Michigan Civil Engineer

sections.asce.org/michigan/ SUMMER 2009

Report Card campaign gets solid marks ASCE Michigan raises awareness of infrastructure needs across state

At news conferences across the state in mid-May, the Michigan Section of the American Society of Civil En-gineers (ASCE) received ex-cellent coverage in announc-ing the results of a statewide evaluation concluding that infrastructure conditions in Michigan are dismal.

The public awareness campaign received statewide coverage with more than 20 media outlets combined attending, and reporting on, the Lansing, Grand Rapids and Southfield events, in-cluding the Associated Press, Booth Newspapers, the Oakland Press, Michigan Public Radio and numer-ous TV stations from all three cities.

Kirk Steudle, MDOT Director, and state Rep. Pam Brynes, Chair of the House Transportation Com-mittee, appeared at the Lansing news conference to emphasize the need to address Michigan’s infra-structure needs.

“This report card emphasizes the critical need for Michigan lawmakers to recognize our state’s aging infra-structure is not making the grade,” said Thomas Maxwell, PE, Presi-

dent, ASCE, Michigan Section. “With more than 90 percent of Michi-gan’s 2,581 dams reaching their design life by 2020 and 38 percent of Michigan roads in poor condition, increased investment in Michigan’s infrastructure is needed now.”

The full report can be viewed at www.MichiganReportCard.com.

“This report further highlights the desperate need for lawmakers like myself to take the necessary steps to improve funding to help maintain and improve Michigan’s aging and crumbling infrastructure,” Byrnes said. “We must act now.”

The purpose of ASCE’s Infra-structure Report Card is to raise awareness of the current conditions of Michigan’s failing and neglected

infrastructure, and the problems its shortcomings present.

Since launching the campaign more than a month ago, media cov-erage has expanded to national out-lets, including the Chicago Tribune, as well as support in many publica-tions of industry groups, including MITA and CRAM.

“We are pleased with the cover-age so far and hope it will spark dialogue among local and state officials, policy makers, and the public to work together to find solu-tions for Michigan’s infrastructure needs,” said Ron Brenke, PE, Ex-ecutive Director, ASCE Michigan.

For more on the Michigan Infra-structure Report Card news confer-ences, please see page 3.

ASCE Michigan Section has placed this billboard in five areas across Michi-gan as a key component of a public awareness campaign to spread the message about our state’s dismal infrastructure and the need to take action.

Inside President’s Message 2 Report Card News Conferences 3 Member News 4 - 5 Ballot for 2009 - 2010 Officers 7 ASCE News 8

ASCE Michigan Section P: (517) 332-2066 215 N. Walnut St., P.O. Box 15276, Lansing, MI 48901-5276 F: (517) 332-4333

ASCE MI Annual Conference 9 - 11 Schedule & Highlights Registration Form Exhibitor & Sponsor details Project News 12

Michigan Civil Engineer

ASCE MICHIGAN SECTION CONTACTS

President’s Message Thomas Maxwell, PE

I t’s hard to believe that July is already here. We hope you all are busy with new designs and keeping your sanity with the summer construction. In regards to the Section, it has been a busy

spring. We did generate an Infrastructure Report Card for the state with the help of many. Hopefully, you all re-ceived a copy of the report card in the mail. The support-ing documentation is at MichiganReportCard.com. It took approximately 18 months to develop the report card and a voluntary team that varied in size from 6 to 35 individuals depending on the phase of the effort. As a result, the list is too long to thank everyone here. However, the individuals that helped organ-ize, promote or actually develop an individual infrastructure report have been acknowledged on the Web site and in the report document. The roll-out of the report card occurred in May and the media attention has been good. I hope that our legislators heard the message and, better yet, can find a way to generate the funds to address the infrastructure needs, both short- and long-term. Remember, as a Civil Engineer you are a steward of the infrastructure and, upon graduation, you took an oath to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. We should be proud of that oath and the infrastruc-ture that we have created to protect and serve the publics’ needs. We also need to remember, as stewards, that it is our responsibility to make the public and our legislators aware that these systems aren’t de-signed to last into perpetuity. These systems have a useful service life and, as a result, there is a growing need related to maintaining or replacing our aging infrastructure. We also need to be “proactive, not reactive” with this effort. A reactive response to the infrastructure is not acceptable since it usually transpires as a result of a tragic event. Therefore, we all need to speak out and contact our legislators to inform them of the infrastructure conditions based on our firsthand experience and knowledge. Press on, Tom

President Thomas Maxwell, PE (248) 454-6349 tmaxwell@hrc-engr.com President-Elect Gerrad Godley, PE (989) 754-4717 gerradg@spicergroup.com Vice President Michael Thelen, PE (517) 887-9181 thelen@sme-usa.com Secretary Michael Guter, PE (616) 574-8500 Mike_Guter@URSCorp.com Treasurer Daniel Lewis, PE (269) 345-1158 dlewis@preinnewhof.com Past President Rhett Gronevelt, PE (734) 522-6711 rhett.gronevelt@ohm-advisors.com Ann Arbor Branch President Ronald Van Goldie, PE (810) 341-7500 Lansing/Jackson Branch President Michael Beebee, PE (517) 332-3755 Saginaw Valley Branch President Erich Smith, PE (989) 686-4329 Southeastern Branch President Matt Bacon, PE (248) 204-4244 Southwestern Branch President Melinda L. Bacon, PE (269) 323-3555 Upper Peninsula Branch President William Griffin, PE (906) 482-4810 Western Branch President Erick Solle, PE (616) 866-5073 Executive Director - Michigan Section Ronald Brenke, PE (517) 332-2066 National Officers ASCE President D. Wayne Klotz, PE, F.ASCE, D.WRE Region 3 Governor Thomas Walther, PE tom.walther@co.eau-claire.wi.us Michigan Section Governor Stephen Chizek, PE (248) 563-7500 steve.chizek@ohm-advisors.com National Headquarters (800) 548-ASCE www.asce.org

Call for nominations The ASCE Michigan Section Awards are presented each year at the

Annual Fall Meeting to help celebrate the achievements of our profession. Awards Committee chair Steve Matheny is looking for help in identifying engineers and projects deserving of recognition.

Consider honoring team members of your firm by submitting a nomina-tion for a project or an individual engineer.

For more information, please call Steve at (248) 320-1751 or e-mail at mathenys@contech-cpi.com.

The five awards to be presented are: Deadline for submitting nominations is JULY 31st. Please note that a $25 fee is required for both the Quality of Life and the

Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Awards. Entries may be com-pleted by firms or individuals, but must be endorsed by, and submitted through, your branch. Refer to our web page for the necessary forms and links to contacts in your local branch. (sections.asce.org/michigan/)

Historical Civil Engineering Landmark Award Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award Franklin D. Meyers Civil Engineer of the Year Award Quality of Life Award Young Civil Engineer of the Year

2 SUMMER 2009

Michigan Civil Engineer

3 SUMMER 2009

Report Card News Conferences

Above, MDOT Director Kirk Steudle speaks at the Lansing news conference with state Rep. Pam Byrnes and ASCE Michigan section’s Michael Thelen, Rhett Gronevelt and Michael Guter.

Rhett Gronevelt, PE, does an interview with a Lansing TV station after the May 12 news conference at the state Capitol.

ASCE Michigan President Tom Maxwell (center) at the Southfield conference.

According to Forbes.com, for the second year in a row, engineer is the hardest job to fill in America.

It might be hard to believe that any employer is strug-gling to fill positions, since the unemployment rate reached 8.9 percent in April, up from five percent a year before. But a Manpower survey found that employers are having a very hard time filling jobs for skilled workers in specific niches. Geography plays a significant role too. While teachers, nurses, engineers and machinists are in short supply in one area, it might be tough to find a job in those professions elsewhere.

There is expected to be a shortage of engineers into the foreseeable future. There are several reasons. First, the federal stimulus program is hastening the rebuilding of America's highways, bridges and tunnels, and the re-fitting of buildings to be more sustainable, which is mak-ing the demand for engineers soar.

Also, the demand for new sustainable energy sources such as wind farms is increasing too. Meanwhile, the profession's most experienced workers are retiring in droves.

Engineering is a field that requires years of experi-ence before you take on major responsibility. It's one

thing to learn the theory of building a bridge or a tunnel in school, but it's quite another to have decades of work at it behind you.

Also, any government-funded project -- including ones resulting from the stimulus package -- requires an engineer to have passed the test to get a professional engineering license. Only one in 10 engineers has that advanced-level document, Jacobson says.

Those who do become engineers find they're in a lucrative field that doesn't require as much schooling as say, being a doctor or a lawyer. Beginning engineers need only an undergraduate diploma. Salaries vary based on specialty and degree.

The average starting salary for a civil engineer with a bachelor's in 2007, the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was $48,509; for environmental engi-neers, it was $47,960; for petroleum engineers, $60,718; and mechanical engineers, $54,128. Those who attend one of the top engineering schools -- Princeton, Stanford or Caltech -- are likely to get at least six job offers when they leave school.

Of course, you have to be a stellar math and science student to get admitted to a top-tier school.

Member News

Engineering jobs remain the hardest ones to fill

Michigan Civil Engineer

4 SUMMER 2009

The Founders' Societies, comprised of representatives of ASCE, AIME, AIChE, ASME and IEEE, convened in Tampa in April to focus on technolo-gies for carbon management. Dick Wright serves as the ASCE representa-tive to the group, which is working to:

1) Impart non-biased, balanced technical expertise into both technical and non-technical programs conducted outside of the Founders’ Societies ongoing efforts; 2) Provide avenues to further promote and disseminate the excellent activities the societies have underway in carbon management; and 3) Serve as the premier bridge between engineering expertise in car-bon management technology and associated societal impacts of carbon management and greenhouse gas issues.

The Michigan Board of Profes-sional Engineers has drafted admin-istrative rules to define new continu-ing professional competency require-ments for licensed professional engi-neers.

The rules are a preliminary draft and have not been adopted by the Board or accepted by the state regu-latory agency, the Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).

The Michigan draft rules closely follow the Model Law/Rules estab-lished by the National Council of Ex-aminers for Engineering and Survey-ing (NCEES) for Continuing Profes-

sional Competency used by many other states.

This is in the preliminary stages. During the promulgation of adminis-trative rules, there will be an oppor-tunity for further public comment. DELEG has set a target date of Oc-tober 1, 2009 for implementation.

A member of the Board of Profes-sional Engineers will be making a presentation at the ASCE Annual Conference September 17 and 18 at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing.

If you would like a copy of the latest draft rules, please call (517) 487-9388 or visit the MSPE Web site at www.michiganspe.org.

Member News

DELEG urges license renewal to avoid lapses Have you checked the status of your license lately?

The Michigan Board of Professional Engineers would like to bring attention to a recurring issue.

The Board has seen an increase in the number of cases with petitioners wanting to regain licenses that have lapsed due to simple failure to renew. In many cases, the petitioner’s defense is that their company was supposed to renew the license and they did not know that it had lapsed.

Your engineer license is your responsibility. You are the one who invested money and time for a college edu-cation and years of work experience to earn it. You even passed the licensing exams to get it. If your company does pay for your license renewal, that’s great!

Take responsibility for it by renewing it yourself and

get reimbursed by the company instead of leaving this valuable commodity to an accounts payable department that doesn’t know how valuable it is to you.

Also, notify the State of Michigan, Department of En-ergy, Labor & Economic Growth, Bureau of Commercial Services, Licensing Division within 30 days of any change in your mailing address. The Department needs to have your current mailing address on file and they are not responsible for reminders after sending out the re-newal notice.

Take time now to check the status of your license at their website https://www2.dleg.state.mi.us/colaLicVerify/.

Please contact the department at (517) 241-9253 if you have any questions.

Rules being drafted for continuing education requirements for PEs

All states meet the deadline for highway projects

All state departments of trans-portation have succeeded in meeting the June 30 deadline for obligating half their highway economy recovery funds, accord-ing to testimony at a recent House oversight hearing.

As of June 19, 1,500 projects were underway in 45 states, which will create or sustain 50,000 jobs, federal officials said.

According to testimony by Jeff Paniati, Acting Deputy Adminis-trator of the Federal Highway Ad-ministration, as of June 24, 5,000 projects valued at $15.7 billion have been approved by the agency, representing 59 percent of total funds.

The economic recovery act provided $48 billion for transpor-tation investments out of a total recovery package of $787 billion. Of the $27.5 billion for highways, $26.81 billion was appropriated to the states. Nearly one-third of the funding is directed specifically to cities and counties.

All highway funds must be obligated by March 2, 2010.

Founders’ Societies focus on technologies for carbon management at Tampa meeting

Michigan Civil Engineer

5 SUMMER 2009

Member News DBA PROMOTES HARBOUR TO ASSOCIATE

Dietrich, Bailey and Associates, P.C. (DBA), a regional civil engineering, land-scape architecture, and surveying firm, promoted Stephanie Harbour, PE, LEED AP from Project Manager to Associate. Harbour received a Bachelor of Sci-ence in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Michigan State University and a Masters of Science in Hazardous Waste Management from Wayne State.

G2 ADDS PILE-DRIVING ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY

G2 Consulting Group, a geotechnical, environmental and construction services engineering firm based in Troy, is offering pile driving analysis (PDA) services to help construction and engineering companies meet a new Michigan requirement for PDA on certain deep pile foun-dation construction projects.

PDA involves monitoring the pile driving process with sensitive equipment that measures stresses that occur in the piles and the soils’ reactions to the impact. G2’s spe-cially trained engineers then evaluate the data to deter-mine the bearing capacity of piles, and recommend a depth to which the piles should be driven for that specific foundation.

WADE TRIM ADDS TWO TO ITS BOARD Wade-Trim has announced two addi-tions to its board. Cathy Cassar, PE, and Jordan McCormack, PE, were selected to serve one-year appointments. FTC&H, WCR ANNOUNCE MERGER Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber,

Inc. and Wetland and Coastal Resources merged in January 2009.

WCR principals and staff joined FTC&H in their Lans-ing, Grand Rapids, and Farmington Hills offices. WCR is an environmental consulting firm specializing in ecologi-cal services.

WADE TAKES ACEC-MICHIGAN HELM

Paul Wade, PE, was installed as President during ACEC of Michigan’s Annual Conference in East Lansing. Wade is Chairman of Spalding DeDecker Associates, Inc.

C2AE OPENS U.P. OFFICE

C2AE opened a new office in Escanaba. To operate the new office, C2AE hired Randy Scott, PE, Charles Lawson, PE, and Kristen Farrell, PE.

P&N CELEBRATES 40 YEARS Grand-Rapids based Prein&Newhof celebrates its 40th

anniversary this year. P&N still works with a number of the communities it began serving in the 1970s. Co-founder Thomas Newhof, PE, still works full-time as an engineer and project manager, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. C2AE HIRES BURKHARDT

C2AE recently announced the hiring of Glenn Burkhardt, PE. He will serve in the newly-created position of Director of Environmental Services. KRAMER ELECTED TO OHM'S BOARD

Jonathan Kramer, PE, was recently elected to serve on the Board of Direc-tors of Livonia-based engineering/architectural advisory firm, Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.

At 35 years old, Kramer is the young-est director in OHM’s 47-year history. FTC&H ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS

FTC&H recently promoted Wayne Langeland, PE, and John Willemin, PE to Senior Associate and Vice President; and David Baar, PE, Michael Berrevoets, PE, and Michele Buckler, PE, to Associate.

MIDWESTERN ACQUIRES SURVEYING FIRM

Midwestern Consulting, LLC, announced its acquisi-tion of C. Wilson & Associates (CWA), a Chelsea-based land surveying firm serving clients in southeastern Michi-gan since 1979.

The acquisition allows Midwestern Consulting to ex-pand its surveying services to a broader range of clients in the area.

FTC&H WELCOMES NEW STAFF FTC&H announced that Vincent Guadagni, PE and past ASCE Michigan president Kamran Qadeer, P.E. have joined its Farmington Hills office. SME NAMES NEW OFFICERS

Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc. (SME) announced the appoint-ment of two new offi-cers. Timothy Bedenis, PE and Larry Shook, PE were named Vice Presi-dents.

HARBOUR

KRAMER

SHOOK

BEDENIS

CASSAR

ASCE Michigan Section Sponsors

Your company can be a sponsor too!

The MCE is sent quarterly to more

than 2,800 civil engineers. The cost is $200 per year.

For details, contact Cindy Schmitz at (517) 332-2066.

POSITION BRANCH CHECK HERE WRITE-IN CHECK HERE NOMINEE TO VOTE CANDIDATE TO VOTE FOR BRANCH FOR WRITE-IN NOMINEE CANDIDATE

President Gerrad Godley ______________ President-Elect Michael Thelen ______________ Vice President Michael Guter ______________ Secretary Daniel Lewis ______________ Treasurer Ronald Van Goldie ______________ Signature: ______________________________________________________ Member number: __________________________ Date: ________________ Please FAX ballot to: Ron Brenke, PE (517) 332-4333

Ballot for 2009 - 2010 Section Officers

Michigan Civil Engineer

7 SUMMER 2009

Michigan Civil Engineer

CANDIDATES FOR ASCE PRESIDENT-ELECT SHARE IDEAS IN PODCAST

The candidates for ASCE president-elect are featured in a special podcast accessible online. In interviews, each nominee shares goals and positions on issues raised in questions solicited from ASCE members. The audio inter-views, about 10 minutes each, are available at (http://lyris.asce.org/t/7370196/52120646/7149/0/).

For more information about the nominees and the other officers' races, see the 2010 ASCE election page (http://lyris.asce.org/t/7370196/52120646/6537/0/). PRESIDENT KLOTZ AT TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE:

President Wayne Klotz and Past President David Mongan recently made presentations to the triennial conference jointly convened by ASCE, ICE and CSCE. The June 1-2 meeting focused on coastal engineering, its future chal-lenges and risks, and the impact of cli-mate change. The three societies signed a joint proclamation committing to provide civil engineering leadership to

mitigate carbon emissions and adapt infrastructure to the anticipated results of climate change, including greater severity of storms, floods, droughts, sea level rise and storm surge.

In a separate meeting, each organization shared ideas on success in meeting the needs of student mem-bers, and international sections.

BRANDING COMMITTEE: The ASCE Board-appointed Task Committee on Branding is moving forward.

After extensive surveying of membership and others, it concluded that the attributes that summarize the im-pression the Society's brand conveys include: enduring, trusted, responsible, expert, professional, and leader. ASCE needs to take a more active role in managing its brand to maintain and enhance these attributes.

The Board has strongly endorsed four sub-brands, as well as the revision of Institute logos, and officially ap-proved a new refreshed ASCE logo.

Going forward, the Task Committee and staff will be working to finalize the standards and guidelines for the use of the ASCE logo, sub-brands and other identities. A roll-out of the refreshed version of the ASCE logo and the guidelines is planned for this fall. ASCE WEB SITE UPDATE: The project to overhaul ASCE's Web site and its underlying architecture is pro-gressing well. The project team and Web Practitioners Group have been reaching consensus on improvements

to site design, functionality and navigation. The WPG is close to recommending a new look for the upgraded site.

The committee is focused on an ASCE.org home page redesign that is attractive yet easy to navigate by members and the public, reflects the depth and breadth of the Society's programs, products, and services, and helps articulate the value of the profession and its practi-tioners. FROM ASCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAT NATALE:

“I recently took part in the Women's Transportation Summit International in Seattle.

I served on a panel moderated by Aileen Cho, Engineering News-Record's senior editor. Other panelists included Jeff Morales, director of Strategic Initia-tives and Government Relations for Par-sons Brinckerhoff, Rosemary Scanlon, associate professor of economics at New York University, and Susan Zielinski, managing director of SMART (Sustainable Mo-bility and Accessibility Research and Transformation) at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

“In Houston, President Wayne Klotz and I took part in the recent Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which welcomed 68,000 attendees. Topics included eth-ics, meeting energy challenges, navigating long-term business in the face of short-term uncertainty, and man-aging projects in today's economy.

“I also attended the National Science Board Awards Dinner held on May 13th at the State Department in Washington, DC.

Former ASCE President Pat Galloway serves as the vice chair of the National Science Board. I was also pleased to accept an invitation to serve on the Industry Advisory Board of the NSF Engineering Research Center for the Built and Natural Infrastructure Systems study on ‘Complex, Coupled Physical Civil Infrastructure Systems under Stress.’ This study will initially examine power, wa-ter and transportation systems.” LATEST “INSIGHTS”: The latest Insights episode featur-ing Benedict R. Schwegler, Jr., Ph.D., M.ASCE, vice president and chief scientist of Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, is now posted online at www.asce.org/insights.

In this episode, Schwegler talks about ways in which the civil engineering profession can best promote innova-tion and the challenges that must be overcome. He also discusses the biggest opportunities for the profession, traits that make civil engineers stand out and succeed, as well as his greatest accomplishments.

ASCE News

NATALE

KLOTZ

8 SUMMER 2009

Michigan Civil Engineer ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION

9 SUMMER 2009

Michigan Civil Engineer ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION

2009 ASCE Michigan Section Annual Meeting Registration

Make checks payable to ASCE MI and return this form to: P.O. Box 15276 Lansing, MI 48901-5276 For more information, call (517) 332-2066. Cancellations: Registration fees are refundable by calling (517) 332-2066 by August 28th. No refunds will be made under any circumstances after August 28th. There are no refunds for golf, unless the course cancels the outing due to inclement weather.

Name: __________________________________________________________________________________

Spouse/Guest Name: ______________________________________________________________________

Branch: _________________________________________________________________________________

Company/Firm Name: ______________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________ City: _________________ State: ______ Zip: _______

Phone: ___________________ E-mail: _______________________________________________________

$_______ TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED (A + B + C)

Method of Payment

* Registration fees are per person. Guest/spouse regis-tration includes Friday’s breakfast and lunch. Thursday’s reception is additional for both attendee and guest. ** Sponsorship and Exhibitor information is detailed on the next page.

Map to Radisson Hotel Conference Registration Fees * ____ $95 ASCE Member registration

____ $50 Spouse registration

$____ Registration total (A)

Golf and Optional Activities Fees ____ $85 Thursday’s Golf Outing Includes 18 Holes with cart; coffee; lunch at the turn; and hors d’oeuvres ____ $45 Thursday’s Entertainment & Reception

$____ Golf and Activities total (B)

Sponsorship Opportunities ** ____ $300 Exhibitors Booth

____ $1,000 Gold Package Sponsor

____ $600 Silver Package Sponsor

____ $400 Bronze Package Sponsor

____ $100 Golf Hole Sponsor

____ $100 Meal Sponsor

____ $____ Mackinac Scholarship

____ $____ Zuidema Scholarship

____ $____ Additional Donation

$____ Sponsorship total (C)

I-496

I-96/ US-127

US-127

Kalamazoo Ave.

Michigan Ave.

Ottawa

Grand Ave. Exit

Gra

nd A

ve.

Cap

itol A

ve.

Wal

nut S

t.

X

Radisson Hotel 111 N. Grand Ave.

State Capitol

TAKE I-496 TO GRAND AVE. EXIT

X

REGISTER BY

AUGUST 28

There is currently construction on US-127 from

I-96 to Trowbridge Road. For the latest road

construction and traffic information, visit

www.michigan.gov/mdot

10 SUMMER 2009

Michigan Civil Engineer SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

2009 ASCE Michigan Section Annual Meeting

Sponsors and Exhibitors

Exhibitors To set up a display for Thursday and Friday $300

Sponsors Gold Package Sponsor $1,000

(4) Conference Registrations Company Name on Meeting Program – Listed as Gold Sponsor Company Name and logo on Golf Flag (4) Passes for Thursday Evening Reception (4) Passes for Golf Outing. Company Exposure Thursday and Friday on Power Point Display

Silver Package Sponsor $600 (2) Conference Registrations Company Name on Meeting Program – Listed as Silver Sponsor Company Name and logo on Golf Flag (2) Passes for Thursday Evening Reception (2) Passes for Golf Outing Company Exposure Thursday and Friday on Power Point Display

Bronze Package Sponsor $400 (2) Conference Registrations Company Name on Meeting Program – Listed as Bronze Sponsor Company Name and logo on Golf Flag (2) Passes for Thursday Evening Reception Company Exposure Thursday and Friday on Power Point Display

11 SUMMER 2009

Michigan Civil Engineer

Wade Trim's design of Van Buren Township's sani-tary and storm sewer improvements is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ 43rd an-nual Engineering Excellence Awards.

Three regional wastewater transport and treatment systems lacked the contracted capacity to accommodate Van Buren’s sanitary sewer flows during wet weather events. Wade Trim's project team developed a hydraulic model to determine how much storage capacity was needed during wet weather, and how sewage flows could be routed through existing sewer pipes to use available capacity in each transport system.

The firm then designed a 1.3-million gallon equaliza-tion basin, force main, and pump station to provide addi-tional capacity.

The Van Buren Township project is among 168 engi-neering projects from across the nation that are being judged by ACEC for engineering achievement awards.

NEW MEDICAL MALL SITS ON AUGER-CAST PILES

An extensive foundation designed by G2 Consulting Group made it possible to build the newly opened 160,000-square-foot Shelby Macomb Medical Mall on a highly visible site with soft blue clay soils in Shelby Township.

The less-than-ideal soils required a deeper, sturdier

foundation system than normal for the building, which is three stories with a full basement.

The foundation design called for 325 auger-cast piles extending 20 feet below the basement – at least 18 feet deeper than a typical foundation for this kind of structure, said Mark Smolinski, PE, of G2.

“A standard foundation for a building like this would extend around one to two feet below the foundation in more stable soils,” Smolinski said.

The 24-inch diameter piles were created by drilling holes down to the hardpan – very dense soils above the bedrock – and pumping grout into each hole as the drill-ing auger was pulled out.

Spaced about six feet apart, these auger-cast piles are topped with pile caps, which support the grade beams of concrete reinforced with steel bars.

Michigan Section ‐ American Society Civil Engineers 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA  20191  CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Grand Rapids, MI

Permit NO. 564

The Michigan Civil Engineer is published four times per year by the ASCE Michigan Section. Subscription price is included in Section dues, of which approximately 40% goes toward publication. The Society, the Michigan Section and Branches are not responsible for any statements made or opinions expressed in this publication. James R. Hegarty, PE, Editor For Information: Phone: (616) 364-8491; or Fax: (616) 364-6955

Project News

Van Buren sewer project up for national award Design prevents sewer overflows during major rain activity in area

“A standard foundation for a building like this would extend around one to two feet below the foun-dation in more stable soils.”

— Mark Smolinski, PE G2 Consulting Group