet T-shirt offers much less UV protection than a dry one, and darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors.

Thirst isn’t the best indicator that you need to drink. If you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.

For the most protection, wear a hat that

has a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. Avoid straw hats with holes that let sunlight through.

Not sweating during vigorous physical activity can be a red flag that you’re dehydrated to the point of developing heat exhaustion.

For most people, water is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated. Sources of water also include foods, such fruits and vegetables that contain a high percentage of water.

Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts.

They also protect the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure.

Put on broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays and has an SPF of 15 or higher before you go outside. Sunscreen works best when combined with other options. Sunscreen wears off. Put it on again if you stay out in the sun for more than 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, or toweling off.

1 Information provided by the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/ sun-safety.htm

Sitting in the sun on a hot or humid day, even if you aren’t exercising, can also cause your body to need more fluids.

2

Information provided by the American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/ en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/staying-hydrated-staying-healthy

FOCUS on Brownfields Redevelopment

By John Chambers, PG, LSP Executive Vice President of Operations

Earlier in our newsletter you met our summer interns. You may have noticed that several of them attend the University of Connecticut (UConn). We have a longestablished relationship with UConn, both partnering with them academically and by providing them with facility and campus project support. This cooperative history has yielded longstanding working relationships, and several members of our team are trusted advisors to UConn. In particular, we have a wonderful working relationship with Marisa Chrysochoou, Civil Engineering Department Head for UConn and the first woman to lead the Civil Engineering Department in the history of UConn.

In 2017, Marisa reached out to us with an idea to build a Brownfields Center of Excellence at UConn, which would be similar to U.S. EPA-funded Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) programs that existed sporadically around the country, but did not exist in New England (EPA Region 1). Marisa’s vision included developing a brownfields academic program at UConn, becoming a brownfields knowledge center of excellence for Connecticut and New England, and eventually achieving national recognition and federal funding as one of the select groups of technical assistance providers funded by the EPA to support state and federal brownfields programs nationwide.

Along with my colleagues Dan Jahne, LEP and Brian Kortz, CPG, LSP, CNU-A, we helped Marisa develop the tactics to implement her initial vision by sharing our experiences, ideas, and contacts in brownfields and participating in meetings with the U.S. EPA to help develop strategies and funding. Marisa’s vision became the Connecticut Brownfields Initiative (CBI). CBI is comprised of public officials (like the CT Department of Economic Development, CT Department of Energy and

Environmental Protection, and the U.S. EPA), businesses like Mohegan Sun, economic development agencies, and many of our legal and engineering colleagues working on brownfields projects. Being a part of CBI has been a really interesting and unexpected career highlight for me and some of my teammates at Fuss & O’Neill. I am one of the original board members of CBI and continue to serve in that role. To date, CBI has helped 54 Connecticut communities with services like projects addressing local brownfields issues or acquiring brownfields grant funding, provided brownfields webinars and workshops across the state, and trained 103 UConn students in the new brownfields classes introduced by CBI at UConn.

In addition to all the amazing work that CBI has done throughout Connecticut, I’m so happy to announce that Marisa’s vision grew to the point that CBI received a fiveyear, $1M grant from the U.S. EPA. This grant, provided under the TAB Program, provides training and technical assistance to historically underserved and economicallydisadvantaged communities across the country. This grant makes UConn one of only

six TAB providers in the nation and the first in Region 1. For those of us invested in the world of New England brownfields, this was a huge achievement that came much faster than expected and those of us at Fuss & O’Neill are proud of our contributions to this community success.

Brownfields As defined by the U.S. EPA, brownfields are: “a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant”.

Fuss & O’Neill helps communities remediate these sites by providing such services as: environmental site assessments; ecological risk assessments; site characterization; environmental investigations; hazardous material assessment and abatement; permitting; soil/groundwater management; and creation of Quality Assurance Project Plans, and Health and Safety Plans, and Remedial Action Plans.

EWeek 2021 FTS I G E E Y O L EMP

MIXOLOGY WITH ARNO LD

Things were a little different this year, but we still celebrated Engineers Week! We look forward to celebrating in person next year!

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