Howley Achieves CFM Designation

Rebecca Howley, P.E., has achieved the Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) designation.  This certification shows that Rebecca has a thorough understanding of issues associated with flood zones and flood insurance.  By combining this certification with her professional engineering license, Rebecca is able to make strong recommendations to solve flooding issues.

“Local municipalities are facing complex stormwater issues,” said Dennis Cantrell, P.E., vice president and principal.  “With this designation Rebecca is a recognized and an authoritative voice in floodplain management and can assist with solving flood zone, insurance, FEMA submittals and disaster preparedness.”

Rebecca is based in GBA’s O’Fallon, Mo. office.  She has more than 15 years of experience as a civil engineer.  Her project experience ranges from stormwater management analysis and design to floodplain and watershed mapping. 

The Certified Floodplain Manager Program was established by the Association of State
Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) in 1999.  The program emphasizes fundamentals of flood mapping, managing floodplain development, national and state standards and how to apply them to a locally administered program.

AWG Revives Corporate Headquarters with Expansion

Dust from Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) recent headquarters expansion has finally settled, but operations continue to surge. AWG, located in Kansas City, Kansas, is the nation’s second largest retailer-owned grocery cooperative. With the 26,854 sf addition, the building will now serve over 1,000 employees for AWG Corporate Office, the Kansas City Distribution Center, and Valu Merchandisers, a general merchandise and health care subsidiary.

Photo by: Mihalevich

GBA partnered with The Weitz Company to deliver this $5.5 million design-build project, in addition to working in conjunction with local, minority and women owned businesses. The Weitz-GBA team developed perspectives, schematic floor plans and prepared budgets that became part of the successful proposal selected by the owner. The team also carried responsibility for delivering several pricing options, different entrance design approaches and communication on how to coordinate the build with the daily operations on this busy industrial site.

The major design challenge for GBA was to duplicate a 20-year old addition with the original 1970 single-story office building. GBA used present day materials and building codes to create an attractive blend between the new and existing areas. Weitz was tasked with a construction challenge of building the three-story structure over occupied office building space and sharing tarmac with a 24/7 trucking and warehousing operation.

The new building skin was a combination of aluminum composite material panels, glass curtain wall, and EIFS. The building was modeled in BIM, from the bottom of the drilled pier foundations to the roof parapet.

So, the next time you visit your local retail store you just might be selecting from AWG’s assortment of grocery, fresh meat and produce, specialty foods, health care and general merchandise items that made it to market with the help of staff working on the recent office expansion by the Weitz-GBA team.

Celebrate National Water Quality Month

Did you know August is National Water Quality Month?  In the Midwest, rivers, streams and lakes are treasured resources that play an important year-round role.  Not only are these amenities used recreationally, but they are a key source of our water that we use. However through overuse, neglect and pollutants, these water resources are at risk.  You can help raise the awareness of our valued water resources by observing National Water Quality Month and the importance of keeping our rivers, streams and lakes clean.  Here are some ways you can honor water quality:  

• Gather friends and family and volunteer to clean a local stream.
• Wash your car on the lawn.  Many soaps and detergents contain phosphorous that are beneficial to your lawn but harmful to the water resources such as streams.
• Clean up after Fido.  Pet waste contains harmful bacteria such as E. coli and fecal coliform, which can contaminate waterways.  
• Install a rain barrel to capture runoff and reuse this water in your landscaping.

Wind Turbine Spins On As Resourceful Kansas Turns Off

It’s the end of an era, or so it is for Resourceful Kansas. Even though the program has come to a close, residents of Kansas will be reaping the benefits for decades to come. Riley County, as the lead organization in Resourceful Kansas, will benefit the most. Taxpayers are getting a break as behind-the-meter wind now thrives at Riley County Public Works as part of this innovative program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. With the installation of a Northwind 100 wind turbine, a major program element to educate participants on the benefits of wind energy, it is anticipated Riley County will save $50,000 annually.

During the two-year stint, this program assisted 280 Kansas organizations in maximizing their pursuits towards energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. A series of educational seminars, energy audits and assessments, and technical assistance were made possible through a partnership between Riley County Public Works, GBA and Kansas State University.

Hundreds of tours have been given at the state-of-the art public works facility. It features nearly 20 sustainable and renewable energy sources, but the Northwind 100 continues to spark interest with its size and capacity. In parallel to its magnitude over other systems on the grounds, it produces the most energy and generates about 236,000kWh a year.

Although Resourceful Kansas is past its final rotation, we won’t be seeing a halt in the rotation of the Northwind’s blades anytime soon. With a 20-year life expectancy and aid from additional systems, the county and local taxpayers will spin their way towards $1 million in savings.

Discover additional facts about the wind turbine in Northern Power’s latest case study. Or if you are seeking best practices for energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy, tips from the experts are still available at www.ResourcefulKansas.org.

Some of the Best Highways in the Nation

The next time you take a drive on a Kansas highway, be impressed: Kansas ranks second in the nation in most cost-effective roadways.

The Reason Foundation looked at 11 categories, including pavement condition,

deficient bridges, spending per mile and more for its 20^th Annual Highway Report, and found that the state was able to achieve high performance and efficiency despite spending 24 percent less than the United States’ average in per-mile disbursements. The rankings are based on data reported for 2009, the most recent year with full spending statistics available.

 

Only North Dakota ranks higher than Kansas, which had been ranked third the past two years. Meanwhile, neighboring Missouri also made Reason’s top ten, landing at No. 8.

 

State Transportation Secretary, Mike King said it’s clear Kansans care about their roads.

 

“Kansans make the connection between good roads and the safety and economic well-being of the state,” he said. “They have long supported transportation improvements not only to highways, but to the entire transportation network that includes aviation, rail and transit.”

 

The state’s T-WORKS program, passed in 2010, is the third transportation program approved by Kansas legislators and governors since the late 1980s. In 2010, Kansas highways were ranked the nation’s best in a report published by Reader’s Digest.

Carpenter Gains CPSWQ Designation

Doug Carpenter has achieved the designation as Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality (CPSWQ).  He is only the second individual in the state of Kansas to have accomplished this designation.  By passing a rigorous test and application process, Doug has demonstrated technical expertise and experience in computing, analyzing and evaluating stormwater quality.

“GBA is committed to promoting clean water and environmental stewardship to our clients,” said Bill Carter, vice president and principal of the Water Environment Group.  “With Doug securing this important certification, it shows our commitment to help our clients understand the US EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program as it relates to stormwater quality.”

In addition to the CPSWQ designation, Doug also is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC).  Doug has more than 10 years of professional stormwater experience that spans design, analysis and inspections of various stormwater systems.

The Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality program has been certifying professionals since 1998 through Envirocert International, Inc.   

Pop! Boom!! Bang! Happy 4th of July!

Although the fun and excitement around this time of year is usually about making sparks and fire, GBA’s Fire & Life Safety team is focused on the opposite. Our licensed fire protection engineers aid in the evaluation, design, and commissioning of fire suppression, detection, alarm, and smoke management systems. As part of the Critical Facilities Group, we specialize in protecting assets should an event occur.

Our experience includes the following systems which meet the unique needs of critical facilities:

Code Consulting

• International Building Code and Fire Code
• NFPA
• Factory Mutual Global Data Sheets

Fire Suppression Systems

• Clean agent suppression systems
• Pre-action and wet pipe sprinkler systems
• Explosion suppression systems
• Watermist suppression systems
• Water supplies for suppression systems (fire pumps, etc)

Alarm and Detection Systems

• Very early warning smoke detection, such as air sampling or laser detection
• Early warning smoke detection, including cross-zoned, or count-zoned arrangements
• Fully addressable fire alarm systems
• Mass notification systems

Smoke Control and Purge Systems

• Smoke control for life safety
• Clean agent purge systems
• Smoke purge systems to protect equipment

Interface with Other Systems

• Fire alarm interaction with air handling equipment and dampers
• Fire alarm interface with monitoring systems (i.e. network operations centers)
• Fire alarm interface with generators

GBA is capable and ready to assist you in the protection of life, property and continuity of business operations. Explore more at http://gbateam.com/markets-fire-life-safety.html.