ACEC/CO Celebrates Excellence in Engineering

November 1st was a special day for ACEC/CO members, clients, staff, and strategic partners. The Brown Palace Grand Ball Room was packed with over 200 engineers and special guests for the annual Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet. The event was not only about celebrating 25 outstanding projects submitted by our members, but also about recognizing all the partners that are so valuable to our industry.

This year's banquet was especially exciting as we celebrated CDOT's 100th anniversary, had the pleasure of having Denver Botanic Garden's CEO Brian Vogt as our keynote speaker, and a project worthy of the "Grand Conceptor" Award - the first one since 2005.

ACEC/CO Executive Director Marilen Reimer was recognized and awarded a plaque in appreciation of 20 years of service to the Council.

"Transformation: Engineering Sustainable Futures" was the theme of this year's Awards Banquet and all 25 projects certainly did reflect innovation and sustainability: thirteen projects received Merit awards and four received Honor awards. The seven Excellence award winners and Grand Conceptor award will go on to compete in the ACEC National Excellence Awards on April 1. Read More..

President's Report

I would like to start this address off by recognizing Marilen Reimer’s 20 years of service and dedication to ACEC-CO. Until she arrived November 15th, 1990, the Council’s staff consisted of one, Sandy Donnel, who retired December, 2006 after 25 years. The membership was smaller when Marilen started and the programs and involvement of the Council more limited than it is today. While ACEC is the voice of the engineering community, Marilen has been our behind-the-scene face and representative. We are fortunate that Marilen plans to be with the Council for many more years and she has assembled a very able support staff. Whenever or wherever you see Marilen, or her staff, thank them for their dedication to us. 

There has been a lot of activity on the local and national levels since my last letter in September. Read More..

In the News

2010 Salary Survey Now Available

The 2010 ACEC/CO Salary Survey is now available. Click here to review this year's salary highlights and access the order for the complete survey.

News from National

National Director's Report
ACEC/CO National Director Lauren Evans' report on the ACEC National Fall Conference in Puerto Rico. Read More..

ACEC President's Report
News from ACEC's President Dave Raymond on the latest developments of ACEC's government affairs on your behalf.  Read more..

Membership Notices and Engineers in the News

Membership Notices
See this section for new and prospective members and other membership changes.

Engineers in the News
Find out about the latest from our members and member firms making the news.

ACEC/CO Events and Professional Development

Register online, by calling 303-832-2200, or by e-mail for ACEC/CO programs.

• ACEC/CO Upcoming Committee Meetings
  This week's committee meetings. Read More..
  
  
• Annual Ethics Seminar - "Ethics of Employment Practices"
  Wednesday, November 17, 11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Read More..
  
  
• ACEC Webinar - "Industry Insiders Update High Speed Rail Market Opportunities, Obstacles"
  ACEC/CO is hosting this webinar Thursday, November 18, 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. Read More..
  
  
  

Additional Professional Development Opportunities and Events

• SMPS Upcoming Events:
  Check out the upcoming events for the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Read More..

In The News

Future Leader Professional Development Workshops
Brought to you by ACEC-CO

If you can attend only one training seminar in 2011, this is it!

• Eight 'people-management' workshops = 32 Professional Development Credits
• Enlightened management techniques for improved methods of communication
• Hands on activities to develop interpersonal and leadership capability
• Network and exchange ideas in the engineering - design - construction industry
• Interpersonal practice to be more comfortable dealing with clients, staff and co-workers
• Select from 2 workshops: Level I for supervisors, or Level II for experienced managers

These outstanding skill-building workshops are available to you at an exceptional value— $999 registration fee for ACEC members. Here is what some of the graduates have said about their experience:

“The Future Leaders program is highly recommended. It was very useful course especially for someone who has just begun managing others.”

”A great jumpstart to your project manager career. Full of good ideas and techniques. This has been a valuable class for me as a project manager.”

”I will benefit from Future Leaders and will look back on course materials to develop my skills as I progress as a manager.”

To learn more visit www.acec-co.org and select seminars/programs on the left menu bar then click on the gold Future Leader logo. You can read about the workshop dates, titles, descriptions and how to register. Or contact Jennifer Shaw at the ACEC/CO office, 303-832-2200, jennifer@acec-co.org.

Join other engineering rising stars to become the next generation of Future Leaders.

Classes Start March 1, 2011. Reserve space NOW~~Limited seating is available.

Marketing and Business Development

ACEC/CO Offers its PR & Marketing Counsel to Member Firms  

ACEC/CO is offering a new free service to members to further assist you with enhancing your business practices.
Each month, our Public Relations Consultant, uli Creative, LLC will be available to members to provide two hours of complimentary consultations from 1-3 p.m. following the monthly ACEC/CO PR Committee meeting in the ACEC office conference room.  PR meetings are typically scheduled the third Wednesday of each month.  Members may sign up to meet with the consultant by calling ACEC/CO at (303) 832-2200 to schedule a meeting up to one hour.

Our PR consultant provides ACEC/CO with strategic marketing and public relations guidance, leadership and professional services to further the visibility of the organization and consulting engineering.  As a part of their service provision to ACEC/CO they will provide members with advice regarding your marketing, public relations and brand/creative issues.  

Consider taking advantage of this free opportunity to answer your PR and marketing questions and receive assistance with a range of professional services activities including development of press releases, reviews of business correspondence, marketing and PR plans and marketing materials, and  Web sites; discussing events marketing, proposal reviews and answering new business development questions. Our consultant will listen to your needs and provide advice and direction.  Consultations are ideal for small firms that do not employ full-time marketing professionals and for those who wish for an unbiased review and sounding board for marketing and PR programs.

News From National

National Director's Report

The ACEC Board of Directors’ meeting was held on Sunday, October 17, 2010, at the El Conquistador resort in Puerto Rico.  Marilen Reimer, Bill Hoffman, and Lauren Evans attended on behalf of ACEC/Colorado.  Colorado is currently 5th among the Member Organizations (MOs) in voting strength, behind California, Texas, New York and Illinois.  There was one voting item on the agenda, and reports from several representatives of the organization.

REPORTS
Dave Raymond, ACEC president, gave a report on the state of the Council, summarized in a PowerPoint presentation.  This presentation has been provided to the ACEC/Colorado board by Marilen Reimer.  The Council continues to focus on an advocacy agenda designed to help member firms.  The top priorities moving forward will be:

• Promote recovery and business measures that will help member firms
• Replace short-term stimulus with long-term infrastructure funding
• Oppose new taxes and regulations that impose financial burdens on member firms
• Kill 3% withholding provision before 2012
• Kill the new 1099 tax filing provision for purchases over $600 before 2012
• Kill card check and the anti-business “Disclose Act”
• Oppose in-sourcing
• Defend against unfair liability laws and rulings

On the second strategic goal, education, ACEC has been working with ASCE and APWA on developing a new Infrastructure Sustainability Rating System, and launch will begin in the spring of 2011.  The ACEC PAC has had a successful year, and is projected to reach $1.2 million for the first time ever.   Other highlights for the year:

• The Minuteman Fund was used for diverse purposes this year, with some key successes:
• In California, helped to enact indemnification reform legislation
• Indiana – upheld that liability is limited to contract
• Nationally – shielded FEMA A/E firms from state civil actions
• Colorado – to assist with ACEC/Colorado’s efforts in defeating Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101
• Membership overall has remained flat in the new year (starting June 2010):
• 19 MOs grew
• 9 maintained
• 23 declined

Satch Pecori presented the Treasurer’s report.  An audit was completed, and Council received a clean bill of health and high marks for financial management.  Net assets are currently $3.7 million, or 29% of the operating budget.  Dues revenues for the last fiscal year were $7.8 million, a 5% decrease from the year before.  Non-dues revenue increased 2% to $4.58 million.  Dues revenues are projected to remain flat through FY 2011, and non-dues revenues are projected to slightly increase.  Spending has been to budget.
VOTING ITEM
The one voting item involved relatively minor changes to the ACEC Strategic Goals:

• Strategic Goal #4:  “Grow ACEC/PAC to a $1 Million-Per-Year PAC by 2015 (revised from 2010)”
• Strategic Goal #5:  “Grow the Minuteman fund to Respond to Critical State issues and Federal Appellate Cases…”
• Strategic Goal #6:  “Grow the Number of Member Firms by 2% Each Year, Grow the Number of Member Firm Employees by 3% Each year, and Recruit 90% of the Eligible ENR Top 500 Design Firms as ACEC Members by 2015 (revised from 2010)

These changes were passed unanimously be the membership.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Two further presentations were made, on the ACEC Infrastructure Sustainability Rating System and the M&A Industry Trends. 

The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held at the spring conference in Washington, DC.

- Lauren Evans, National Director, ACEC/CO

President's Report

General

• In the run-up to mid-term elections, ACEC has been fully engaged to elect pro-business candidates; ACEC/PAC disbursed more than $1 million in 2009-10 election cycle.
  
  
• At ACEC’s Fall Conference in Puerto Rico, Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe program, told attendees that infrastructure funding may be one of the few areas that the political parties will agree on in the next Congress.  (See Last Word, October 27, 2010)
  
  
• ACEC Board of Directors extended the target year for PAC and ENR 500 goal attainment to 2015, and expanded Minuteman funding to include non-appellate judicial cases.
  
  
• Subject to Board approval, ACEC’s Nominating Committee tapped Ted Williams (Delaware) for chair in 2012-2013; Blake Murillo (California), Scott Perkins (New Mexico) and Richard Wells (North Carolina) for vice chairs commencing in April 2011.

Government Affairs

• Obama Administration lifted the moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, following energetic advocacy by ACEC and other business groups.
  
  
• Defeated effort by FHWA Federal Lands division to replace QBS with low bid task orders on IDIQ contracts for engineering services.
  
  
• Met with World Bank officials to improve effectiveness of Bank-funded infrastructure projects.
  
  
• Submitted comments to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) expressing concerns about its proposal to change how revenue from contracts is recognized.
  
  

Institute for Business Management

• Released Value Pricing for A/E and A/E/CM Firms, an innovative look at effective pricing of A/E services, by David Stone.
  

• Bookstore specials included a 20% discount on the APWA Red Book and ACEC’s Analysis of Issues Pertaining to Qualifications-Based Selection.

• EJCDC released a new, easier-to-use version of Contractor’s Application for Payment, Document C-620, an Excel spreadsheet that addresses lump sum and unit price work, and includes calculation of retainage for work completed; available at ACEC Bookstore under Contract Documents.

Engineers in the News

Governor Ritter reappointed engineer Peter Foster to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe/State of Colorado Environmental Control commission. Foster is with Wright Water Engineers' Durango office and has served on the Commission since 2003.

John W. France, PE, Vice President and National Technology Leader for Dams for URS Corporation in Denver, received the 2010 Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) President’s Award from ASDSO President David Gutierrez during the annual conference in September in recognition of his outstanding contributions to national dam safety.

James Oschwald, RA, NCARB, LEED AP has been named vice president, architecture for Merrick & Company.

Greg Dye joined Olsson Associates as practice group leader of its water/wastewater engineering practice.

Craig M. Lis, PE, joined Martin and Wood Water Consultants as Senior Water Rights Engineer.

Nolte Associates recently announced the appointment of Lyle Bissegger and Will Coffield to Associate.

St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, CO became the first USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified hospital on the western slope (according to USGBC website).  Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers (BGCE) provided Fundamental and Enhanced Commissioning Authority services for the St. Mary’s Century Project LEED Silver certification.

Martin/Martin, Inc. received an Excellence in Structural Engineering Award by the National Council of Structural Engineering Associations (NCSEA) for a body of work called "An 'Oasis' of Structural Art." The entry detailed a group of cruise ship sculptures involving exotic materials and structural systems. The pieces are installed on the Oasis of the Seas and other Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise ships.

Drewberry has acquired the assets of Integra Engineering. Drewberry-Integra will continue to operate from Denver, expanding Drewberry's western geographic footprint.

Elena Sossenkina has joined HDR as national technical adviser for the Dams, Levees & Hydraulic Structures Practice. Stephen Long has joined the firm as transportation program manager for the Denver office. Ryan Walker has joined the HDR|e2M Englewood office as senior client manager. Mike Grant has been appointed CAD manager for the transportation business group in HDR's Denver office.

Bishop-Brogden Associates, Inc. has appointed Laurel Stadjuhar, PE, as Associate.

Richard P. Arber Associates announced that Ryan Walsh, PE, obtained his professional engineering license from the State of Colorado. Jamie Eichenberger, PE, became the president of the Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association at the 2010 Joint Annual Conference in Keystone. Arber Associates also proudly announced that Bill Veydovec has now been with the company 15 years.

ACEC/CO Celebrates Excellence in Engineering

2011 Engineering Excellence Awards Re-cap

November 1st was a special day for ACEC/CO members, clients, staff, and strategic partners. The Brown Palace Grand Ball Room was packed with over 200 engineers and special guests for the annual Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet. The event was not only about celebrating 25 outstanding projects submitted by our members, but also about recognizing all the partners that are so valuable to our industry.

This year's banquet was especially exciting as we celebrated CDOT's 100th anniversary, had the pleasure of having Denver Botanic Garden's CEO Brian Vogt for our keynote speaker, and a project worthy of the "Grand Conceptor" Award - the first one since 2005.

ACEC/CO Executive Director Marilen Reimer was recognized and awarded a plaque in appreciation of 20 years of service to the Council.

"Transformation: Engineering Sustainable Futures" was the theme of this year's Awards Banquet and all 25 projects certainly did reflect innovation and sustainability: Thirteen projects received Merit awards and four received Honor awards. The seven Excellence award winners and Grand Conceptor award will go on to compete in the ACEC National Excellence Awards in April 2011.

Entries were judged by business, media and industry professionals who evaluated excellence based upon five criteria: originality and innovation; meeting and exceeding client needs; social and economic value; complexity; and future value to the engineering profession.

This year's judges were: Randy DeMario, President of AGC Colorado Chapter; Bob Gance, Immediate Past President, Colorado Association of Healthcare Engineers and Directors; Amy Hopkins, Co-President of Society for Marketing Professional Services; Deb Kleinman, Executive Director of US Green Building Council Colorado Chapter; Melissa Leslie, McGraw-Hill Construction; Mike Lowell, Director of the Design & Construction Division, GSA; and Mary Morissette, President of AIA Colorado Chapter.

Grand Conceptor Award Recipient

The Grand Conceptor Award may come from any of the categories and is presented to the top state winner.  The Grand Conceptor Award is given to a project that our judges have scored significantly higher than the other entries.  This is the reason why this award has not been presented for five years.

Merrick & Company
"Cellulosic Biofuels Plant”
Client: Range Fuels

Range Fuels of Soperton, Georgia wanted to produce renewable fuels utilizing wood products from Georgia’s large southern pine forests. These products once provided feedstocks for the pulp and paper industry in the U.S., but that industry has moved overseas.
To accomplish the vision, Merrick & Company supported the early pilot plant testing, assisted with the operations of the next-generation testing, and engineered and designed all process systems for the first commercial cellulosic biofuels plant in the U.S.
Merrick’s multidisciplinary engineering services included process, mechanical, civil, structural, electrical, and instrumentation for all systems designed for the project. As of August 2010, the Soperton plant has produced cellulosic methanol from woody biomass and Merrick continues to provide technical support for plant operations.

Excellence Award Recipients

Excellence awards are presented for excellent engineering solutions based upon the awards criteria. These projects will go forward to the 2011 ACEC National competition to be held April 1st in Washington DC.

URS Corporation
"Dartmouth Dam Piano Key Weir Model Study”
Client: Goulburn-Murray Water/Murray Darling Basin Authority

A traditional solution was not going to be sufficient enough to increase the spillway capacity at Dartmouth Dam, the highest dam in Australia. Traditional upgrade options were developed to increase flood capacity of the 600 foot high dam, but construction and operational risks were of concern.

A rigorous alternative development study was conducted by URS to evaluate a range of spillway and dam upgrade options to safely pass the revised Probable Maximum Flood (or PMF). URS demonstrated innovation by recommending the Piano Key Weir, a relatively new spillway design with only a few built worldwide. The unique spillway provides increased capacity, passes the PMF and meets safety regulations. The Dartmouth Dam Piano Key Weir, when built, will be the highest in the world at 30 feet.

Merrick & Company
"LiDAR Technology Soars in Conservation Management”
Client: Natural Resource Conservation Service

The Rainwater Basin landscape of south central Nebraska and north Kansas features thousands of lakes and wetlands and is also known as the “Central Flyway,”  a bird and water fowl migration route hosting 10 to 15 million migratory birds. Unfortunately, during the 20th century, the wetlands here were drained for farming, road construction, and silted-in from development.
In 2007, the Natural Resource Conservation Service called on Merrick & Company to collect LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging, for 18,000 square miles of the Rainwater region. LiDAR technology uses a beam of light projected from an aircraft to the surface of the earth to create highly accurate elevation information of natural landforms and manmade objects.


Merrick provided professional guidance to understand the LiDAR technology and used it as the mapping solution to support natural resources and agricultural management and planning, as well as habitat restoration. Because of Merrick’s creativity to design a project that allows its technology to “soar,” NRCS has been able to take full advantage of the LiDAR data for the benefit of conservation planning, design and engineering.

Richard P. Arber Associates, Inc
"Joint Water Purification Project"
Client: Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority

Faced with developing a sustainable water supply for their growing population, the Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority and Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District combined to develop the Joint Water Purification Plant. The facility is designed to serve as an Indirect Potable Reuse system, allowing wastewater effluent to be returned upstream of raw water supply wells and reused for potable supply.
 This plant uses reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation technology to produce one of the safest water supplies in the state. It is the only one in Colorado, and one of the few in the nation, that uses this combination of treatment processes.

Arber Associates’ served as the project manager and lead process engineer for the Plant. They worked with both agencies to develop a successful project that serves as an important component for a long-term sustainable water supply.

CH2M Hill
"Prairie Waters Project Peter Binney Facility"
Client: Aurora Water

The historic drought in 2002 and 2003 significantly affected the City of Aurora’s water supplies to the point where the City needed to ration water to ensure that basic needs could be met. The City identified the Prairie Waters Project as the fastest, most cost-effective and sustainable solution to the problem. The overall project uses renewable water rights from the South Platte River and a treatment process that allows the city to produce water that is indistinguishable from current supply, providing the quality that customers expect.

The Peter Binney Water Purification Facility is a state-of-art facility designed specifically to meet these goals. CH2M Hill was the designer for the treatment facility and the overall program manager. The Prairie Waters Project is the largest new water supply project to be completed in over three decades in Colorado.

Felsburg Holt & Ullevig
"6th Avenue Waste Tire Noise Wall"
Client: Colorado Department of Transportation

Every year millions of discarded tires are stockpiled in the U.S. And every year the demand for noise walls in Colorado grows as neighborhood residents seek relief from noisy highway traffic. You wouldn’t think the two problems would be related, but CDOT’s Division of Transportation Development along with Felsburg Holt and Ullevig envisioned a unique solution for both.  

The RMH Group, Inc.
"NREL Row 4 Turbines"
Client: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

At NREL’s National Wind Technology Center scientists work to improve wind turbine technology to meet soaring worldwide energy demands. Before this project, the largest turbines tested at the Center were capable of generating 600 kilowatts of power. To accommodate much larger turbines, capable of producing 5 megawatts of power each, a new site electrical infrastructure was required.

The RMH Group designed a robust new electrical infrastructure to handle these power requirements. The design is capable of accommodating total output of up to 10 megawatts of power while simultaneously improving control and capacity. The built-in flexibility of the RMH design will give researchers the ability to answer emerging questions and to test even larger more complicated turbines as they become available. NREL will now be able to achieve greater economic independence and have greater resources to invest in future research activities.

EMC Engineers, mc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eaton Corporation
"Casey Middle School MEP Design”
Client: Boulder Valley School District

Casey Middle School of Boulder, Colorado, was an 85-year-old outdated and inefficient building that no longer met the Boulder Valley School District’s needs.  The Boulder community sought to replace the school on the same site, but not without setting high sustainability and efficiency goals for the new facility.  EMC Engineers was brought on to the project to design the facility’s mechanical and plumbing systems. EMC’s high performance design met the objectives for efficiency and sustainability.  
Although the new school has an additional 20,000 square feet and capacity for 200 more students, Boulder Valley School District can expect lower utility bills and fewer maintenance calls with EMC’s design.

The building will achieve LEED Gold and possibly LEED Platinum certification, which would make it the only LEED Platinum school in Colorado.

Honor Awards

Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineering, Inc.
“Basalt Regional Library”
Client: A4 Architects

The 25-year-old cramped, stuffy and outdated Basalt Regional Library was no longer meeting the community’s needs. A new, spacious building would require highly efficient mechanical and electrical systems to meet comfort, aesthetics and energy goals. Beaudin Ganze worked closely with partners and used innovative engineering to produce a 21,000 square foot library with a community room, 30-foot high ceilings, and walls of windows. The team designed and implemented the first raised floor system with under floor air distribution in the Colorado mountains.

M-E Engineers, Inc.
“Anythink Brighton Library”
Client:Humphries Poli Architects

M-E Engineers provided the mechanical, plumbing, electrical engineering and lighting design for Brighton’s new “Anythink Library.” The 20,000 square foot LEED-Gold Certified facility is also the first carbon neutral library in the U.S., meaning it has a zero net release of carbon emissions. The low – to -no-cost solutions that were used are calculated to have an energy savings of nearly 68% over a baseline building; or $30,000 a year. In addition to energy saving solutions, M-E designed an under floor air distribution system that allows extreme flexibility for changing technology and configuration needs.  Anythink Brighton Library fulfills the Rangeview Library District’s commitment to provide their communities with the healthiest and most innovative spaces possible.

Tetra Tech, Inc.
“Clifton Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility”
Client: Clifton Sanitation District

Due to regional growth and new stringent effluent requirements, Clifton Sanitation District was faced with the task to upgrade their existing Wastewater Treatment Facility. The District envisioned a design that went beyond a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant. They collaborated with Tetra Tech to design and build the new facility that would ultimately beneficially reuse the treated water and biosolids to sustain the wildlife habitat and agriculture that spans 60 acres around the plant. Tetra Tech provided planning, design and construction administration services for the new plant and as a result, the District and its users have a place that promotes the natural environment in tandem with agricultural growth.

URS Corporation
“US Highway 14/16 Realignment”
Client: Alpha Coal West, Inc.

The coal mines near Gillette, Wyoming are among the largest in North America and are vital to powering our nation. When Eagle Butte Mine needed to expand their operations to the west side of US 14/16, it became obvious that relocation of the highway and construction of an underpass were necessary. URS undertook the engineering challenge to accommodate Alpha Coal’s enormous needs. As part of relocating the highway, the mine required a new bridge to accommodate large-scale mining equipment traveling under the highway. Engineers used geopiers to distribute the bridge load and high-strength geotextiles to ensure uniform road settlement. The custom-made bridge allows for differential settlement and rotation.

Merit Awards

Presented for extraordinary engineering solutions based upon award criteria.

David Evans and Associates, Inc.
“Grand Canyon South Rim Visitor Transportation Plan”
Client: National Park Service

That National Park Service called on David Evans and Associates to lead the Visitor Transportation Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. With over 4 million annual visitors, the area experienced daily complex challenges regarding visitor access and mobility. The new plan was designed to address transportation congestion, modes, safety and lack of accessibility. With new parking facilities, enhanced transportation strategies and capacity improvements, the new system will be safe, convenient, environmentally compatible, and financially affordable.

Felsburg Holt & Ullevig
“C3 Vision Transportation Plan”
Client: City of Commerce City

Commerce City has experienced significant growth since its last transportation plan 25 years ago. To address constricted mobility and connectivity issues, the City undertook a planning effort to combine a Comprehensive Plan with a new Transportation Plan. FHU worked with the City to develop a multi-modal transportation plan that will improve links between the older areas of the city and growing neighborhoods. The plan encompasses the vision of community, where people can live, work and play, and encourages the use of alternative modes of travel for a more sustainable way of life.

PBS&J
“East Corridor Environmental Impact Statement”
Client: Regional Transportation District

RTD called upon PBS&J to complete the Environmental Impact Statement for the East Corridor commuter rail project. This was an effort to find the best transportation solution balancing regional, local, and agency needs, while avoiding and minimizing impacts to the natural and human environment. The resulting Preferred Alternative consists of an electrified commuter rail train and double track system between Denver Union Station and Denver International Airport. The project included numerous creative solutions and was well-received by the public and stakeholders.

MKK Consulting Engineers
“Xcel Energy - 1800 Larimer: Design with the User in Mind”
Client: Xcel Energy

MKK Consulting Engineers was selected to be the mechanical and electrical design firm for Xcel Energy’s new office space in the newly constructed 22-story building in downtown Denver. Keeping Xcel’s trademark, “Responsible by Nature,” concept in mind, MKK blended two existing technologies to produce an energy efficient user-controlled work space. The key result was ideal comfort for Xcel employees, with a space that is responsive and adaptable to occupant preferences.

JVA, Inc.
“Casey Middle School”
Client: Boulder Valley School District

The Boulder Valley School District and community desired to replace the 1924 Casey Middle School while also preserving its past. JVA’s creative solutions allowed construction of the cutting edge replacement school while also salvaging two of its highly visible historical walls. They provided systems and cost information to the Design Advisory Team to reach the solution. JVA’s structural team also developed an effective shoring system that stabilized the historic walls during demolition and initial construction of the new steel superstructure.

Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc.
“Southern Zone 1 Pipeline”
Client: City of Westminster

A growing destination community, Westminster’s potable water and fire flow demands to all areas of the City were increasing as the original system reached the end of its design life. Burns and McDonnell provided all engineering services to construct a new water transmission line through the Westminster Mall area, the bustling center of the City. The Burns & McDonnell team made improvements, increasing capacity and reliability, all with minimal impact to the general public.  Now the City is able to provide its residents a reliable potable water delivery system that will sustain the community through its anticipated growth.

Ayres Associates
“Sand Creek: Protection through Innovation”
Client: Colorado Springs Stormwater Enterprise

The Academy Boulevard Bridge crossing Sand Creek in Colorado Springs was highly vulnerable to scour, with footings that could collapse under flood conditions, posing a risk to the public. Ayres Associates provided scour protection to stabilize the bridge. They proposed using an innovative partially grouted riprap technique to protect the bridge footings. This technique, never used before in the United States, made it possible to provide 500-year flood protection at a significant cost savings.

Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.
“CMWC Low Pressure Membrane Water Treatment Plant”
Client: The Consolidated Mutual Water Co.

Malcolm Pirnie was retained by the Consolidated Mutual Water Company (CMWC) to undertake water treatment process planning and development of their new 18 million-gallons-per-day capacity water treatment plant. Since Denver is a water-short area where conservation is a concern, Malcolm Pirnie designed the plant for zero liquid discharge, achieving 99.5% water recovery using secondary membrane treatment of backwash water. The new treatment process exceeds federal drinking water standards, improves taste and odor and accommodates for future upgrades. 

Merrick & Company
“Drinking Water System Upgrades”
Client: The Town of Hot Sulphur Springs

The town of Hot Sulphur Springs suffered through 2008 with a boil water order issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment due to failures in the town’s 26-year old water treatment plant. The town called upon Merrick and Company to design and construct upgrades to the water treatment plant and storage tank. Merrick led a fast-track design that allowed for ARRA funding for a complete $3.3 million system upgrade. Merrick’s efforts, along with supporting specialists and government agencies, produced a project that ensures safe, clean and abundant drinking water for the citizens of Hot Sulphur Springs for decades to come.

Drexel, Barrell & Co.
“US Hwy 34/Big Thompson Canyon Bridge Replacements”
Client: Colorado Department of Transportation

Two bridges from 1937 needed replacing on Highway 34 in Big Thompson Canyon near Estes Park, Colorado. Drexel, Barrell & Co. was a key member in the design-build team for the project. Because US 34 is such a critical link to area residents, motorists and tourists, and closure of the road resulted in a 44-mile detour, CDOT required that the removal and replacement of each bridge be completed within 12 days. Clockwork design and construction sequencing resulted in removal of the old bridges and construction of the new ones in a record eight days each, four days ahead of schedule!  

HDR Engineering, Inc.
“Keeping Traffic Flowing Safely through Durango”
Client: Colorado Department of Transportation, Region 5

CDOT chose HDR to provide construction management services on the US 160/550 corridor through the Bodo Industrial Park in Durango, Colorado. During construction of the 3.4 miles of divided roadway, the project went from a total reconstruction to a full-depth whitetopping. This was the first time a full-depth whitetopping has been performed in the region. This resulted in much needed safety and traffic improvements through one of the most heavily traveled highways in southwestern Colorado. HDR’s experienced team helped move the project along in a timely manner, despite considerable design modifications.

PBS&J
“Bakerville to Loveland Trail”
Client: Clear Creek County

The Bakerville to Loveland Bike Trail is 5 miles, and original ARRA grant monies only provided enough funding for 2.5 miles. With PBS&J’s innovative contracting method, Clear Creek County was able to more than double the size of the initial project budget and construct the entire length of the bike trail while eliminating the risk of overrunning the budget. The bikeway provides riders with a unique wilderness experience while connecting the interstate bikeway through Clear Creek County. Bicyclists can now use the open route to access Loveland Pass and Summit County without having to use I-70.

WRC Engineering, Inc.
“Dubois Street Reconstruction”
Client: City of Black Hawk

Dubois Street, a historic street constructed in the 1800’s in Black Hawk, had remained rustic amidst a backdrop of modernization until safety and access concerns prompted City Officials to consider updating the street. The challenges of the project involved bringing the street up to today’s standards in difficult mountainous terrain, while also keeping in character with the historic stone wall construction of the surrounding area. WRC Engineering was selected to overcome these challenges. WRC was able to develop a solution, which kept within the City’s budget and met all the goals of the project.

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303-832-2200; Fax 303-832-0400

www.acec-co.org

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