november december 2005 volume xxii number 6 the … · phone: (570)287-6390 •...

The Magazine of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers

VOLUME XXII NUMBER 6NOVEMBER · DECEMBER 2005

Also Inside

The Benefit of Student Field TripsCooperation is Key to Success for Highly AcceleratedDesign-Build ProjectOn Capitol Hill

Also Inside

The Benefit of Student Field TripsCooperation is Key to Success for Highly AcceleratedDesign-Build ProjectOn Capitol Hill

Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers November/December 2005 PE Reporter ■ 1

2005-2006 Executive Committee

President: Harry E. Garman PE, PLS5081 Hanover Drive; Allentown, PA 18106-9450

Phone: (610)481-9289 • [email protected]

President Elect: Harvey D. Hnatiuk PE, FNSPEPO Box 1075; Ft Washington, PA 19034


Secretary/Treasurer: Leonard K. Bernstein PE, FNSPE4140 Orchard Lane; Philadelphia, PA 19154-4418Phone: (215)824-3570 • [email protected]

Immediate Past President: Ernest U. Gingrich PE, PLS, FNSPE103 Centerfield Drive; Harrisburg, PA 17112Phone: (717)545-7020 • [email protected]

Vice President Central Region: John F. Bradshaw PE4431 N. Front Street, 2nd Floor; Harrisburg, PA 17110-1709


Vice President Northeast Region: Walter J. Poplawski PE90 N Thomas Avenue; Kingston, PA 18704


Vice President Northwest Region: David L. McCullough PE390 Bradys Ridge Road; Beaver, PA 15009


Vice President Southeast Region: Francis J. Stanton Jr. PE50 Fir Drive; Richboro, PA 18954


Vice President Southwest Region: Michel J. Sadaka PE9318 Marshall Road; Cranberry Township, PA 16066


Executive Director: John D. Wanner, CAE908 N. Second Street; Harrisburg, PA 17102


Editor: Jennifer A. Summers

The PE Reporter is published six times annually by the PennsylvaniaSociety of Professional Engineers (PSPE) located at 908 N. SecondStreet, Harrisburg, PA 17102. Phone: (717)441-6051 • www.pspe.org.Opinions expressed by authors herein do not necessarily reflect theopinion of PSPE.

Table of Contents

Cover PhotoDue to the harsh Pocono region winters and heavy truck traffic, theInterstate I-80 and I-380 interchange became a maintenance problem forPennDOT Engineering District 5-0. This section of Interstate wasoriginally constructed in 1964 and reconstructed in 1983 using variouspavement designs for the existing conditions. In 2004, PennsylvaniaDepartment of Transportation (PennDOT) Engineering District 5-0undertook one of their first design-build projects, which involved theinterchange of Interstates 80 and 380 interchange in Monroe County.See page 22 for more details.

NSPE Code of Ethics for EngineersEngineers’ Creed

As a Professional Engineer, I dedicate my professional knowledge andskill to the advancement and betterment of human welfare. I pledge:

To give the utmost of performance;

To participate in none but honest enterprise;

To live and work according to the laws of man and the highest standardsof professional conduct;

To place service before profit, the honor and standing of the professionbefore personal advantage, and the public welfare above all otherconsiderations.In humility and with need for Divine Guidance, I make this pledge.

Adopted by National Society of Professional Engineers, June 1954

AdvertisersBarton Associates ................................................................................. 8Boles, Smyth Associates, Inc. ............................................................. 8Buchart-Horn, Inc. ............................................................................... 6Burns Engineering Inc. ........................................................................ 6C.S. Davidson, Inc. ............................................................................... 6Carroll Engineering Corp. .................................................................. 8Cayuga Concrete Pipe ..................................................................... C2Cumberland Geotechnical Consultants, Inc. ................................... 8Engineering Mechanics, Inc. ............................................................... 6Fenner & Esler Insurance .................................................................... 2F.T. Kitlinski & Associates ................................................................... 8GAI Consultants Inc. ........................................................................... 6Gannett Fleming ................................................................................... 4Garvin Boward Engineering .............................................................. 8Johnston Construction Company ..................................................... 6Keddal Aerial Mapping ....................................................................... 4L. Robert Kimball & Associates ......................................................... 6MBNA .................................................................................................. C3McMahon Associates, Inc. ................................................................... 8Michael Baker Corporation ................................................................ 4Modjeski & Masters Inc. ...................................................................... 4New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc. ............................................ 4Pickering, Corts & Summerson Inc. ................................................. 8Powell Trachtman Logan Carrle & Lombardo ............................... 2Senate Engineering Company ........................................................... 6Tantala Associates ................................................................................ 4UPS ....................................................................................................... C4

ColumnsOn Capitol Hill .......................................................................... 5Risky Business ........................................................................... 9Political Action Committee Sponsor Update ....................... 19Classified .................................................................................. 20Cover Story ............................................................................... 22

FeaturesThe Benefit of Student Field Trips ........................................... 2You May Qualify as an NSPE Fellow ................................... 10Green Roofs - A Technology Who’s Time Has Come .......... 112006-07 PSPE Nominating Committee Report ..................... 12Thank You ................................................................................ 24

2 ■ PE Reporter November/December 2005 Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers


The Benefit of Student Field TripsBeverly W. Withiam, P.E., Interim Director, Engineering TechnologyUniversity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Field trip experiences provide an excellentway for students to see firsthand topics theystudy in classrooms. The purpose of thisarticle is to relate the student benefits that Ihave observed for one particular course andto encourage all engineers in Pennsylvania tohelp facilitate field trips. Senior CivilEngineering Technology students at theUniversity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ)may select CET 1142, Water Supply andWastewater, as one of their technical electivecourses. Students enrolled in this class typicallygo on six or seven field trips during the term.About half of the field trips are to watertreatment plants and the other half towastewater treatment plants. Most studentsenrolled in this class have never been to atreatment plant before going on the field trips.

Because some students are more apt tolearn by observing rather than reading, thefield trip experience provides a means ofenhancing and expanding the learningexperience. By the end of the term, studentsfind that they have learned more than thetechnical aspects of the treatment plants; theyhave also learned additional skills that willbenefit them in their future jobs.

For each field tripexperience, students arerequired to take notes,make sketches and askquestions. Becausethese students areseniors, they areexperienced in-classnote takers, but mosthave not been requiredto take notes outdoors.They learn to hold on to a piece of paper in alltypes of weather conditions and to go to asite with an adequate writing surface andwriting instrument. They also learn thatgloves and hats are needed in cold weather,even though they may not be fashionable.

Students are required to make flowdiagrams depicting the flow of water and

solids at each plant. These sketches reinforcetextbook diagrams and point out similaritiesand differences of the plants. If a plant tour isnot conducted in a waythat follows the flowpaths, students have tobe able to put theoperations into properorder. By seeing theactual unit operationsand processes,students gain anunderstanding of thesize of the footprintrequired for water and wastewater treatmentplants. They start to appreciate the planningthat must precede the number crunching.They gain a better grasp of the need to beable to expand a plant, but still keep itoperationally manageable.

Prior to the field trip, students are givena list of questions that they must later be ableto answer and write about. This aspect of theexperience teaches the students how toconduct interviews, to confirm facts, to identifythe person that they are talking with, and tofollow-up with additional questions if needed.

Some of the questionselicit answers that arenumerical, such as thenumber of peopleserved or the depth ofthe sedimentationbasin. Others exposethe students to thesituations faced by thepeople that operatethe plants. Students

ask the plant operators to tell them aboutproblems they have encountered in day-to-day operations or during emergencysituations. I encourage this interactionbecause the students learn a great deal fromthe ingenuity and know-how of the operators.A graduate working at a consulting firm thatdesigns water and wastewater treatment

plants will recall the conversations thatoccurred during the field trips and hopefullyincorporate some of what they learned.

F r e q u e n t l ystudents must learn toovercome two fears:the fear of asking astranger a questionand the fear ofappearing foolish.These fears are alwaysalleviated once thestudents realize thatthe people conducting

the tours like to talk about their jobs and thatno question is considered silly.

By the time students go on their last fieldtrip of the term, they know what to expectand are much better prepared. They gain theconfidence to ask questions and sometimeseven divide the questions among themselvesto make the interview flow more smoothly.They also have honed their writing skills anddiscern what needs to be incorporated into aplant description.

I am grateful to the people in the Cambriaand Somerset County areas that havesupported the UPJ field trip effort for morethan twenty years. The type of experiencesthat I have described here can only occur ifsomeone takes the time to accommodate thefield trips. Practicing engineers, water andwastewater authority employees and plantoperators all contribute to the educationalexperience when they get involved. ■

Beverly W. Withiam, P.E. has been teachingin the Engineering Technology Division of theUniversity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown since 1982.UPJ offers four year Bachelor of Science degrees inCivil, Electrical and Mechanical EngineeringTechnology. Ms. Withiam is a member of PSPE,ASCE, ASEE, AWWA, and WEF. Contactinformation: 225 E&S Building, 450 SchoolhouseRoad, Johnstown, PA 15904. Phone:814.269.7263. Email: [email protected]


On Capitol HillJohn D. Wanner, CAE

Special Session on Property TaxReform Begins

Governor Ed Rendell called for a SpecialSession of the General Assembly to focusattention on, and finally enact, real propertytax reform in the continued absence of slotsrevenue, and heated debate over theimplementation of Act 72. Myriad plansfrom various legislators have beenintroduced, Rendell and House Democrats,among others, looking to work onamendments to Act 72, the remainingmembers of the “Commonwealth Caucus”continuing to tout their expanded Sales taxplan, and others, like several members ofthe Lehigh Valley delegation, trying tosimplify the existing structure.

In the simmering aftermath of the payraise vote, most legislators believe they arecompelled to do something to take hometo the voters this fall, and property taxesand minimum wage seem to be twoimperative issues, along with increasingbenefits for members of the National Guardand their families who are serving abroad.The fall of the odd-numbered years isusually a fairly inactive time, but it seemslikely that this year will be different.

Legislation introduced to eliminateBest Value Contracting

Representative Scott Petri (R, BucksCo.) has introduced legislation, House Bill1996, which would prohibit the use of BestValue Contracting. The bill simply strikes“construction” from the list of services thatthe Commonwealth can procure throughthe “competitive sealed proposal” process.That process is another term for Best ValueContracting. The PA Department ofGeneral Services (DGS) recently awardedits first project using Best Value instead oflow bid, construction of a new student unionbuilding at Cheyney State University. Ofinterest in that award is that the 4contractors chosen as the “Best Value”

winners were also the low bidders. Underthe DGS system, price is worth 60% of thepoints.

Shortly after the award, the AssociatedBuilders and Contractors (ABC) sued theCommonwealth, claiming that its BestValue system is illegal. ABC has beenclaiming that the DGS system will favorunion contractors. Ironically, of the fourcontractors selected on the Cheyneyproject, two are union and two are non-union. State Government insiders giveneither the bill nor the lawsuit much chanceof success.

Rep. Evans Introduces Payment Billfor Philly Work

Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphiaintroduced a bill that would require that allcontractors be paid before a certificate ofoccupancy can be issued. House Bill 1878amends the Pennsylvania ConstructionCode by adding that in cities of the firstclass (Philadelphia) a certificate of occupancyfor a commercial building or structure maynot be issued by a construction code officialor a municipal code official until the ownerprovides certification that all retainage forcontractors, subcontractors and materialssuppliers, that performed work or suppliedmaterials for the building or structure, hasbeen paid.

This does not apply to any of thefollowing: (1) amounts necessary to ensurecompletion of incomplete work, (2) amountsnecessary to insure performance of workwhich is noted in a written list provided tothe owner specifying deficiencies yet to becorrected, and (2) amounts necessary tocompensate for undelivered, defective orotherwise inadequate supplies. Aconstruction code official or a municipalcode official may issue a certificate ofoccupancy if the owner can demonstratethat disputed amounts are in an escrowaccount awaiting the determination of a

legal proceeding. The bill was referred tothe House Labor Relations committee.

Legislative Activity

HB 469 RE: Destruction of SurveyMonuments (by Rep. Sue Cornell, et al)

Amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses)making it a summary offense tointentionally cut, injure, damage, destroy,deface or remove any survey monumentor marker and a misdemeanor of the seconddegree to willfully or maliciously cut, injure,etc. a survey monument or marker in orderto call into question a boundary line.Violators would be liable for the cost of there-establishment of permanent surveymonuments or markers by a professionalland surveyor and all reasonable attorneyfees.Reported as committed from HouseJudiciary Committee, read first time, and laidon the table, 9/27/2005

HB 609 RE: Student Residence Automatic FireSuppression System Installation LoanProgram and Protection Act (by Rep. PaulSemmel, et al)

Would create the Sprinkler Loan Fund.The Department of Community andEconomic Development would administerthe loan program utilizing moneys fromthe fund for the purpose of providing low-interest loans to owners of studentresidences to install automatic firesuppression systems. Loans under thisprogram would only be utilized to fund theinstallation of automatic fire suppressionsystems in preexisting buildings. A loanissued under this program would be subjectto the following terms and conditions: (1)The loan would be subject to an interestrate of 2%, (2) The loan would be repaidwithin 15 years of the date of the loan, (3)Any other terms and conditions aspromulgated by the department.

“Capitol” continued p. 7


Reported as committed from HouseVeterans Affairs/Emergency PreparednessCommittee, read first time, and laid on thetable, 9/26/2005

HB 1467 RE: Residential ConstructionDispute Resolution Act

Establishes dispute resolutionprocedures relating to residentialconstruction defects between contractorsand homeowners or members ofassociations. In an action under thelegislation, the claimant must notify thecontractor of a claim at least 75 days beforeinitiating action. The contractor would have15 days to respond. The legislation wouldnot apply to any claim for personal injuryor death.Reported as committed from House RulesCommittee, and laid on the table, 9/26/2005Removed from the table, read second time,and rereferred to House AppropriationsCommittee, 9/27/2005Reported as committed from HouseAppropriations Committee, 10/17/2005

HB 1637 RE: Mechanics’ Lien Law (by Rep.George Kenney, et al)

Amends the Mechanics’ Lien Law bystating that only a contractor (not asubcontractor) may waive his right to file aclaim by a written instrument signed by himor by any conduct which operates equitablyto prevent the contractor from filing a claim.Reported as committed from House RulesCommittee, and laid on the table, 9/26/2005Removed from the table, read second time,and rereferred to House AppropriationsCommittee, 10/17/2005

HB 1920 RE: Sales Tax (by Rep. Sam Rohrer,et al)

Amends Tax Reform Code furtherproviding for the imposition and rate of thesales and use tax and for transfers to thePublic Transportation Assistance Fund;designating certain sales and use taxrevenue for transfer to the EducationOperating Fund; and increases the rate ofthe State Real Estate Transfer Tax to 2%(from 1%) and requires moneys raised by

the Local Real Estate Transfer Tax to bedeposited in the Educational OperatingFund. The bill states it is the intent of theGeneral Assembly to broaden the sales anduse tax base and reduce the rate of that taxin order to provide funds for the operatingexpenses of school districts.

The legislation adds that “sale at retail”includes wearing apparel or shoes; and therendition for a consideration of any service,other than a medical service, when theprimary objective of the purchaser is thereceipt of any benefit of the serviceperformed, as distinguished from thereceipt of property. States that any serviceperformed in PA would be subject totaxation under this article unless specificallyexempted. “Use” would also includewearing apparel or shoes.

The sales and use tax is reduced to 5%from 6% and provides for the computationof the tax. Revenues from the tax would bedeposited into the Education OperatingFund. The legislation also extensivelyprovides for exclusions.

The following items are added to thelist of those items excluded from the salesand use tax: medical goods and services bya hospital; dental services; goods or servicesinvolving Medicare Part B transactions;transportation provided or funded by thefederal, state or local government; insurancepremiums; mortgages; investments orgains on investments; rental of realproperty; and the sale of property toschools.

The following items are removed fromthe list of those items excluded from thesales and use tax: diapers, sanitary napkins,etc.; steam, natural gas, fuel oil, electricity,etc.; packing materials such as wrappingpaper, twine, tape and cartons; vesselsdesigned for commercial use of registeredtonnage of 50 tons or more when producedby the builders thereof upon special orderof the purchaser; or tangible personalproperty or services used or consumed inbuilding/repairing, cleaning/maintainingsuch vessels; medical supplies, such ascrutches, wheelchairs, false teeth; coal;motor vehicles, semis, & trailers ; water;

clothing, shoes, apparel; religiouspublications; food and beverages, except forthose sold at/from a school or church;caskets and tombstones; newspapers; USand PA flags; textbooks; commercial filmrentals; mail order catalogues and direct mailadvertising literature; horses; fish feed;tourist promotion materials; brook trout;school buses; firewood; materials used inthe construction and erection of objectspurchased by not-for-profit organizationsfor memorials; electronic & hybrid vehicles;power units for vehicles; magazinesubscriptions; office building cleaningsupplies and costs; candy and gum;property or services used to installstairways/systems for disabled; buildingmachinery and equipment and services;personal computers and software; prebuilthousing; and food and nonalcoholicbeverages used on airlines.

The legislation also re-allocates thepercentages of transfers to PublicTransportation Assistance Fund and statesno more than $75 million total may bedeposited in the fund in any one fiscal year.Reported as committed from House RulesCommittee, read first time, and laid on thetable, 9/27/2005

SB 656 RE: Residential Construction DisputeResolution Act (by Sen. John Gordner, et al)

Provides procedures relating to disputeresolution for residential construction defectsbetween contractors and homeowners ormembers of associations. The bill states thata claimant would, no later than 75 days beforeinitiating an action against a contractor,provide service of written notice of claim onthe contractor. An association may bring anaction against a contractor to recover damagesresulting from construction defects in any ofthe common elements or limited commonelements of a common interest community.The bill states that upon entering into acontract to construct a dwelling, the contractorwould give the owner or buyer a writtennotice concerning construction defects. Failureto include the notice would deprive thecontractor of the benefits of this act.

“Capitol” continued from p. 5

“Capitol” continued p. 18


GARVIN BOWARD

A STEP ABOVE A STEP BEYOND

CONSULTING

GEOTECHNICAL,

FORENSIC &

ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERS

Joseph F. Boward, P.E. R. Gary Garvin, P.E.

Garvin Boward Engineering, Inc. Phone: 412.922.4440 180 Bilmar Drive, Suite IV Fax: 412.922.3223 Pittsburgh, PA 15205 Email: [email protected]


Risky BusinessRebecca Bowman, Esq., P.E.

Pennsylvania Engineers as EmpireBuildersPart III: The Horseshoe Curve

By 1854 in the United States, railroadtransportation was the answer. Thequestion? How to ensure that Pennsylvaniacould divert/channel/profit from themassive flow of raw goods from west toeast and finished goods from east to westwith the greatest efficiency (economic andchronological) and the least risk.

Hundreds of miles of canals were underconstruction across the eastern UnitedStates. Each of these canals representedcompetition for Pennsylvania commerceand development. Key competitors werethe Morris Canal in New Jersey, theChesapeake and Ohio Canal in Maryland,the Erie Canal in New York, and the Ohioand Erie Canal in Ohio. Clearly,Pennsylvania needed to take action to seizeback its market share.

The challengeIn 1839, the Commonwealth

commissioned Col. Charles L. Schlatter, anengineer, to survey a direct route withoutthe inclined planes of the Allegheny PortageRailroad. He proposed three alternativeroutes, one to the north, one to the south,and one in the middle. The Commonwealth

took no action onany of the routes.

In 1847, J.Edgar Thompsonwas appointedchief engineer ofthe PennsylvaniaRailroad. Heresurveyed andimproved themiddle route,following the

valley of the Juniata River. This valleyprovided a good, level route to the foot ofthe Alleghenies, where the PRR would buildthe city of Altoona.

The maximum that the locomotives ofthe day could handle was 1.8%. Thechallenge was to find a route through theAllegheny Mountains that wouldn’t exceeda grade of 1.8%. The surveyors had alreadydetermined that they would have to tunnelthrough a mountain near Gallitizin. Theyfound ridges heading from Gallitizin backtoward Altoona. They found ridges leadingout of Altoona. Unfortunately, about fiveand a half miles west of Altoona, thesepromising paths were divided by theKittanning Run Ravine and the Burgoon’sRun Ravine. To connect the two paths, acrow would fly a 1.2 mile path with a 4.37%grade. Obviously there were only twopotential solutions: decrease the numeratoror increase the denominator to reduce thegrade below 1.8%.

The engineering solutionThe solution was radical: Build huge

fills across both ravines and cut a notch inthe face of the mountain in between. Bybuilding this “detour,” the distance wouldbe increased to 3 miles, and the averagegrade reduced to 1.73% on the western fill,1.45% on the notch, and 1.75% on theeastern fill. All these grades were workable.The new, proposed track path would forma giant horseshoe across the two ravines.

Gathering the volume of soil necessaryto construct the two fills would leave a largedivot in the valley. The divot would becomea pair of reservoirs. The extraordinarymotive loads of achieving these extremegrades would cause the locomotives to runhard and hot. The reservoirs would makecertain that adequate water was availableto keep the engines safely cool.

Muscling throughTo the best of our knowledge, there

were no engineering problems solved withclever, fascinating solutions. This was aproblem of brute force. There were nobulldozers, no steam shovels, no backhoes.This amazing work was accomplished by450 Irish mine workers imported fromCounties Antrim, Cork, and Mayo. Thework was accomplished using only handdrills, black powder, picks, shovels, andwheelbarrows. Apparently, though, themen didn’t burn off enough energy. Therewere many strikes and brawls.

There were interesting culturalconsequences. Because much of the laborwas supplied by Irish immigrants, the resultwas one of the first Roman Catholiccommunities of significance in the westernUnited States (as it was then defined).Altoona still shows face of its religiousdiversity.

The Horseshoe Curve opened fortraffic on February 15, 1854. There are thosewho would argue that the Horseshoe Curveis the American version of the Egyptianpyramids. Many periodicals of that day andsince referred to the Horseshoe Curve asthe Eighth Wonder of the Modern World.

Empire BuildersAlthough the National Road (in its first

incarnation) and the Allegheny PortageJ. Edgar Thompson

Horseshoe Curve

“Risky” continued p. 23


PSPE in conjunction with NSPE is again seeking nominations forthe Fellow membership grade to honor a select group of individualsfor special recognition.

Download the nomination form from the NSPE website atwww.nspe.org/aboutnspe/ab1-fellow.asp. Send your completedapplication to PSPE by January 9, 2006. The PSPE Council of Fellowswill review nominations for recommendation to the NSPE Council ofFellows Executive Committee, chaired by Past President Monte Phillips,P.E., F.NSPE.

If you have questions regarding nominations, please contact SaraClark at NSPE headquarters (703/684-2804, [email protected]).

We look forward to receiving your nomination and recognizingyou.

Fellow Member Application Guidelines• The NSPE Board of Directors established the Fellow

recognition program to honor those licensed members who havedemonstrated exemplary service to the profession, the Society, andthe community. Service should include contributions in the nationalarena, such as prominent participation in NSPE and its state societies.Prominent participation in other nationally recognized engineeringsocieties will also be considered. (See also “Notes on Completing theApplication” at end.)

• Nominations must be submitted to the NSPE selectioncommittee through a state society of NSPE, or through a member ofthe NSPE Board of Directors with NSPE Board endorsement.

• Each state society is allowed to make one nomination foreach 1,000 voting members on its rolls rounded to the next highernumber of nominations. Each state is allowed at least one nominationper year. State societies are allowed to submit more nominations inany one year than the single year limit, provided that the total numberof nominations does not exceed the sum of the yearly limit for thecurrent year plus any unused nominations from the previous year.Nominations have a life of one year. Persons not selected for Fellow

You May Qualify as an NSPE Fellowin a particular year may be re-nominated in subsequent years. Eachsubsequent nomination will count as a new nomination.

• State society nominations must be accompanied by at leastthree letters of recommendation from NSPE members familiar withthe nominee’s qualifications. One of the letters of recommendationmust be from the president of the nominee’s state society stating thatthe recommendation has been approved by the state society board ofdirectors. In addition, one of the letters of recommendation must befrom a current NSPE Fellow.

• Nominations from state societies will be accepted by theCouncil of Fellows Executive Committee until February 1 each year.

• The NSPE Board of Directors votes final approval of thosenominees recommended for Fellow grade status by the NSPE selectioncommittee.

Completing the Application• The key to providing a successful application is for the

submitting state to take ownership and “add value” in presenting theaccomplishments of the candidate. Merely listing activities withoutshowing the significance of the accomplishments may leave theselection committee with insufficient information for a positiveresponse.

• Fellows must show prominent accomplishment in all threeof the criteria established by the Board: the engineering profession,the Society, and the community. A lack in one or another area canlessen a candidate’s chance.

• Since Fellow status may be recognition of more than NSPEactivities, consideration of national engineering accomplishment andactivity are important, i.e., either with NSPE or with other engineeringsocieties.

• Remember that the selection committee does not generallyknow the candidates. The committee can judge the candidate only bythe strength and completeness of the application.

NSPE Fellow Members - Pennsylvania

John R. Ackerman PE, PG, DEE, FNSPELuzerne County

Leonard K. Bernstein PE, FNSPEPhiladelphia

William J. Bryan PE, FNSPEWashington

Elizabeth A. Catania PE, FNSPEDelaware County

John W. Fisher PE, FNSPELehigh Valley

Ernest U. Gingrich PE, PLS, FNSPEHarrisburg

Harvey D. Hnatiuk PE, FNSPEValley Forge

Barry E. Isett PE, FNSPELehigh Valley

Walter K. Morris PE, FNSPEHarrisburg

Sidney J. Myers PE, FNSPEHarrisburg

John G. Woods PE, FNSPEPhiladelphia


Green Roofs - A Technology Who’sTime Has Come

With rising fuel costs and the new stormwater regulations, green roof technologyposes a feasible solution to commercial,institutional and industrial roofing needs. InGermany, there are over 100 million squarefeet of green roofs installed as of 2001.

Green roofs are vegetated roof coversthat help to manage stormwater, improvewater and air quality, mitigate heat andreduce energy costs. Green roofs lengthenthe service life of the roof and provide forwildlife habitat.

The American Society of TestingMaterials (ASTM) has formed a work groupto establish a Green Roof Standard. Threestandards are under development, namely,guide for selection, installation and

maintenance of plants for green roof systems;guide for use of expanded shale, clay or slate(ESCS) as a mineral component in growingmedia for green roof systems; and, standardpractice for the assessment of green roofs.

Green roofs can be intensive or extensivedepending on the planted usage of the roof.

Intensive green roofs require intensemaintenance and are often park-like areas thatare accessible to the public. The installationcosts range from $25 to $40 per square foot.

Extensive green roofs are limited toherbs, drought resistant grasses, succulentsand mosses. The installation costs range from$14 to $25 per square foot.

Extensive green roofs are the single mosteffective solution to stormwater

management. They act like a sponge duringrain events by helping to filter pollutants andslow the discharge of stormwater, which limitsthe effects of flooding and erosiondownstream. It has been estimated thatapproximately 75% of the pollutants areabsorbed in a 3 to 5 inch growing medium.

Additional resources for green roofs:http://www.greenroofs.orghttp://www.usgbc.orghttp://www.astm.orghttp://www.epa.gov/owow/npshttp://www.eltgreenroofs.comhttp://www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroofhttp://www.city.waterloo.on.cahttp://www.roofmeadow.com ■

Project: Heinz 57 Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesyof Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (www.greenroofs.org) and AwardWinner, Roofscapes, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Architect: BurtHill Kosar Rittelmann Associates.

Green Roof Awards of ExcellenceGreen Roofs for Healthy Cities established the Green Roof Awards of Excellence in 2003 to recognize green roof projects which exhibit

extraordinary leadership in integrated design and implementation. The awards also increase general awareness of green roof infrastructureand its associated public and private benefits, while recognizing the valuable contributions of green roof design professionals. Below are twowinners from the 2005 awards.

Award Category: Extensive Industrial/Commercial

Carl DuPoldt, PE - Delco Chapter PSPE

Category: Intensive Residential

Project: North Beach Place, San Francisco, California. Photocourtesy of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (www.greenroofs.org)and Award Winner, Cathy Garrett, Principal, PGAdesignincLandscape Architects, Oakland, California. Structural Engineer:Amir Kazemi, FBA Structural Engineers.


2006-07 PSPE Nominating CommitteeReport Ernest U. Gingrich, P.E., PLS, Committee Chair

In late summer, all chapters were asked to submit names for consideration to the Nominating Committee for state officers for theupcoming year. The Nominating Committee, comprised of one State Director from each region, included:

Ben Thayer, P.E. ........ (Beaver Chapter, Northwest Region)Bob Davis, P.E. .......... (Central Chapter, Central Region)Eric Tappert, P.E. ....... (Lehigh Valley Chapter, Northeast Region)Dave Briskey, P.E. ...... (Pittsburgh Chapter, Southwest Region)Mike Moore, P.E. ........ (Valley Forge Chapter, Southeast Region)

The nominating committee submits the following slate of nominees to PSPE for 2006-2007. A copy of each candidate’s biographyappears on the following pages.

President Elect: ..................................Leonard Bernstein, P.E.Secretary: ..........................................Joseph Boward, P.E.Treasurer: .........................................John Nawn, P.E.Vice President Central Region: ........John Bradshaw, P.E.Vice President Northeast Region: ......Walter Poplawski, P.E.Vice President Northwest Region: .....David McCullough, P.E.Vice President Southeast Region: .....Frank Stanton, P.E. AND Rick Aulenbach, P.E.Vice President Southwest Region: ......Michel Sadaka, P.E.

In accordance with PSPE bylaws, members who wish to run for office may do so by petition. Nominations signed by at least 25 PSPEmembers in good standing, along with a picture and biography of the candidate, must be received by the PSPE Secretary by February 15,2006. A copy of the petition and accompanying material shall be concurrently delivered to the Chair of the Nominating Committee.

The secretary shall verify the membership validity of the signers and inform the Chair of the findings, and also if in proper order, makethe appropriate listing on the ballot.

In the case of more than one nomination for office a ballot will be mailed to the membership by March 1, 2006. On behalf of thenominating committee I congratulate all of the nominees. I also thank the members of the nominating committee and greatly appreciatetheir help in this process.

Respectfully Submitted,Ernest U. Gingrich, P.E.Chair, Nominating Committee

PSPE Secretary/TreasurerLeonard K. Bernstein PE, FNSPE4140 Orchard LanePhiladelphia, PA 19154-4418Phone: (215)[email protected]

Nominating Committee ChairErnest U. Gingrich PE, PLS, FNSPE103 Centerfield DriveHarrisburg, PA 17112Phone: (717)[email protected]

PSPE members interested in petitioning to be on the ballot for a PSPE state office,should send nominations to:


Leonard K. Bernstein, PE, FNSPECandidate for President Elect

Len has been anactive member ofPSPE since 1981. Hehas been on thePhiladelphia ChapterBoard of Directorssince 1982 when hewas first elected as aChapter Director.Since 1982, Len has

served the Philadelphia Chapter as Presidenttwice (1988-89, 1996-97), Vice President,Secretary, Chapter Director, and StateDirector. He has also served the PhiladelphiaChapter by chairing the Ethics, Bylaws, andAwards Committees and as editor of theChapter newsletter. At the State level, Lenhas been the PSPE Treasurer since 2001 andPSPE Secretary since 2005, has been a memberof the PSPE Constitution and BylawsCommittee for 16 years, serving as Chair forthe last ten years. Len served as a member ofthe PSPE House Bill 1960 Task Force thatdefeated an attempt by the PennsylvaniaSewage Enforcement Officers to legalize theengineering design of onlot sewage disposalsystems by non-licensed designers. At theNational level, Len is a member of theConstitution and Bylaws Task Force and hasbeen a member of the NSPE GovernmentAffairs Committee.

In recognition of his service to PSPE, PSPEPast President Craig L. Weaver, P.E.,presented Len with the 2000 President’sDedicated Service Award for the countlesshours he has dedicated to PSPE. In 2005, Lenalso received the PSPE Professional Engineersin Government Dedicated Service Award andwas named an NSPE Fellow Member.

Len received his Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Civil Engineering from thePolytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (Brooklyn,NY) and his Master of Science degree in Civiland Urban Engineering from the Universityof Pennsylvania.

Len is a licensed Professional Engineerand Sewage Enforcement Officer inPennsylvania and is currently the SpecialProjects Coordinator for the City ofPhiladelphia’s Water Department. Len beganwith the Water Department in 1976 as a ProjectEngineer and, five years later, advanced toChief of the Water Pollution AbatementProgram, the City’s $900 million expansionof its three wastewater treatment plants. Inheading the Program, Len was responsiblefor all aspects of the design, procurement, andconstruction of this federally funded program.In addition to his work with the WaterPollution Abatement Program, for sevenyears, Len was responsible for developing andtracking the Water Department’s annualCapital Budget that was in excess of $200million each year as well as the EngineeringDivision’s annual Operating Budget. AsSpecial Projects Coordinator, Len is currentlyresponsible for the planning activities for theWater Department and the City ofPhiladelphia under the Pennsylvania SewageFacilities Act (Act 537) and coordinates WaterDepartment activities at the Philadelphia NavalBusiness Center, a world-class industrial parkon the site of the former Philadelphia NavalShip Yard.

In addition to his primary employment,Len is an Adjunct Associate Professor in theDepartment of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering at Temple University inPhiladelphia and is active in the PennsylvaniaAssociation of Sewage Enforcement Officers;the American Public Works Association(APWA) where he serves on the AmericanPublic Works Association/Institute of PublicWorks Engineering Australia/INGENIUM(Association for Local GovernmentEngineering, New Zealand) Partnership TaskForce, the Legislative Advocacy Task Forceand has served on the International AffairsCommittee. Len also serves on the APWABylaws and Rules Committee, a committeehe chaired for two years. Len is the currentPresident of the APWA SoutheasternPennsylvania Chapter and served as Co-Chair

of the APWA 2001 International Public WorksCongress and Exposition when it was held inPhiladelphia in September 2001. Locally, Lenalso chairs the Awards Committee and hadpreviously chaired the Bylaws Committee ofthe Delaware Valley Engineers Week Council.

Beyond his professional activities, Len hasbeen active in his community as a coach andreferee for multiple youth sports and is adedicated member of Our Lady of Calvaryparish where he has served on Parish Councilfor 20 years and is presently a lector andEucharistic Minister.

Len is a Vietnam era veteran of the U.S.Army where he spent time as an instructor ofvarious engineering subjects at the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy at Ft.Leonard Wood, MO. He lives in Philadelphiawith his wife of 33 years, Joan, and has threegrown children.

2006-07 Candidates for PSPE Office

Joseph F. Boward, P.E.Candidate for Secretary

Joseph F. Bowardgraduated from PurdueUniversity in 1984 with aBS degree in CivilEngineering. Hemajored in SoilMechanics and minoredin Environmental andStructural Engineering.

In 1988 and 1991, he completed theOccupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA) training andinstruction requirements for Waste SiteWorker Protection and Waste Site Supervisor,respectively, in compliance with OSHAspecifications designation 1910.120(e)(2). In1989, he completed his requirements as aProfessional Engineer (P.E.) and is nowlicensed in the states of Pennsylvania, WestVirginia, Ohio, and Maryland. Also in 1989,he successfully completed educationalrequirements for Radium and Radon in theEnvironment at the University of Wisconsin,and the Environmental Site Assessment

“Candidates” continued p. 14


the Delaware County Chapter won the PSPEOutstanding Program Award in 2005. Withthe NSPE, John has also served as a memberof the Critical Infrastructure and HomelandSecurity Task Force.

Professionally, Mr. Nawn is a VicePresident with GAI Consultants andManaging Officer of their PhiladelphiaRegional office in King of Prussia, PA. Withalmost 20 years of experience, Mr. Nawnmanages a staff of over 20 professionalsproviding transportation, land development,municipal and traffic engineering andconstruction management services for adiverse range of public and private clients.Prior to this, Mr. Nawn was the Director ofTraffic and Municipal Engineering for URSCorporation and Branch Manager of theirPhiladelphia office. Mr. Nawn has also been aProject Manager with DMJM+Harris, and wasDirector or Transportation Engineering forValley Forge Laboratories, Inc. Mr. Nawnhas managed many large traffic, highway andtransit projects; most recently, the 50 milliondollar extension of the SoutheasternPennsylvania Transportation Authority’s R3Heavy Rail Line form Elwyn to Wawa, PA.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degreein Civil Engineering from Drexel Universityin Philadelphia, PA and is currently pursuinga Master of Science at Drexel. John is a licensedprofessional engineer in Pennsylvania, NewJersey, Maryland and Delaware and aCertified Professional Traffic OperationsEngineer, one of 1400 such professionalsworldwide. Mr. Nawn has been accepted as atraffic-engineering expert in manymunicipalities and three courts. He designedand managed the installation of the firstapplication of Back In Angle Parking in theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania, which waspreviously featured in the PSPE PE Reporter.

Besides his service to PSPE, John is amember of the Mid-Atlantic Section of theInstitute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)and served as the Section’s Newsletter Editorfor two years. John is also a member of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers, theTraffic Club of Philadelphia, the Engineer’sClub of Philadelphia and a Diplomate of theAmerican Board of Forensic Engineering andTechnology. John is a voting member of theDelaware Valley Regional Planning

John A. Nawn, P.E., PTOECandidate for Treasurer

John has been amember of the NSPEand PSPE for the last 15years. His service toPSPE has included fouryears as editor of theDelaware CountyChapter Newsletter andthree years as the

Chapter President. Under John’s leadership,

course conducted by the National Water WellAssociation. In 1990, he earned his MS degreein Civil Engineering from the University ofPittsburgh, where he concentrated in SoilMechanics and minored in hydraulics/hydrology. In 1996, he completed theEnvironmental Site Assessments course givenby the American Society for Testing andMaterials (ASTM).

From 1981 to 2003, Mr. Boward wasemployed by Engineering Mechanics, Inc., asa geotechnical engineer, where he rose to thelevel of junior partner. From 2003 to 2004,Mr. Boward worked for Michael Baker Jr.,Inc., where he was a Senior Engineer,primarily involved with geotechnicalinvestigations and retaining wall designs forthe Allegheny County Department of PublicWorks.

In November 2004, with R. Gary Garvin,P.E., he founded Garvin Boward Engineering,Inc., where he provides consultinggeotechnical and forensic engineeringservices. As a consulting engineer, Mr.Boward specializes in geotechnicalengineering and selected components ofenvironmental and forensic engineering.

As a geotechnical engineer, Mr. Bowardis concerned with the application of civilengineering technology to aspects of theearth, including the interaction of engineeringworks with soils and bedrock. Of course, thisknowledge is applicable to a broad cross-section of civil engineering works. Mr.Boward has been involved in numerous PhaseI and II Environmental Site Assessments overthe past 15 years - typically as part of propertyevaluations and/or transactions - which areperformed in accordance with ASTMprocedures/standards. As a professionalengineer, Mr. Boward is qualified to presenttestimony on these and related areas ofexpertise in legal proceedings, which he hasnumerous times over the years.

Mr. Boward - a member of Chi EpsilonNational Civil Engineering Honor Society -was named Young Engineer of the Year in1992 by the Pittsburgh Chapter, PennsylvaniaSociety of Professional Engineers, whopresented him with its L. W. Hornfeck Awardfor meritorious service in 1995. In February2005, Joe was honored to receive the

Dedicated Service Award from the PittsburghChapter, PSPE. He has been and continues tobe very active in technical and professionalengineering organizations.

Mr. Boward has numerous affiliations intechnical organizations including the NationalSociety of Professional Engineers,Pennsylvania Society of ProfessionalEngineers, Pennsylvania ProfessionalEngineers in Private Practice, AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers, American ConcreteInstitute, and American Society of HighwayEngineers.

He currently serves an instructor for thePSPE Professional Engineering LicensingExam Refresher Course, GeotechnicalEngineering Section; PSPE AwardsCommittee Chairman, is a member of theASCE Pittsburgh Section Geo-Institute Board,and is a member of the National PEPP AwardsCommittee.

Mr. Boward has collaborated on anumber of publications: J. F. Boward and L.E.Vallejo, “Clay Liner Crack Propagation”,Engineered Contaminated Soils and

Interaction of Soil Geomembranes,Proceedings of ASCE National Conventionin Washington, DC, November 10-14, 1996,Geotechnical Special Publication No. 59,American Society of Civil Engineers, NewYork, 1996.

R. G. Garvin and J. F. Boward, “UsingSlurry Walls to Protect an Historic Building: ACase Study”, Slurry Walls: Design,Construction, and Quality Control, ASTM STP1129, American Society for Testing andMaterials, Philadelphia, PA, 1992.

He is a registered professional engineerin Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia andMaryland.

“Candidates” continued from p. 13


Commission’s Regional Citizens Committeeand is the current Vice Chairman of theMunicipal Services Committee of theAmerican Council of EngineeringCompanies/Pennsylvania. John has alsovolunteered as a judge at the Delaware ValleyEngineers Week, Future Cities competitionand the Delaware County Science Fair. Johnis the co-author of the Access ManagementChapter of the soon to be released UrbanGeometric Design Handbook to be publishedby ITE and participated in an Order of theEngineer induction ceremony in April 2005.

In the community, John is an Eagle Scout,very active in the Boy Scout program and is amember of the Cradle of Liberty CouncilProperty Committee. As the Scoutmaster ofhis local troop, John has helped six boysachieve the Eagle Scout rank with fiveadditional boys actively working for itcurrently. John is also a Director with theSharon Hill Historical Society and is managingtheir efforts to restore the Sharon Hill TrainStation. He was instrumental in helping thegroup obtain a $342,000 federalTransportation Enhancement grant.Currently, John is the Treasurer of theMalvern Prep Fathers Club. John has servedas a member of the Sharon Hill BoroughPlanning Commission, and as an election dayPoll Watcher and Machine Inspector, localpolitical Ward Leader, was a little leaguebaseball coach and serves on the Fourth ofJuly Parade committee. John is a railroadaficionado and is the Convention Chairmanfor the 2006 National Model RailroadAssociation Convention, to be held inPhiladelphia.

John resides in Newtown Square, PAwith Barbara, his wife of 18 years and theirtwo children. Son John is a junior at MalvernPreparatory School and daughter Julie is afreshman at Villa Maria Academy. Barbara isthe Physical Education teacher at Our Lady ofFatima School in Secane, PA. John’s fatherand youngest brother are also engineers,electrical and mechanical respectively, with hisyoungest brother also a licensed professionalengineer in Pennsylvania and a PSPE member.

John F. Bradshaw, PE, PLSCandidate for Central Region VicePresident

John Bradshawmanages theC o n s t r u c t i o nM a n a g e m e n tDepartment for MichaelBaker Jr. Inc. (a divisionof Michael BakerCorporation) in its

Harrisburg office. John is registered as aProfessional Engineer in Pennsylvania andseveral other states, and also registered as aProfessional Land Surveyor in Pennsylvania.

John was born and raised in SchenectadyCounty, NY, and received his Bachelor ofScience degree in Construction Technologyfrom LeTourneau University in 1965. Upongraduating, John started his career inengineering at McFarland Johnson ConsultingEngineers in Binghamton, NY. Two yearslater, he continued his engineering career withMichael Baker Jr. Inc. in Harrisburg, PA, wherehe has worked for 38 years.

John has been mostly involved withtransportation projects and some buildingprojects. In his first 20 years with Baker, heworked with the structural engineering groupin the design of bridges, stadiums and othertypes of structures. During the past 18 years,John has been involved with constructionmanagement and inspection projects. Someof more significant project involvements werethe New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia,still the longest steel arch bridge in the world;the Alaskan Pipeline support system; theMoundsville and the Huntington Sixth StreetBridges across the Ohio River in West Virginia;the raising and expansion of Beaver Stadiumat the main campus of the Pennsylvania StateUniversity in State College, PA; the redeckingof the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and therehabilitation of the PATCO rail lines on theBenjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, PA;and the RAILWORKS project in Philadelphia,a SEPTA rehabilitation of nine-mile tracksystem and structures. Currently, John ismanaging the construction managementsupport and inspection teams for severalPENNDOT major highway constructionprojects in central Pennsylvania. In addition,John has taken on a new enterprise managing

the design and construction oversight for thePennsylvania Turnpike’s service plazadevelopment project.

John has been actively involved withPSPE since 1977. He has served as StateDirector, President, Treasurer, Secretary andother offices for the Harrisburg Chapter. Inaddition, he chaired various chaptercommittees, including the Engineers WeekCommittee for several years until theestablishment of The Central PennsylvaniaEngineers Week Council. John was thedriving force behind the creation of theCouncil, which consists of professional andtechnical societies that support NSPE’scelebration of National Engineers Week inFebruary. John is also an active member ofCMAA (Construction ManagementAssociation of America) and ASHE (AmericanSociety of Highway Engineers).

Besides being active with professionaland technical societies, John has been involvedwith his local church, Bible Baptist Church ofShiremanstown, PA. Some of the churchfunctions in which he served were Deacon,Chairman of Buildings and GroundsCommittee, and Sunday school teacher. In1972, John was instrumental in the planningand establishment of a Christian school in hischurch, which now has over 600 students fromKindergarten to Grade 12.

Walter J. Poplawski, PECandidate for Northeast RegionVice President

Walterhas servedPSPE as NortheastRegional Vice-President since 2004-05.He is also a former StateTreasurer and thecurrent State Chair ofthe PSPE ProfessionalEngineers in Private

Practice (PEPP).A member of NSPE/PSPE since 1981, he

was Luzerne County Chapter Presidenttwice, in 1990-91 and 1997-98. Walter hadserved as either the Chapter’s State Directoror the Alternate Director for ten years, 1994-2004. He has been an active participant in allChapter activities, including chair of theMathcounts and Engineers’ Week committees,



committee for the Turnpike’s 65-mile Mon/Fayette Expressway and 35-mile SouthernBeltway Environmental Study for nine years,leading the traffic and engineering sub-committees. He also participated in thedevelopment of design plans for theUniontown to Brownsville portion of theMon/Fayette Expressway. Further, heserved on the Design Management Team forportions of the Southern Beltway. Dave isalso a member of the ITS Steering Committeefor the Southwestern PennsylvaniaCommission. Other work assignments havebeen on projects in Ohio, West Virginia,Florida, Illinois and Mississippi.

Dave’s prior employment includes workfor the District 12 office of the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Transportation in Uniontown,Pennsylvania. Dave was a Project Engineerin the Construction Unit, managingreconstruction projects on Interstate 70, PARoute 19 and local bridges. He also workedas a surveyor for Mounts Engineering inWashington, Pennsylvania where he wasinvolved with many private and municipalproperty surveys. Projects of interest includea large boundary survey of Appalachian Trailproperties in New York for the US Departmentof Interior, construction surveys for theUranium Tailings Remediation Superfund sitein Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and monitoringof coal mine subsidence in Greene and FayetteCounties, Pennsylvania.

Dave graduated from the University ofPittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with aBachelor of Science degree in CivilEngineering in 1983. He received a Master ofScience degree in Civil Engineering from theUniversity of Pittsburgh in 1986 where hestudied Traffic and Transportation Planning.He is a registered professional engineer inPennsylvania. He joined the WashingtonCounty Chapter of PSPE and later transferredto the Beaver County Chapter when he beganworking at Baker. In addition to committeework, Dave has served as a Director, Vice-President and President of the Beaver CountyChapter. He has been part of the BeaverCounty MATHCOUNTS Committee for thepast twelve years and has been the BeaverCounty Chapter’s Coordinator for the pasteight years.

Dave was born and grew up inWashington, Pennsylvania where he was

David McCullough, P.E.Candidate for Northwest RegionVice President

Mr. McCullough isa Civil Engineeremployed as aTransportation SeniorEngineer for PBS&J inC a n o n s b u r g ,Pennsylvania. Currentlyhe is working as a Section

Manager on the Design Management teamfor the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’sMon/Fayette Expressway SR 51 to I-376project. This project, estimated to cost nearlytwo billion dollars to construct, will be thelargest highway transportation project everconstructed in Pennsylvania and currentlyranks in the top five largest transportationprojects in the United States. The projectsection will complete the expressway from I-68 in West Virginia to I-376 in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. Dave is also involved withother highway and tollroad projects in theCanonsburg office.

Dave formerly worked as a ProjectManager for Michael Baker Jr., Inc., theengineering division of Michael BakerCorporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hewas part of the project team that serves thePennsylvania Turnpike Commission as theGeneral Engineering Consultant. When hefirst joined Baker, his initial assignments wereon the Turnpike’s expansion projects, theJames E. Ross (Beaver Valley) Expressway andthe Amos K. Hutchison (Greensburg) Bypass.Dave’s work on Turnpike projects includedtraffic and roadway engineering review offinal design construction plans as well as trafficand planning on environmental andpreliminary engineering studies. He was amember of the management steering

the monthly chapter meeting coordinator,and a variety of other Chapter duties. In 1993,he was the recipient of the Luzerne CountyChapter’s “Engineer of the Year Award” andin 1998 and in 2003, he received the Chapter’s“Distinguished Service Award”.

After graduating from Penn State in 1973with a B. S. in Civil Engineering, Walter startedhis engineering career with Smith, Miller &Associates, Inc., in Kingston, PA. From 1974to 1979 he served as the Assistant ProjectManager in charge of Civil Engineering designfor the Kingston Disaster Urban RenewalProject, a $25 million flood recovery projectto rebuild the infrastructure of theMunicipality, which was ravaged during theTropical Storm Agnes flooding in 1972. Afterleaving Smith Miller in 1979, he worked eightyears for another engineering consultant andfor a site construction contractor. In 1988, herejoined some former colleagues inestablishing the Architecture + EngineeringGroup, Inc., a multi-discipline consulting firmin Wilkes-Barre. He is currently the A + EGroup’s Senior Associate in charge of CivilEngineering and site design. In the last 17years he has been involved with scores ofprojects, serving a variety of public and privateclients such as Ecumenical Enterprises, Inc.,TFP Limited, the Greater Pittston Chamberof Commerce, the U.S. Postal Service, theLuzerne County Housing Authority, BackMountain Recreation, Inc., the Pittston AreaSchool District, Biscontini DistributionCenters, Dunmore Oil, Inc., TJ Maxx, EnergyUnlimited, Inc., the Wyoming Valley WestSchool District, PA American Water Co., andthe Luzerne County Community College, toname a few.

Walter’s activity has not been limited toonly the Engineering profession. Since 1981,he has been a member of the Kingston ShadeTree Commission, serving as the Chairmanfor the last 16 years. He has also beeninvolved with youth sports in the Kingstoncommunity for twenty years, having coacheddozens of baseball, football, basketball, andsoccer teams. He was president of theKingston Little League for four years. He is alector at St. Ignatius church and is a memberand past president of the parish’s Holy NameSociety. He is also a member of the Knightsof Columbus.

He and his wife Pearleen have beenhappily married for thirty-two years. Theyare the proud parents of two sons, Kevin, alicensed physical therapist, and Scott, anaccounting major at King’s College, and onedaughter, Mrs. Amy L. Daiute, P.E., who isalso an active PSPE member. He and Pearleenare the proud grandparents of little Antonio,who is not only cute, but also gifted &inquisitive, sure signs of a future engineer.



active in East Buffalo Presbyterian Church,serving in leadership roles and as the churchorganist. He later moved to Beaver Countywhere he met his wife, Linda. Linda is aDoctor of Audiology with Jameson HealthSystem in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Davenow serves as Council President, sings in thechoir and teaches classes at Holy TrinityEvangelical Lutheran Church in Beaver,Pennsylvania. His spare time is spent in thegarden, running and working on his houseand yard. Dave and Linda reside in BrightonTownship, Beaver County.

Francis J. Stanton, Jr. P.E.Candidate for Vice PresidentSoutheast Region

Francis J. Stanton,Jr., P.E. is currently thePSPE Southeast RegionalVice President, andformer State Director,President and Treasurerfor the Valley ForgeChapter of PSPE. He wasalso President of the

Union County Chapter of NJSPE. Frank isactive with the Pennsylvania Initiative, theNew York State Practicing Institute ofEngineering, NSPE Continuing EducationTask Force, and the Membership RecruitmentTask Force in 2004

In 2004, Frank became a course evaluatorwith the Practicing Institute for Engineering,Inc. (PIE). His involvement with PIE, NSPE,PSPE and the Valley Forge Chapterencouraged each level of the society to providemembers with educational opportunities toobtain PDH’s approved by the New York StateEducation Dept. and other states requiringPDH’s for professional engineeringregistration renewal. Frank encouragesNSPE, PSPE and Chapters to provide PDHapproved programs to our membership atno additional program cost. PSPE can providemore than half of the PDHs needed forlicensure renewal by attending NSPE and PSPEconferences and meetings.

Frank participated in the NSPEMembership Recruitment Task Force, and thePSPE Membership Committee, hence he wasable to promote ideas and concepts betweenNational and State organizations to attract andretain members. This included several

programs from the 6 month free membership,student discounts, and adding value to ourmembership through chapter programs,continuing education, MATHCOUNTS,awards, and defending the professionalengineer through legislative initiatives.

As a member of the NSPE ContinuingEducation Task Force, he worked with theNSPE staff to select the program offeringsthat were presented in Chicago. The programselection starts with approximately 40programs, which the committee narrowsdown. Many of the programs were approvedfor PDHs, and attracted engineers fromaround the country to participate in the NSPEAnnual Conference in Chicago. This year, heis again participating in the program selectionfor the NSPE Annual Conference in Boston.The 40 plus programs are being reviewed andassessed to provide another successfulconference in Boston in 2006. For PSPE, he isinvolved with helping to select and arrangeprograms for the May 2006 Conference inValley Forge. The annual conference in Mayshould prove to be a successful one with alarge number of attendees and programsoffering PDHs necessary for our members toobtain for their license renewal.

The Northeast Leadership Conferencewas organized and held during the summer,and Frank provided a joint presentation withHeather Anderson, the NSPE Chapter Liaison,to update the Northeast Chapters with thenew web page format, membershipprograms, educational opportunities, andwebinars. The leadership conference was ahalf day event with about 40 members inattendance, where information aboutprograms, chapter activities and best practicesfor running a chapter were explored.

Most recently, Frank has been workingto promote engineering with Sara Frailey, P.E.of the Public Relations committee. They areresearching and scripting messages that willpromote engineering and inform the publicof professional engineers. Hopefully, we maybe able to hear radio messages promotingengineering as we drive to work. Radiocampaigns are being initially planned forPittsburg, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia areas.If successful, other areas of the state will behearing our message as well.

Frank graduated from VillanovaUniversity in 1981 with a Bachelors Degree in

Mechanical Engineering. After graduationFrank was employed by Alfa-Laval Thermaland Food & Dairy Groups in Fort Lee N.J.,Tower Performance, Inc., Amstar (DominoSugar), British Oxygen Corporation (BOCGases) before becoming Vice President fordesign-build and consulting engineeringfirms.

In 2001, Frank and Ann Marie, his wifeof twenty years and also a graduate ofVillanova’s mechanical engineering program,organized The ENC Group, LLC a DBEproviding project support services to theindustrial, commercial and governmentalmarkets. They have provided operating, andengineering companies with technical supportfor projects in the U.S., Mexico, Canada,Sweden and India. In addition, they havecompleted the designs for major facilityexpansions with material handling upgrades,process plant relocations, power plantupgrades, boiler installations, process pipingand process vessels, and they are active in thetransportation market providing projectsupport activities such as scheduling and costestimating for major projects.

Frank and Ann Marie reside in Richboro,PA with their three sons, Francis, Matthewand Jonathan. The three boys are competitiveswimmers on Council Rock High SchoolSouth’s Swim & Diving Team, Tri-HamptonYMCA Swim Team and Council RockSwimming & Diving Club Team.

Richard P. Aulenbach, P.E.Candidate for Vice PresidentSoutheast Region

Richard P.Aulenbach received hisBS in MechanicalEngineering from theUniversity of Pittsburghand his MBA inA d m i n i s t r a t i v eManagement from StJoseph’s University. Rick

continued his education earning a Bachelor ofScience in Mechanical Engineering from theUniversity of Pittsburgh, an MBAAdministrative Management from St Joseph’sUniversity, Leadership in Professional Servicefrom Harvard Business School and New



Michel J. Sadaka, P.E.Candidate for Southwest RegionVice President

Michel J. Sadaka isfounder and president ofSadaka Corporation, aproject managementand engineeringconsulting firm. Withmore than 22 yearsexperience in the

Construction Management and Engineeringfields, he is recognized as an expert in theconstruction claims field and has testified on

Developments in Manufacturing ProcessTechnology from Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.

Rick began his career with AluminumCompany of America (ALCOA) in Pittsburgh,PA as a mechanical engineer. He joinedGilbert Commonwealth (which becameParsons Power) as a mechanical engineer andprogressed to the position of Project Managerfor major power and industrial projects.

Rick founded RPA Associates Inc. in 1989which is headquartered in Wyomissing PAand has a staff of more than 80 people locatedin offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,Tennessee and Florida. RPA Associates Inc. isa professional engineering consulting firm thatoffers comprehensive mechanical, electricaland process engineering, machine design, andstructural analysis services to pharmaceutical,educational, industrial, institutional, and utilityclients. RPA serves local, regional, nationaland international clients such aGlaxoSmithKline, Carpenter Technologiesand Kutztown University.

In addition to serving his profession, Rickhas served on the Board of Directors for theAmerican Red Cross, Penn State Berks-LehighValley Industrial Advisory Council, AlverniaCollege, Presidents Advisory Council andNorthampton Community College, AdvisoryGroup. Rick is an Adjunct Instructor ofMechanical Engineering Technology andFluids Mechanics Program at Penn StateUniversity.

Rick has authored “Considerations inSpecifying Dampers in Utility DraftApplications”, American Power Conference,Chicago IL 1981; and “Engineering Aspect fora 25 MW Cogeneration Plant,” AmericanSociety of Mechanical Engineers Conference,Philadelphia, PA, 1988.

He is a member of the National Societyof Professional Engineers (NSPE), has servedas President and is the current State Directorof the Reading Chapter PSPE. Rick is also amember of the International Society ofPharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE), AmericanSociety of Heating and Air ConditioningEngineers (ASHRAE) and Association of Ironand Steel Technology (AIST).

A native of Berks County Rick resides inWyomissing with his wife Judy and theirfamily.

many occasions in court and arbitrationhearings in that capacity.

Michel received an M.S.C.E. inConstruction Management from theUniversity of Pittsburgh, and a B.S.C.E. withan emphasis on structural engineering at theUniversity of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Michel has been actively involved withPSPE since 1993. He has served the PittsburghChapter as Construction Legislative Councildelegate, President, and a board member forthe past five years. He currently serves aschapter webmaster, chair of the regionalMATHCOUNTS program, and AlternateState Director. In the past, Michel has chairedthe Pittsburgh Chapter task force to reviewthe Pennsylvania Registration Act, theEngineer’s week banquet committee, and theawards committee.

At the state level, Michel currently servesas PSPE Southwest Region Vice President andhe chairs the recently formed PSPEProfessional Development Task Force. He isalso the Professional Engineers in PrivatePractice (PEPP) Southwest Region Vice Chair.

In addition to being active with PSPE,Michel is also a member of the AmericanArbitration Association National Panel ofCommercial Arbitrators (ConstructionIndustry) and an associate member of theConstructors Association of WesternPennsylvania and serves on the ProfessionalServices Council for the CAWP. ■

Reported as amended from Senate Urban Affairs and HousingCommittee, read first time, 9/27/2005

New Bills Introduced

H Res. 425 RE: Small Business Health Insurance Options (by Rep.Jennifer Mann, et al)

Resolution directing the Legislative Budget and FinanceCommittee to investigate and report on the advantages anddisadvantages of allowing small businesses to buy coverage foremployees through the adult basic coverage insurance program.Referred to House Commerce Committee, 9/26/2005

House & Senate Fall Session Days Schedule

2005 House Fall Session Schedule December 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19 (non-voting)

2005 Senate Fall Session ScheduleOctober 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31November 1, 2, 14, 15, 16December 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14

Copies of all bills of interest are available from the PSPE office, orthey can be accessed via the Internet at www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/billroom.htm. ■


“Capitol” continued from p. 7


Many thanks to the following individuals who contribute to the PSPE Political Action Committee fund. The PAC fund allows PSPElobbyists to influence bills on behalf of PSPE members. PSPE is very active at the Pennsylvania state capitol. Each session we monitorlegislation that could impact PSPE members in their profession. Your contributions are critical as PSPE affects bills such as those found in thearticle “On Capitol Hill.”

To receive monthly legislative updates from the PSPE listserv, simply send an e-mail message to [email protected] with thesubject: “add me to the monthly update.” To support to Political Action Committee, send a PERSONAL check to PSPE/PAC, 908 N. SecondStreet, Harrisburg, PA 17102.

Political Action Committee

L. Robert Kimball & Assoc-PACRGS Associates

Lionel Barnaby, PEJohn Beadle, PEJohn Boyer, PE

Harvey Bradley, PEReyman Branting, PECharles Catania, PE

Lisa Catania, PE, FNSPEKaren Davis, PE

Jon Drosendahl, PEWilliam Erdman, PE

Arif Fazil, PEDonald Fusilli, Jr., PE

Harry Garman, PE, PLSDaniel Grieco, Jr., PE

Daniel Grill, Esq.Walter Heintzleman, PE

Robert Hinton, PEHarve Hnatiuk, PE, FNSPE

Gary Kraft, PE

Henry Bartony, PEAlbert Bedard, Jr., PE

John Bickel, PEBrookes Britcher, Jr., PE

Frank Calizzi, PEJoseph Daily, Jr, PE

Ana Diaz, PEMichael Dixon, Jr., PEEdmond Dunlop, PE

Charles Fuellgraf, PEFrancis Glick, PERichard Gray, PERichard Guth, PEJack Hager, PE

Theodore Kochen, PE

John Boderocco, PERichard Botts, PE

John Bradshaw, PEGunther CarrleS. Rao ChitikelaBruno Cinti, PE

James Cobb, PEJohn Dedyo, PERobert Dietz, PE

William Dulling, PEArthur Dvinoff, PE

2005 Sponsor Recognition

Century Club(2005 Contribution $500 - $100)

Thomas Maheady, PEJoseph McAtee, PE

Joseph McHigh, Jr., PELarry McKinney, PE

Ward McMasters, PEMatthew J. McTish, PE

Keith Miller, PEFred Nicholas, PE

William O’Donnell, PEChuck Pennoni, PEJ. Scott Pidcock, PEEmmanuel Ponsm PEPaul Reimer, Jr., PE

Robert SeelerAndrew Signore, PEAlbert Tantala, Sr, PE

J.R. Warfel, PECraig Weaver, PEDavid Williams, PEWilliam Yoder, PE

Capitol Club(2005 Contribution $50 - $99)

Charles Lentz, PERobert Lentz, PE

Stephen Lester, PEMorris Liebergott, PEEarl McCabe, Jr. PEDerek McNeill, PEJohn Prybella, PE

Frank Richards, PEJoseph Salvatorelli, PE

Steven Schorr, PERaymond Szczucki, PE

John WagnerDavid Ward, PE

John Wesner, Jr. PEHelmuth Wilden, PE

Friends Society(2005 Contribution $5 - $30)

J. Dixon Earley, PEAlfred Fazio, Jr. PE

Jack Ferenci, PEGeorge Fieser, PE

Robert Fisk, PEDavid Folk, PE

Alma Forman, PEEdgar Forman, PEDavid Goodling, PE

Fred Hann, PE

Barry Isett,PE, FNSPEJoseph Keller, PE

Bruce Konsugar, PEPaul Maxian, PE

William McElroy, PEGregory Newell, PEMichael Pagnotta, PE

Edward Permar, Jr., PEHarry Scherzer, PEBradford Smith, PE

John Smyth, PEBenjamin Thayer, PEThomas Tronzo, PEEugene Waldner, PE

James Wickersham, PEGeorge Willis, PE

Clarence Wysocki, PEDavid Zartman, PE

Ronald Zborowski, PEJoseph Zucofski, PE


Brinjac Engineering, Inc., a multi-discipline Consulting Engineering firm withsix offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic regionhas the following positions available forprofessionals interested in advancing theircareer.

Civil Engineer – Harrisburg, PABachelor’s degree required as well as

two to six (2-6) years of relevant experience.Experience in storm water, land developmentor other related fields of expertise preferred.Work may entail design, planning, feasibilitystudies, permitting, project managementand/or construction oversight. Qualities shallinclude a self-starting individual requiringminimal supervision.

Civil/Environmental Engineer –Hunt Valley, MD

Bachelor’s degree required as well asfour to six (4-6) years of relevant experiencein sanitary sewer, pump station, andwastewater treatment plant design andconstruction oversight preferred. Work mayentail planning, feasibility studies, design,permitting, project management andconstruction monitoring. Qualities shallinclude a self-starting individual requiringminimal supervision. PE registrationpreferred.

Senior Electrical Engineer - Harrisburg,Lehigh Valley & Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor’s degree, ten (10) yearsrelevant experience in ConsultingEngineering. PE registration required.

Electrical Engineer - Harrisburg, LehighValley & Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor’s degree required as well asfour to six (4-6) years relevant experience.PE registration preferred. Experience withAutoCAD also preferred.

Classified

Fire Protection Engineer –Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor’s degree required with aminimum of two to five (2-5) years applicablefire protection engineering experience. EITregistration required.

Senior Mechanical Engineer –Harrisburg & Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor’s degree required as well asa minimum of five (5) years institutional andcommercial experience with a consultingengineering firm. PE registration preferred.

Mechanical Engineer – Philadelphia, PABachelor’s degree required as well as

one to three (1-3) years experience with aconsulting engineering firm. EIT registrationpreferred.

Mechanical Engineer – Washington, DCBachelor’s degree required with a

minimum of two to five (2-5) years HVACsystems design and commissioningexperience. Experience with AutoCADBuilding Systems 2005 software helpful butnot required. EIT registration preferred.

Plumbing Engineer – Philadelphia, PABachelor’s degree required as well as

four to six (4-6) years relevant experience.PE registration preferred. Experience withAutoCAD also preferred.

Senior Structural Engineer –Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor’s degree, ten (10) yearsrelevant experience in building design and aPE are required. An MS is preferred.

For additional information on our firmplease visit our website at www.brinjac.com.We offer a competitive salary, benefitspackage and employer-matched 401(k)program. Qualified applicants should submit

resume and salary requirements inconfidence to:

Brinjac Engineering, Inc.; Attn: HumanResources; Post Office Box 1290; Harrisburg,PA 17108-1290. Fax (717) 260-1103; [email protected]. EOE. M/F/V/D.

David H. Fleisher, Inc. is a regionallyrecognized forensic engineering firmentering its 4th year of growth, providingexpert witness services to attorneys,insurance companies and municipalities onlitigation and claim matters.

We are seeking a self-motivated Civil orStructural Engineer with constructionmanagement and marketing experience tobe a part of our continuing growth. Thesuccessful candidate must be a ProfessionalEngineer with outstanding leadership,communication and report writing skills.

Visit us at www.dhfengr.com for a moreinformation. Send your resume and coverletter to the attention of David H. Fleisher, P.E.at [email protected], or to:

David H. Fleisher, Inc.Professional Forensic Services550 Pinetown Road, Suite 306Fort Washington, PA 19034(215) 641-1114 · (866) 343-3647 · Fax

(215) 641-1244. Equal Opportunity Employer

Mechanical (HVAC) Project EngineerH.F. Lenz Company is seeking a project

engineer for our Johnstown, PAheadquarters. We are a nationallyrecognized, multi-disciplined leader ofprofessional engineering design services inthe areas of health care facilities, educationalfacilities, national, state, and municipalgovernment buildings, high rise officebuildings, financial institution projects, andhistoric renovation projects. We offer careeropportunities in a highly dynamic, continuouslearning, team focused environment.


We are seeking an experiencedmechanical engineering professional witha minimum 5 years HVAC/Mechanicalconsulting engineering experience,preferably in Hospital and Educationalapplications. Reporting to a Principal-in-Charge, will be responsible for primary clientinterface and coordinating engineeringdesign production to meet desired servicequality and effectiveness. A ProfessionalEngineering (PE) license is required alongwith proven project management andleadership success in an engineeringconsulting capacity.

Located in the Laurel Highlands of SouthCentral PA, an area with an outstandingquality of life, we offer a comprehensive andcompetitive total compensation package forthe selected individual. Submit a letter ofinterest and resume in confidence to:

Human Resource Manager, H.F. LenzCompany, 1407 Scalp Avenue, Johnstown,PA 15904. FAX (814) 269-9301; E-Mail:[email protected]. NO PHONE CALLSPLEASE! AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

HVAC EngineersH.F. Lenz Company is seeking HVAC

engineers with design and field constructionobservation experience for Hospitals, MedicalFacilities, Universities, and/or EducationalFacilities. Successful candidates will beresponsible for engineering design,production, project management, andconstruction observation requirements tomeet desired service quality andeffectiveness. Candidates will have aminimum of 5 to 7 years engineeringexperience and a B.S. Degree in Mechanical/HVAC Engineering (Architectural emphasishighly preferred), with an EIT (FE) certificationvery desirable, or an equivalent combinationof education and experience. The positionrequires strong interpersonal andcommunications skills for effective

integration and coordination of design andfield construction activities.

We offer a comprehensive andcompetitive total compensation package forselected individuals. Submit a letter of interestand resume in confidence to:

Human Resources, H.F. LenzCompany, 1407 Scalp Avenue, Johnstown,PA 15904. FAX (814) 269-9400; E-Mail:[email protected]. NO PHONE CALLSPLEASE! AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

Electrical Project EngineerH.F. Lenz Company is seeking an

engineering professional for our Johnstown,PA headquarters. H.F. Lenz Company, a 200employee firm, offers a career opportunity ina highly dynamic, continuous learning, teamfocused environment. As part of a team thatfocuses in the design of mission-critical datacenters, we offer a comprehensive andcompetitive total compensation package forthe selected individual.

We’re seeking a professional electricalengineer with a BSEE and a minimum of 7years experience. Will be responsible forclient interface and construction coordinationof low and medium voltage power distributionsystems, including double endedswitchgear, diesel generators, and UPSsystems. The successful candidate willpossess a working knowledge of NFPA,IEEE, ANSI, and electrical equipmentconstruction standards, and have priorelectrical project management or leadelectrical design experience. PE registrationrequired.

Interested candidates should submit aletter of interest and resume in confidenceto: Human Resources Director, H.F. LenzCompany; 1407 Scalp Avenue; Johnstown,PA 15904. E-Mail: [email protected]. FAX:814-269-9400. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVEACTION EMPLOYER.

HVAC/Mechanical Engineer/ProjectManager

RAM-TECH Engineers, located inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania and Syracuseand Buffalo, New York is a consultingengineering firm specializing in Mechanical,Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection andSpecial Systems Engineering and DesignServices. The Firm provides quality-engineering services with close personalattention given to meeting our clients’ designand operational criteria. . Included in ourclientele are Architects, Federal, State andLocal Governmental Agencies, Institutional& Commercial Facilities, Health CareFacilities, Hospitals, Schools & Colleges,Electric Power Systems and Industry. RAM-TECH Engineers is seeking a mid to seniorlevel HVAC/Mechanical engineer, with 10 to15 years experience, for its PhiladelphiaOffice. Candidates will have a high level ofresponsibility and will be expected tomanage all aspects of a project fromconception through completion. When actingas Project Manager, candidate will berequired to take the lead in providing directionand information for all trades to ensuresuccessful project completion. Candidatesmust have excellent verbal and writtencommunication skills, leadership skills,knowledge of mechanical codes, andsoftware skills (AutoCAD 2002, Word, Excel,etc.). Pennsylvania PE license required, PEin other states and fire protection experiencea plus. RAM-TECH Engineers offers a fullrange of employee benefits andcompensation will be based on experience.For immediate and confidentialconsideration, send your resume to RAM-TECH Engineers, 2 International Plaza, Suite243, Philadelphia, PA 19113 or email:m s i l k s @ r a m t e c h e n g i n e e r s . c o m(Candidates only). No phone calls orunscheduled appointments will beentertained. Visit our web site atwww.ramtechengineers.com. ■


Advertised as Project No. 70303 on theDepartment’s ECMS website, James D.Morrissey, Inc., an established contractorbased in Philadelphia, became the successfulbidder and had selected Pickering, Corts &Summerson, Inc., of Newtown, PA, as theirengineering design consultant. These threemajor participants developed a partnershipthat was essential to successfully completinga very challenging project.

Due to the harsh Pocono region wintersand heavy truck traffic, the Interstate I-80 andI-380 interchange became a maintenanceproblem for PennDOT Engineering District5-0. This section of Interstate was originallyconstructed in 1964 and reconstructed in 1983using various pavement designs for theexisting conditions. In recent years, theDistrict’s Maintenance Unit had been spendingmore and more resources repairing andpatching the eastbound lanes due toprogressive deterioration. Repairs weretaking up to 6 weeks to complete but onlyproviding 3 months of service life. The rateof deterioration had become such that therepairs were not lasting through the winter.The conditions were creating safety concernsand traffic congestion during each repaircycle, making reconstruction high on theDistrict’s priority list.

When funding became available in Marchof 2004, the District seized the opportunity toadvance the I-80 Eastbound/I-380Southbound Interchange project, whichbecame S.R. 0080 Section 09S. Faced withhaving to deal with another winter of repairsand congestion, the District chose to acceleratethe project with the goal of completingconstruction before the next winter season.This set the stage for an ambitious schedule

that would showcase the resourcefulness anddetermination of all those involved. Theirefforts are an excellent example of thepartnering and teamwork needed to completea project in an unprecedented time frame ofless than 9 months from design concept tosubstantial construction completion.

The District responded to the challengingschedule by condensing the initialadministrative process into two short months.This effort included evaluating the project;determining the design parameters, includingthe analysis for full depth pavementreconstruction; identifying needed geometricand drainage improvements; evaluating andprocessing design exceptions; obtainingnecessary environmental clearances;developing the contract and proposal forbidding; and then advertising the project. TheDistrict’s staff worked diligently to move theproject forward and consulted with involvedoutside agencies to evaluate regulatoryrequirements and ensure that the projectwould advance in a timely manner.

Due to the District’s committed effort,the project was advertised on May 7, with alet date of June 18 and an Anticipated Noticeto Proceed (NTP) date of August 16, 2004.Their dedication did not stop once the projectwas advertised. Knowing the challengingconstruction schedule, the District ushered theproject through the award process and issuedNTP in just two weeks, a process that couldtake as much as 2 months. This gave a neededearly start for the contractor’s design firm.

Knowing the hectic schedule that wouldensue, Pickering, Corts & Summerson, Inc.(PC&S) began developing the engineeringdesign as soon as the design-build team wasformed in late-May, three weeks before the

let date. PC&S identified traffic control as thecritical component that had to be resolvedprior to the bid. Within the pre-bid period,they developed the highway geometry,coordinated with the contractor, and designeda functional traffic control scheme that gavethe contractor the green light to continuepursuing the project. Also within this period,PC&S identified other key projectcomponents, including coordination withproject stakeholders, and developed a designschedule that would allow the contractor tostart construction in just six weeks from NTP.Needing to condense the design effort, theschedule established a critical path whichpromoted only those design components thatwere absolutely necessary for constructionto begin and demoted all other componentsthat could be completed during the initialconstruction stage. The Traffic Control Plan(TCP) is an example of this approach. Aftercoordinating with the District’s Work ZoneUnit, PC&S divided the TCP to focus on thedevelopment of only those stages needed tostart construction. This greatly reduced thetime required for design and review of theinitial TCP submission and spread theremaining TCP development over a moremanageable time period.

The key to success during designdevelopment was forming a true partnershipbetween the District, the designer, and thecontractor. Any delay could have pushedconstruction into the winter season and closeddown the project. PC&S maintained continualcontact with the project stakeholders to ensurethat there were no surprises that mightcompromise the schedule. PC&S contactedboth the contractor and the District’sreviewers prior to and during developmentof each project element to discuss conceptsand assure quick approval. The designschedule could not have succeeded withoutthe District’s commitment to one-week reviewperiods for all submissions. Another key to

Cover StoryDaniel A. Nolan, Project Manager for ProductionPickering, Corts & Summerson, Inc.

Cooperation is key to success for highly accelerated design-build project.In 2004, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)

Engineering District 5-0 undertook one of their first design-build projects,which involved the interchange of Interstates 80 and 380 interchange in MonroeCounty.


success was the cooperation from the MonroeCounty Conservation District, who gave theirfull support to advancing the project.

All of this effort would have been fornaught, without the resourcefulness of thecontractor, James D. Morrissey, Inc. (JDM).With a construction schedule of just overfifteen weeks, JDM implemented a 6-dayworkweek that included 10 to 12 hourworkdays. They developed a process thatbroke construction into three logical phases:excavation, subbase preparation, and concretepaving. JDM organized their constructioncrew to include three excavation gangs to keepabreast of the other less time consumingconstruction sequences. The experience of

Bibliography

Albrecht, Harry P. World Famous Horseshoe Curve. Altoona, Pennsylvania: Altoona Chamber of Commerce, 1973.Cupper, Dan. Horseshoe Heritage: The Story of a Great Railroad Landmark. Halifax, Pennsylvania: Withers Publishing, 1992.Horseshoe Curve 125 years. East McKeesport, Pennsylvania: Rails Northeast, 1981 “Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark – NE Rails.” North East Rails. http://www.northeast.railfan.net/horseshoe.html

(September 6, 2005).“Horseshoe Curve.” http://www.keytrainz.com/horsesho.htm (September 6, 2005).Jacobs, Timothy. The History of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Greenwich, Connecticut: Bison Books Corporation, 1988.“National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL).” National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/

detail.cfm?ResourceId=476&ResourceType=Structure (September 8, 2005).Pulling, Sister Anne Frances. Images of America: Altoona. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2001.“Railfan’s Guide – The Greater Altoona, PA Area.” TrainWeb. http://www.trainweb.org/horseshoecurve-nrhs/Altoona_area.htm (September

6, 2005).Schafer, Mike. Classic American Railroads. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing Company, 1996.Treese, Lorett. Railroads of Pennsylvania: Fragments of the Past in the Keystone Landscape. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania:

Stackpole Books, 2003.

Railroad were obsolete within twenty years, the Pennsylvania Railroad as enabled by the Horseshoe Curve was king for more than a century.Sadly it followed the life cycle of a king – vigor, upstarts, forming alliances for strength, fatigue, and decay. Fortunately, mechanical systemsare subject to renewal and the Horseshoe Curve remains important both as a path and as a destination. As with every previous stage inPennsylvania development, without the engineers as empire builders, the country’s growth and development would have been a riskybusiness. ■

The “Risky Business” column offers articles covering liability from both the legal and engineering perspective. Mrs. Bowman’s articles share generalinformation and should not be relied upon as professional legal advice of either a general or specific nature. Rebecca Bowman is a civil engineer-attorney insolo private practice in McMurray, Pennsylvania for more than 25 years. Her practice is a certified woman-owned business. Her B.S. in Civil Engineeringis from the University of North Dakota.

the JDM construction crew in constructingconcrete pavements was instrumental to theproject’s success. Their skill allowed them tomaintain a high level of quality during thefast paced construction that was needed tomaintain the sequencing of the Traffic ControlPlan.

Partnering and teamwork extended intothe construction phase. JDM, the District’sConstruction Unit, and the Monroe CountyConservation District all worked together tomeet the established completion date. Therewas a cooperative effort to resolve on-siteissues and concerns quickly, and withoutdelay. In this manner, JDM was able to openthe Interstate to traffic on October 11, 2004,six weeks ahead of schedule.

Given the success of the “EastboundSection,” the District planned the “WestboundSection:” S.R. 0080, Section 10S, which wasawarded in August of 2005. James D.Morrissey, Inc. was again the successfulbidder, and maintained their teaming withPickering, Corts & Summerson, Inc.Construction is scheduled to begin in Marchof 2006, with substantial completion slated forOctober. The schedule is not as intense as the“Eastbound Section,” but it does avoidconstruction and traffic restrictions during fiveholidays and Pocono Raceway events, all ofwhich make for another challengingconstruction project requiring the sameresourcefulness and determination from allthose involved. ■

“Risky” continued from p. 9


John J Albarano PE

Eugene J Aufiero PE

Henry E Bartony PE

Frank P Bence PE

Harvey Bradley PE

John A Burke PE

Mark Canty Jr. PE

Donald J Cate PE

John K Class PE

William H Creamer PE

Richard D Crowley Jr. PE

Ellison L Davison PE

John Dedyo PE

D Stoner Dietz PE

Albert J Duda PE

Howard W Eckert Jr. PE

Donald C Englebreth PE

George W Erny PE

Theodore A Fithian PE

Scott Fletcher PE

Edgar R Forman PE

Charles L Fuellgraf Jr. PE

John Robert Gales PE

Edward E Gilvey PE

Henry B Gorman PE

Irwin Haupt PE

Laurence G Holt PE

Lloyd S Hughes PE

John B Jung PE

Marvin Kamin PE

John E Kampmeyer Sr. PE

Thank YouPSPE would like to extend a sincere thank you to the PSPE Life Members who have served our society for many years. The following PSPE

Life Members continued to support the work of our society in 2005 by making voluntary monetary contributions. Their support helps toprovide core membership services, including publication of the PE Reporter magazine, management of Pennsylvania MATHCOUNTS, andinfluencing legislation to protect the integrity of the Engineer’s license.

On behalf of all PSPE members and staff, we thank you for your support. May you enjoy a happy and healthy 2006.

Peter Kiproff PE

August F Knierman PE

F James Knight PE

Ralph W Kugler PE

Paul F Kunkel PE

Donald A Lazarchik PE

Ashley G Leggett Jr. PE

Heng Pooi Lim PE

Roy L Mion PE

Mort J Nierenberg PE

John Nuckel Jr. PE

Celestino Pennoni PE

Donald C Peters PE

Robert R Reisinger PE

Everette F Roberts PE

Robert D Rowland PE

Joseph J Salvatorelli PE

Isaac S Shina PE

Milan Spanovich PE

Robert W Stieg PE

Augustus O Thomas PE

Charles O Velzy PE

Harold T Waddington PE

Maurice A Wadsworth PE

John H Wagner

Arnold S West PE

Herman H Wolf PE

Thomas P Wolff PE

Neal E Wood Jr. PE

Frank Yatsko PE

William E Yoder PE

The Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers is proud to offer the Platinum Plus® credit card, a no annualfee Visa credit card program that provides peerless benefits, service, worldwide acceptance, and convenience.

Issued by MBNA America Bank N.A, the leading issuer of affinity credit cards, this program offers our associationmembers a low introductory annual percentage rate for cash advance checks and balance transfers.* PlatinumPlus Customers may also take advantage of numerous superior benefits such as fraud-protection services, a year-end summary of charges, supplemental auto-rental collision damage coverage, and Carrier Travel Accident Insurance.

The Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers credit card, which proudly displays our organization’s name,offers privileges of particular value to our members. Credit lines are individually established to ensure qualifiedapplicants receive the maximum in purchasing power—up to $100,000 of available credit. The PennsylvaniaSociety of Professional Engineers Platinum Plus cardholders are invited to take advantage of credit-line increasedecisions within 15 minutes, 24-hour Customer service, emergency-card replacement, and ATM cash-advanceaccess at more than 300,000 automated teller machines worldwide that display the Cirrus® network logo. Also,each time you make a purchase with your credit card, a contribution is made to the Pennsylvania Society ofProfessional Engineers -at no additional cost to you.

To request your Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers Platinum Plus card, call toll-free (866) 438-6262. (TTY users, please call 1-800-833-6262.) Please refer to priority code C0AH when speaking withan MBNA representative to apply for this program.

*There are costs associated with the use of this credit card. MBNA America Bank, N.A, is the issuer and administrator of thisprogram. For rate, fee and other cost and benefit information; or to apply for this credit card call MBNA toll free or write to P.O.Box 15020, Wilmington, DE 19850. MBNA America and Platinum Plus are federally registered service marks of MBNA AmericaBank, N.A. Visa is a federally registered service marks of Visa International Inc. and Visa U.S.A. Inc., respectively; each is usedby MBNA pursuant to license. © 2005 MBNA America Bank, N. A.

Introducing The Pennsylvania Society of ProfessionalEngineers

Platinum Plus®®®®® Visa®®®®® credit card.

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