CAREER OPPORTUNITY (Monterey, CA)

General Manager position with the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA). The position is available due to the impending retirement of long-time General Manager Keith Israel.

Recruitment brochure:
http://www.cpshr.us/documents/ExecSearch/GM_MRWPCA.pdf 

For more information, please contact
Pam Derby, Executive Recruiter
pderby@cpshr.us
(t) 916.471.3126

BRANCH MEETING: January15, 2015

Grover Beach Measure K-14 - Road Improvement Bond

Grover Beach Measure K-14 - Road Improvement Bond Grover Beach’s residential and major streets are pitted with potholes and cracks.  The City’s street system includes 45 centerline miles – over 10,000,000 square feet of asphalt – constructed decades ago on a sand base.  Independent experts rated the PCI of the entire system at 42 on a 100 point scale.  The Grover Beach City Council authorized placement of a $48M Bond Measure on the 2014 Ballot and it passed with 68.2% support from the community.  Now comes the challenging part…how to design and reconstruct the road system as quickly and effectively as possible.

In 2012, Jeff Lee, a registered professional engineer, was elected to the Grover Beach City Council with a stated goal of improving the City’s road system.   He will be sharing some of the ‘next steps’, how engineering professionals can get involved, and other project details during our next meeting.

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Location: 

Rosa's Italian Restaurant

491 Price Street

Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Date & Time: 

Thursday, January 15, 2015 at noon

For additional details and sign-up, please click here.

PROFILES: JEFF LEE, CIVIL ENGINEER

By Rebekah Oulton, PhD, PE

I first met Jeff Lee when we were both volunteering for a show at the San Luis Obispo Little theater. Neither of us knew the other was an engineer until several months or perhaps even years into our friendship.  That’s community theater – someone’s “real life” doesn’t necessarily come up very often.

But engineering has actually been a central part of Jeff Lee’s life since 1989, when he graduated from Merrimack College in Massachusetts with a degree in Civil Engineering.  After college, Jeff relocated to Calaveras County in California, where he both entered the preliminary rounds of the celebrated frog jumping contest and earned his PE license.  In Calaveras, he worked with a number of Cal Poly grads who turned him on to the idea of living in the San Luis Obispo area.  He relocated here in 1994, just after the Highway 41 fire.

In SLO, Jeff first worked for Greg Luke & Associates, then moved over to EDA in 1997.  (During this period, Jeff’s involvement with theater became more important as well – in 1997, he met and married his lovely wife Mary during a production of the Mikado at the PAC.  )  At EDA, he developed a focus on design and build of gas stations.  Gas station design/build became Jeff’s primary area of specialty when he opened his own firm LHB in 2006.  His clients included gas stations and grocery stores from La Jolla to Redding, including the Oak Hill Shopping Center in Nacimiento.

In 2012, Jeff accepted his current position with SLO County Utilities Division as the Capital Projects Manager, ironically (as he points out) in charge of flooding projects and drought projects.  He worked on the Arroyo Grande Creek Water Management Program (flood control) and the CSA 23 intertie project between Santa Margarita and Atascadero Mutual Water Company (drought relief).  In 2012, Jeff also was elected to a 4-year term on the Grover Beach City Council.

Jeff still does theater, now and then.  He can occasionally be found performing with Murder in Mind Productions or other local theaters, where he has performed as everything from a murderer to an idiotic pirate to a – well, you name it (that’s theater too).  But his responsibilities for the County of SLO and the Grover Beach City Council keep him pretty busy these days.

Jeff is going to share some details of his City Council responsibilities with us at the January 15 lunch meeting.  His topic: Measure K – a $48 million bond for much needed road repair in Grover Beach. Come to the meeting and learn all about it.  And ask Jeff to do his pirate impression...

BOWLING AND PIZZA NIGHT WITH ASCE SLO BRANCH & YMF (Nov. 19th)

Who: Cal Poly SCE students and ASCE SLO Branch and YMF members

When: Wednesday, November 19th, 5:30 am - 7:30 pm

Where: Mustang Lanes (on campus)

What: An opportunity for students to show off their bowling skills while meeting local civil engineering professionals! Join up with us at any time during the event. This is a FREE event for all SCE and ASCE SLO branch and YMF members. Email Monica Fiedler-Ross at events.cpsce@gmail.com for more information and click here to RSVP.

BRANCH MEETING: November 20, 2014

QUALIFICATION BASED SELECTION (Panel Discussion)

ASCE and ACEC-CA have teamed up to host a forum on qualifications based selection (QBS). How local, state and federal agencies procure professional services varies greatly. QBS is a process that affects how public agencies procure consultant services that ensures that the qualifications of a professional are considered before fees are negotiated for a contract.

The forum will allow for an open discussion to answer questions regarding QBS. The discussion will include a brief presentation on QBS, the law, and general procurement procedures that include QBS. Panelists will then answer questions from the moderator and the audience to dig deeper into what QBS is, why it is used, and how professional services related to engineering, land surveying, construction management, architecture, and environmental consulting are being procured.

MODERATOR:

Kelly Garman, ACEC-CA
Director of Government Affairs

PANEL:

Chris Cooper
Ventura County
Director of Engineering Services

Ditas Esperanza
City of El Paso de Robles
Capital Projects Engineer

Jon Blanchard
Padre Associates
Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Mohammad Maljai
Caltrans Local Assistance
Office of Policy Development and Quality Assurance

Peter Sevcik
Nipomo Community Services District
District Engineer

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Location: 
Embassy Suites
333 Madonna Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Date & Time: 
Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 12 noon

For additional details and sign-up, please click here.

ASCE, SLO Chapter Meet the Member: Meet Your New Officer Board!

This month, instead of highlighting a single member, we’re including a brief introduction of each of the 2014-15 Officer Board members.  We all look forward to talking with each of you at upcoming meetings.

Anthony Severy, President 
My name is Anthony Severy and I am this year’s ASCE San Luis Obispo Branch President.  I’m a Senior Project Engineer at Cannon in the Public Infrastructure division and have been with Cannon for over 8 years.  I’ve had the pleasure of working in almost all divisions while at Cannon; from Surveying, to Instrumentation and Automation design, and Oil Field Design and Onsite Demolition Inspection/Safety.

I grew up in the Central Valley and attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  I like to say I was one of the lucky few who was able to stick around after graduating.  I’ve always loved the Central Coast, and I feel very fortunate to be able to call this place my home.
I’ve been involved with ASCE for 6 years now.  I started out as Assistant Newsletter Editor, then worked my way to Treasurer for 3 years, then President-Elect, and now President.  I love being involved in my community and networking with others working in Engineering Industry.  In addition to all the benefits ASCE has to offer, ASCE has been a great instrument in helping with the transition from student life to working life.

Outside of work, I enjoy being with my family.  I have a 5 year old son named Ethan and an almost 2 year old daughter named Lilly.  I also enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, snowboarding, and swimming.  Let’s keep our figures crossed for a great snow season this year!  I’m also a huge classic/muscle car enthusiast.  I have a 1965 Ford Mustang coop that has been my project sense high school.  I look forward to someday finishing it.

Cara Martinez, President Elect  
Cara is a Senior Civil Project Engineer in the Public Infrastructure Division at Cannon. She became involved with ASCE after graduating Cal Poly four years ago to help expand her professional network and keep current with local projects. Starting out as Historian, Cara continues to work her way up the member board ladder and is thrilled to fill the President shoes next year. She values the professional community and all it has to offer and hopes to give back by serving on the Board. Cara has headed the local ASCE student outreach program for the past two years and loves spreading engineering knowledge among today’s youth.  She and her husband just welcomed their first child, daughter Remi, 2 months ago. Aside from enjoying motherhood, Cara loves biking, running, and any adventure she can jump on.

Carolyn Berg, Past President 
Carolyn received a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2008. She has worked for San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department in various positions since 2006. As a Water Resources Staff Engineer, she focuses on long term water resources planning, interagency coordination, and program management. Carolyn has been an active ASCE member since 2003, and has served on the Branch Board in various roles for six years. Her mentor, John Hollenbeck, described the importance of being active in professional organizations (especially ASCE) and encouraged her to become an officer. Carolyn followed his advice, and looking back, can see how pivotal that choice was. She loves ASCE for the connectivity it fosters between members, the opportunities to help change our local and global communities, and the personal and professional growth. Carolyn spends her free time traveling, taking photos/ painting, hiking and volunteering with various education and arts organizations.

Steve Tanaka, Vice President 
Steve is the Director of Water Resources at Wallace Group.  Steve has been working in the water resources arena, specializing in water, wastewater and recycled water projects, from planning through design and construction, for 29 years. Steve has a master of science degree in civil engineering from California State University, Long Beach.  He moved to the San Luis Obispo area in 2000 and has been employed with Wallace Group for 14 years.  In his spare time, Steve enjoys the outdoors and fishing.

Ryan Hayes, Treasurer 
Ryan is a project engineer for Rick Engineering in San Luis Obispo.  He joined ASCE initially after attending periodic lunch meetings and enjoying the opportunity to meet and connect with fellow engineers in a relaxed, only semi-work related environment.  After a few years Ryan recognized that he was getting a lot of benefits from ASCE both through the local meetings and the national organization, and figured he could probably spare a few hours a month to help out and have a say on the direction of the group.  (And some mild coercion by the incoming President at the time helped as well.)  Until the fall of 2010, Ryan spent most of his free time with his wife, Camille, out surfing, backpacking, fly-fishing or running.  He now has no need for those activities, as he gets the majority of his exercise when he gets home, attempting to wrangle his three children, all under the age of four.

Diana Haines, Secretary 
Diana is a Cal Poly grad, currently working in the Public Works Department for the  County of San Luis Obispo.   She enjoys being involved with ASCE as a way to connect with the professional engineering community in the area, and joined the Board because her friend (Past President) Carolyn Berg suggested it was a great way to get even more involved (thank you, Carolyn! We are delighted that Diana has joined us!)  Diana likes to stay active, participating in races, triathalons, adventure races  skydiving, and has even taken a trapeze class!

Ben Jensen, Membership Chair 
Ben is a Transportation Engineer at Wallace Group.  He enjoys the camaraderie and professional development available through ASCE , ever since he decided to pursue a career as a Civil Engineer in college.  – He has participated in other branches of ASCE, and he especially enjoys the tight knit and friendly atmosphere of the SLO branch.  Ben has recently relocated with his family to SLO from Boise, ID, and they are enjoying getting to know and appreciate the SLO area.  His passions include his Family, Civil Engineering, and Cycling (if you couldn’t tell from the bike helmet in his photo!).  Now that he’s in California and has access to a beach, he is also realizing his lifelong dream of learning to surf, and says “It’s tougher to learn than I imagined but am stoked every time I get out into the water!”

Rebekah Oulton, Newsletter Assistant Editor
Rebekah is a second year Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cal Poly, teaching water resources engineering and water and wastewater treatment.  She was a member of ASCE years ago when she worked for Cannon, but she took an extended hiatus while she went to graduate school to earn her PhD.  She is excited to be back in SLO and reconnecting with local professionals through ASCE.  She appreciates her involvement with ASCE not just so she can keep current in the engineering profession, but also so she can bring interesting project examples and opportunities back to her classroom to share with the next generation of civil and environmental engineers.  When she’s not on campus, Rebekah can often be found hanging around local theaters – she does theatrical lighting design in her (limited) free time.

Jazz Gilbert, Public Relations Officer 
Jazz is a Structural Design Engineer at Cannon and currently the Public Relations Officer for the SLO Branch. He attended Cal Poly for his bachelors and masters in civil engineering with an emphasis on structural engineering. Throughout college he was heavily involved with the student chapter, holding many officer positions (including president). Because of the value he sees in professional development and maintaining a strong professional, and social, network of fellow engineers, he chose to stay involved with ASCE after his fairly recent graduation (June 2013). Jazz loves to remain active in his free time; playing soccer, road and mountain biking, snowboarding and skiing, and traveling are a few of his favorite hobbies. He has traveled to more countries than his current age and doesn't plan on stopping any time soon; feel free to ask him for travel recommendations!

Kyle Anderson, YMF President
Kyle is a principal engineering designer in the water resources group at Rick Engineering Company where he has been for the last two years.  He is involved with a variety of water resources related projects including hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, drainage studies and design, and water quality analysis and design.  Kyle enjoys being involved with ASCE because it gives him an opportunity to network with other members of the civil engineering community. In 2011, Kyle founded the SLO YMF group as a way to encourage younger civil engineers in our community to be more involved with ASCE.  In his free time, Kyle enjoys running or cycling with his wife, mountain biking, and ultimate Frisbee.

BRANCH MEETING: October 16, 2014

Atascadero Mutual Water Company Well Field & Nacimiento Recharge Tour

Atascadero Mutual Water Company Well Field & Nacimiento Recharge Tour Topic Join AMWC General Manager John Neil for a tour of AMWC's water production facilities. The tour will include well, treatment, and Nacimiento Recharge Basin facilities. John will also discuss the unique nature of AMWC's water quality, production, and distribution.

Directions & Details

We will be meeting at 11:00 am in the empty lot between 4555 and 4545 Sycamore Road, Atascadero. We will be carpooling from the meeting site to the well, treatment, and Nacimiento Recharge Basin facilities. There is minimal walking and it is all flat terrain. Please indicate whether you will be attending the walk on the sign up page where you would normally make your lunch selection. If you choose not to attend the walk, the lunch and presentation will be at 12:30pm at the AMWC Yard.

Speaker Bio

John Neil has served for the last 11 years as the general manager of the Atascadero Mutual Water Company, one of the largest mutual water companies in the state of California.

John, is a 1981 graduate of Penn State University in civil engineering. After college, John worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation where he was responsible for bridge inspections and maintenance. John met the owner of Bailey Bridges in SLO and was asked to come to California to help run the business.

Neil worked countless hours to research and to protect the water basin for Atascadero residents and volunteered many hours to meet and educate concerned citizens from neighboring cities, according to the chamber.

He is best known for his dedication in assisting in the development of the Nacimiento Water Project, the largest public works project in San Luis Obispo County history. John is currently chairing the Paso Basin Advisory Committee. John was named the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce's 2013 Citizen of the Year and is starring in the 6th Annual Atascadero’s Dancing with Our Stars, a fundraiser for the Atascadero Library.

Location

Atascadero Mutual Water Company

6575 Sycamore Road, Just North of the Well Field Atascadero, CA 93422

Date & Time

Tour, Thursday October 16, 2014 - 11:00 am Lunch, Thursday October 16, 2014 - 12:30 pm

Be sure to sign up by Friday, October 10th to ensure you get a spot.

Click here for more information and to sign up.

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

Annual Branch Awards

June 2014

ASCE strives to advance civil engineering and serve the public good. We do that by advancing technology, encouraging lifelong learning and professional development, promoting professionalism and influence public policy and developing leaders. It’s up to ASCE members (you and I) to advocate for infrastructure, protect public health and safety, improve quality of life, and to advance the perception of civil engineers through community activities. Our ASCE Branch is constantly working to meet these overarching goals. I would like to highlight a few recent efforts our Branch wrapped up.

Technical Seminar. Cara Martinez, Branch Vice President, took the lead on coordinating this year’s technical seminar for members. She diligently sought out seminar topics, solicited your input, and pursued a locally relevant topic. Working with U.C. Davis Extension, she coordinated and hosted a Groundwater Law and Hydrology seminar at Cal Poly. Over 60 local members, professionals, citizens and decision makers attended. Through her efforts, we have grown our community’s local knowledge base on groundwater and its management. A big thank you to Cara and her helpers along the way! And a big thank you to our sponsors: Cannon Corp, Contech and Wallace Group.

Annual Scholarships. Anthony Severy, Branch President Elect, coordinated our Branch’s annual scholarship program. He solicited applications from college and high school students currently pursuing civil engineering degrees. He received applications from stellar candidates that are not only good students, but are actively engaged in the local community. Please help us to congratulate this year’s college scholarship recipients: Hannah Johnson ($1,500), Logan McNeil ($500), and Monica Fiedler-Ross ($500); and this year’s high school scholarship recipient: Jeremy Rands ($500; yes, Barry Rands’s son is continuing the family’s love of engineering at U.C. Davis next year!). A big thank you to Anthony and his review panelists!

Annual Branch Awards. Each year our Branch highlights local excellence through a series of individual and project awards. It’s incredible to me how much our small community of engineers, contractors, firms and municipalities accomplishes each year. This year’s nominations highlighted our members’ resourcefulness, innovation, and extensive community engagement. 

It is my honor to publish the final San Luis Obispo ASCE Branch 2014 Award Recipients:

• Outstanding Government Civil Engineering Project – Union Valley Parkway Interchange, Owner/ Design: California Department of Transportation
• Outstanding Private Sector Civil Engineering Project – Pismo Heights Water System Reconstruction Project, Owner: City of Pismo Beach, Design: Wallace Group
• Outstanding Sustainability Project – 21st Street Complete and Green Street Project, Owner: City of Paso Robles, Design: Cannon Corp
• Outstanding Younger Civil Engineer – Kyle Anderson, PE
• Outstanding Faculty Advisors – Dr. Garrett Hall & Dr. Eric Kasper
• Outstanding Practitioner Advisor – Jazz T. Gilbert
• Outstanding Civil Engineer in Community Service – Cara Martinez, PE
• Outstanding Civil Engineering Student – Susie White

In addition, the Branch has two awards that are reserved for major infrastructure projects, and engineers that significantly benefitted our local engineering community. 

• Lifetime Achievement in Civil Engineering - John L. Wallace, PE. He has worked in the industry— both private and public sector, and as an operator, engineer and leader— for nearly 45 years, and celebrated the 30^th anniversary of his local firm this year. As noted in the nomination, “If ever there is a person who embodies the spirit, character, and ideals of our civil engineering profession, it is John Wallace.” And his work only begins at the office, and ripples out into many facets of community and professional organization involvement.
• Project of the Year - Union Valley Parkway Interchange, Owner/ Design: California Department of Transportation. This transportation feat has been in the works since the 1960s. It serves as an east-west arterial connection between the US 101 highway, Route 135 and the Santa Maria Airport. The effort required creativity and pioneering in construction methods, strong partnerships and collaboration, and active community engagement. 

Please take a moment to congratulate each recipient and project team. These recipients will move on to the Los Angeles ASCE Section, for consideration at the Section (southern California) and Regional (statewide) levels. A big thank you to those of you who submitted nominations, and to our review panelists!

Report Card. Looking ahead, our Branch Younger Member Forum (YMF) received ASCE grant funding to develop a San Luis Obispo Countywide Infrastructure Report Card. The YMF Board is in the information gathering stage, and will be looking for local, seasoned professionals to help with future discussions and efforts. This effort offers our Branch the chance to engage with our community, and highlight local infrastructure needs. Be on the lookout for future emails asking for volunteers. 

Enjoy the first official week of summer! See you at our July 17^th Branch meeting to talk about recycled water.

Carolyn K. Berg, P.E.

ASCE SLO Branch President

INPUT REQUESTED: County Public Improvements Standards

Attention Engineering Community: 

County Public Works is revising the Public Improvements Standards and seeks your input in the process.  The revisions to the 2014 draft focus on the following:

(1)  Include additional information and documents that are commonly needed in the private development process;

(2)  Include some of the tested LID techniques while also allowing for continuing development of new techniques;

(3)  Incorporate other relevant Department procedures and practices formerly documented elsewhere; and

(4)  Include routine revisions and updates since the last update.

Once it is ready, the update is scheduled to go to the Board of Supervisors on July 22, 2014.  Therefore comments for the update must be received by this Public Works by July 3, 2014.  (Comments received afterwards will be saved for the next update.)

A review draft can be found on our website or go directly to:  

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/PW/DevServ/PublicImprovementStandards/DRAFT_2014_STANDARDS.htm

There are three ways to forward your comments:

Email to:          fhoneycutt@co.slo.ca.us

US Mail to:     

PW Standards Update

Room 207

County Government Center-

San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

Call Frank Honeycutt in Development Services at (805) 781-1596 and setup an appointment to come in and discuss it.

BRANCH MEETING: June 19, 2014

2014 ASCE AWARDS CEREMONY MEETING
SAN LUIS OBISPO BRANCH

Please join us next Thursday, June 19^th to celebrate the selection of SLO Branch award winners for 2014. A number of categories were nominated and selected by our past-president judging panel and we have some excellent projects and people to honor. The winners will receive a plaque at the ceremony for their accomplishments, and each award will be submitted to the Los Angeles Section for the upcoming Section awards competition.

In addition, we will present the winner of our 2014 High School Scholarship!

We hope you will attend and support ASCE SLO Branch for these two important presentations.

Thank You,

Carolyn K. Berg, P.E.

Branch President

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Location:
Madonna Inn
100 Madonna Rd.
San Luis Obispo, CA

Date & Time: 
Thursday, June 19, 2014
12:00 PM

Cost: 
Members and Guests $20 by RSVP ($25 at the door)
Students $10
ASCE Life Members, complimentary lunch.

Menu:
Choose from*:

 - Italian Lasagna:  Italian Sausage, marinara sauce layered with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

 - Chicken Piccata: Chicken breast breaded with Italian herbs, enhanced with a lemon caper white wine sauce.

 - Three-Cheese Tortellini: with meatless marinara sauce.

*Coffee and Black Forest Cake for everyone

Please RSVP by 1:00 p.m., Monday, June 16th, at the Branch web site (www.asceslo.org). Please attend the luncheon if you sign-up – some venues will charge the Branch for every seat we reserve, regardless of the actual attendance. If you have specific dietary restrictions or have questions, please contact Ryan Hayes, ASCE Secretary at rhayes@rickengineering.com or (805) 544-0707.

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Interested in sponsoring a future meeting?
A $200 donation to our scholarship fund will also bring you recognition at the meeting and in our newsletter following the meeting. Please contact Liz Moody at lizm@cannoncorp.us for more information.

ASCE Student Chapter 
Cal Poly SCE meets twice a month on Wednesday evenings. All members of ASCE are invited and encouraged to attend. Please see the SCE website for information regarding special events and ongoing activities.