gbaSI Staffers Fill Sandbags to Help Protect the City of Davenport, Iowa, from Mississippi Floodwaters

When floodwaters threatened the City of Davenport, Iowa, a dedicated group of gba Systems Integrators’ staff immediately pitched in to help by filling sandbags for the City’s Public Works Department. “All of us live in the Quad Cities area on the Mississippi,” said gbaSI’s Chuck Metzger. “We all know someone, either family or friends, who suffer either property loss or damage when the river floods.” In addition to Chuck, staffers Jayne Robnett, Tuan Nguyen, and Collin Dyer went to work with four other volunteers to fill enough sandbags to consume three truckloads of sand! Special thanks to our committed – and weary – volunteers!

According to Chuck, the river crested on Saturday, April 23 at 20.7 feet and although flooding was significant, it could have been even worse without the help of hundreds of volunteers. “We were very pleased to be a part of that group,” said Chuck, who explained that both gbaSI and GBA have worked with the City of Davenport. This was the sixth highest river crest on record. Now the cleanup has begun. A record crest of 22.63 feet occurred during the floods of 1993! In addition to Davenport, the Quad Cities area includes Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline in Illinois. 

gbaSI - a GBA Company headquartered in Rock Island - provides traffic coordination for complex corridors and develops traffic-responsive programs in newly designed coordination systems. gba SI also designs, installs, and manages computerized communication networks and camera systems for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Advanced Transportation Management Systems, traffic signal control systems, and communication systems for sewer treatment plants and for college campuses, manufacturing complexes, and other large-scale facilities.

Governor Supports Changing Environmental Outlook for Kansas; Attends Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for 'Resourceful Kansas'

A brisk breeze sent turbines spinning, setting the scene for a very successful ribbon-cutting ceremony for Resourceful Kansas on April 13. (See coverage on WIBW here.) The program is designed to encourage more energy-efficient communities throughout the state.  Governor Sam Brownback joined the Resourceful Kansas team of GBA, Riley County Public Works, and Kansas State University at the Riley County Public Works facility to celebrate the launch of the program, which is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Governor Brownback added his support for changing the environmental outlook for Kansas communities, saying that the key to an energy-efficient transition is a balance of the three Es...Environment, Economy, and Energy.

GBA's Resourceful Kansas Project Manager Jennifer Gunby, P.E., LEED AP, explained that eight seminars involving a total of up to 120 organizations throughout the state will be held at the Riley County Public Works facility.  These seminars will focus on practical applications of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy technologies. Following the seminars, GBA will provide customized energy assessments to a selected group of 80 participants and will provide the technical assistance needed to implement recommended strategies.

For more information or to apply visit www.ResourcefulKansas.org.

Governor to Attend April 13 Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for 'Resourceful Kansas'

Governor Sam Brownback will join "Resourceful Kansas" partners Riley County Public Works, GBA Architects and Engineers, and Kansas State University on April 13 at 2 pm at the Riley County Public Works facility, 6215 Tuttle Creek Blvd., Manhattan, Kan., for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch of "Resourceful Kansas: A Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Blueprint for Communities Across Kansas." The public is invited. 

The program, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is designed to engage communities throughout the state in making a fundamental shift toward a less energy-intensive, more efficient economy.

“Resourceful Kansas is a very exciting program designed to reduce energy consumption, increase efficient energy practices, help Kansas harvest its abundant, nonpolluting wind and solar resources, and cultivate new economic opportunities throughout the state,” said GBA Project Manager Jennifer Gunby, P.E., LEED AP. “This innovative program will engage local governments and others in implementing projects that will save energy and demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of sustainable energy and economic development strategies for Kansas and surrounding states.”

Governor Brownback gave a nod to renewable energy in his State of the State address, saying "I want Kansas to be known not only as the Wheat State, but as the Renewable State."

Guests will have an opportunity to tour the facility immediately following the ceremony.

For more information and to apply for the Resourceful Kansas program, visit the website at ResourcefulKansas.org.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Breaks Ground for New GBA-Designed Administrative Building in St. Joseph

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI), a global leader in the animal pharmaceutical industry, is expanding its St. Joseph campus to include a new administrative building. BIVI, the U.S. animal health division of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, broke ground on March 10 for the new four-story, 100,000-sf building. As reported by the Kansas City Business Journal, the new administrative building will house 300 employees, including some new hires. Currently, employees work at different locations in the city.

"This consolidation will help our employees become better connected," BIVI spokesman Dan Norwalk said in a release. BIVI is part of the very significant Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which extends from Columbia, Mo., to Manhattan, Kan. 

Members of the GBA team are pleased to be part of this exciting project, providing architectural and engineering design services for the new administrative building. Special features of the design include a two-story atrium lobby, full-service dining area with outdoor patio, fitness center, and state-of-the art training/conference rooms. Among the sustainable features are a white roof membrane, under-floor air distribution, daylight harvesting sensor, and bamboo flooring.

The building was completed in the spring of 2012, and was selected for the National Award of Excellence in Commercial Design by the American Precast Association. Omega Concrete accepted the award on behalf of the project at the 2013 APA Conference in Park City, Utah.

Stream Crossings Can Pose Threat to Sanitary Sewer Systems: GBA's Gary Beck to Discuss Solution at MWEA/MO AWWA Joint Annual Meeting

Who:        GBA's Gary Beck, P.E., Senior Associate
What:       2011 Joint Annual Meeting of the Missouri Section of the American Water Works                 Association / Missouri Water Environment Association 

When:       March 27 - March 30, 2011

Where:     Tan-Tar-A, Oasage Beach, Missouri

Why:           Gary will present "A Comprehensive Stream Crossing Investigation: Johnson 

                County"

Johnson County Wastewater (JCW) is taking a proactive approach to maintaining and sustaining its sanitary sewer system. The utility, which owns and manages 2,100 miles of sewer line, has reviewed its sewer assets and assigned risk to all elements. It was determined that stream crossings are one of the most vulnerable elements of the sewer system, not surprising because crossings are prone to exposure from constant movement of streams. Because of the importance of stream crossings – JCW currently has 3,000 in its system – the utility has adopted a program to maintain them that includes a high level of surveillance and a new stream stabilization approach to improve crossings that have washed out or are in peril.

Find out more about the MO-AWWA/MWEA 2011 Joint Conference here.

Design-Build Team Takes Fast-Track Approach to New 170,000-Square-Foot Manufacturing Plant

A design-build team led by Crossland Construction Company, Inc. headquartered in Columbus, Kan., with GBA providing architectural design, is taking a fast-track approach to the design and construction of a new 170,000-square-foot seat manufacturing plant for Johnson Controls, Inc. The facility will be located on a 25.5-acre site in the 800-acre Horizons Industrial Park in Riverside, Mo. 

The state-of-the-art facility will manufacture seats for the Chevrolet Malibu produced at the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan., and the Ford F-150 manufactured at Ford Motor Co.’s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo.

Johnson Controls is targeting LEED Silver Certification for the project from the USGBC. The company’s commitment to sustainability dates back to its roots and is a driving force behind the design and construction of this new facility.

According to GBA Project Manager Craig Rogge, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP, a variety of sustainable features are planned, from a structural load-bearing, precast sandwich wall building envelope system to a white TPO roof membrane, sunshades, use of regional materials, FSC certified lumber, and low VOC paints and finishes. A “job site” recycling program and other sustainability initiatives will be implemented throughout design and construction.

Groundbreaking: GBA Provides Architecture and Engineering for 340-Car Parking Structure in East Village Development in Downtown KCMO

A cold February morning brought out an enthusiastic group of supporters of the growing East Village development in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, for a snow-covered ground-breaking ceremony. Attendees took refuge in J.E. Dunn’s new headquarters, which anchors the eight-block area bounded by Eighth, 12th, Charlotte, and Cherry streets on the City’s east side.

The area is being transformed into a mixed-use residential, office, and retail development. The GSA hopes to build a new 493,000-square-foot building that will serve as the centerpiece for the development.

Ground was broken for a new three-story, 340-car parking structure located on the corner of 10th and Cherry, which will serve the needs of East Village. GBA was selected by GF Properties, a subsidiary of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, to provide architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and traffic studies for the structure. According to GBA Project Manager Craig Rogge, AIA, “our goal in designing the parking garage has been to provide a safe, secure structure that will serve the growing area.” Because of the prominent location, landscape features are planned for the full length of the west elevation.

Ground was also broken for the 50-unit East Village Apartments. Swope Community Builders is the Master Developer of East Village.