GBA Selected by MoDOT to Design Replacement of Broadway Bridge over I-670 in Downtown KCMO

Important Link to Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to be Completed for Grand Opening Gala!

A busy holiday season has gotten even busier for some of GBA's highway, bridge, and traffic designers who, teamed with el dorado inc., Hg Consult, and Kleinfelder, are working with MoDOT to design the replacement of the Broadway Bridge over I-670 in downtown Kansas City, Mo. An accelerated schedule calls for the high-profile new bridge to be completed by mid-September of 2011, in time for the grand opening of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

 

To make that happen, the team is pulling out all the stops and will submit final plans on February 14, just under three months after receiving a notice to proceed. A public information meeting is planned for early February, and the prominent location of the project has generated more than a passing interest from a wide range of stakeholders well beyond MoDOT and the Kauffman Center. Some of those involved include the City Manager's Office, Kansas City Public Works, Kansas City Parks and Recreation, Westside Community Action Network, Crossroads Community Association, DST Systems, Inc, MC Realty Group, LLC, and the Downtown Council, to name a few!

 

The project is scheduled to be advertised to bidders on March 17, with an early May letting.

 

“In forming our team, we were very aware of the critical nature of the schedule and the need to create a design that could be constructed easily and in keeping with the context of the site and the architecture of the nearby Performing Arts Center and Kansas City Convention Center,” said GBA Project Manager Tawn Nugent. “Our design approach is to bring forth solutions that save money and that are critical to the overall success of the project.” GBA is providing bridge and roadway design, surveying services, traffic engineering and signalization, and required utility coordination.

 

GBA is working closely with Architect David Dowell, AIA, of el dorado to create a design that provides an aesthetic connection to the adjacent projects and is sensitive to the expectations of the community. David was the architect for the recently updated bridges over I-670 east of Bartle Hall that connect the Central Business District with the Crossroads Arts District. Team member Hg Consult, Inc., a Kansas City-based DBE-certified engineering firm, is providing design support, while Kleinfelder, a nationwide planning, engineering, scientific, and technical firm with offices in Kansas City, is providing geotechnical services.

 

We're excited about the project and will share the final design when it's unveiled!

 

Read more about the project in The Kansas City Star at Kansas City.com.

GBA’s Kent Dyck Receives Certified Energy Manager® Designation

Senior Engineer Kent Dyck has achieved the Certified Energy Manager, CEM®, designation, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated high levels of experience, competence, proficiency, and ethical standards in the energy management profession.

Awarded through the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), the certification signifies compliance with a board-approved set of requirements including pre-qualifications of field experience, prior educational achievements, and a passing score on the certification exam. The CEM® certification is an industry-wide accepted standard and is recognized as by the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE), the Office of Federal Energy Management Programs (FEMP), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (US AID), as well as by numerous state energy offices, municipal entities, major utilities, and corporations.

Kent, who holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, has more than 20 years of experience in the study, planning, and design of mechanical systems for a wide range of building types. As a key member of GBA's Energy Studio, he heads up the team that focuses on energy studies and audits as well as the design and implementation of recommended energy saving alternatives.   

The CEM® program was established in 1981 to meet the growing needs of individuals and organizations in the field of energy management/energy efficiency.

Congratulations to Kent!  

In the Spirit of the Season, GBA Staffers Provide Meals to Families at Ronald McDonald House

GBA staffers enjoyed an opportunity to provide an evening meal to families at Longfellow House, one of the two Ronald McDonald Houses in the Kansas City area. The families, whose children are in town to receive medical treatment, find a “home away from home” at the Ronald McDonald Houses, which provide temporary lodging to as many as 60 families each night. 

Both the Longfellow and Cherry Street houses offer a warm and welcoming place to sleep as well as full kitchen facilities, laundry facilities, living rooms, and recreation areas to provide a
comfortable environment where families may relax away from the stresses of the hospital and meet other families experiencing similar crises. Annually, the Ronald McDonald Houses and Family Room provide lodging to nearly 6,000 families and support over 41,000 visits from family and friends of in-patients at Children's Mercy Hospital.

We had an opportunity to help these families through the Meal Program, which involves preparing dinner for guest families. Much of the cooking is done on-site, although some menu items such as baked goods and casseroles can be prepared ahead of time. If you’re interested in helping with meals or providing other support, here’s what you can do:

1. Help pay for a family's stay at the Ronald McDonald House.

2. Drop your spare change in a McDonald's® drive-thru donation canister.

3. Fundraise for us.

4. Shop for items that families need the most.

5. Get a group together and make a meal.

For more information, click here to go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities website.

7x24 Exchange’s ‘Newslink’ Features GBA’s Alan Lehman on “Commissioning UPS Lead-Acid Battery Systems”

Alan Lehman discusses the importance of and steps involved in commissioning UPS Lead-Acid Battery Systems in an article that appears in the Fall issue of Newslink. The publication is produced quarterly by 7x24 Exchange, the leading knowledge exchange for those who design, build, use, and maintain mission-critical enterprise information infrastructures. The goal of 7x24 Exchange is to improve end-to-end reliability by promoting dialogue among these groups.

According to Alan, “For powering critical systems, an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is frequently the last line of defense against power disruptions. When the normal source of power fails, the UPS begins pulling power from its energy storage system to serve the critical loads. While there are several types of energy storage in use for UPSs, lead-acid batteries remain the most common.”

Alan goes on to say that battery systems in these applications sit unused and untested most of their lives. When the normal power source fails, the batteries must immediately begin supplying energy for the loads. UPS batteries are commonly sized to last only a few minutes, so power output during discharge can be extreme relative to their capacity.

Considering the critical nature of the loads they support, this is a very demanding application for batteries. Proper installation, startup, and commissioning of UPS battery systems can greatly improve the probability that they will perform when called upon.  Alan goes on to talk in detail about design review, safety, installation verification, startup, UPS configuration, battery system testing, and documention.

He concludes by saying that batteries are one of the most common points of UPS failures. “Clearly, commissioning can be an involved and costly process. If the load is important enough to warrant a UPS, careful consideration needs to be given to the need for commissioning the batteries. Proper commissioning will improve the probability of the UPS performing when called upon and provide a baseline for troubleshooting and future performance evaluation.”

Groundbreaking at Riley County Public Works Lays the Foundation for 'Resourceful Kansas'

“Resourceful Kansas” generated lots of energy on November 4th, when dignitaries broke ground for four wind turbines to be built at the Riley County Public Works (RCPW) facility near Manhattan. GBA’s Jennifer Gunby, Kim Pearse, and Roman Bachamp were on hand for the ceremony, which marks the beginning of construction of several new renewable energy technologies at the RCPW complex. Riley County partnered with GBA, GBA Builders, LLC, and Kansas State University, to receive a $3 million grant awarded by the U.S. DOE earlier this year to implement the “Resourceful Kansas” program. The program is designed to engage communities throughout the state in making a fundamental shift toward a less energy-intensive, more efficient economy.

The first step involves adding renewable energy features to the recently completed RCPW complex, which is an award-winning model for sustainable design. GBA Builders is providing turnkey services for the installation of these additional technologies, including four wind turbines of 100 kW, 40kW, 20kW, and 2.5kW; solar-powered street lights; a used-oil heater; a thin-film PV system; and a solar under-floor heating system.

When the work is completed, representatives of selected Kansas cities, counties, state agencies, colleges and universities, agribusinesses, and other entities will have an opportunity to participate in seminars hosted at the RCPW facility. They’ll learn about available energy-saving technologies and strategies, tour real-world examples, and learn about public and private sources of capital available. Following those seminars, which will be led by Kansas State, GBA will conduct site energy assessments for selected participants. GBA’s retro-commissioning team will then provide guidance and professional support to facility owners. 

Participants will be selected from applications submitted online at ResourcefulKansas.org. Initial plans call for a total of eight one-day seminars, each involving up to 20 different entities to engage a total of at least 120 communities across Kansas. Apply today!

GBA’s Pat Prendergast Makes the Case for Commissioning When AIA KC Members Meet for ‘Chow & Tell’

How does an architect improve his or her client’s satisfaction? Provide a facility that meets or exceeds that client’s/owner’s needs and expectations. Provide a facility that works. Sounds simple enough, but that was the upshot of a lively and informative presentation made by our own Pat Prendergast before some 50 members of AIA Kansas City at the organization’s October 28 “Chow & Tell,” held at the AIA office at 18th and McGee in downtown KC.

 

According to Pat, architects are the team leaders and the owners’ confidants and, as such, are in a position to bring in a commissioning agent to ensure that the building and building systems work as intended. Obviously not all buildings need the same level of commissioning. Pat used the analogy of a lawn maintenance service. The lawn care needs of a warehouse in an industrial district differ dramatically from the needs of a commercial bank in the city’s financial district. The same is true for commissioning. Consequently, one of the first steps in the commissioning process is to determine the “depth and rigor” with which the commissioning activities should be performed to provide the level of assurance necessary.

Pat went on to talk about LEED, saying that it’s great – as long as the buildings are properly commissioned to work per the operational intent and energy model. He cited an analysis of measured energy use data from 100 LEED certified buildings that found that, while LEED buildings on average use 18-39% less energy per floor area than their conventional counterparts, 28-35% of LEED buildings use more energy than their conventional counterparts. Green buildings must be commissioned to ensure that they work as intended.

These are just a few of the highlights from Pat’s presentation. To learn more, contact Pat directly at 816.842-9225 or email at pprendergast@gbateam.com.

Unique Project Solutions Recognized with 'Excellence in Concrete' Awards

Two unique projects, one in the City of Olathe, Kansas, and the other in the City of Prairie Village, Kansas, have been recognized by the Concrete Promotional Group (CPG) with Excellence in Concrete awards. The awards are presented each year to recognize outstanding work in concrete construction!

Old 56 Highway Bridge over Cedar Creek, Olathe, Kansas – Concrete Restoration

The rehabilitation of the Old 56 Highway Bridge over Cedar Creek in Olathe received the award in the “Concrete Restoration” category. For those of you who are technically inclined - and that's many of our followers - poor drainage was causing significant deterioration along the edges of the bridge deck, while the rest of the bridge was in good condition. The best and most cost-effective solution involved removing and replacing the deteriorated areas of the bridge, allowing the City to upgrade the safety barriers on the bridge while maintaining the basic structure. The new portions of the bridge deck and the improved safety barriers were constructed using KCMMB concrete. Bridge deck drainage was improved by using variable depth milling to increase the cross slope on the existing structure. The completed bridge deck was then covered with a multi-layer polymer concrete overlay. This project provided the City with a cost-effective means of extending the life of the existing concrete bridge.

Mission Lane Bridge Replacement, Prairie Village, Kansas – Concrete Bridges

This new concrete bridge, which is located in a high-traffic area of the busy Prairie Village Shopping Center, replaced a bridge originally built in the 1940s that was structurally deficient due to high levels of corrosive de-icing salt. If you can't make out the bridge in this picture, it's because the J.C. Nichols Company, which originally developed the area, enclosed the creek in a culvert in the 1960s to create additional parking. 

KCMMB concrete was used on the abutments and deck for this bridge replacement. Precast prestressed double-tee beams were used to form a single-span bridge over Brush Creek, improving the hydraulic aspects of the creek. Complicating construction were the existing culvert structure and masonry channel walls, which had to remain in place. Shoring was used to support the walls during construction, while special tiebacks permanently anchor the walls to the newly constructed abutments. To conserve materials used, the new concrete bridge approach slabs were set on the existing footings; to provide long-term resistance to heavy salts applied during the winter, epoxy coated reinforcing steel was used exclusively and a multi-layer polymer concrete overlay was applied to create the final driving surface.

Congratulations to all involved in these interesting projects!

NASCAR Weekend: GBA Traffic Team Gets a Front Row Seat at the Kansas Speedway but the Cars They’re Watching Aren’t on the Track

On the weekend of October 2nd and 3rd, with the sun shining brightly and plenty of fuel, Greg Biffle took his second trip to Victory Lane at the Kansas Speedway. It takes every member of a race team to get to Victory Lane, and teamwork is the key to a successful race day.

If teamwork is critical on the track, it’s just as important off the track as hundreds of thousands of race fans converge, creating the potential for monster traffic tie-ups. This NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event went like clockwork off the track as well as on, thanks in great part to the team of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCKS, the KCK Police Department, Bob Budd of Budd Industries, and GBA’s traffic engineers, who worked from the roof of the press box to coordinate signals and facilitate traffic movement before, during, and after the event.

Members of the team used computers, cameras, and fiber optic networks to monitor traffic and change signal timing and function as needed to keep traffic flowing. The upshot: following Sunday’s race, with more than 100,000 fans in attendance, the entire parking lot was cleared in just two hours! Now that’s a race!

GBA's Bill Carter Receives 2010 WEF Excellence Award

Kudos to GBA Vice President Bill Carter, who has been honored by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) with that organization's prestigious Collection Systems Award! The 2010 WEF Excellence Awards, which were announced recently, will be presented during WEFTEC® 2010, WEF’s 83rd annual technical exhibition and conference, to be held in October in New Orleans. 

Bill, who heads up GBA's Water Environment Group with the zeal and commitment one would expect from a WEF Excellence Award-winner, currently serves on two national committees for WEF including Programs and Collection Systems. A member of WEF and the Kansas Water Environment Federation (KWEA) since 1983, he is active on the steering committee for WEF’s Private Property Virtual Library. This on-line library is a source of information for all types of private property sanitary sewer issues. In the mid-'80s Bill served as chairman of the Kansas Collection Systems Committee (KCSC) and was an active member of the KCSC during the '80s and '90s.

Bill's memberships also include the American Public Works Association (APWA) and the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). Over the years he has been recognized by his peers with a number of special awards, among them the 1st Annual Ray Stillwell Award sponsored by KWEA in 2009; the 5S Award (2005) and Golden Manhole Award (1998) from KWEA; and the Golden Manhole Award (2000) from WEF’s Collection Systems Committee.

Bill’s more than 30-year career has focused on wastewater collection and treatment and includes more than 20 years with GBA and, earlier, more than 10 years with Johnson County Wastewater in Kansas. He earned a BS degree in Civil Engineering from K-State in 1976 and is a registered professional engineer in Kansas and Missouri and a certified Design-Build Professional.

Congratulations to Bill on being recognized by WEF with this significant honor!

WEF is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. 

Congratulations to Tawn Nugent, a Member of the Leadership Overland Park Class of 2010

Congratulations to Tawn, a senior engineer with our Highways Group, who recently completed the 2010 Leadership Overland Park program. Leadership OP is a program of the Overland Park Chamber’s educational foundation. GBA, a Chamber member, sponsored Tawn's participation in the Leadership program. 

Leadership OP informs participants about the critical issues facing the City, Johnson County, the Metro area, and the region, and helps them develop the leadership and stewardship skills necessary to successfully address these issues.

Tawn has taken a leadership role on a number of high-profile projects for GBA, including improvements to an eight-mile segment of Missouri Route 150 in Jackson County that encompasses the new interchange of Route 150 with US-71 Highway. The project has been ranked as the 9th largest project now under construction in the Kansas City Metro Area by the KC Business Journal!

Tawn also serves on the Board of Directors of Animal Haven, one of greater Kansas City’s largest no-kill animal shelters. A non-profit, Animal Haven serves as a home between homes for as long as the animal needs it, and works full-time to reunite pets with their owners.

Tawn is already putting into practice what she learned, both on the job and in the community!

GBA Team Provides Commissioning Services for First LEED Platinum Facility in Greensburg, Kansas

On the evening of May 4, 2007, Greensburg, Kansas, was devastated by a tornado that traveled rapidly through the area, leveling at least 95 percent of the city and killing eleven people. The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles wide with winds reaching 205 mph. After the damage was assessed and calm returned to the southwest Kansas community, the city council passed a resolution stating that all new city buildings would be built to LEED platinum standards. 

The Greensburg Business Incubator was the first LEED Platinum facility constructed in downtown Greensburg following the tornado. The two-story, 9,580 sf facility provides opportunity for startup businesses to obtain office space and meeting space.

A GBA team provided services to achieve LEED v2.2 EA Prerequisite 1, Fundamental Commissioning, and EA Credit 3, Enhanced Commissioning. The building achieved LEED Platinum certification with greater than 50% energy savings and innovative water-reuse systems.

Kudos to the citizens of Greensburg for making a commitment to “green” and for making it happen. The community is an inspiration and a model for communities everywhere. And kudos to the GBA team for being part of this important effort.

Thanks to Wikipedia for facts and figures cited about the tornado.

Business Journal Names Top Kansas City Area Construction Projects

GBA-designed improvements to an 8-mile segment of Missouri Route 150 in Jackson County – including the new interchange of Route 150 with US-71 Highway – have been ranked as the 9th largest project now under construction in the Kansas City Metro Area by the KC Business Journal!

MoDOT launched the $54.6 million project in 2006 to improve traffic safety and operations along the major east-west corridor, which provides access for Grandview, Kansas City, and Lee's Summit to the US-71 and M-291 highway corridors.

GBA’s Project Manager, Tawn Nugent, P.E., explains that the improvements involve widening what was mostly two-lane rural highway to a four-lane, median-divided urban highway with curbs and underground storm drainage. The project was phased to expedite construction, with the final phase accelerated to qualify for ARRA funding.

The interchange and first phase of the highway improvements are scheduled for completion in November of this year. The final two phases of the project will be completed in 2011.

This very complex project involved three municipalities, four separate TIF districts, and approximately 60 parcels, making communications key to its success. Tawn says that 3-D design was critical in communicating project impacts to stakeholders and coordinating within the project team.

Congratulations to Tawn and the entire GBA team!

GBA Selected as One of the 'Best Companies to Work For'

Ingram’s magazine has selected GBA as one of the “Best Companies to Work For” in the Kansas City area in 2010. The recognition was announced in the May issue of the publication, which noted that all of the selected companies share a few common traits that elevate them from good to great. According to Ingram’s, “The thread running through this year’s winners – as with past honorees – is that the leadership collectively understands the need to help employees strike a balance in their lives. A great workplace, then, is about more than just work.” 

The article notes that GBA employees enjoy “fun, focus, and fraternity.”

The fun “comes from a corporate culture that engages 180 employees of the company…with special-event potlucks, birthday celebrations, ice-cream socials and sports leagues.”

The focus “comes from a wide range of career-development initiatives meant to improve on client services and staff skill-building.”

And fraternity is “expressed in an array of community-service, volunteer and fund-raising efforts that help set the Lenexa-based company apart.” 

Uniform Interconnection Standard Needed for Kansas

A recent article in The Kansas City Star got our attention. Written by Steve Everly and entitled "Kansas' potential for new energy is getting lost in the wind," it questions Kansas' commitment to wind energy for “community-scale” applications.

Kansas is second only to Texas in its potential for wind energy. But the state has not adopted interconnection standards that would make it easier for individuals, businesses, and communities to install wind turbines. Other states have already adopted these standards and exceed Kansas in installed wind-generating capacity. 

According to the article "Over the years, a hodgepodge of requirements imposed by utilities has made hooking renewable-energy equipment, such as wind turbines, to the electric grid more difficult and expensive. States interested in boosting renewables have been replacing the mishmash with a simpler, easy-to-understand interconnection standard."

Kansas was headed that way, but the Kansas Corporation Commission's staff recommended that, rather than develop a uniform interconnection standard, the details be left up to each individual utility to determine.

Just how all of this will progress is uncertain.  According to the article, KCP&L, the state's second largest utility, objects to uniform standards and believes that system requirements should be decided at the utility level. The Kansas Corporation Commission will hold a hearing about interconnection next month.

Although the amount of energy produced by community-scale applications is small compared with utility-scale wind farms, we support a uniform standard that will encourage the use of all kinds of clean, abundant, and renewable energy sources. Wind energy fits that bill and efforts should be made to encourage its use in Kansas.

GBA’s Energy Studio is a collaboration of architects and engineers dedicated to finding solutions for our clients that conserve energy and utilize renewable energy sources.

Photo courtesy of Norther Power Systems, Inc.

Congratulations to Kiel Johnson, Recognized by KSPE Eastern Chapter as 2010 Outstanding Engineer Intern

Kiel Johnson (above right) has been recognized as the 2010 Outstanding Engineer Intern by the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE) – Eastern Chapter. The award, which was presented by Chapter President Adam Stodola (left above), recognizes Kiel’s exceptional service to the organization and the profession. Both Kiel and Adam are highway engineers for GBA. 

"As an Engineer Intern, Kiel has been an extremely valuable and active member of our chapter since joining KSPE in 2007," said Brent Johnson, PE, secretary of the Eastern Chapter.  "Kiel is currently the chapter's chair for the Young Engineers' Committee and has done an outstanding job recruiting young engineers and new members to the chapter."

As a highway engineer for GBA, Kiel provides transportation planning and design for state DOTs and local agencies. He balances his full-time work at GBA with his committment to professional and community service. 

Kiel regularly volunteers his time to both KSPE/NSPE and ASCE's Young Members organizaton.  His activities include work as a MathCounts grader and Future City mentor as well as volunteer activites for Habitat for Humanity, Christmas in October, and Community Emergency Response Teams. In addition, he serves on GBA's Kansas City Corporate Challenge Steering Committee and smokes up some mean pulled pork as one of the founding members of GBA's Genuswine Brisket Authority BBQ team!  Kiel has a BS degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University.   

"Kiel consistently demonstrates his commitment to our endeavors and brings a fresh perspective and energy to our chapter..." concludes Brent Johnson. We think he does the same for GBA!  Congratulations to Kiel for this very significant achievement!     

Students from the Shawnee Mission School District Recognized by GBA for Innovation/Engineering Excellence

In his exploration of 3D digital animation, Shawnee Mission West student Linden Stirk (left) took his audience on a journey around the globe. Linden used special effects and filters to best exemplify the climate and landscape of scenes of famous places to create his video animation. The project earned Linden GBA’s award for Outstanding Engineering Performance in Career and Technical Education. Judges noted that his work shows “dedication, creativity, and a thorough understanding of several sophisticated computer programs.”

Parker Henley (right), a 7th grade student at Westridge Middle School, received GBA’s Award for Outstanding Engineering Performance in Science. Parker’s investigation, A Study of Connection Types for a Simple Wooden Truss, studied how different types of truss connections affect the strength of the truss and its resistance to deflecting load under pressure. Parker’s project contained precise diagrams from which he built models to test the strength of the truss. He combined science, mathematics, and engineering to complete this focused study. It is no surprise that Parker is interested in the field of engineering as a career.

GBA’s Suzanne Berkey, Sandra Bachamp, Roman Bachamp, and Dan Abitz had the pleasure of judging these and other innovative entries in this year’s Shawnee Mission School District Research & Development Forum, which was held on April 28 at the Indian Creek Technology Center.

The Forum provides a wonderful opportunity for middle school and high school students from the District to showcase their very best science and technical projects. And as they have in the past, many of the students delivered amazing projects!  

GBA is pleased to recognize these outstanding students! Congratulations to them and to all who participated. The future is in your good hands!

We're #...334! ENR Announces Top 500 Design Firms

Yes we're #334 on ENR's list of the Top 500 Design Firms for 2009, up from #413 last year!  The list, published annually in April, ranks the 500 largest U.S.-based design firms—both publically and privately held—based on design-specific revenue. 

According to ENR, the Top 500, taken as a group, had overall design revenue of $80.02 billion in 2009, down 11.7% from 2008’s figure of $90.85 billion. Domestically, Top 500 revenue fell 13.1%—from $68.14 billion in 2008 to $59.22 billion in 2009—while revenue from projects outside the U.S. dropped by 7.3%, from $22.44 billion to $20.80 billion last year.

Click here to read more.

Don Horine to Retire April 30 after 39 Years with GBA; Brad Burton to Take the Helm of the Civil/Site Development Group

Best wishes to Don Horine (above, left), GBA VP and Principal in charge of our Civil/Site Development Group, who will retire on April 30 after 39 illustrious years with the firm!  Senior Associate Brad Burton (right) will assume Don's position as head of the group.

Over the years Don has had a hand in shaping the landscape of communities throughout the KC Metro Area and beyond with projects that include:

• Renner Ridge Corporate Center, a 75-acre business park and mixed-use development in Lenexa, Kansas;
• Executive Park, a 1,200-acre business and industrial park in the Northeast Industrial District of Kansas City, Missouri;
• Southlake Technology Park, a 310-acre planned business park in Lenexa, Kansas;
• Lenexa City Center’s East Village and North Village, new urban mixed-use developments that encompass a total of 77 acres in Lenexa, Kansas;
• The Falls, a 200-acre retail and recreational development in Independence, Missouri;
• The Wilderness, a 460-acre upscale residential community in Overland Park; and
• Sprint World Headquarters Campus, a 200-acre corporate campus in Overland Park, Kansas.

And many, many more!  Don is leaving the Civil/Site Development Group in good hands with Brad at the helm. A 25-year veteran of GBA’s Civil/Site Development Group, he will ensure continuity and continuing excellence as we move forward.

Congratulations to both Don and Brad as they launch into new and exciting endeavors!

The New Era of Suburban Development: Don Horine Shares His Thoughts in CJ Midwest Magazine

GBA’s Don Horine knows his stuff, and that “stuff” was the subject of an article that appeared in the February/March issue of CJ Midwest magazine. As a VP and Principal who heads up our Civil/Site Development Group, Don has worked closely with developers in the Kansas City area and throughout the Midwest. He definitely knows a thing or two about engineering planning and design work for developments of all types.

So when CJ Midwest asked Don to write about changes in suburban development, he jumped at the chance. The essence of the article is that we’re seeing a rapidly changing environment in which the era of sprawl, which began after WWII and lasted, basically, through the end of the 20th century, is being replaced.

The new era embraces “smart growth and encourages sustainability and energy efficiency in all types of development, from the design of conventional, single-use properties to the development of new, mixed-use communities.” What’s more, Don says “many cities and counties are adopting form-based codes as well as mixed-use zoning ordinances and design guidelines intended to control the character of developments rather than to establish land use types.” What’s involved? How have things changed? And how have they stayed the same?  You can read the full article here.

February's APWA Reporter...In the Spotlight: Council Bluffs' Successful Sanitary Sewer Rehab Program

GBA Senior Associate Gary Beck and Council Bluffs Director of Public Works Greg Reeder shared the success of the city’s Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Program in an article that appeared in the February issue of the APWA Reporter. The article sets out the level of effort required and steps needed to significantly change the level of protection of the city’s sewer system. Other cities can learn from this example.

A quick summary. Back-to-back storms during the summer of 1987 exceeded storm intervals and brought system inadequacies to the forefront. Even before the storms, basement backups and overflows to streams were common during storms. Deteriorating sewers, early design practices that allowed private storm connections, and incomplete and often inaccurate city records, contributed to the problems faced by the 150-year-old city. The following year Council Bluffs selected GBA to evaluate the condition of the sewer system and develop and implement an improvement plan.

Today more than 20 years later the program has been a great success. Steps have included investigation and pilot studies, funding source determination and approval, selection of design storm protection, investigative phases, database and GIS mapping, I/I reduction, structural repairs, and capacity improvement. 

While the success of the Sanitary Sewer Rehab Program is apparent – damaging sewer backups and overflows have been reduced from hundreds annually to almost none – city leaders realize that maintaining the integrity of the system requires constant monitoring and capital investment.

KC Business Journal Talks to GBA VP Roy Wilson About LEED Certification in the Current Economy

KC Business Journal staff writer Mark Kind talked with GBA VP Roy Wilson for an article entitled "Cost concerns growing, but LEED is not slowing" that appeared in the February 5 issue of the publication.  How has the recession in the construction industry affected the pursuit of LEED certification?  Roy shared his thoughts along with Bob Berkebile, principal of Kansas City's BNIM Architects, and Bob Courtney, energy manager for the Olathe School District.  

All agree that energy-efficient buildings are the gold standard today, whether LEED is part of the mix or not.  In fact, Roy noted that some states are developing alternative regulations to allow state-owned energy-efficient buildings to avoid the costs associated with LEED verification.  Countney said that he's not sure the district can justify going for an award (LEED certification), and opted out of obtaining LEED certification for three existing schools because of the high cost. He will do the same with another school now under construction. Yet Berkebile noted that while fewer projects are being designed and built because of the recession, the percentage of those seeking LEED certification is growing. 

Commissioning is a well documented, systematic method of assuring that a building’s systems perform according to design standards and meet the needs of the owner and occupant. It is a prerequisite for LEED certification.  Roy noted that commissioning is a critical step, especially for buildings containing critical 24/7 operations. But while many owners elect to have their buildings commissioned, they choose not to seek LEED certification.

As our clients know, we are committed to helping then achieve their goals for sustainability, from small steps that incorporate green materials, principles, and practices,  to helping them earn LEED certification. That's the goal of our FocusGreen Team of LEED Accredited Professionals.

GBA Receives Award from Hillsdale Water Quality Project

GBA's Les Barnt, Associate head of the firm's Stormwater/Environmental Group, accepted the Hillsdale Water Quality Project's (HWQP) 2009 Water Quality Supporter of the Year Business Award on behalf of the firm. Les currently serves on the HWQP board of directors. The award was presented to GBA for "outstanding effort and dedication to improve, restore, and protect water quality in Hillsdale Lake."  Kudos to Les and to members of his group who have been involved.

Hillsdale Lake is located in Miami County, Kansas, and contributes to flood protection on the Marais des Cygnes, Osage, and Missouri rivers. As a flood control device, it is designed to contain more than 7,000 surface acres. It serves as a recreational destination for more than 2 million visitors annually.

Yet Hillsdale's water quality was threatened by phosphorous, nitrogen, pesticides, and wastewater treatment discharges within the watershed. In 1991, concerned citizens initiated the Hillsdale Lake Water Quality Protection Project to help ensure the long-term protection of the lake and its watershed. To date, the Project has been very effective in assisting communities with learning to protect their water resources to sustain growth and the growing demand for water.

GBA Opens Full-Service Office in Omaha

GBA has opened a new office at 9370 G Court in Omaha, Nebraska. It's the firm's sixth office and will focus on providing GBA’s multidiscipline services for water, wastewater, and transportation infrastructure, building design, land planning, civil/site development, municipal engineering, roof consulting, and surveying.

According to GBA Principal and VP Bill Carter, GBA is committed to a long-term relationship with the City of Omaha and the new office will enable the firm to provide local support to them and other area clients. Carter, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, will head up the Omaha office.

Kids, Creativity...and Baby Jay! All in a Day at This Year’s Future City Competition™ - Great Plains Regional

The KU Student Union in Lawrence was the site of the National Engineers Week Foundation’s 2009-10 Great Plains Regional Future City™ Competition on Saturday, January 26. And according to our contacts, the designs were inspired and the future looks bright indeed!


From a city named Tomotto, where tomatoes are the primary export and the leaders are Tom and Otto, to a fanciful city on the moon named Apollo, these cities of tomorrow were envisioned, designed, and built by teams of imaginative middle schoolers.

This year’s competition attracted 57 teams, most from Kansas and the Kansas City Metro Area, although we know of at least one team from as far away as St. Louis. The challenge for these seventh and eighth graders: Design affordable housing for those most in need, while adhering to LEED recognized green building standards, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint.

GBA’s Suzanne Berkey judged the GBA-sponsored “Mother Earth Award,” which recognized team Overbrook from Leawood (Kan.) Middle School for the most innovative use of recycled materials. While all teams recycle cans and bottles, Overbrook stood out for the creativity that was shown in each detail of their model, from artfully torn printed office paper decoupage used to create building exteriors to small pine branches that served as trees to enhance the landscape. All buildings in the model proudly displayed a plaque of LEED certification.

In addition to Suzanne, GBA participants included mentors Megan Walter, Kiel Johnson, and Scott Moeder, and judges Adam Stodola, Dave Mennenga, Kim Pearse, Matt Parker, and Tait Karlson.

The National Future City Competition is sponsored in part by the National Engineers Week Foundation, a consortium of professional and technical societies and major U.S. corporations. The first place teams in the regional competitions will travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the national finals during National Engineers Week, February 13-16, 2010. More information is available at http://www.futurecity.org/.

GBA Staffers Help Design Renewable Energy Project Now Providing Power at HMHB Clinic in Haiti

Just a year ago, members of the Kansas City Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-KC) (http://www.ewb-kc.org/) started work on a renewable energy project in Torbeck, Haiti, in partnership with Healthy Mothers – Healthy Babies (HMHB) (http://www.hm-hb.org/). HMHB operates Maison de Naissance (MN) (http://www.maisondenaissance.org/), a free birthing home in Haiti, near Les Cayes, which had relied on a diesel generator to power lights, fans, and computers. Members of the EWB team designed and built a solar power photovoltaic system that is providing much needed power to the clinic. GBA staffers Keri McGill and Alan Lehman, who were part of the design team, provided updates on the project throughout the year, below.  

For those interested in donating to an organization that is on the ground and poised to assist with immediate relief efforts in and around Port au Prince, Partners in Health (http://www.pih.org/home.html) has been in Haiti for over 20 years and is actually the second largest employer in Haiti. PIH is at the forefront of providing medical care to Haitians and has an earthquake donation link set up on their website. The NY Times blog "The Lede" discusses some of PIH’s recent activities in Haiti [link]. 

Haiti HMHB Project Update – Post Earthquake, January 2010

Members of the Kansas City Professional Chapter of EWB designed and installed a solar power photovoltaic system on the clinic’s roof in the Spring of 2009. We are happy to report that the system is working and MN won’t be caught in the diesel shortage. Although MN wasn’t hit directly by the earthquake, they are and will be affected for years to come. Not only does MN anticipate a hearty increase in expenses to maintain even the simplest of operations, there is currently a major urban-rural migration occurring. An influx of people into the rural areas will further tax the availability of materials that have typically been delivered via Port-au-Prince. You can donate directly to the Maison de Naissance Foundation on their website. US Office: 6247 Brookside Boulevard, Suite 224, KCMO.

Haiti HMHB Project Update, June 2009

GBA's Alan Lehman and Keri McGill worked with other members of the Kansas City Professional Chapter of EWB on a renewable energy project for a Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies (HM-HB) birthing clinic near Les Cayes, Haiti. The clinic previously relied on a diesel generator for all of its electricity. Alan and Keri assisted with the design of a solar power photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the facility. An implementation team traveled to Haiti in April and again in May to install the solar panel system.

Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies, January 2009

Local professional members of EWB-KC have started work on a renewable energy project in partnership with Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies (HMHB) for Maison de Naissance (MN), a free birthing home in Haiti. MN is welcoming and friendly – in keeping with the hospitality of a home rather than a medical center which can be culturally intimidating. All services are free, because even the least financial expectation would be a deterrent to preventative care and early treatment of problems.

MN does not have electrical service. HMHB is currently spending $3,000 per month on fuel for a diesel generator to power lights and fans in about 8 rooms. Access to the computers and the internet allows HMHB to provide first world care in the poorest of settings. HMHB can reduce their operating costs through solar power. Members of EWB-KC are currently designing a solar power system for the facility. Members of EWB-KC will also assist in the installation of this project in early 2009.