By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

Wallkill Water System Interconnect Project

The Town of Wallkill is located in close proximity with two adjoining municipal water systems. During emergencies, the City of Middletown and the Village of Goshen share their water. KC, as the Town of Wallkill Engineer, located a suitable grant and successfully pursued the grant application that provided a 25% grant with zero interest loan for the construction of municipal water interconnections.

Upon receipt of the grant, KC worked closely with the Town in negotiations for an intermunicipal agreement between both the City and the Village, as well as assisted the Town with securing the required permits and approvals. All municipalities required the interconnections to function as full-flow connections with bi-directional meters and pressure-reducing valves. The interconnections also needed to allow the interconnection pits to be isolation points.

The connection with the Village of Goshen was configured to allow water to be sourced at one municipality’s well field and treated at the others’ treatment plants, which are located in close proximity to each other. Two connections were made with the City of Middletown to feed the two zones in the City and three zones in the Town of Wallkill due to its proximity to the Town’s booster pump station. KC designed metering vaults and site plans for various locations, as well as prepared contract documents and technical specifications for the project. The connections, once installed, will be able to provide service to three water districts from a combined total of 27 sources benefitting a combined population of over 50,000 people.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Making Engineering Accessible

TED is a lecture series with events around the world focusing on Technology, Entertainment, and Design. As designers who work to create a more functional world, we at KC feel TED “Talks” generally do an excellent job of bringing big, complex ideas down to the ground. Here’s one of our favorites: Fawn Qiu’s “Easy DIY projects for kid engineers”.

Fawn Qiu’s mission to develop simple, clever, and engaging engineering projects for children is guided by three principles:

  1. Every project has a low floor, in that they are affordable and technically simple.
  2. Every project has a high ceiling, meaning there is plenty of room for the scope of the project to grow. Creativity is encouraged.
  3. Every project is customizable. In order to keep people engaged, it’s important to make sure they are invested in the project’s outcome. KC knows how important this is. Every one of our projects is a custom solution for a client with very specific needs—always new, always a challenge that we are thrilled to overcome.

We think accessible science projects are absolutely instrumental in getting children interested in the STEM fields from a young age. Watch Ms. Qiu’s video above, and then check out some of the links below for specific projects ideas. Be sure to find the KC table at your next school career fair!

  1. Gumdrop Structural Engineering Challenge
  2. Simple Pneumatic Machine
  3. Propeller-Powered Car
  4. Fluid-Powered Car
  5. Engineer a Bridge
By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

Shoreham Deep Water Port Project

KC was engaged to perform surveying and engineering services in support of a Governor’s Office initiative to provide a feasibility study for developing a proposed deep water port at the abandoned nuclear power plant site in Shoreham, Suffolk County, NY.

Survey tasks included setting horizontal and vertical control for a photogrammetric survey of the 125 +/- acre plant site area and bathymetric survey of the one-mile channel servicing the original power plant site. Additional tasks included providing primary control azimuth pairs to NYSDOT specs, ROW determination of bounds of Old County Road, topographic mapping of the 800 +/- surrounding project limits, and research/plotting of the LIPA and National Grid parcels defining the project limits and utility corridors serving the plant site.

KC is now involved in the feasibility study associated with the project. This study has been undertaken to determine if a deep-water port could reduce truck trips and traffic congestion on Long Island and Metro-New York roadways. Various components of a deep-water port have been factored into this feasibility study, namely site access requirements and improvements, linkages to existing transportation facilities, nautical configurations, operator interest, capital expenditures, maintenance costs, market forecasts, funding mechanisms, jurisdictional authority, permit requirements, potential environmental impacts, and construction effects.

Four feasible port planning scenario concepts have been formulated; a preferred concept has not been articulated as further analysis and the implementation of a public involvement program in a subsequent study phase would be needed to identify a preferred scenario concept.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • 0 Comments

The Benefits of Design-Build

The design-build project delivery method differs from the traditional design-bid-build delivery method in that it involves one contract between a design-build team and the project owner rather than two separate contracts between the project owner and a contractor and the project owner and a designer. This method streamlines the process, unifying the designer and contractor to enhance their collaboration and prevent conflicts.

Design-build is still in its nascent stages in New York, where agencies are beginning to recognize the benefits of this increasingly popular delivery method, which include more innovative designs, accelerated project delivery, lower project cost, and fewer change orders. ACEC New York endorses the design-build delivery method under the condition that it is a two-step procedure, “a process that best protects the interests of the owner, design professional, contractor, and the public.” This process requires a New York State registered and licensed design firm, independent of the project owner and teamed with an equally qualified contractor, be selected based on qualifications and experience during a two-phase Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) process with transparent selection criteria.

An example of one such design-build project is NYSDOT’s D900034 Region 8 Design-Build Project in Ulster County, for which the KC Team was shortlisted in the RFQ stage and subsequently selected as the most qualified in the final RFP stage, with a perfect technical score. This design-build project involves the full replacement of two bridges: BIN 1040750 NYS Route 209 (3-span continuous steel girder bridge with a total span of 402 feet) over Rochester Creek and BIN 1019700 NYS Route 28 (7-span continuous steel girder bridge with a total span of 994 feet) over Esopus Creek.

As Lead Designer, KC is performing the structural design of the two structures, including the three-span continuous multi-steel superstructure and seven-span continuous multi-steel superstructure, staged construction and work zone traffic control, geotechnical work, and hydraulic analysis. Because of our well-integrated team and fast-tracked design during the RFP stage, we were able to deliver an innovative solution that reduced the overall bridge span length while maintaining full structural stability and adhering to all applicable codes and regulations.

KC is thrilled to help pioneer design-build projects in our backyard, and we look forward to playing a key role in future projects as New York joins this growing trend in the design and construction industry.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

Warwick Public Transit Garage Project

KC provided architectural and engineering services to complete the design of the Warwick Public Transit Garage, including the design of the prefabricated steel building, foundation, and slab on grade; plumbing systems; roof drainage system; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; and other components. Additionally, KC is preparing technical specifications for the project to comply with all current code provisions.

KC committed to delivering a facility with both exceptional functionality and aesthetic appeal. Accordingly, special consideration was given to the rural character intrinsic to the area in addition to the building’s proximity to a main artery to the Village and its placement within the Town building complex.

This project was funded by grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the NYSDOT, which were awarded through Orange County. Therefore, the project required close coordination with both the County and Town as well as strict adherence to all FTA, NYSDOT, and local requirements affecting municipal construction projects.

This project was put out to bid, with Verticon Construction of Monroe, NY succeeding with a bid of $2,296,000. This bid is $1 million less than their previous bid on this project when it was first released as a design-build project, which the Town cancelled before releasing the design-bid-build project for which KC was selected. Considering this lower bid and adding KC’s design fee, the new project should realize the Town of Warwick a cost savings of $800,000.