ACEC/CT Update

Lessons from Hurricane Katrina

The failures of levees in and around New Orleans resulted in a tragic loss of life and tremendous property damage. We will look at what went wrong from an engineering point of view and what lessons can be applied here in Connecticut where major population areas are subject to major hurricanes and protected by levees.

Our speakers will be:

R. Lee Wooten, PE, Vice President, GEI Consultants, Inc. who served on the ASCE Levee Assessment Team sent to New Orleans immediately after Katrina.

Scott R. Choquette, CRM, Director of Hazard Engineering Services, Dewberry, who is the Program Manager for the FEMA Region I Floodplain Mapping Contract will discuss FEMA’s response to hurricane hazards here in Connecticut.

Attendees will receive 2.0 PDHs good for New York State PE License Renewals.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
7:30 AM to 8:00 AM Registration & Buffet Breakfast
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM Presentations
Courtyard by Marriott
4 Sebethe Drive, Cromwell, CT 06416, I-91, Exit 21.

Registration: $60 per person. Please mail, fax or call in your reservation by Friday, March 21, 2008.

Sponsorships available. Contact the ACEC/CT office at (860) 635-5522.

Click on the Registration form and sponsorship form in the column at right.

Science Center Roof get Fix

If you have an innovative design, you should expect some delays. Read story in Hartford Courant.

AG Sues Engineers, Contractors, Insurers for Problems at York

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has sued 13 state contractors for defective work at the Women's Correctional Institution at York CT. The state is seeking more than $18 million to fix pervasive water leaks and cracked walls. Blumenthal's suit alleges that the companies, including Bacon Construction Co., Inc., Tishman Construction Corporation of New England, HDR Architecture P.C. and Maguire Group, Inc., knew or should have known the work was defective. See news release.

Structural Engineers Being Sued for WTC Clean-up

Immediately after the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11/01, many Engineers rushed to the scene to volunteer their expertise in the rescue work. After a few days, New York City organized the clean-up and contracted with the volunteer structural engineers to help. Their professional services enabled New York to clean up the site without any deaths by workers. However, now thousands of workers have brought lawsuits against everyone "in charge" including the structural engineers for letting them work on the site without adequate air masks. (See this NYT article.)

Apparently operating under the legal theory of "no good dead goes unpunished," the lawyers and their plaintifs are making it less likely that engineers will volunteer or work on such disasters in the future.

Climate Change Bill Introduced in General Assembly

The Connecticut General Assembly Committee on the Environment has raised a far-reaching bill (HB 5600) that would put the state at the forefront of efforts to regulate greenhouse gases and halt climate change. The goal of the bill is to reduce greenhouse gases by 10% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

The bill would authorize the departments of environmental protection, transportation and administrative services to adopt regulations meet the goals. Owners and operators of facilities that produce over 10,000 tons of CO2 would have to report emissions to the DEP. The bill would allow the state to adopt a low-carbon fuel standard for motor vehicle and home heating fuels, adopt a model smart growth code and a public scoping meeting for any state project, focusing on environmental impacts.

Sections 8 through 10 would require the State Building Code to include the "most stringent model energy standards available" and shall meet either the International Energy Conservation Code or ASHRAE 90.1. The legislation would drop the requirement that most new construction meet LEED silver requirements. State building projects would have to exceed the new standards by at least 20%.

In order to enforce these energy codes the state would hire and train a cadre of state certified energy inspectors. No certificate of occupancy could be isssued without approval by these state energy inspectors.

School Construction Coalition

ACEC/CT is one of the founding members of the School Construction Coalition which has been formed to repeal a law passed last year that required bidding for architectural and construction management services for local school building projects using state funds.

The Coalition now includes CT Conference of Municipalities, AIA/CT, AGC, CSCE, School Superintendents, municipal attorneys and many others. Many school projects involve investigation of several alternatives (Should we renovate two old schools or build two new schools or one big school?) Bidding makes this analysis almost impossible. Many school districts are small and don't have the expertise to put together a reasonalbe bidding scope.

In spite of widespread support from the design and construction industry and municipalities, the Education Committee has not yet committed to bring the matter up for consideration this year. The Coalition is lobbying to get this matter on the agenda.

Town Aid Road Grants

Small towns in Connecticut look to the state government for help in maintaining their local roads. But state support has not kept up with inflation. The Hartford Courant reports that the Council of Small Towns (COST) is lobbying hard this year for more funding.

Rell: Let's "Blow Up" the DOT

The New Haven Register reports that the decision to split the Connecticut Department of Transportation into two agencies stems from her frustration with corruption and failed projects within the Department.

While politicians line up to support the plan, the most pressing question remains, "Who is going to set the vision, goals and make the hard choices on transportation plans for the state?

WTC Lawsuits Scare Engineers

Engineers are having second thoughts about responding to emergency situations. See Daily News article.

However, there does seem to be a difference between engineers who volunteered and those who were paid after the 9-11 attacks.

After the 9-11 attacks, Connecticut passed a law which protects engineers from lawsuits who volunteer to assist the state or municipalities. If an engineer is paid to work in such a situation, liability might follow.

Governor Proposes Spliting DOT

Governor Rell gave her 2008 budget address for the opening day of the 2008 session of the Connecticut General Assembly. Among the highlights:

The Governor proposed splitting the Connecticut Department of Transportation into a Department of Highways and a Department of Public Transportation, Airports and Ports. She is recommending 50 new engineers for the DOT (or whatever departments), 42 bridge inspectors, a 511 phone system for traffic news, a citizen’s ombudsman, a chief operating officer for DOT (or whatever) and a new office of planning.

The Governor proposed repealing the business entity tax.

Ethics reforms would include more disclosures by state employees who sign or negotiate contracts and a ban on fundraising by the Governors’ staff and spouse.

In order to keep engineering students in the state, the Governor recommends a $300,000 loan reimbursement program for engineers who stay and work in Connecticut.