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What Our Clients Say... | |
"From the start of this project everyone has been very enjoyable and professional to work with while still maintaining a very personal connection with us. I feel like I have grown with your families over the past couple of years.
We have made a great team in this project and now have a 'like new' facility to show for it."
-Wendy Tatro, Chair of Trustees, Village of Alburgh
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Dear Friends,
Construction season has been in full swing for more than six months, and we have had the pleasure of seeing numerous projects that we have been involved with come to fruition.
In this issue of Current Events, we highlight important work related to recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. In addition, we also showcase projects with the Village of Alburgh, EastView at Middlebury, and the Addison County Humane Society that have had grand opening events to celebrate the successful opening of their facilities.
Our staff here at Phelps Engineering has been proud to help move these and many other valuable projects forward. We are always happy to discuss our work and to explore how we could help you with your engineering needs. |
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Come See Us!
Green Mountain Water Environment Association
This year, GMWEA's Annual Trade Show and Technical Program will take place on Friday, November 2, at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center. We welcome you to stop by to visit with Jeremy Rathbun who will be showcasing the ultraviolet light disinfection system that was recently installed as part of a total water treatment plant upgrade in Alburgh Village. To learn more about the trade show, visit GMWEA's website at www.gmwea.org. |
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Personnel Notes
- Tom Nesbitt joined us in February as a Senior Associate. Tom is a Norwich University classmate of Lance Phelps and brings more than 40 years of engineering experience from prior employment with the U.S. Army, State of Vermont, Dufresne-Henry, and most recently with Stantec. Tom has a strong record of assisting public and private clients with design and project management of water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater, and site work projects. He is assisting our staff on a part-time basis and we welcome his participation on our team.
 We are pleased to announce the addition of Pavlo Kozhokin (Pasha) to our engineering team. Pasha is a 2012 graduate of Norwich University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In addition to his studies, Pasha played hockey for the Cadets and was a key member of the 2009-2010 National Championship team. Pasha will serve as a Staff Engineer at Phelps Engineering where his duties will include resident project representation on construction projects and assistance with design and permitting for water supply, wastewater, stormwater, drainage, and road improvement projects.
- Jimmy Danyow was employed this summer as an engineering intern. He is a civil engineering student at UVM and assisted us this year with construction administration, on-site construction representation, cost estimating, report preparation, and engineering analyses. His family has owned Champlain Construction in Middlebury for many years, so he brings an excellent background in building civil engineering projects. We wish him well during the coming academic year!
- Brandon Streicher and his wife Tanya were blessed with a healthy baby boy on May 23, 2012. His name is Owen Michael Streicher, and he was 21 inches long and weighed 8 lbs 14 oz at birth.
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Tropical Storm Irene
Phelps Engineering has been very involved with restoration efforts during the past year since Tropical Storm Irene visited Vermont. Immediately after the flood, we assisted the communities of Rochester and Waitsfield with technical advice and financial contributions to the emergency relief funds.
After the initial recovery phase, we were retained by the Towns of Hancock and Rochester to develop construction and bid documents for some major repair projects. To ease the burden on these hard-hit communities, we provided these services at discounted rates. In Hancock, the primary focus was to restore access to Churchville Road, and then design and oversee major reconstruction of that road plus other local road and culvert repairs.
In Rochester, we have assisted with replacing a washed out sewer on Bridge Street, and the very careful reconstruction of the Woodlawn Cemetery, where more than 50 graves were damaged or lost. These projects are currently in the construction phase.
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Alburgh Village Water Treatment Facility
 On September 10, 2012, Phelps Engineering and the Village of Alburgh hosted a well-attended grand opening for the renovated Alburgh Village Water Treatment Plant. The Friends of the Alburgh Library catered the event with a cookout, and tours and demonstrations were given for more than two hours. Local residents were impressed to learn that their plant was the first in the State with ultraviolet disinfection. This system was designed as an alternative to using chloramines as a disinfectant which are often used to avoid violations with disinfection by-products caused by normal chlorination practices. The enjoyable gathering marked the conclusion of a highly successful project.
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Weybridge Project Wins Engineering Excellence Award
The American Council of Engineering Companies provides an annual competition for top quality engineering achievements. Winners of the 2012 competition included Phelps Engineering for its innovative work on the reconstruction of James Road in Weybridge.
 In May 2011, the Town of Weybridge was forced to close James Road due to a weakened road bed and a 3½-foot deep slump that had formed in the road. James Road was originally constructed on top of clay soils, and as repairs were needed over the years, additional clay fill was imported to raise the road grade while pavement overlays were applied to repair cracks. This resulted in pavement up to 6 feet thick in some places; the excessive weight of the road created slumping and instability.
Phelps Engineering teamed with GeoDesign of Windsor, Vermont and worked with the Town to design an innovative solution for reconstructing the road using lightweight polystyrene blocks. Use of these materials reduced weight on the James Road slope by more than 2,600 tons. This was the first known use of the polystyrene blocks as a full-scale slope stabilization repair for a roadway in Vermont, although it has been used successfully in other applications.
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Project Updates
EastView at Middlebury
Construction has been completed for Vermont's newest nonprofit retirement community. The EastView at Middlebury Retirement Community celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 14, 2012. More than 70 percent of the community's independent living cottages and apartments are occupied or reserved. Phelps Engineering was proud to provide site planning, civil engineering, permitting, and expert witness testimony for the project.
Addison County Humane Society
 A year after embarking on an expansion and renovation project of its facility, the Addison County Humane Society has completed construction. The project increased the square footage of the facility by 65 percent and is now better able to care for the County's homeless, abandoned, and abused animals. Phelps Engineering provided municipal water design and permitting support for this project.
Waitsfield Community Water System
The Town is now in the final stage of construction of a new community water system, with construction of service connections and installation of meters underway concurrently with construction of the wellhouse for the Town's source. The system is expected to be completed and under operation before the end of this year.
Northfield
The Village of Northfield is currently proceeding with a water main replacement project on Route 12 to help with substandard fire flow conditions in the area and replace old mains in advance of a VTrans-funded paving project. The Village was able to complete some additional improvements in the area ahead of the paving project by utilizing loan forgiveness received from the State on a previous Stimulus project. The expanded project is ahead of schedule and is set to be completed this year.
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Volunteer and Charity Work
Over the past year, staff at Phelps Engineering have continued to work with local communities and organizations in the following ways:
- Reduced fee engineering services and donated time for Addison County Field Days;
- Sponsorship of and participation in local fundraising efforts for non-profit organizations. In September, staff members John Kiernan and Heather Potter and their families were proud to support the Middlebury Area Land Trust's local conservation efforts by participating in the annual TAM Trek;
- Support of local business partnerships. This summer, our staff contributed support and volunteer time to the Second Annual Midd Summer Fest, a very successful celebration conducted by the Better Middlebury Partnership;
- Volunteer work with various religious and social organizations;
- Coaching and volunteering at the elementary and high school levels;
- Participation in activities related to local athletic teams including booster clubs and refereeing; and
- Organization of and participation in area racing and sporting events.
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Our company has a long history of successful projects and dependable staff. We welcome your interest in our services and encourage you to contact us to see how we can assist you with any of your engineering needs.
Sincerely,
Lance Phelps
Lancelot Phelps, P.E.
President, Phelps Engineering, Inc. |
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