The newsletter of the C&S Companiessummer 2015 www.cscos.com

advances

March Inland Port is a growing general aviation airport colocated with an Air Force Reserve base in Riverside, CA. With considerable commercial and residential development nearby, the airport, which has a 13,300-foot runway, has attracted a significant num-ber of users. To support its private pilots and fixed base operator, Million Air, the airport turned to C&S to design a new combined terminal-FBO building.

The new 5,100-square-foot building includes a main lobby/lounge with an arched, open-beam two-story ceiling and high-end furnishings; offices to accommo-date airport operations and management personnel; a conference area; restroom facilities; pilot lounge; and storage areas. C&S also designed a 150,000-square-foot apron, two 10,000-square-foot graded pads for future conventional hangars, vehicle parking lot and access road, and other site improvements.

For more information about this project, contact Arnie White at awhite@cscos.com or (619) 296-9373.

Flying high with a new terminal

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Across New York state and the country, formerly abandoned and contaminated sites are being returned to productive use thanks to innovative incentive pro-grams and visionary developers who see potential in properties that have been written off as undevelopable.

In New York, tax credits are available to property developers through the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) for properties where development is impaired by environ-mental contamination.

Originally enacted in 2003, modified in 2008, and amended again in 2015, the BCP has been instrumental in the remediation and redevelopment of nearly 200 sites across New York. The program provides incentives for the structured cleanup of contaminated sites, liability release from the New York State Department of Environ-mental Conservation, and tax credits. The tax credits are based on the level of

cleanup, the amount spent on reme-diation (Site Preparation Credit), and the overall cost of the development (Tangible Tax Credit).

To enter the BCP, a developer must only demonstrate that soil or ground-water contaminant concentrations on the site exceed set standards.

Originally set to expire at the end of 2015, the BCP was extended until March 31, 2026. The 2015 extension also revised the program and changed the tax incentives based on the regional needs of Upstate New York and the New York City metro area.

Tangible Tax Credits for redevelopment costs are now limited to properties that have a useful life of at least 15 years, and can only include non-portable equip-ment, machinery, and building fixtures.

The 2015 extension also re-establishes a streamlined voluntary cleanup op-tion—BCP EZ—with no tax credits.

For some stakeholders, tax credits are less important than the release of liability, which is needed to get financ-ing for redevelopment. In exchange for waiving any right to tax credits, lightly contaminated sites can enter the streamlined BCP-EZ option, with state oversight of the cleanup. This enables sites to get the critical liability release and obtain financing. Currently, the BCP is the only path to a liability release from the state.

Additional reforms apply regionally:

Upstate New YorkFor sites in Upstate New York, all projects accepted into the program are eligible for site development tax credits without restriction to future site use or property value. Tax credits are tied to the level of cleanup and calculated using a formula that increases the tax credit based on both the amount of re-mediation required and the size of the new development. In many instances,

a developer can realize a tax credit that is three times the cost of the remediation, providing a valuable incentive to redevelop underuti-lized sites that otherwise would have been passed over.

New York CityOne major change in the 2015 extension affects properties in New York City. Under the new guidelines, projects in the city are only eli-gible for tax credits if either the cost remediation exceeds 75 percent of the property value or if the project will include affordable housing. This separation targets the incentives in strong real estate markets to sites that are severely impaired or to sites that provide housing options for the local community.

Municipal Brownfield FundingNew York state also provides funding to municipalities for brown-field investigation and cleanup, as well as for brownfield planning, through the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) and the Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Program, respectively.

As a way to enable local municipalities to clean up run-down proper-ties and generate economic growth, the enacted budget now autho-rizes an additional $1 billion over ten years in bond authorization for the State Superfund/ERP—with up to $100 million per year available to be appropriated. This money ensures that significantly contaminated sites can still receive the funding they need for reme-diation. Up to 10 percent of the funds can be used for the ERP for investigation and remediation of municipally owned brownfield sites.

The BOA Program provides grant funding for communities to es-tablish effective revitalization strategies for areas of concentrations of brownfield sites with the goal of returning the dormant and blighted parcels to productive use. The BOA Program provides the resources to inventory properties within study areas, perform market and engi-neering analyses, prepare conceptual plans, and create implementa-tion strategies necessary to catalyze the community’s revitalization.

NYS Brownfield Program SummaryFor private developers, the BCP is an exceptional program that encourages cleanup of contaminated sites through tax incentives and a liability release. Without this program, hundreds of underutilized and abandoned properties would continue to blight cities. Thanks to the BCP, these types of sites are rapidly being returned to tax rolls and benefitting local communities. The Environmental Restoration Program and the Brownfield Opportunity Area Program give com-munities desperately needed resources to tackle some of their most problematic properties. Involvement in these programs benefits com-munities preparing for and implementing revitalization efforts.

For more information about the Brownfield Cleanup Program, con-tact Daniel Riker at driker@cscos.com or (716) 847-1630.

From run down to revitalizedUpdates to the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Programby Daniel Riker

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This project received a Diamond Award from the American Council of Engi-neering Companies, New York Chapter in their 2015 Engineering Excellence competition—the highest award given at the state level.

As America seeks ways to become less reliant on petroleum-based fuels, bio-fuels generated from plants have begun to take hold. Energy manufacturer Sunoco established its first corn-based

power and resources. Sunoco turned to C&S to design upgrades to the slurry blending system to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

The plant slurry process was retrofit-ted with a new state-of-the-art slurry blender that provides reliable mixing of the corn flour with hot water and the enzyme. In addition to the blender, C&S designed a recirculation loop into the process to aid in wetting the flour and keeping the slurry at a consistent viscosity. A new steam-driven hydro-heater enables better temperature con-trol, and the new system uses variable frequency drives that allow for more automation and tighter process control tolerances.

The combination and integration of the various pieces of new equipment are unique to this ethanol facility and provide a model for similar older etha-

flour in a way that creates a consistent slurry. This process is challenging be-cause corn flour does not wet easily and the slurry temperature must be con-trolled in tight tolerance or the effec-tiveness of the enzyme is jeopardized.

Each hour, the plant used 3,500 bush-els of corn flour and several hundred gallons of hot water. Because just the right amount of very expensive enzyme must be added, slurry blending is chal-lenging and resource-draining. If the mixture is not at a precise viscosity, the mixture can’t continue to be used in the ethanol process. The Sunoco team recognized that the plant’s existing slurry blending system was not func-tioning efficiently. Enzyme and water usage was excessive, and the corn flour mixing function was marginal. The sys-tem frequently needed repairs and was not reliable, wasting company man-

pleted, the new system had to work or the plant could not restart.

The design, installation, and commis-sioning all occurred on schedule and the new system started up without issue. The new system has exceeded Sunoco’s expectations. Enzyme use has dropped by 50%, water use was reduced by 20 gallons per minute (saving 5 million gallons annually), and the system has operated flawlessly since start up. The entire $1.1 million process modification from concept to commissioning took only four months, and the anticipated payback period for the investment is less than one year.

For more information about industrial process improvements or this project, contact Carey Merritt, department manager of C&S’s industrial process group at cmerritt@cscos.com or (315) 455-2000.

ethanol processing facility in Fulton, NY, in 2010, becom-ing the largest biofuel production facility in New York state. The plant converts corn to fuel-grade ethanol and other by-products like corn oil and dried distillers grains.

The Sunoco plant can produce 85 to 100 million gallons of ethanol fuel per year, supplying 20% of the company’s internal fuel needs. Ethanol is also blended into Sunoco racing fuels, the official fuel of NASCAR.

The efficiency of Sunoco’s plant is de-pendent on effectively converting corn starch to fermentable sugars. One of the key steps in this process is adding water, steam, and enzymes to the corn

Farm to fuelSunoco slurry blender upgrades improve system efficiency and sustainabilityby Carey Merritt, cem

nol plants to improve efficiency and production rates.

The logistics of placing the new equip-ment while also maintaining plant operations were very complex and required considerable planning and cre-ative thinking. The new 9,000-pound slurry blender had to be rigged up three stories, through a concrete wall, and moved 60 feet inside the building. An exterior wall was retrofitted with an opening and access door, and a new monorail was installed to get the blend-er in place. All this work was done over and around operating plant equipment.

Since the new slurry blender replaced the older system, tie-in to the plant could only occur during a shut down. Coordination for final installation, start up, and commissioning was planned and executed during a scheduled sum-mer outage. Once the tie-ins were com-

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Across all industries, maintenance departments are often viewed as cost centers. When the economy struggles, this department is targeted for cutbacks. While some organizations fail to see the real value that maintenance plays in daily operations, the reality is that maintenance departments keep opera-tions from bottlenecking. They ensure that every physical aspect of a business runs smoothly and efficiently, which has a direct effect on an organization’s bottom line.

A computerized maintenance manage-ment system (CMMS) is a tool that uses sophisticated software to improve

efficiency in maintenance departments. CMMS help maintenance professionals work smarter by streamlining workflows and generating data that managers can use to make better decisions about facil-ity, asset, and equipment maintenance.

Many tangible benefits of adopting a CMMS are realized within the first year of implementation. In fact, many organizations see a savings from 15 percent to 30 percent on their facility maintenance budgets through the re-structuring of work allocation practices, asset management, event scheduling, and preventative maintenance. Other benefits include:

• Fewerequipmentandassetbreak-downs

• Lowerlaborcosts• Lessmaterialandpartsusage• Reductionininventorystockpiles• Cuttingdownonuseofpaper• Energysavings• Extendedequipmentlife-cycles• Accurateperformancemeasurement

Other, more intangible benefits are also generated through a CMMS. Most come from transitioning away from paper and less standardized ways of managing maintenance work. A good CMMS increases the ease of maintain-

Taking advantage of CMMSComputerized maintenance management systems pay offby Rick Clonan

ing, reporting, managing, and schedul-ing maintenance work because it:

• Createsstandardizedprocesses• Increasescustomersatisfaction• Resultsinlessstressfulworkenvi-

ronment • Makesiteasiertotrain• Organizesworkloads• Simplifiescompliancewithregula-

tions • Improvessafety• Improvescommunication• Holdstechniciansaccountable• Leadstomoreeducatedmainte-

nance decisions

C&S offers our clients a custom CMMS solution—Q Ware. The software was developed in 2001 and has since grown into a fundamen-tal CMMS that streamlines facilities maintenance needs for small- to medium-sized companies. Q Ware is a user-friendly, internet-based software designed for maintenance profes-sionals to process preven-tive maintenance sched-uling, asset management solutions, and inventory management.

Q Ware allows users to maintain their own systems and comes with a turn-key set up. Because it is module based, it caters to each orga-nization’s specific facility needs. The system has the capability to standardize tracking information and space man-agement. Unlike other CMMS pack-ages, Q Ware only manages assets that each maintenance or facilities depart-ment deems necessary.

Q Ware is currently used by healthcare, education, aviation, facility main-tenance, industrial and equipment

maintenance entities of all types and sizes. It has helped airports reduce operating cost by reducing terminal congestion and increasing safety and security. Educational campuses benefit by simplifying the management of mul-tiple buildings, large grounds, student requests, and seasonal maintenance. Healthcare facilities use Q Ware to help maintain the strict standards required by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which cre-ates multiple tasks for maintenance to track daily. Q Ware generates scheduled reminders to ensure tasks are completed to remain up to code for inspections, check on safety and security equipment, and ensure a sterile environment.

Mix and match five software mod-ules—work order management, preven-tive maintenance scheduling, inventory management, asset management, and

event scheduling mod-ules—and only pay for the features you want.

Set up of the CMMS software is turn-key. We consult with organiza-tional leaders on how the system needs to be customized to meet their specific needs. C&S then sets up a custom site and imports existing data. We

can also send a team of professionals in to gather technical data to load into the system. Within the program, fields are customized, emails automated, and workflows created. We also lead in-person or online training and demon-strations to show users how to operate the system and make updates.

For more information about CMMS and C&S’s Q Ware product, visit QWareCMMS.com or contact Rick Clonan at rclonan@cscos.com or toll-free at (888) 697-2811.

AdvancementsAccomplishmentsC&S Companies were selected by Gerald R. Ford International Airport inGrandRapids,MI,todesign the reconstruction of the 140,000-square-yard terminal ramp and associated site improvements. The project is expected to begin construc-tion in 2016.

Palo Alto Airport in Palo Alto, CA, selected C&S as their on-call consul-tant for design, engineering, plan-ning, environmental, construction management and other airport con-sulting services. Upcoming projects include improvements to Runway 13-31 and taxiways A, B, C, E, and Z.

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority selected C&S to provide structural design services for repairs to the A, B, and Terminal Top parking garages at Orlando International Airport.

C&S is providing architectural and engineering services for a two-story 17,700-square-foot addition to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s health services facility in Awkesasne, NY. The addition will house behavioral health clinics, business and admin-istrative offices, and meeting space. We are also renovating the existing medical clinic, outreach, laboratory, pharmacy, registration, and education spaces.

C&S recently completed a multi-year exterior renovation of four dormito-ries at the State University of New York at Canton. We are now start-ing a multi-year interior renovation to upgrade the aesthetics, function, and aged building systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and life safety.

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QWareCMMS.com

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C&S Companies499 Colonel Eileen Collins Blvd.Syracuse, New York 13212p: (315) 455-2000f: (315) 455-9667toll free: (877) CS-SOLVEwww.cscos.comadvances@cscos.com

C&S plans, designs, constructs, and maintains the built and natural environment.

Technology and software are chang-ing and developing rapidly. Every year there are updates and enhancements to the main production software in the architecture/engineering world—Revit, AutoCAD, and now Navisworks. C&S believes that every architect and engineer requires training to do his or her job effi-ciently and accurately. Our BIM services manager, Eric Wing, has extensive expe-rience with Autodesk products and holds continuous training sessions at C&S’s

offices. Eric is a certified Autodesk author and trainer, and regularly trains technical professionals at municipalities, institutions, colleges, and architectural and MEP firms.

C&S can provide training in many areas and customize a program for your spe-cific needs. Typical courses include Revit project setup; Revit project lead; general Revit; Revit for managers; and Revit mechanical, electrical, plumbing, life

safety, structure, and architectural. Eric also provides training on Navisworks Manage, Simulate, and Freedom; and AutoCAD project lead; AutoCAD me-chanical, electrical, plumbing, life safety, structure, and architectural; as well as all of the BIM 360 products.

If you are interested in sending employ-ees to our in-house training center or having Eric come to you, contact Eric at ewing@cscos.com or (315) 455-2000.

Customized BIM and AutoCAD training for A/E professionals