Walking for Life

We have all been touched in some way by cancer. Our family members, friends, and co-workers have experienced the disease and we want to do our part to help find a cure. GBA has formed a team to participate in the Lenexa Relay for Life to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.

 

On May 11, the team will take turns walking at Sar-Ko-Par Park. The event will take place from 2pm to 10pm. If you are interested in helping there are various opportunities to participate including:

• Join the team and walk on May 11
• Make a donation to the team
• Dedicate a Luminaria
• Show up to eat some BBQ made by GBA’s own Genuswine Brisket Authority team from 5 -7 (all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society)
• Come cheer on the team any time from 2-10

We hope you will join in our efforts to end this disease. For more information about the event and the GBA team, please visit our team page.

Wind Energy Abuzz at University Environmental Conference

Community-scale wind will be on the forefront for the 63rd Annual Environmental Engineering Conference held at the University of Kansas. This presentation, featuring a case study of a 1MW wind turbine, will be provided courtesy of  Kurt Bookout, Director of Public Utilities for the City of El Dorado in conjunction with GBA’s Energy Studio Leader, Jennifer Gunby, PE, LEED AP. Participants will learn about the benefits of community-scale wind, elements to spearheading a successful project and the future of wind energy for the City of El Dorado.

The full day conference, hosted by the Continuing Education department and located on campus at Memorial Union, will commence on April 17. Following the keynote, attendees will have the opportunity to select from three tracks centering on sustainability. In addition to wind energy, air and waste management and nutrient control will be highlighted topics at the event.

Bookout and Gunby have worked in partnership since 2010 with the launch of a feasibility study to identify wind energy sources to power the El Dorado Wetlands and Water Reclamation Facility. With the installation of the 1MW wind turbine, the City is projected to see savings of $5-8 million over the next 20 years with a return on investment of six to eight years. This presentation will begin at 3:40 p.m. and will offer a unique insight on applications of community-scale wind.

GBA is heading to the Great Plains Waste Management Conference

For the past 57 years, professionals from across the country have converged upon LaVista, Neb. to learn about the newest trends, technologies and regulations in the water environment and solid waste management professions. The Great Plains Waste Management Conference includes more than 40 presentations, posters and tours.

Take a look at the schedule of events and be sure to attend as many as you can. Registration is still open.

In fact, make plans to stop at Waldo Margheim’s talk. He is presenting his paper “Private Service Lateral Rehabilitation Design Challenges: Johnson County Wastewater Nelson Pilot I/I Project.” Waldo, who is a GBA associate, will be speaking at 9 a.m., April 18 at the Embassy Suites. The lessons learned from this project will have national implications to how other municipalities will address I/I and rehabilitation issues.

World Water Day, March 22

Today GBA celebrates World Water Day.  Twenty years ago, the United Nations set aside this day to reflect on critical water issues. The 2013 theme is the International Year of Water Cooperation. It raises awareness for the need for increased cooperation and on the challenges facing water management and the demand for access, allocation and services.   

 

We are grateful for this precious resource and for the opportunities we have to be its steward.  

 

If you're interested in learning some great water conservation tips, visit theecologist.org.

The Need to Bowl



GBA team from left to right: Scott Moeder, Jon Karst,
Dustin Tregnago, Will Barkman, and Rob Kline.

A good time was had by all. Although the GBA team of Scott Moeder, Jon Karst, Dustin Tregnago, Will Barkman, and Rob Kline didn’t walk away with a trophy, they know the real reason they bowled was for a good cause.

For the third year, Johnson County Government hosted the ‘Feed the Need Strike Out Hunger Bowling Bash’ on March 8. The tournament raised $2,125 for local food pantries.  Poverty level in Johnson County is unfortunately increasing and Johnson County Government has found a way to help combat this by holding a bowling tournament. Members of the community are asked to form a team and the money raised goes to support local food pantries serving the County.

GBA was glad to be a part of this effort and looking forward to next year.

Engineer of the Year Award

Adam Stodola with KSPE Eastern Chapter President, Todd Black.



Adam Stodola, P.E., was awarded the 2013 Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE) Eastern Chapter ‘Engineer of the Year’.  Stodola was recognized at the annual Engineers Week Luncheon on March 7. The award recognizes Stodola’s exceptional service to the organization and the profession. 

 

An active member of KSPE since 2001, Stodola currently serves on the State Board of Directors as treasurer.  His involvement in KSPE also includes board of director committee chairmanships, membership on state committees, and community outreach through the organization's Bridge Building, MathCounts, and community service programs. Stodola was recognized as the KSPE Outstanding Engineer Intern of the Year in 2003 and Outstanding Young Engineer in 2008.

 

Stodola, who joined GBA in 2005, is an engineer with the Highways and Streets Group where he provides planning, design, and construction supervision for highway, interchange, and roadway projects for state and local agencies. 

 

Congratulations, Adam! This is quite an honor.

National Engineers Week, February 17 - 23

As an engineering firm we are excited to celebrate Engineers Week. EWeek was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) in 1951 to ensure our nation maintains a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers.

In the Kansas City Metro there will be a luncheon for local engineers on Thursday, February 21 in celebration of this week. The luncheon is hosted by the Eastern Chapter of the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE) and the Western Chapter of the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers (WSPE). Top students who participated in and were part of the winning teams in MATHCOUNTS, Bridge Building, and Future Cities competitions will be acknowledged. Along with these awards, KSPE and MSPE will honor engineers from their chapters.

Thank you to all of the engineers and the hard work they do to make all the systems and infrastructure in our world safe, dependable and affordable.