CCA Completes Work at Easter Seals Camp

This fall marked the conclusion of a four-year charitable effort by members of the Colorado Contractors Association Inc. benefiting Easter Seals Colorado Rocky Mountain Village in Empire. The final phase of work was valued at about $40,000, bringing the four-year total to more than $250,000 of work done at the camp by members of CCA.

Through volunteer labor and equipment, numerous truckloads of donated recycled asphalt were used for the addition of trails that provide backwoods access for wheelchair users. Six tee-boxes formed from concrete were used to expand the camp's disc golf course. Other efforts included the complete demolition and excavation work on the camp's outdated swimming pool and the creation of a memory garden.

For more information about this charitable effort or to propose a project for next year, contact Tim Montano, CCA's associate director of member services and marketing, at 303-290-6611.

ASCE Assigns C+ Grade to State's Infrastructure

The American Society of Civil Engineers Colorado Section released the Colorado 2003 Infrastructure Report Card - based on the organization's Report Card for America's Infrastructure. The report card was presented to key constituents at the Colorado State Capitol at a press conference in mid-October.

A first for assessing the state's overall infrastructure, ASCE rated Colorado's cumulative infrastructure with a C+, a full grade-point higher than the D+ in the recently updated ASCE Report Card for America's Infrastructure.

The Colorado Report Card focused on 12 major infrastructure components - dam safety, water supply, drinking water, wastewater, aviation, roads, environmental clean-up, solid waste, air quality, bridges, energy, and mass transit - all vital to the quality of life and future of the state. Colorado B+ for aviation to a low of D+ for roads.

Roads and environmental cleanup received the two lowest grades in the report card.
Colorado investments in the roadway network are not keeping up with growing demands, the report card said. Environmental cleanup of high-active-hazards waste sites in Colorado has historically been slow, but the pace of cleanup has quickened.

Water supply received a C, in part because the recent drought exposed the state's vulnerability to severe water supply shortages. By 2010, the state will have 20 percent more residents while reservoir storage capacity has fallen behind since 1970 - from 1.5 to 1 acre-ft per person - according to the report card.

"As a state, we have taken for granted that our lights will turn on, our roads won't become sink holes beneath us and that we'll have water supply during a severe drought. Without adequate resources, we cannot implement appropriate solutions, and adequate resources means not just money but also leadership, vision, wisdom, and cooperation," said Stephen Fisher, PE, ASCE Colorado section chair of the Government and Public Affairs Committee and the Report Card for Colorado's Infrastructure.

For more information, including examples of the condition of infrastructure locally and state statistics for many of the infrastructure areas cited in the 2003 Report Card for Colorado's Infrastructure, visit ASCE's Web site at www.coloradoreportcard.org.

ACEC Salary Survey Complete

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado has completed its annual Salary Survey and Business Practices Report - a cumulative summary based on survey results from 70 engineering consulting companies representing more than 3,000 Colorado-based employees.

The survey reports that while firms are noticing a boost in overall revenue, transportation continues to represent the largest percentage of total gross revenue reported. Forty-five percent of responding employers engage in civil engineering, representing the largest number of individuals employed.

Overall, prevailing base salaries in this industry increased by five percent or more as compared to the 2002 rates for 25 positions. Seven out of 10 engineering firms reported using salary comparisons to help determine professional employees' salary increases.

Copies of the ACEC/Colorado 2003 Salary Survey and Business Practices Report are available through ACEC/Colorado. Call 303-832-2200 or go to www.acec-co.org for purchasing information.

CSI Chooses New Officers

The Denver Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute has chosen its officers for the 2003-2004 term. Officers include:

President Ann Baker, CCCA, of BDS Architecture
President Elect Betty Chavira, CCS, CCCA, of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Vice President Kendy Cusick-Rindone, CCPR
Secretary Joel Levenberg, CDT, of US Mix
Treasurer Keith Holle, CCPR, of Arcadia
Director-Professional Mike Voigt, CDT, of RNL Design
Director-Professional Anne Johnson, CCCA, of Heery International
Director-Industry Dean Leschak, CCPR, of Kelly Moor Paint
Director-Industry Kenley Graves, CSI, of Santa Fe Collections/APG
Past President Peter Elliott, CCPR, Elliot Associates

AGC National Releases New School Construction Guide

The Associated General Contractors of America has developed a new "School Construction Guide" to help those involved in school construction better understand the process.

The AGC guide is divided into eight sections that walk the reader through the school construction process from project planning through project runover. The guide covers site selection, funding alternatives, design and construction. The 110-page guide is intended for anyone involved in building educational facilities - contractors, architects, engineers, school administrators, faculty and local decision-makers.

The publication is $30 for AGC members and $45 for non-members. For more information, go to www.agc.org.

Humphries Honored by AIA Denver

Dyan Humphries, PA, was recognized with a President's Award from the American Institute of Architects Denver Chapter for her work as co-chair of the AIA STOPP Task Force.

Members of STOPP - Streamlining Our Permitting Process - studied the issue of regulatory reform in Denver and wrote a report for the mayor and city council titled "Denver's Development Review Process - Can It Be Fixed?" An electronic copy of the report can be obtained by contacting dmh@mmnaengineering.com. Humphries, marketing director at MNA Inc. spearheaded and organized the effort.

The award was presented at AIA Denver's at its annual design awards program and gala at the Temple Events Center Uptown.

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