Burns & McDonnell 2005 No. 3

Burns & Mac DeliversAll Kinds of WOW!

Lighting the WayGiving Cities the InformationThey Need

The Central MissionGuiding Anti-terrorism Operations

Burns & Mac DeliversAll Kinds of WOW!

Lighting the WayGiving Cities the InformationThey Need

The Central MissionGuiding Anti-terrorism Operations

Bench Mark

Greg GravesPresident and CEOBurns & McDonnell

B e y o n d t h e S c o p e

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell

Greg Graves, President and CEO

Joel Cerwick, President, Regional Office Group

Mark Taylor, Vice President, Treasurer and CFO

Gerry Bukowski, Vice President and General Counsel

Denny Scott, Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer

Greg Gould, Vice President, Chief Technical Officer

SPECIALTIESAviation & ArchitectureBusiness & Management ConsultingCommercial, Industrial & Institutional Facilities

ConstructionEnergyEnvironmental Studies & PermittingFood Process

Information TechnologyProgram ManagementRefiningSolid & Hazardous Waste

StormwaterTransmission & DistributionTransportationWater/Wastewater

The Biggest Wow of All

As a 107-year-old engineering firm, Burns & McDonnell has had its share of “wow!” projects.

The most obvious jobs are enormous in scope or benefit. Our designof Stormwater Treatment Area 3-4 for the South Florida WaterManagement District earned the American Council of EngineeringCompanies’ Grand Conceptor Award, and is already helping torestore the Everglades ecosystem. Our ConocoPhillips clean fuelsproject was awarded a Design-Build Institute of America nationalaward of excellence. We are also working on the largest earthen dam project in America in Lake Fort Smith, Ark.

There are other examples of Burns & Mac projects that are large inscale. But the sheer size of our projects is not the only measurementof WOW! Burns & Mac WOW! projects also represent safetyachievements and technology advancements. And projects that causepeople to say: “Wow, I didn’t know Burns & Mac did that.”

This issue of Bench Mark focuses on several of our WOW! projects.In this issue, you will read about projects with remarkable safetyrecords, new markets where we are making our mark, and newfacilities whose importance extends well beyond U.S. borders.

Their common link is what we consider the biggest WOW! of all: areally happy client. Long after the project is done, that is what weconsider our legacy.

Burns & McDonnell World Headquarters9400 Ward ParkwayKansas City, Missouri 64114Phone: 816 333-9400 Fax: 816 333-3690busdev@burnsmcd.comwww.burnsmcd.com

© 2005 Burns & McDonnell Marketing, Communications & Research

Director, Corporate Marketing Doug ShackelfordManaging Editor Joe Bathke Contributing Editors Margaret Puscheck and Darla AmsteinCreative Services Manager Teri StegmannArt Direction & Design Billie Iserman and Lee Orrison Printed on Recycled Paper

Start UpMeteorological Analysis

It’s Not Just Corn Anymore

CSI: St. Louis

News in Brief

FeatureThe Central Mission

Need to KnowLight Fliers

Works in Progress

Waste to Energy

16

8

Something for Everyone

Off Line Lighting the Way

Tea for Two Studies Help Unilever Determine Best Options

10Burns & Mac Delivers All Kinds of Wow

194

18

20

6

Texas Transmission Line Structures

in a

dd

itio

nC o n t e n t s

4 Burns & McDonnell

It’s not just corn anymore.

Feedstock alternatives can reduce input costs for theproduction of ethanol and give ethanol producers morechoices based on local market conditions. Sorghum,wheat, barley, molasses and cheese whey are potentialreplacements for corn.

“As the market for ethanol expands in the U.S., moreavenues are opening up to give producers cost-effectivechoices for production,” says Meleesa Younggren,biofuels business development manager.

A:How can weather analysis benefit my project?Q:

&

Mark Saito is a seniormeteorologist in the

Environmental Studies &Permitting Group.

FEEDSTOCK

MILL

RECYCLEWATER

COOKING LIQUEFACTION

CO2

CO2SCRUBBING

FERMENTATIONDISTILLATION

RECYCLE WATER

CENTRIFUGE

DEHYDRATION PRODUCT BLENDING

ETHANOLPRODUCT

EVAPORATION

DRYER

VAPOR EMISSIONSCONTROL

TREATED DRYEREXHAUST

COPRODUCT

MASHING

Meteorological analysis provides more than a weekly weather forecast

Before a project begins, there are benefits to examining weather trends.Weather analysis can help justify the need for a project. For example, thefrequency of heavy ice storms can make the benefits of undergroundtransmission lines outweigh the costs. A meteorologist’s climatological studycan help utilities qualify for federal grants to help pay for underground lines.

Climatological studies can also help in developing realistic constructionschedules. First, a study can help determine how many weather-related workdelays to expect. When project managers know how many days of heavy rainor snow may occur, they can plan for those delays and set a scheduleaccordingly. By establishing a “bad” weather threshold at the outset, there willbe little question whether a weather event should disrupt construction.

Second, when there is a weather-related delay, a climatological study canverify the severity of the weather event. If a delivery is late because of snowyroads, a weather record showing significant snowfall can support the delay.

For more information, contact Mark Saito, (816) 822-3914.

The ethanol production process is similar with differentinputs. (See diagram below.) First, the raw feedstock mixeswith water and is cooked with steam. Enzymes are added forfermentation. The resulting alcohol/water mixture goes to adistillation tower, where the alcohol is separated. It is furtherrefined to produce 99.5% pure ethanol.

“A major benefit of ethanol production is the potential forvaluable coproducts, such as carbon dioxide and distillersgrain for animal feed,” Younggren says. “Even the water isrecycled in the process.”

For more information, contact Meleesa Younggren, (816) 822-4373.

AT

ec

hn

ic

al Q

How it Works Ethanol: From Feedstock to Fuel

5Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

Tri-State TollwayThe Burns & McDonnell Chicago office has signed on toprovide construction section engineer services on a 10-mile stretch of the Tri-State Tollway. The project, with atotal construction cost of $105 million, includesreconstruction of retaining walls, embankments and fourbridges between the Cal-Sag Channel and 111th Street. Asthe prime consultant, Burns & McDonnell will also assistin expediting the project with the design consultants tomeet the project’s tight deadline.

Engineering Excellence AwardThe Texas Council of Engineering Companies honored theBurns & McDonnell Aviation & Architecture andConstruction Design-Build groups with the 2005 SilverEngineering Excellence Award. The first-of-its-kindcooling, heat and power packaged plant for Austin Energyuses the waste heat from a 4.5-megawatt natural gas-firedcombustion turbine to produce more than 2,500 tons ofchilled water from the world’s largest heat recoveryabsorption chiller. See related story, Page 10.

Seminole Electric PlantBurns & McDonnell in June signed a contract withSeminole Electric Cooperative Inc. to provide design andconstruction management services for a new 750-megawatt coal-fired generating unit. Unit 3 will be addedat Seminole Generating Station in Palatka, Fla.Construction on the $1.2 billion project is set to begin inOctober 2008, with a goal of completion by May 2012.

Coal-Fired SymposiumNew coal-fired plant development and permitting, air quality control system retrofits, natural gas pricing,plant financing and environmental issues headlined thetopics at the 2005 Coal-Fired Symposium May 4-5 at the Burns & McDonnell World Headquarters in Kansas City,Mo. The sixth-annual event drew more than 100 clientsand major equipment suppliers for presentations designedto educate the industry on the potential of coal-firedgeneration in today’s power market. Other topics coveredwere biomass cofiring, generation input costs, hybridcooling, gasification and constructability.

For more information about Burns & McDonnell, visit the “In the News” section of our website at www.burnsmcd.com

Features of the laboratory, unveiled atan April 1 ribbon-cutting:

• DNA testing • Drug chemistry• Trace • Serology• Firearms • Photo lab• Computer • Evidence receipt• Property custody • Administration

The new St. Louis Police Forensic Laboratory marriesstate-of-the-art technology with a 1940s-era exteriorfaçade.

Burns & McDonnell provided design services for the40,000-square-foot project, which started with afeasibility study to expand an older facility in 1999.When expansion wasn’t possible, moves to anotherrenovated building or a new site were considered.Construction on the $8.5 million facility, located acrossfrom the downtown City Hall, began in 2003. The 1940sappearance complements the exterior of the adjacentpolice headquarters building.

Ken Francis, project manager in the St. Louis office, saysthe three-story lab was designed to meet certificationcriteria for the American Society of Crime Lab Directors.

“The facility has a complex heating/ventilation/airconditioning system to accommodate the type of workdone there,” Francis says. “We also tried to capture a lotof natural light for the administrative areas. To do that,we actually sloped the ceiling up at the windows.”

CSI: St. Louis

BMcDNews in Brief

6 Burns & McDonnell

The Central MissionThe Central Mission

F e a t u r e

The Joint Intelligence Center (JIC) is the first phase of an overall upgrade

of Central Command facilities. Burns & McDonnell is designing a highly

specialized complex for JIC’s important function.

The Joint Intelligence Center (JIC) is the first phase of an overall upgrade

of Central Command facilities. Burns & McDonnell is designing a highly

specialized complex for JIC’s important function.

7Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

From a complex of buildings atMacDill Air Force Base, Fla.,USCENTCOM officials guideantiterrorism operations andmonitor and conduct militaryoperations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It’s an awesome responsibilityrequiring facilities to meet thetremendous challenge. Burns & McDonnell is helpingCentral Command carry out its vital mission.

All for OneCentral Command took on a majorrole in the global war on terrorismafter the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.Facilities at MacDill in Tampasimply could not keep pace with theexpanding mission and attendantincrease in personnel. Currently,joint and coalition forces work innumerous facilities throughout thebase. Because of parkingconstraints, some personnel walkmore than a mile to get to functionsin other buildings.

The Joint Intelligence Center (JIC)is the first phase of an overallupgrade of Central Commandfacilities, and the first to receivefunding from Congress. The JICwill consolidate intelligenceoperations into one four-story,270,000-square-foot building.Inside, military and civilianintelligence professionals willcollect, process, generate and storeclassified intelligence data. Thebuilding is expected to be complete in 2008.

Burns & McDonnell, under contractwith the Corps of Engineers MobileDistrict, is designing a highlyspecialized complex for JIC’s

important function. Spaces include a 275-person conference room for classifiedbriefings and eight dedicated videoteleconferencing rooms. Other facilitiesinclude a large area for imagery supportoperations, and an operations center withmedia wall where data feeds andintelligence from around the world can be viewed. About 16,000 square feet ofserver space will accommodate JIC’scomputer needs.

To improve parking, Burns & McDonnell,working with Walker Parking Consultants,is designing a 900-space parking garage.BMcD specialists will also design acentral utility and water plant. OtherBMcD specialists are contributing to theproject in the areas of geotechnicalanalysis, cabling design, interior design and architecture.

In the BeginningPrior to design, BMcD architects andinterior designers interviewed more thanthree dozen JIC civilian and militarypersonnel to begin to understand theirspecific needs to perform their job duties.What they learned is that workers neededa flexible space, not only for dailyoperations, but to respond to changes inUSCENTCOM’s mission.

“Personnel needs are dictated more thananything by world events,” says KentYaros, BMcD architect. “We needed togive them a space flexible enough to adaptto those changes.”

The BMcD design incorporates universalworkstations and less-compartmentalizeddepartments to facilitate the ebb and flowof the workforce.

In the new building, JIC personnel willalso have expanded workspaces and one amenity that most of us take forgranted — windows.

“Some personnel are currentlyworking in windowless offices,”Yaros says. “We’re designing them a space that gives them windowswhile not compromising their needfor security.”

Raised ceilings will give workspacesa more open look. The use of brightcolors will offset dark areas wherestaff conduct their work. Gifts fromheads of state will grace one room;other exhibits will display the history and mission of JIC andCentral Command.

“We want the JIC workers to have a workspace that rejuvenates them,”says BMcD interior designer Barb Haman.

Cable ConnectionsJIC will contain more than 200 milesof cable. The design meets the goalsof efficiency, security and flexibility.

Routing communication cablingunder raised floors will make it easier to move people — andnetwork connections — as missionschange. Equipment racks in the localarea network (LAN) rooms will bewater cooled, an efficient way todissipate intense heat built up byhard-working CPUs. Highly securefiber-optic cable will connectworkstations to the LAN room.

“The design of the new JIC isdefinitely a case of form followingfunction to meet the demands of ahighly secure, flexible workspace,”says Eric Kraus, project manager.

For more information, contact Eric Kraus, (816) 822-3839.

U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) is a Geographic Combatant Command responsible for planning and

conducting U.S. military activity in the Central Region area of responsibility. The Central Region consists of 27

countries in the Middle East, Southwest and Central Asia, the Horn of Africa and the island nation of Seychelles.

8 Burns & McDonnell

A wrong decision when ramping up for national distribution ofa new beverage product could brew up a heap of trouble.

That’s why Unilever, manufacturer of leading food, home andpersonal care items, brought in Burns & McDonnell to helpevaluate options for increasingproduction capacity of LiptonBrewed Iced Tea (LBIT).

“Burns & McDonnell gathers andanalyzes all pertinent informationand develops scenarios fordecisions regarding increasingcapacity at various sites,” saysMike Winnett, project manager inthe BMcD Process & IndustrialGroup. “We evaluate all thevariables, such as distributioncosts, labor costs, equipment andplant capital investments required.”

Once the site is chosen based on the initial study, the workexpands to include a full project description, process flowdiagrams, specific plant layout, and estimated design andconstruction costs.

“All this was completed for the Lipton project so Unilevercan make the best business decisions, based on a process thatgives them a sound evaluation and a solid capital costestimate,” Winnett says.

The Product’s PotentialUnilever’s Lipton, a name synonymous withtea, developed the LBIT product to bridgethe gap between sales potential and actualsales of brewed iced tea in foodservice.Operators often struggle with the inability tocontrol the taste of iced tea brewed bymultiple employees. It’s difficult to providethe consistency demanded by customers dayin and day out.

The LBIT system is designed to provide thatconsistency. A countertop urn with a spigotdispenses freshly made single servings froman under-counter source. A 3-pound dividedbag contains enough tea extract and tea

aroma to make 37 gallons of LBIT when mixed with water.The bags attach to hoses with standard soda fountainfitments, meaning employees don’t have to learn new

“Our in-depth understandingof the process helps Unilevermake business decisions withtheir joint venture partnerabout the manufacturing anddistribution strategy for thisgrowing product.”

TEA FOR TWO Studies help Unilever determinethe best options for duplicatingLipton line at a second plantTEA FOR TWOTEA FOR TWO

9Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

technology. The bags are delivered to restaurants anddistributors in a cardboard box, which the industry calls bag-in-box (BIB).

The Evaluation ProcessBurns & McDonnell has conducted two studies — known asFront End Loading (FEL) studies — for Lipton. The first, anFEL-2, was completed in 2002 to help determine the relativecost differentials between potential sites in Dallas; centralMexico; Independence, Mo.; Suffolk, Va.; and Montreal.Suffolk rose to the top as the best site to add capacity.

Unilever again called on Burns & McDonnell in 2005,this time for an FEL-3. That study provided a plus/minus

10 percent capital cost estimate for integrating the LBITline into its Lipton instant and decaffeinated tea operations in Suffolk.

Unfortunately, costs in key areas — such as labor and steel — have risen. Required, expensive equipment comesfrom Australia and Germany. Since 2002, the Australiandollar and German mark/euro have increased in value bymore than 60 percent. That, combined with other globaleconomic factors, has nearly doubled equipment costs. Burns & McDonnell has completed value engineeringstudies to identify potential project savings amounting to 15 percent of the total cost.

Flexibility in DesignBurns & McDonnell has an inside track in understanding thecomplexities of the process: a knowledgeable team thatincludes process experts in tea extraction.

“Our in-depth understanding of the process helps Unilevermake business decisions with their joint venture partnerabout the manufacturing and distribution strategy for thisgrowing product,” says Jim Hays, business developmentdirector.

Flexibility is key to accommodating a complex, fast-trackdesign and construction schedule that includesinternationally sourced equipment. The solutions have to beinnovative and adjustable, and bring down costs for clients.

“The study has to balance what the customer wants withwhat is practical,” Winnett says. “Facility layouts are alwaystight, and integrating this new operation with an existingprocess will be difficult. But with the FEL-3, Unilevershould have a sound foundation to make the right businessdecisions and properly plan the project.”

For more information, contact Jim Hays, (816) 822-3813.

Australian tea extraction equipment represents a significant partof the cost of duplicating the Independence production line in

Suffolk, Va.

The bag-in-box filler at work in Unilever’sIndependence, Mo., plant.

10 Burns & McDonnell

11Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

W O WSome engineering feats —

the Hoover Dam,

the Holland Tunnel — are

known for their size.

Burns & McDonnell designs

and builds projects

on a massive scale.

But size is just one way

to “wow” clients.

W O WBurns & Mac Delivers

All Kinds of

Burns & Mac DeliversAll Kinds of

12 Burns & McDonnell

Biggest Dam Project GoingBig projects fascinate — powerfulmachines carving out dirt and rock, craneshoisting massive components, the structureslowly taking shape. The new Lake FortSmith Dam, permitted and designed byBurns & McDonnell for the city of FortSmith, Ark., is that kind of project.

How big is it? The dam nearly doubles theexisting reservoir’s 418-acre surface areaby combining two existing reservoirs. Anintake tower 225 feet high will draw waterfor two supply lines 4 feet in diameter,each capable of delivering 70 milliongallons per day. A new 180-footembankment will more than double thedam’s existing height.

Just the fact that the dam is being built isamazing. As environmental regulationshave multiplied, new, large-scale watersupply projects have become rare in theU.S., despite looming water shortages.

Full-Service Capability Keeps Project Moving“When the city of Fort Smith lookedahead, it realized that existing watersupplies couldn’t keep up with population growth,” says BMcD projectmanager Russ Titus. “Expanding theexisting Lake Fort Smith reservoir innearby Mountainburg, Ark., offered the best solution.”

Burns & McDonnell environmentalspecialists guided Fort Smiththrough the extensive permittingprocess. BMcD geologists,hydrologists and engineers, alongwith subconsultants, worked outdesigns for the earthen dam,temporary pumping station, intaketower, outlet works, and principaland auxiliary spillways.

When evidence of prehistoricsettlement was uncovered on thesite, BMcD archaeologists set updigs to explore and record thefindings, allowing construction toproceed. As the archaeological workcontinues, Burns & McDonnell alsocontinues to assist Fort Smith withconstruction oversight and publicinformation efforts.

For more information, contact Russ Titus, (816) 822-3216.

Restoring the EvergladesBurns & McDonnell and the SouthFlorida Water Management Districtreceived the 2005 American Councilof Engineering Companies’ GrandConceptor award for another mega-sized project — StormwaterTreatment Area (STA) 3-4, designed to help restore the Florida Everglades.

At 17,000 acres, and capable ofpumping more than 5 billion gallonsper day for treatment, STA 3-4 is the

The Everglades

Lake Fort Smith

world’s largest constructed wetlands.But more importantly, the projectillustrates the can-do attitude thatBurns & McDonnell brings toclients’ thorniest problems.

“Back in ’92, ’93, a number ofscientists looked at the loss ofEverglades habitat,” recalls Burns & McDonnell Associate VicePresident Galen Miller. “There weredifferent opinions. Was it reallyphosphorus that was the problem?Was it a water quality problem at all?”

Team Enters Uncharted TerritoryBut something had to be done, anddone quickly. The EvergladesConstruction Project (ECP) grew outof mediation resolving 35 lawsuitssurrounding Florida’s attempt toestablish a Surface WaterImprovement and Management Planfor the Everglades. A number ofdisparate parties — environmentalgroups, agricultural interests, andothers agreed to an interim goal ofreducing phosphorus to 50 ppb.

“We didn’t know how to do it — we didn’tknow if created wetlands would work tothat degree on that scale,” Miller says. “So,the Everglades Construction program wasdeliberately launched as a two-step process.We would begin construction, monitor testresults, and proceed from there.”

"Wow" Outcome — On Budget, On ScheduleEarly results were promising, and the workcontinued, culminating in STA 3-4. TheECP exceeded performance expectations,reducing phosphorus to less than 20 ppb.

The icing on the cake: Throughout morethan a decade of ongoing consultation anddesign projects, Burns & McDonnellcompleted all projects for the South FloridaWater Management District on time andwithin budget.

“We’re on the road to success,” says Henry Dean, former executive director of South Florida Water ManagementDistrict. “It’s been an exciting adventure with our partnership with Burns & McDonnell. I’m very optimisticabout the future of the Everglades.”

For more information, contact Galen Miller, (816) 822-3099.

Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

Projects like the Hoover Dam andHolland Tunnel are famous for theirsize and speed of construction —but also, unfortunately, for the liveslost building them. Today, a projectisn’t successful unless it’s safe.

Burns & McDonnell safety trainingand programs are geared for zeroaccidents, a goal that has beenachieved so far in 2005, with zero recordables.

Safely SuccessfulSafely SuccessfulProject safety achievements that contributeto a perfect record in 2005 include:

• 50,000 accident-free hours to dateworking on airfield and control tower construction for the U.S. Navyat North Island, San Diego

• 250,000 safe hours on low-sulfur gas projects at ConocoPhillips Ponca City, Okla., refinery

• 500,000 safe hours at the ConocoPhillips refinery in Lake Charles, La.

13

The Everglades

14 Burns & McDonnell

Groundbreaking AchievementNot large in terms of earth or water moved, but huge in potential effect, are the integrated energy systems Burns & McDonnell is developing inconjunction with the U.S. Department ofEnergy (DOE).

With DOE cost-share support, Burns & McDonnell developed, built andtested the first successful full-scaleapplication of CHP technology for AustinEnergy in Austin, Texas. Installed atDomain Industrial Park, the system is thefirst to use exhaust heat from an on-site,natural gas-fired combustion turbinegenerator as the only fuel source —for the world’s largest heat recoveryabsorption chiller.

“We developed the CHP system in a pre-packaged, modular format that can be customized for each application,” saysBMcD director of CHP development Ed Mardiat. “That saves time inprocurement and construction.”

The Domain CHP project was honored bythe Texas Council of EngineeringCompanies with a 2005 Silver EngineeringExcellence Award. (See “News in Brief,”Page 5.) Based on the team’s success, theDOE is providing additional cost-sharefunding to Burns & McDonnell and AustinEnergy for CHP installation at DellChildren’s Medical Center of Central Texas,part of the Seton Healthcare Network.

Reliable, Efficient, Secure and CleanThe medical center will be the first in thestate of Texas to generate all its own power,with power from the grid as a backup. Theproject will also be the first in the nation in

which the CHP plant’s improvedsystem efficiency will contribute tothe hospital’s goal of becoming thefirst Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED™)Platinum hospital in the world.

“Post 9/11, hospital administratorsrealized that in a time of crisis or alarge-scale natural disaster, theyneed to keep the entire hospital upand running — not just the one ortwo areas served by a singleemergency generator,” Mardiat says.“CHP systems are also more than70 percent efficient, as opposed tocentral generating plants, whichhave an average efficiency of lessthan 35 percent. By integrating themodules to meet each site’s specificenergy needs, we can minimize fuelpricing risks and maximize demand-side savings while significantlyreducing NOx and CO2 emissions.”

New Energy Direction The DOE hopes to increase use ofCHP technology to 96GWnationwide by 2010 — double theamount produced in 1997.

“It was a pleasure working withBurns & McDonnell, Austin Energyand the rest of the team to bring the largest Integrated EnergySystem (IES) to date on line,” saysRonald J. Fiskum, program manager,resources, U.S. Department ofEnergy. “Speaking for the

Domain CHP - Austin Energy

Domain CHP - Austin Energy

15Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

Department of Energy, we are lookinginto the future and hoping thatprojects maximizing the use of waste heat are just the start of IES systems worldwide.”

For more information, contact Ed Mardiat, (816) 822-3344.

Small Packages, Good ThingsSome of the most important projectsBurns & McDonnell performs forclients can fit into a file cabinet —technical expertise and researchboiled down into a useful,intelligible, management report.

Burns & McDonnell helped JEA —utilities provider for Jacksonville,Fla., the nation’s largest city at 840square miles — assess technologiesthat will enable it to implement anautomatic vehicle location (AVL)system as part of a citywide wirelessnetwork.

“Many of the technologies we’relooking at are fairly new to themarket,” says BMcD projectmanager Derrick Beasley. “Clientsneed to know what will work, andhow much it will cost. Weunderstand their businesses and weunderstand the technology. We makesure it’s viable for their particularuse.”

Phased Studies Control Costs AVL system research is one ofseveral advanced technology studiesBurns & McDonnell has performedfor JEA and the city of Jacksonville.

To give clients maximum control overcost, each study follows specific stagesof development, from research anddesign to RFP development to fulldeployment support.

Citywide Rapid ResponseCurrently, Burns & McDonnell ishelping design and implement acoordinated AVL system for more than25 Jacksonville organizations, includingJEA, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office,the Fire and Rescue Department, thePort and Airport Authority and theDuval County School Board, and others.

The AVL development project is called SAFER, for Satellite AssetFinder & Emergency Response. Burns & McDonnell performed a needsassessment for each department andinvestigated appropriate technologies.Some of those technologies includeglobal positioning systems, wirelesscommunications, and field devices suchas PDAs, ruggedized laptops andcellular phones. BMcD consultantshelped Jacksonville develop the RFP,and will assist with proposal reviewand contract negotiations.

The AVL will help Jacksonville moreefficiently coordinate day-to-dayservices — and save lives in the eventof a hurricane, terrorist attack or otheremergency. These functions areimportant in any city, but especiallyvital at this major seaport and U.Snaval base.

For more information, contact Derrick Beasley, (816) 822-4363.

JEA, City of Jacksonville

City of Jacksonville

16 Burns & McDonnell

SolutionsBurns & McDonnell began its partnership with TXUED in2000 with two projects. That relationship has grown tomore than 40 projects in various stages of development.The projects total more than 300 miles, ranging from 1 to 37 miles each. Burns & McDonnell is providingservices ranging from project estimating to constructionsupport services.

Team approach: Managing the large number and diversityof projects required a team approach. Burns & McDonnellhas five design teams from two offices dedicated toTXUED. Each team leader is matched with a TXUEDcounterpart.

Creative methods: The diverse areas traversed by eachproject demanded diverse designs. A 9-mile route fromBenbrook to Mistletoe alone runs through a golf course,crosses the Trinity River, parallels Interstate 30 andintercepts a railroad yard and hospital district. Part of theline was rebuilt with steel poles, and the remainder reusedexisting lattice steel towers.

The 18-mile rebuild project between Hillsboro andWhitney included the tower top replacement for an existingstructure in the middle of Aquilla Lake, south of FortWorth. A helicopter delivered the new tower top.

Unseen obstacles: Sometimes, it’s what you don’t see thatcan make a project challenging. Burns & McDonnellperformed environmental background research for all ofthe TXUED builds to identify known occurrences ofendangered species or cultural resource sites.

Six flags have flown over Texas in its history:Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, theConfederate States and the United States. Thatheritage complements the diverse geography ofmore than 268,000 square miles, populated by more than 22 million people.

BackgroundTXU Electric Delivery(TXUED), based inFort Worth, Texas,provides electricity toabout a third of thestate’s 370 cities and 92 counties. In 2000,TXUED faced anupgrade of its aging138-kV system, morethan 6,500 miles of thecompany’s nearly14,000 miles oftransmission line.

ChallengesTXUED’s 138-kV linescross territory rangingfrom wetland to desertand rural to urban. Thediversity of theenvironments,permitting issues andrequired structuresmeant the companycould not go it alone.

Above and top: Steel towers on the 9-mileBenbrook to Mistletoe route crosseverything from a golf course to

a railroad yard.

O n S i t e

Somethingfor everyone

Texas transmissionline structures turns up in

every imaginable locale

17Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

Out Front

TXU Electric Deliveryis ahead of the game

Many providers, anticipating newrequirements from the NorthAmerican Electric ReliabilityCouncil, want to know maximumratings on their transmission lines.And they want to know beforecompetition makes it difficult tohire experts to conduct theextensive studies necessary todetermine a line’s rating.

Over time, the landscape beneaththe transmission lines may bealtered, creating electricalclearance violations. Sometimes,lines can be rated to highertemperatures. Rating a line toelevated temperatures can relievetransmission constraints. Anaccurate and efficient way toassess a line’s actual rating is todo an extensive survey. Burns & McDonnell has assessed18 of TXUED’s lines using atechnology known as LiDAR –Light Detection and Ranging.

“LiDAR uses laser-based surveyequipment mounted to ahelicopter. Laser pulses hit objectsand, based on the speed of thelaser return, it feeds back data todetermine what it hit,” says LeslieDuke, Transmission &Distribution Group manager in theBMcD Houston office. “Based onthat data, the ambient airtemperature and loads in the lineat the time, we can assess thetemperature of the conductor andcreate a baseline for rating it up ordown.”

Burns & McDonnell hascompleted three of 18 lineupgrades in the Dallas/Fort Wortharea.

“Environmental monitors were presentfor projects crossing potentialendangered bird habitat in centralTexas,” says Jimmy Smith, projectmanager for the BMcD EnvironmentalStudies & Permitting Group. “BMcDexperts watched for signs of nesting bytwo 4.5-inch endangered birds, theblack-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler.”

Technological innovation: TXUEDreceives transmission line designs frommany firms, but the digital informationcannot easily be used for otherbusiness purposes.

Burns & McDonnell is developing astandard format and application thatwill load this design data seamlesslyinto the company’s Maximo AssetManagement software.

“The biggest benefit is the eliminationof the thousands of man-hours spentcollecting and inputting data,” saysWes Hardin, BMcD project manager.“TXUED will be requiringstandardized data submittals of all itsengineering firms in the future.”

OutcomeThe BMcD approach meant TXUEDcould tackle its system upgradeswithout overwhelming its own designstaff. Burns & McDonnell hascompleted 17 projects covering 163miles. Seven more projects are underconstruction, with about 20 in designor about to kick off.

“What we have done for TXU hasfreed their engineers to look at otherissues in their system,” says GaryCollins, project coordinator in theBMcD Transmission & DistributionGroup. “We have helped the companymaximize the reliability of its systemand increase its profitability.”

For more information, contact Gary Pence, (816) 822-3142.

A crane is used to rebuild a tower behind aresidential development along the Everman to

Handley route.

Crews prepare to install insulators on a newsteel structure on the 9-mile route from

Everman to Handley.

TXUED’s system includes nearly 14,000miles of transmission lines.

18 Burns & McDonnell

For more information, contact Ed Mardiat, (816) 822-3344.

N e e d t o K n o w

What is a VLJ?If you haven’t heard those letters yet, chances are you willsoon. VLJs are the latest development in a rapidly changingaviation market.

VLJ is the acronym for “very light jet” — commercial jetaircraft that weigh less than 10,000 pounds and carry just ahandful of passengers. While these small jets have notentered the mainstream aviation markets, they are attractingattention from big names in the industry. Cessna andEmbraer are developing VLJs, as are new companies likeEclipse Aviation and Adam Aircraft.

Most of these companies aspire to compete in the emergingair-taxi market. Air taxis ferry passengers point-to-pointbetween smaller, general aviation (GA) airports. Manytravelers enjoy this convenience because they don’t have totravel through large hubs or drive several hours to get totheir destinations.

The GA industry encompasses 19,000 airports and landingstrips in the United States. The extent to which GA airportsare changed by the advent of VLJs depends on how well theair-taxi market takes off.

LIGHT

FLIERSFLIERSFLIERSFLIERS“There are still a lot of questions to be answered in thefuture,” says Dave Hadel, BMcD GA services director.Even if the market does well, Hadel says, GA airportgrowth will depend on which routes are in demand.

“If the Garden City, Kan., to Fort Worth route becomespopular, it is more likely to be profitable and to stir growthand development in those communities,” Hadel says.

Burns & McDonnell is throwing its aviation expertise intothe VLJ market. Eclipse Aviation chose BMcD to helpselect sites for three of its first factory service centers(FSC), as well as preliminary design for the FSC to belocated in Gainesville, Fla. The FSC will be used to service aircraft for Eclipse customers. Burns & McDonnellis finding sites at existing second- and third-tier airportsthat have wide visibility, as well as access to airfields,roads and utilities.

A consistent design for the service centers is important to Eclipse.

“For Eclipse, an important component of the FSC design isits contribution to trademarking Eclipse Aviationnationally,” says project manager Mike Fenske. “Theimage, organization and commonality we bring to thedesign of their service centers will help signal the EclipseAviation brand.”

19Bench Mark 2005 No. 3

The city of Lee’s Summit, Mo., like many fast-growingcommunities across America, isproud of its quality of life — andscrambling to make sure itsinfrastructure keeps pace.

Those infrastructure needs gobeyond roads and water mains.Street lighting needs multiply asroads are widened and newdevelopments are built. Lightingalso becomes a concern when citiesrevive blighted areas or restorehistorical downtowns. Streetlighting system planners help citiesfacing these challenges findsolutions — in the midst of achanging environment.

Weighing OptionsIn the past, electrical utilities ownedand maintained streetlights. Today,as utilities seek to divest, purchasingthe lighting system is an option forsome municipalities. It gives citiesan opportunity to improve serviceswhile trimming costs.

“Since street lighting leases aren’t amajor source of revenue for utilities,sometimes maintenance takes a back seat to other projects,” says Burns & McDonnell consultant Rod Schwass. “Owning a systemgives the city control over it.”

Potential SavingsThe prospect of owning streetlightsmight daunt city managers alreadycoping with tight budgets and staff shortages. But there is a silver lining.

“There can be opportunity for savingswhen a city owns the system ratherthan continuing to lease it overdecades,” Schwass says. “The city cancontract for operation and maintenancewith a third-party lighting service thattypically offers lower rates than theutility lease terms.”

Checking It OutBMcD consultants help cities evaluatethe potential costs and benefits ofsystem ownership. They provide theinformation needed for sound,defensible decisions — includingfinancial analysis, inventory andcondition assessment. Engineerscombine field surveys with existingmapping and modeling software, for cost-effective condition andperformance assessments.

Setting StandardsEven if a city chooses not to own itssystem, it still faces important lighting decisions.

While designing safe, attractivelighting for a new Lee’s Summitroadway project, Burns & McDonnellhelped the city solve an ongoingdilemma.

“Lee’s Summit needed to have a streetlighting standard to go by so whendevelopers came to them for permits,or the city itself decided to makeimprovements, they could lay it out,without wrangling over the detailseach time,” says BMcD projectmanager Craig Koenig.

Koenig’s group developed lightingcriteria for Lee’s Summit based onstandards set by the IlluminatingEngineers Society (IES).

To develop design criteria, engineersmodel potential lighting systems andcompare the performance with IES-recommended practices. One factorthey look at is the ratio of average tominimum illumination.

Safe by Design“Uniformity of light is importantbecause of how it affects the driver’sperspective,” Koenig says.“Widening roadways or even adding curbs and gutters can changethe distribution of lighting. There are special requirements forintersections, curves and hills, and other situations.”

Varying the lamp type, wattage,mounting height, and type of fixtureand reflectors used controls thedistribution of the light source. TheLee’s Summit design criteria helpensure that motorists can seepedestrians in a crosswalk at night —and keeps lumens on the street andout of residents’ windows.

In the past, municipal governmentsnever had to be street lightingexperts. With Burns & McDonnellspecialists on their side, they stilldon’t have to be.

For more information, contact Rod Schwass, (816) 822-4213, or Craig Koenig, (816) 822-3149.

O f f L i n e

Lighting the Way Giving cities the information they needLighting the Way

Barlow Projects Inc. (BPI), a leader in waste-to-energy(WTE) technology, chose Burns & McDonnell toprovide engineering services for its retrofit and upgradeof a 30-year-old energy recycling and recovery facilityin Harrisburg, Pa.

The upgraded facility will be the newest WTE facilityin the United States and provide 25 years of full-timeoperation, capable of continuously burning 800 tons ofmunicipal refuse per day to generate steam for export to the district heating loop — or to a new turbinegenerator producing up to 26 MW of electrical power.The old plant is being completely gutted and rebuiltwith state-of-the-art equipment for the project.

“Space is very tight,” says BMcD project manager Tom Haensel. “A lot of the pipe and equipment layout was difficult. Using 3-D modeling softwareproved to be a tremendous asset in minimizing conflicts during construction.”

Burns & McDonnell has provided detailed design forinstallation of the ancillary systems surrounding theboiler, air pollution control system and the turbinegenerator, including associated equipment, piping, andelectrical and control systems.

BPI’s system includes its patented Aireal™ CombustionSystem and the air pollution control equipmentnecessary to ensure that the plant will comply with allstate and federal emissions requirements. The revampedplant is scheduled to begin operating in 2006.

For more information, contact Tom Haensel, (303) 721-9292.

Atlanta (770) 587-4776

Chicago (630) 724-3200

Denver (303) 721-9292

Fenton, MO(636) 305-0077

Houston (713) 622-0227

Kansas City (816) 333-9400

Los Angeles(949) 833-2623

Miami (305) 476-5820

New York(973) 884-8701

O’Fallon, IL(618) 632-0354

Phoenix (602) 977-2623

San Diego (858) 547-9869

San Francisco (650) 871-2926

St. Louis (314) 821-9016

Washington, D.C.(703) 438-3502

Wichita, KS (316) 941-3921O

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