Chapter Works
An electronic publication of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association

August 2024 Newsletter

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President's Corner

By Gaynelle L. Hart, Director of Public Works, City of Lynchburg, VA

Dear Mid- Atlantic Chapter Colleagues and Friends:

 

First of all, kudos to Henrico County Public Works for being the primary organizer of our chapters first APWA nationally recognized Winter Maintenance Certificate for Supervisors and Operators to be held August 20th and 21st. These certificates are taught by nationally recognized speakers and practitioners from the National APWA.  We have approximately 70 people signed up for each supervisor and operator class. Henrico County has generously provided a facility, breakfast for participants and much blood, sweat and tears to make this first winter maintenance certificate a success. I am sure you will hear more about these classes in a future newsletter.

 

Speaking of blood sweat and tears, many thanks to the steering committee of the Public Works Institute (PWI). Session II: Leadership and Management is scheduled for October 1-3 in Glen Allen VA and is open for registrations.  The mission of PWI is to strengthen public works organizations by preparing leaders through professional development, education and networking opportunities.  Early bird registrations will close at the end of August so if you have an interest in growing leaders in your organization, please consider this fantastic opportunity. Check this link for more details

 

Thanks to Denise Nelson, Past President, for including an article about a project that my colleague, Tim Mitchell, Director of Water Resources, is undertaking here in Lynchburg; the Blackwater Creek CSO tunnel. There was some debate of how to construct this tunnel; blasting or a tunnel boring machine. To my disappointment, blasting was more cost effective. I really wanted to see a tunnel boring machine but regardless I hope I get to see the tunnel under construction and congratulations to Lynchburg Water Resources for getting this project underway. 

 

Finally, here are links to a couple of other cool projects happening here in Lynchburg:

 

If you have cool projects or other initiatives, please send links or articles to Denise Nelson HERE. If you have ideas how to make the chapter better or want to help on a board committee, please contact me. 

 

Have a great and safe rest of the summer. 

 

Take care,

Gaynelle

Gaynelle L. Hart

President, APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter

Director of Public Works, City of Lynchburg, VA

gaynelle.hart@lynchburgva.gov

Chapter Member Ross Brockwell Completed Yearlong NASA Mars Simulation

AP News

Ross Brockwell (Chesapeake, VA) and three other volunteers lived in a 3D-printed habitat simulating a colony on Mars for over a year from June 2023 to July 2024 as part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) project.


The volunteers lived and worked inside the 1,700 square feet colony to study the possible conditions for life on Mars with a focus on nutrition and how that affected their performance. They were provided a prescribed meal plan and supplemented their provisions by growing and harvesting vegetables. They were responsible for maintaining the habitat and their equipment. They also had to work through other challenges, such as delays in communication with the simulated home planet.


Ross Brockwell was the crew’s flight engineer. “I’m very grateful to have had this incredible opportunity to live for a year within the spirit of planetary adventure towards an exciting future, and I’m grateful for the chance to live the idea that we must utilize resources no faster than they can be replenished and produce waste no faster than they can be processed back into resources,” Brockwell said.


The full article “Crew of NASA’s earthbound simulated Mars habitat emerge after a year” is available here.


Information on NASA’s CHAPEA project is available here.

New Efforts to Reduce Roadway Flooding

Anthony Russell, Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation

Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation has been working on a new project to prevent flooding on the roadways. They've installed special gardens and tanks underground to catch and hold rainwater, which helps reduce flooding during heavy rains.


The decision to work on this project came after gathering feedback from the local community and following established protocols for managing the storm drain system. The neighborhood of Concrete Homes, which was built in the 1940s, has been experiencing frequent flooding due to the increase in heavy rains, extensive paved areas, and the flat landscape.


Around 300 special tanks, called R-Tanks, have been buried underground in four different spots along Liberty Parkway in Dundalk. They are fed by curb cuts and temporarily store rain water. These tanks are under three gardens planted with native vegetation, further absorbing water, along with the grassy areas. The R-Tank technology was chosen because it's easy to fit around pipes and maximizes rainwater storage. All the stormwater facilities are connected underground and send the water back to the storm drain system when the tanks become full. The whole system is sized to detain the storm water just long enough to avoid overlapping peak flows. These overlaps were found to be the root cause of the localized flooding we target for remediation. For safety, short, decorative fences have been added around each garden. 

HRPWA Cadet News

Meet CCAP's Hampton Roads Public Works Academy Scholarship Recipient, Jacie Guerra

Chad Oxton, City of Suffolk Public Works

The Board of the Hampton Roads Public Works Academy (HRPWA) is happy to share some news with the Chapter about the future of Public Works. The 2023-2024 school year was good to the HRPWA, and we are gearing up for the new school year. Our focus in local public schools continues to be introducing the wide range of opportunities in Public Works/Public Utilities through our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and providing paid summer internships and funding scholarships (with the generous help of the Chapter).

SMEs and internships are at the core of our recruiting efforts. All three schools had great visits by SMEs throughout the year. We’re looking forward to another year of visits and opportunities to meet the new class of HRPWA cadets.


Our intern program is successful again, thanks to the efforts of the Cities of Virginia Beach and Newport News, along with HRSD. Suffolk’s Public Works was fortunate to partner with our Parks and Recreation Department to provide job opportunities to two students enrolled in the Cybersecurity Program at The College & Career Academy at Pruden (CCAP). One of the young men is working for my division with the CCTV/Bridge/Vegetation Crew and not just doing well, the crew leaders report that he’s a great addition to the crew. The other intern is working in Public Utility’s Line Maintenance Division. Our goal for the year was a least four interns. Next year we are going to meet or exceed that.


Staff at CCAP would like to share with you another well-deserved HRPWA scholarship recipient, Jacie Guerra! Jacie hails from Nansemond River High School, located in Suffolk, Virginia. She enrolled in CCAP’s Cybersecurity Operations program at CCAP in the 2022-2023 school year. Jacie was one of CCAP’s strongest Ambassador Students, always willing to lend a hand. Because of her hard work, dedication, academic excellence, and willingness to participate in “all things CCAP,” I felt that she deserved to be the recipient of this year’s HRPWA Scholarship. Upon graduation, Jacie will be attending Old Dominion University this fall, majoring in Cybersecurity. Hopefully, she will return to Suffolk and become a Cybersecurity Operations Specialist for the City of Suffolk Public Works Department. We wish her well in her future endeavors!


The HRPWA offers $6,000 in scholarships annually. The funds are intended to be split into six $1,000 scholarships for each of six recipients. If the candidate pool is small, the funds are split into three $2,000 scholarships. The HRPWA Scholarship is the brainchild of former HRPWA and Mid-Atlantic APWA Board Member, Lamont “Bud’ Curtis. Bud is one of the founding members of the HRPWA. His positive influence is still felt among the Board of the APWA. Bud fosters a “Why not?” philosophy of providing training and opportunities to the member organizations and the students we serve.


Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center had another year of successful and informative training sessions with SMEs from the region’s various Public Works and Public Utilities Departments. City of Suffolk staff traveled to Virginia Beach with a combination vacuum/jet truck and CCTV van to demonstrate the cool things happening inside our underground stormwater pipe systems. Suffolk staff also visited the school to introduce students to Utility Locator Services and GIS Uses in Public Works. Both of these visits included trips outdoors to get hands on experience with locating equipment, GPS technology, and lifting a drainage grate (for the uninitiated, these grates weigh in at a whopping 200 plus pounds!). The HRPWA Cadets traveled to HRSD’s Water Treatment Plant to experience “the smell of money” and hear about the career opportunities with HRSD.


We hate to hear it, but the Summer is winding down. The good news is that the new school year is revving up. The Board and members of the HRPWA are ready to go into the schools and continue our efforts to be a pipeline from school to Public Works. From where I sit, the future is looking bright for Public Works.

Free Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning Resources from Resilient Virginia

Denise Nelson, Denise Nelson Advising, LLC

Resilient Virginia’s Spring 2024 Resiliency Academy virtual series highlighted available tools and resources that communities can use to integrate climate into their Hazard Mitigation Plans and other planning efforts, in Virginia and surrounding states. The recordings of the series are offered free of charge thanks to funding from NOAA. The sessions included:


  • Understanding Climate in Virginia from March 26, 2024. Get acquainted with future climate projections for Virginia in the first session of the Spring 2024 Resiliency Academy. Jeremy Hoffman, Director of Climate Justice and Impact at Groundwork USA and lead author of the Southeast Chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment, presents a summary of the most recent projections for this region and additional speakers discuss how the changing climate will impact their communities. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how communities across Virginia are going to be impacted by climate change and what they will need to consider in their planning efforts.


  • Integrating Climate in Hazard Mitigation Planning from May 2, 2024. Hear from Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the new requirements for Hazard Mitigation Plans and available resources. In addition, you’ll hear directly from some who have already updated Hazard Mitigation Plans according to the new guidelines. Gain a better understanding of what is now required when updating Hazard Mitigation Plans and what resources are available.


  • Tools for Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning from May 26, 2024. In this session we discuss tools from MARISA, DCR, FEMA, and USDN for Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning. It’s essential to gather the right data for your region when planning for climate risk and hazard mitigation. Fortunately, there are tools available to help with this task. We have a great line-up of speakers for this session who cover a variety of tools
that can be used in your planning efforts.


  • Using CHaMP for Local Hazard Mitigation Planning from June 18, 2024. In this session we take a deep dive into using the Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning tool (CHaMP) for Local Hazard Mitigation Planning. CHaMP was developed by the NOAA-funded Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation (formerly RISA) program.


These and other resources from Resilient Virginia are available HERE.

Empower Your Community During National Preparedness Month 

Association of State Floodplain Managers

As we approach National Preparedness Month this September, you’re no doubt assembling outreach materials to raise community awareness on the importance of being prepared for disasters, especially flooding. Of course, awareness is just the first step — action is key. That’s where ReduceFloodRisk.org comes in.


Developed by Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) in 2022, with financial support from FEMA, this interactive website provides users with the information they need to understand and mitigate their flood risks. Now with more than 45 flood mitigation strategies, ReduceFloodRisk.org delivers detailed guidance, complete with photos, graphics, and links to additional resources, empowering individuals to make informed decisions.


To get started, people simply go to ReduceFloodRisk.org, answer a series of five quick questions, and receive a detailed list of mitigation options recommended to reduce flood risk for their specific property type. The curated results can then be filtered and sorted by key attributes, such as cost, complexity, and level of required maintenance, making it easy for people to find solutions that fit their needs and budgets. Additionally, the site offers helpful resources on flood insurance, financial assistance, and expert contacts, all available without needing to create an account.


This September, as you engage with your communities, we encourage you to make ReduceFloodRisk.org a part of your outreach and communications toolkit. It’s a practical, free tool that can help property owners take control of their flood risk and make informed decisions about their safety and property.


The following resources can be used to amplify your efforts to raise awareness of flood mitigation options in your community:

  • Social media toolkit with draft posts and image options
  • Promo video to include in your social media posts or presentations
  • Press release that you can use in your newsletter or website
  • PowerPoint slides to use in relevant presentations
  • Trifold brochure to print and bring to meetings or events
  • Postcards for local governments to send out as part of mass mailings, pre-disaster
  • Door hanger for local governments to print and hang as staff complete post-disaster damage assessments


We encourage you to bookmark the entire toolkit for easy access at: ReduceFloodRisk.org/faq/outreach-toolkit. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@reducefloodrisk.org if you have any suggestions for how we can continue to improve the site. 

Roadway Management Conference 2024

Jeff Wilkerson, Public Works Director, City of Martinsburg, WV

 

The 2024 Roadway Management Conference for the Mid-Atlantic Region is on October 23-25 in Rehoboth Beach, DE. The RMC brings together hundreds of roadway practitioners from across the region. Together they learn from experts and peers, visit with vendors, see equipment, and experience demonstrations relevant to local and state roadway agencies. 

​ 

This event is for practitioners who manage, design, construct, and maintain state, county, and municipal roads and streets. The RMC is designed to help these practitioners prepare for and successfully address public works transportation challenges using proven and innovative methods. This event combines classroom presentations and equipment demonstrations.

 

If any other Chapter members are interested in participating in next year’s event, please contact Jeff Wilkerson at jwilkerson@cityofmartinsburg.org

Two New Chapter Committees: Construction Management & Vector Maintenance!

Thanks to Kamran Sadeghi, Howard County, for volunteering to chair the new Construction Management Committee and Wes Robertson, Henrico County, for volunteering to chair the new Vector Maintenance Committee. Please consider being one of the first members on these new committees.


Our other committees are also active if you are looking for a volunteer opportunity with immediate results. Check out these technical committees: Advocacy; Transportation; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.


The regional activities committees in Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia are also active. In addition, Solid Waste and Water Resources Committees are under new leadership and looking to grow.


Visit our website for more information on these committees and points of contact

Thinking of Joining APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter?

Becca Russell, City of Martinsburg Stormwater Utility and Chapter Membership Chair

Being an APWA member gives you exclusive benefits designed to enhance your professional career. These include networking events, educational workshops, industry insights, mentorship opportunities, and the chance to connect with like-minded professionals in your area. The networking opportunities connect you with people from local, county, state, and federal agencies, and private sector personnel who supply products and services to those professions.


The Mid-Atlantic Chapter specifically has a fantastic Public Works Institute that provides training for those in, or aspiring to be in, key leadership positions in the public works field. Their mission is to "strengthen public works organizations by preparing leaders through professional development, education, and networking opportunities". We also offer our annual Mid-Atlantic WRX Conference. This is a three-day conference of educational sessions, exhibits, networking, golf, socials, awards and more. It is held in different cities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, which gives you the chance to learn and network with multiple public works professionals.


APWA offers 3 types of membership options to fit your needs. We have Public Agency Group Membership, for any federal, state, local, or other agency, with dues based on your population served. The Corporate Group Membership is available to all non-governmental entities, including public utilities and entities furnishing public works services or products. And finally, the Individual Membership is available to any official or employee of a governmental agency, manufacturer, supplier, contractor, or consulting firm who is actively engaged in the field of public works. If you are already a member, please share this information with others in your network.


We want to celebrate the newest members of the APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter!

Garrett Mead

Shane Keeny

Tony Fogle

Anthony Curry

Michael Giles

Lacy Hanna

Daniel Barnes

John Birton

Robert Monroe

Dylan Raum

Raymond Ross

Corliss Spurlock

Erin Fisher

Thomas Hartman

Ramon Halsey

Tyler Berry

Scott Winesett

This year APWA updated their website and had some technical issues with the memberships. If you are the head of a group or corporate membership, please make sure your staff are still all active members.

DC Infrastructure Academy is Getting a New Home!

WTOP

The DC Infrastructure Academy is open to any city resident over the age of 18 and prepares them for what are commonly referred to as blue-collar jobs. The program has had a 100% job offer rate.


D.C.’s Department of General Services is overseeing the $64 million renovation to the historic Spingarn High School (2500 Benning Rd NE, Washington, DC 20002) to be completed in 2025. The Academy will be able to double the number of trainees with more interior classroom space and an exterior training yard. The expansion will include a 2,700 square-foot specialty mechanical lab and a new auto bay to help train WMATA and DPW technicians. There is also additional space for the Academy to expand to use the whole building in the future.


The full article “It was a historic high school shuttered for years. Now it’s helping more DC residents get in-demand trade jobs” is available here.

APWA Congressional Discussion Panel on Emergency Management

Jeff Wilkerson, Public Works Director, City of Martinsburg, WV

On May 24, 2024, Jeff Wilkerson of the APWA Mid Atlantic Chapter was invited to be a panelist for the American Public Works Association Congressional Discussion Panel for Emergency Management. This panel included Ryan Scanlan, Assistant Township Engineer from Ferguson Township, PA, Kurt Blomquist, Retired Public Works Director from Keene, NH and Jeff Wilkerson, Public Works Director from Martinsburg, WV. The Panel Discussion was moderated by Gary Losier, the current APWA President from Quispamsis, New Brunswick.


Below are some of the topics discussed by the Panel:


  • Each of you represents regions around the country hit with disasters that may be unique to your part of the country…can you share with attendees how you and your team prepare your communities, to the best of your abilities, to combat these issues?


  • Public works professionals face a wide range of challenges when it comes to emergency management, to date, what has been the most challenging issue that you have faced, and how did you remedy the situation?


  • Disasters and emergencies will continue to occur, knowing that is the case, can each of you identify one or two scenarios that you and your team may encounter in the near or long-term?


  • What types of assistance and/or guidance can Congress and the federal government provide you and your teams with to help you better mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergencies man-made or otherwise?



  • As the attendees in the room are well aware, Congress holds hearings on a multitude of topics that are related to emergency management, given each of your expertise, can you share why it would benefit Members of Congress to seek testimony from public works professionals during the hearings as well as when drafting legislation?


During the Discussion Panel it was very interesting to hear from APWA members from different regions discussing similar issues they face throughout the year. Each panelist discussed coordinating efforts with other agencies during emergencies and the needs that each locality had for the future. The Panel lasted an hour and also had participation from a few Mid Atlantic Chapter members in the audience from the Washington D.C. Public Works Department including Director of Public Works, Timothy Spriggs and Warnique West. This event was planned by the APWA Government Affairs office in Washington D.C. Our Government Affairs office performs a great deal of work “behind the scenes” on Capitol Hill for the entire Public Works Industry. 


Please take the time to review the Government Affairs page on the APWA website.

Breaking Barriers in Asset Condition Collection: Strategies for Success in a Digital Age

By Marion Spencer, GISP, MBA (Senior Product Manager, Cyclomedia Inc.) and Doekele Rienks (Director of Product, US, Cyclomedia Inc.)


In today's evolving asset management sector, accurately pinpointing, locating, and evaluating asset conditions is a crucial necessity. Despite advancements in asset management technology, the gap between digital representations and real-world conditions remains substantial. This article examines the pivotal connection between high-quality data, the hurdles in its acquisition, and the technological innovations poised to streamline asset condition collection.


Why Data Matters

In every industry, particularly asset management, the saying "garbage in garbage out" rings true. The effectiveness of asset management software depends on the precision, accuracy and availability of the data collected; therefore, it is crucial to have high-quality data. Both the APWA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) emphasize the importance of data-driven decision-making in transportation safety plans, stressing the need for precise, up-to-date information to streamline workforce operations.


Yet, organizations encounter myriad obstacles in gathering quality data, including resource constraints, resistance to change, and the inherent subjectivity in assessing asset conditions. Overcoming these challenges requires identifying personnel with the requisite skills, surmounting resistance to automated workflows, and ensuring consistency in data collection to maintain an accurate and comprehensive asset inventory. So, how can organizations overcome these obstacles and ensure they have the most current information on asset location and condition?


Mitigating Challenges with Technology

Fortunately, new and innovative technologies offer many solutions to streamline data gathering processes and harness collected data effectively. Emerging technologies, such as terrestrial and aerial collection systems leveraging AI and machine learning (ML) provide more efficient methods to extract information from imagery and LiDAR data.


Cyclomedia leads the charge in revolutionizing asset management with its cutting-edge solutions. By leveraging high-resolution imagery and LiDAR data captured within a public works jurisdiction, Cyclomedia empowers Public Works departments to conduct location assessments and extract vital asset information using trained ML models. This includes extracting data from all assets in the Right of Way, like traffic signs, ADA ramps, paint striping, and more, with remarkable accuracy and completeness.


Cyclomedia's AI technology transcends mere asset extraction, offering comprehensive condition assessments such as the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), Traffic Signs and Support Condition, and Paint Striping Condition, all crucial for effective asset management by Public Works departments. The data collection and delivery are done in a matter of mere weeks, a fraction of the time it takes to collect manually.


Adding Condition to an Asset Delivery

Following the ASTM-D6433 standard to deliver PCI for a road network is revolutionary when using the imagery and LiDAR collected by Cyclomedia. The AI technology used replaces visual inspections and pavement data collection, ensuring an objective and repeatable scoring of the complete network that is free of human error.


The latest technology combines RGB visual scoring with normalized intensity data from Cyclomedia's LiDAR sensor to provide an overall condition score for paint striping and traffic signs. This combined scoring system enables Cyclomedia to offer an automated condition assessment of Traffic Signs and Paint Striping at a network scale with unmatched density at a much larger and granular scale than possible with manual methods. This method provides a complete asset inventory consistent in its evaluation methods, delivered swiftly for the entire network, enabling organizations to implement maintenance plans based on reliable data.


Case Study: City and State governments

In a recent collaboration with three large-scale city and state customers, Cyclomedia assessed the condition of their roads and traffic signs using ML and terrestrial LiDAR intensity. These projects achieved major cost savings, increased productivity, minimized personnel risk, and enhanced service levels.


More than 1,000 miles of imagery and LiDAR data were collected and used to extract individual road distresses, calculate the Pavement Condition Index following ASTM-D64333 standards, and deliver crucial data on traffic signs, sign supports, and pavement striping. The project took fewer than 10 weeks to capture and deliver asset data, including the PCI. Customers noted the technology eliminated human subjectivity, ensured consistency, and provided a comprehensive inventory for efficient maintenance planning in a fraction of the time required for manual collection.


Conclusion

As organizations prioritize proactive asset management, having a thorough understanding of their assets and their condition is critical. Embracing innovative data collection methods and partnering with external entities alleviates the burden on organizations, allowing them to focus on executing projects that impact community safety rather than spending time and resources to collect the data themselves. With Cyclomedia's advanced technologies, organizations can pave the way for smarter, more informed decisions in asset management.

APWA Fallen Heroes Memorial

Rachel Ellis, Executive Director, The Public Works Experience

The Public Works Experience in Baltimore, Maryland, is thrilled to announce that our home, the Eastern Avenue Pumping Station, has been selected by the APWA Foundation and APWA Board of Directors as the location for their future Fallen Heroes Memorial.

 

We are working closely with the APWA Foundation Board and the City of Baltimore to help ramp up and get ready, as the Foundation prepares to launch a design competition for the memorial, at PWX this September in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

We will be joining the APWA Foundation at PWX too and look forward to supporting APWA in bringing the Fallen Heroes Memorial to our industry, to thousands of visitors annually, and of course, to the communities of the Mid-Atlantic Region. It is an honor to welcome this effort to Baltimore!

www.PWExperience.org

 Richard Stinson, APWA Foundation Board Member, and APWA Region 1, Past Director – Currently serving on the PWE Board,

addressing the crowd at our third Annual PW Celebration and Big Truck Day,

May 13, 2024

A little reminiscing from PWE’s grand opening in 1982: left to right: R. Bugher, APWA Executive Director; J. Casazza, APWA President; D. Frady, Mid-Atlantic Chapter representative (Falls Church, VA); F. Kuchta, Baltimore DPW Director; and H. Rosen, APWA Historical Society

The Eastern Avenue Pumping Station is located in booming Harbor East, on the waterfront in downtown Baltimore. It was built in 1912, as the “crown jewel” of the City’s new sanitary system and continues to operate today

 at an average 25mgd."

Stantec Providing Construction Management Services for City of Lynchburg

CSO Program

Stantec

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, is continuing its partnership with the City of Lynchburg, Virginia, in the City’s efforts to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSO) as climate change leads to more intense rain events and increased wet weather flow. The firm is providing construction management services, engineering services during construction, and inspection services for a CSO storage tunnel with a pump station. Construction on the project began recently.


When complete, the US$104-million CSO project, known as the Blackwater CSO Tunnel, will address a combined sewer capacity issue that has caused overflow into a local creek in a popular city park. With the new storage tunnel and pump station in place, overflow will move outside the park with less discharge frequency and volume. The nearly mile-long CSO tunnel will have a finished diameter of 12 feet. The tunnel will be located 70 to 120 feet below ground in rock, providing approximately 4.7 million gallons of storage capacity.


Stantec completed an expedited design for the tunnel and pump station in late 2023, after being selected in 2022 for a master services agreement with the City. The expedited design allowed sufficient construction time to meet the mandatory schedule of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funding being used for the project.


“We’re eager to continue supporting the City of Lynchburg to complete its CSO program,” said Lin Liang, vice president and wet weather flow sector leader at Stantec. “I’m proud of our team’s capability to deliver a fast-paced design project like this. This is a complex project that requires creative thinking and ideas as well as industry-leading experience in deep rock tunnel and pump station design.”


Once completed, the tunnel will provide the City with a high level of control for CSO, achieving 98 percent of CSO reduction systemwide. This will significantly improve water quality in local waterways and public health along the trail. Additionally, the capacity improvement will provide the City with infrastructure for future urban development and growth.


“Stantec has played an essential role in helping us conceptualize and design the largest infrastructure project in Lynchburg’s history on an expedited schedule,” said Tim Mitchell, director of Lynchburg Water Resources. “This project is the culmination of over four decades of work and over $400 million in total investment to restore water quality in the streams in Lynchburg and the James River. Upon its completion, only a few relatively small CSO projects will remain. I appreciate the partnership with Stantec to develop solutions for our CSO program.”


The Blackwater CSO Tunnel project falls under the City’s CSO long-term control plan and consent order with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The City plans to leverage the ARPA grant and Virginia’s State Revolving Fund to complete its CSO Consent Order requirements in the next five years.


Reprint Source


Photo tagline: A rendering of the Blackwater CSO Tunnel pump station site.

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2024 - 2025

OFFICERS/DIRECTORS


 Officers


President

Gaynelle L. Hart

Director of Public Works 

City of Lynchburg, VA


President Elect

Jeff Wilkerson

Director of Public Works

City of Martinsburg, WV


Immediate Past-President

Denise Nelson, PE, CFM, ENV SP, LEED AP

Founder and CEO

Denise Nelson Advising

Richmond, VA


Vice-President

Amy Linderman, P.E.

Department of Public Works

Fairfax, VA



Secretary

Catherine Sydnor

Engineer

Kimley-Horn

Richmond, VA


Treasurer

David Bradshaw, PE

Associate – Vice President

Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP

Virginia Beach, VA



Chapter Delegate

James W. Long, III, PE, DBIA

Project Manager

Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP

Virginia Beach, VA


Chapter Delegate (Alternate)

Jason Calbert

Administrator Street Maintenance 

Department of Public Works

Newport News, VA


Historian

Dawn V. Odom

Senior Program Financial Specialist

HDR

Glen Allen, VA

Directors


Julian Brooks

Precision Safe Sidewalks

NC | VA | WV | DC | NY | W-PA


Jennifer Caples

Whitman, Requardt & Associates

Richmond, VA


Travis Davis

Arcadis

Virginia Beach, VA


Shwan Fatah, P.E.

Wastewater Collection Division

Fairfax County, VA


Yosef Kebede

Department of Public Works

Howard County, MD


Ryn Kennedy

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Richmond, VA


Renee LaFollette

Department of Public Works Capital Projects Leesburg, VA


Kyle Logue, P.E.

Gannett-Fleming

Richmond, VA


Anthony Russell

Department of Public Works and Transportation

Baltimore County, MD


Ian Shaw

Department of Public Works

Roanoke, VA


Matt Stolte, P.E., ENV SP

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter | 5007 C Victory Blvd, #280 | Yorktown, VA 23693
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