Thought Leadership

Four Wins That Thoughtful Public Engagement Could Bring to Transportation Projects

June 13, 2024

By Chhavi Dhingra, Senior Manager of Public Engagement, WSB

Transport services play a vital role in meeting essential needs, such as facilitating economic activities such as trade and employment, and ensuring access to vital services like education, healthcare, and leisure. At the heart of all planning and design of such infrastructure lies the vital importance of prioritizing the consumer. Here engineers can play a crucial role in connecting transportation systems with the communities they serve.

There are four wins that early, thoughtful, intentional, and inclusive public engagement could bring to transportation projects.

1. Transparency fosters trust and progress: Helping people understand on a regular basis how and where taxpayers’ money is being spent, goes a long way in building trust and accountability and limits potential future issues that may interrupt the project’s completion.
2. Leaning in on local knowledge and user experience enriches project performance and impact: Improving project performance by gleaning local knowledge residing with community members and learning from past and present experiences of users of a transportation system can help identify and address problems early on and contribute to ensuring long-term success of projects.
3. Inclusion of multiple voices and perspectives enriches project outcomes and acceptability: Possibly one of the biggest wins that public engagement could bring is ensuring transportation projects deliver on their original promises of improved safety, accessibility, mobility, and well-being for all users and become means for communities to together become more prosperous and healthier. This requires a diverse mix of voices, perspectives, and expertise to be brought together to ensure that transportation projects (be it a new road, an improvement to an existing road/junction or the introduction of a new transit or carsharing facility), are accessible to everyone living/traveling to that area.
4. Well-designed engagement could capacitate and empower community leaders and representatives: Proving opportunities for training and skill development for community leaders as part of public engagement strategies, enables them to become catalysts for garnering wide support, removing bottlenecks, ensuring more efficient execution, and developing trusted partnerships between government and communities in projects.

How WSB Can Help

At WSB, we help bring these four wins (and more) when collaborating with clients on various transportation projects. We prioritize successful public engagement through a comprehensive approach. This includes establishing a clear project chain of command to ensure effective stakeholder coordination and information flow. We begin by conducting early stakeholder mapping and needs assessments and collaboratively setting goals with all project stakeholders. We then tailor our communication methods to best suit the audience, ensuring the use of plain language materials, inclusive formats adhering to Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards, using multiple languages where necessary. Fact-checking, active listening, continuous feedback loops and proper documentation for transparency, are key to our process. We also proactively monitor potential risks to address them swiftly and maintain trust with the public. As we collaborate with our valued clients and partners to successfully deliver transportation projects, our public engagement approach continues to evolve to inform and shape us as professionals, and WSB as an organization that exists to build what is next in infrastructure—the places, spaces and systems that support our lives.

The Evolution of Public Engagement in Transportation Projects

June 13, 2024

By Chhavi Dhingra, Senior Public Engagement Manager, WSB

Transportation infrastructure and services serve as a means to various ends, such as facilitating trade, accessing jobs, education, healthcare, or social opportunities. It is essential to place people and goods at the core of all transportation planning and design efforts. As transportation engineers navigate the complexities of planning and designing, balancing considerations like traffic flow, safety, environmental concerns, accessibility, equity and integration of new technologies, they must bridge the gap between designs, materials like concrete and steel, and the people these projects aim to serve. Timely information sharing, inclusive engagement to gather diverse perspectives, and empowering community voices can ensure that transportation projects meet their intended goals and benefit everyone.

In today’s era, cities drive growth and progress, yet there is still much work needed to ensure equitable access to this growth. Underserved communities often face challenges of transportation insecurity like affordability, unreliable commutes, lack of access to transportation options to get where they need to, network connectivity, and issues of transportation-related safety and air and noise pollution. This inequity can lead to negative health impacts, exclusion from education, job, healthcare, commercial and social activities, economic inefficiencies, and urban degradation. In such situations, lack of involvement in transportation planning can further hinder these communities’ quality of life.

Fortunately, public engagement in transportation projects has been evolving and is no longer just a box to check on a project. Latest trends in global research and practice in infrastructure projects place high priority on civic engagement and social accountability, especially when responding to crises like climate change or the Covid-19 pandemic, where behavior change at community levels could result in a massive impact. Moreover, legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which are allocating billions of dollars into transportation programs, systems, and infrastructure projects across the country, recognize this as well, and present a huge opportunity for equitable transportation policies and programs to be rolled out by state and local governments. Be it improving transit facilities and experience, re-imagining mobility modes and choices in downtown urban districts or developing infrastructure for vehicle electrification, Governments and communities are now recognizing the need for this pivot, and public engagement best practices demonstrating innovation and public participation are following suit.

Transportation projects are now required to factor in the inclusion of human and environmental factors as part of feasibility assessments. For example, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, requires that federal agencies assess the potential environmental effects of proposed activities in a publicly available report and that the assessment process includes opportunities for public engagement. Given NEPA’s inherently layered institutional design, the level of agency level discretion and the fact that Environmental justice (EJ) itself is an evolving concept, there is a promising opportunity for agencies to enable public engagement to spread its wings fully to bring in a stronger equity focus on transportation projects.

How WSB Can Help

At WSB, we bring diverse professional skills, including those in transportation engineering, planning, public policy, construction management, business administration, and marketing and communications, to bridge the gap between technical designs and the community. We are open-minded learners, constantly evolving our strategies and tactics in consultation with our clients and partners. By allowing public engagement to shape both individual growth and organizational direction, we ensure projects support the needs of the people they serve.

SUE: What Your City Needs To Avert Disaster

June 17, 2024
By Tony Terrell, Director of Utilities Management, WSB

If your city has an upcoming construction project, using subsurface utility engineering (SUE) can provide numerous benefits, while helping avoid potential catastrophe. In any community, but especially in heavily developed cities, not knowing the exact location of subsurface utilities puts projects at risk and could mean unnecessary delays, unexpected costs, and even harm to communities by temporarily depriving it of water, electricity or gas.

With that in mind, let’s review what SUE is and why your city should think twice about forgoing it.

What Is SUE?

SUE is a service that uses pipe & cable locators, electromagnetic hand-held utility locators, ground penetrating radar, and vacuum excavation to locate and identify utility lines buried beneath the ground. The vacuum excavation process is unique and entails the use of a high-pressure sprayer and a 100-to-200-gallon tank that turns the soil into mud. That mud is then vacuumed out to receive a physical line of sight on utilities buried as much as ten feet below the ground surface. Through vacuum excavation, the exact horizontal and vertical coordinate and the depth of a utility can be measured. The ground penetrating radar is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. The GPR can identify different material types underground and is used to locate utilities that are difficult to find, and where the electromagnetic locators had issues. What’s more, SUE uses a quality ranking system that helps construction projects have the right data and a clear understanding of how to avoid colliding with utility lines.

Utility Quality Levels

Using SUE equipment as described above, a utility quality level can then be applied which denotes how precise the location data is. These quality levels fall into four levels of A, B, C and D. Through this quality level scale, design teams and construction teams are better equipped to ensure utilities are not impacted by any excavation work.

The Risk of Forgoing SUE

Forgoing the use of SUE creates the risk of damaging or destroying utility lines. This disruption would not only delay the ongoing project but would also create substantial cost of repairing the utility line and potentially cutting off services to the surrounding community. This is especially critical when working in heavily developed cities with large, condensed populations, and where damaging a utility has the potential of cutting off electrical, water or gas utilities to a large population. Additionally, studies have shown that forgoing SUE services can lead to problems and potential utility damage that will incur costs beyond the initial cost of performing SUE services for a project. On average there is a nearly 5 to 1 cost difference between risking utilities and using SUE to prevent these issues from occurring.

Why is SUE important

• Provides valuable information from which to make valuable decisions for roadway/bridge projects.
• Unnecessary utility relocations are avoided
• Eliminate unexpected utility conflicts typically encountered on transportation projects
• Improved safety
• Reduce project delays, saving time and money
• SUE is a viable technological practice that reduces project costs

How WSB Can Help?

To avert potentially damaging or destroying a utility during construction, cities should reach out to the experienced and talented team at WSB to discuss how SUE will keep costs low and protect not only your project, but the surrounding community. By staying at the forefront of technology and techniques, WSB provides the information and peace of mind cities need to complete their project safely.

Recap of the 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session

June 14, 2024
By Jacob Ringstad, Graduate Engineer, WSB

The end of the 2024 Minnesota legislative session in St. Paul brought opportunities for communities across Minnesota. With changes to regulations and new grant investment opportunities, now is the time for communities to dive into better understanding of what happened this session and what changes and opportunities resulted from this year’s session. I was able to discuss with Anne Finn, Director of the League of Minnesota Cities’ Intergovernmental Relations, about the impact on cities for this session.

Budgets and Bonding

This year, lawmakers did not pass a capital investment bill. Many communities see a lack of a bonding bill as detrimental to asset preservation and local infrastructure. This failed bonding bill contained building asset preservation, money to remove lead and PFAs from local water systems, and $40 million dedicated to local communities. Additionally, the bonding bill failing to pass this year likely means there will be a large appetite for a bill in the 2025 legislative session. Communities with future construction projects and bonding needs must stay up-to-date and plan for what is to come in 2025. Anne encourages these cities to continue meeting with their representatives about the importance of these funds in your communities.

Efforts to Improve our Transportation

The 2024 session saw an additional $11.35 million investment in the Small Cities Assistance Program. These funds will be evenly distributed to cities with populations under 5,000 starting July 1st. These funds can be used to improve city assets and even include an option to use the money to pay debt service on bonds. One new policy opportunity Anne mentioned was state guidelines were enacted for establishing pedestrian malls. This new law will help to guide communities looking to expand pedestrian transportation and safety in high density areas.

A Focus on Environment

The 2024 legislative session saw massive investment from the Environment and Natural Resources Budget and Policy bill. An additional $46 million will be invested into programs dedicated to protecting Minnesota’s water, air, soil and wildlife. Anne specifically mentioned, “New grant programs created for community tree planting with $8 million for statewide use and another $3 million dedicated to the seven-county metro area.” To maximize use of this new funding, construction projects that can highlight sustainability should keep a close watch on these new investments and be ready as soon as the grants become available.

Expanding Housing Infrastructure Grant Program

Alongside new funding, counties are now able to take advantage of opportunities previously limited to cities. Under the 2024 legislative session, the Greater Minnesota Housing Infrastructure Grant Program was expanded to include county-managed construction projects, creating new opportunities, such as the development of housing, streets, water supply systems, sewers, utilities and more.

How WSB Can Help?

The 2024 session included several new state investments and policy changes that impact communities. With WSB, communities can feel secure with a talented team of experts who will help walk you through finding funding, applying for grants and ensuring every opportunity is on the table for your projects.

Leveraging Federal Funds to Revitalize Underutilized Land

June 17, 2024
By Ryan Spencer, Director of Environmental Investigation & Remediation, WSB

With so much additional federal funding coming from legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), there are plenty of opportunities for communities to address brownfields and revitalize land. Communities with underutilized land, especially those with documented contamination, must possess a detailed understanding of the grant filing process to efficiently rectify this issue. Grant applications can be a complicated process. However, it is beneficial for communities to pursue grants to not only clean up pollutants and health hazards, but also further benefit residents with projects like affordable housing.

But where to start? Here are some ways your community can leverage federal funding to revitalize and develop underutilized lands.

Funding Sources

Regarding federal funding opportunities, the primary source when it comes to underutilized contaminated land is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Often projects requiring land revitalization stem from brownfield sites where contamination (known or perceived) is preventing the area from being redeveloped. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided a huge influx of funding specifically for cleanup and redevelopment projects, and the EPA announced in early 2024 that over $1 billion in funding was available for new and continued cleanup projects. That provides a huge opportunity for communities across the country.

Other funding opportunities are available at the state and county levels from economic development agencies or pollution protection agencies.

It’s also important to note that most grants are on a schedule and the time of year heavily impacts available funding.  Further, most grants are competitive and only the projects that best fit the grant agency’s goals will be awarded funding in each cycle. Depending on the time of year and how many grants have already been granted, communities may be required to wait until the following cycle before applying. To best leverage federal funding, knowing the goals of the agency, the stated goals of the grants and the funding timelines is imperative for communities with revitalization projects.

The Right Grant for the Right Project

When looking at federal grants, it is important to identify how your project aligns with grant application requirements. Not every grant may be the right fit for your project.

Land use projects that have the most potential for receiving funding are those targeting contaminated brownfield areas, those benefiting environmental justice areas and those that increase tax base, jobs, and affordable housing availability. Federal agencies give grants to the projects that score the highest by need and when communities clearly communicate how a project aligns with a grant’s overall mission. Before applying, interested applicants must understand if their project fits within the parameters of the grants. For example, private developments are typically excluded from grants while cleanup projects that lead to the construction of newer affordable housing have greater potential.

How WSB Can Help

Brownfield assessment, cleanup, and revitalization involves many steps, but WSB works with communities and can help navigate the process. That assistance can include environmental assessment services, assistance with grant applications and securing funding sources, community engagement, helping with project readiness, brownfield revitalization planning and design, and more. Revitalizing underutilized land is an investment that can pay off in big ways for communities. Federal grant funding provided by the Federal Infrastructure Bill can assist with jump starting, assessing, and cleaning up sites across the country. With extensive knowledge and experience, the professionals at WSB are here to help communities identify, apply for, and best leverage federal funding to clean up contaminated land and improve quality of life for residents.

Earmarks: Congressional Funding For Your Project

By Morgan Dawley, Sr Director of Municipal, WSB
July 15, 2024

While the timeline for fiscal year 2025 earmark requests have passed, smart planning now can prepare your project for success in future funding years. Through advocating, coalition building and coordinating with your congressional elected officials, your project can obtain the funding it needs. Now is the time to educate yourself on earmarks and what you must do to gain congressional funding to support your project.

What Are Earmarks?

An earmark, also referred to as “Congressionally Directed Spending” or “community project funding,” is a funding allocation presented by an elected Member of Congress. It is written into a spending appropriations bill that directly funds a specific project. Earmarks fund a variety of projects across multiple disciplines such as transportation, structural projects, water treatment plants, civic centers and other local projects that enhance community priorities, expand economic development and provide job opportunities.  

It is most common to receive project funding by applying for a grant through an agency, but this comes with limitations and requirements that must be met while also competing with other projects for funds. These requirements can be hard to obtain due to lack of financials or requirements that are not applicable to your project.

What differentiates earmarks from the typical grant application process is the targeted approach to funding a specific project rather than an agency receiving a large amount to distribute. With earmarks, project funding is still competitively awarded, and you must convince your Member of Congress of the positive impact your project will have on the community to receive funding. A successful earmark request is extremely beneficial because it demonstrates public support from your Member of Congress.

Do Your Preparation

It can be helpful to research similar projects that have received earmark funding in the past. The House and Senate appropriations committee web pages provide full lists of past projects that have received funding along with the amount received. This can help you prepare your submission.

Staying up to date on political trends will benefit your request as well. If your project aligns with the current views of the House or Senate— your project will have a greater chance at receiving funding. For example, if your Congressional Member strongly supports environmental sustainability, an application prioritizing this is set up for success. Alternatively, submissions may be denied for various reasons like limiting spending, conflicting policies, etc. Being well-versed in today’s politics provides valuable information as you request earmark funding.

In addition to researching past projects and current political trends, your project must have some level of study to help define the need for the project before the first meeting with your Congressional Member and their staff. Within this study, be sure to include the anticipated scope and estimated costs. Consider creating a project “one-pager” that helps summarize the information, costs and the funding request into a simple, visually compelling format that you can leave behind and they can use for briefings.

Requesting Earmark Funding and Coalition Building

When it comes to requesting earmark funding— where do you start? The first step is engaging with your elected officials and explaining why your project deserves to be funded.

Earmark funding request forms are found on the websites of your Representative or Senator. Through a submission, they gain insight to valuable information like your project’s purpose, location and the amount of funding requested.

Once the application is submitted, the best path to receiving funding is through meeting with your elected official’s staff through coalition building. Meeting in-person provides the opportunity to explain in greater detail the need for funding and the benefit your project provides.

If your project benefits multiple communities or groups, it is in the best interest of the earmark request to present a coalition of support. By directly advocating for earmark funding and showing the project’s wide-reaching benefits, the potential your elected official will provide their support increases. For example, if a county is presenting the earmark request and has the support of multiple cities and communities, the project will provide a more convincing argument.

How WSB Can Help?

Earmarks are an incredible way for projects to receive congressional funding and support. WSB’s team of experts will support you with your earmark funding request. Our team helps determine your project’s scope, estimate overall costs and help facilitate and manage the process for acquiring the desired earmark funding for your project.

Strategic Advice for Attracting Renewable Energy Developers

By Ameer Kian, Sr Project Manager, WSB
July 15, 2024

As the global shift towards sustainable energy gains momentum, cities have a unique opportunity to position themselves at the forefront of the renewable energy movement. Attracting renewable energy developers not only contributes to environmental sustainability but also brings significant economic and social benefits. Learn strategies that cities can use to attract renewable energy developers and capitalize on the growing green economy.

Benefits of Attracting Renewable Energy Developers

Cities stand to gain immensely by attracting renewable energy developers.

• These projects often lead to direct economic benefits such as job creation in construction, maintenance, and operations of energy facilities.
• Renewable energy projects contribute to a cleaner local environment by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
• They enhance the city’s appeal to environmentally conscious businesses and residents, positioning the city as a leader in sustainability and innovation.
• Having local renewable energy sources can improve energy security and stability, reducing vulnerability to external energy price shocks and supply disruptions.

Creating an Inviting Regulatory Environment

The foundation for attracting renewable energy investment is a supportive regulatory framework. Cities can streamline permitting processes, offer tax incentives and establish clear guidelines for renewable activity projects. These measures reduce hurdles and make the city more attractive to developers looking for efficient project approval timelines.

Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships and offering Financial Support

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a powerful tool for cities aiming to attract renewable energy projects. By partnering with private firms, cities can share financial risks while benefiting from the expertise and innovation of the private sector. These collaborations can lead to the development of state-of-the-art renewable energy facilities that might not be feasible through public funding alone. Additionally, cities can provide tax incentives or low interest loans to further reduce the financial burden on developers.

Investing in Infrastructure

Adequate infrastructure is crucial for the development and distribution of renewable energy. Cities that invest in upgrading their electrical grids, improving connectivity and ensuring the availability of suitable land for large-scale projects will be more appealing to energy developers. Furthermore, developing clear interconnection standards can help reduce the complexity and timing needed for the connection of renewable energy systems to the grid

Fostering Community Engagement and Support

Gaining the support of the local community is essential for the success of renewable energy projects. Cities can facilitate community engagement through educational programs that highlight the benefits of renewable energy, such as reduced carbon emissions and stable energy prices. Public forums and workshops can also be used to address any concerns and gather valuable feedback from citizens.

How WSB Can Help

Embracing renewable energy is a strategic decision that can lead to substantial rewards for cities. By creating a favorable business environment, investing in necessary infrastructure and engaging with the community, cities can attract top-tier renewable energy developers. WSB is uniquely qualified to assist cities in navigating this transition, having both renewable and municipal advisory experience. With our expertise in planning, environmental consulting, renewable energy, public engagement and city engineering, we can help you develop strategies that align with your goals and maximize the benefits of renewable energy projects.

Asset Management For City Sustainability and Resiliency Goals

By Shannon McGrath, Director of Asset Management and Jack Woolery, Asset Management Specialist, WSB
July 15, 2024

Cities exploring ways to maintain and improve infrastructure sustainably cannot overlook asset management. Thorough data collection and a thoughtful asset management plan can provide the necessary recommendations needed to mitigate weather-based risk, as well as ensure communities are reaching climate goals through green infrastructure strategies.

How can asset management further sustainability and resiliency goals for your community’s infrastructure? Here are some things to consider.

Data and Technology

Good data is the key to asset management. Data collection can be done through visual field inspections or using technology such as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). In visual inspections, expert(s) travel to each individual asset to collect data and provide more detailed information than could be acquired through inspecting photos and maps.

Conversely, LIDAR is a remote sensing technique that uses light to make measurements and collect geographic locations for all above-ground infrastructure. The light pulses create a three-dimensional image that models the infrastructure with useful measurement data.

Using an Asset Management System (AMS) integrated with a Geographic Information System (GIS), any data collection can be combined with information like a site’s physical condition, soil quality, traffic volumes and an asset’s vulnerability to extreme weather events like flooding for better risk-based planning and prioritization. Additionally, water and wastewater assets may implement a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, so system monitoring is further automated which reduces the number of in-person trips required while also providing asset stakeholders or elected officials ease of access to the information they need. To further that point, an AMS paired with 3D modeling provides an easier means of communication between internal stakeholders (e.g. planning, design, construction and asset management) and external stakeholders (e.g. elected officials and the public). The combination of expert analysis and technologies provides the information necessary to optimize an asset’s longevity.

Risk Assessment and Management

Identifying risk and risk mitigation strategies greatly improves asset resilience against risks such as extreme weather events and premature deterioration. This risk assessment can be broken down in two ways – an enterprise risk assessment and an asset level risk assessment.

With an enterprise risk assessment, locations with heightened risk of extreme weather events are subjected to an enterprise assessment which is larger in scale and can cover a sizable geographic area like a whole community, region or state. For example, communities prone to flooding may have a flood vulnerability model developed as part of an enterprise risk assessment with recommendations for new projects and upgrading current assets.

On a smaller scale, an asset level risk assessment inspects an individual asset rather than a larger location. Through an asset level risk assessment, for example, a roadway is examined to identify underground utilities, asset condition and impact of failure such as impacting a critical healthcare facility or a residence. Factors such as soil type and its impact on pipe corrosion could also be considered.

Risk assessment is tailored to fit both qualitative and quantitative approaches like climate modeling for a region or coordinating with long tenured staff and agencies with institutional knowledge on what best practices have worked for a particular asset. Risk assessments and asset management plans provide ways to improve resiliency and sustainability, prioritize mitigation strategies and costs in financial planning and prevent the loss of institutional knowledge, cutting down on unnecessary work repetition.

Incentivizing and Financing

A growing trend in states like Michigan and Minnesota is the development of state government task forces and advisory councils focused on asset management. These groups incentivize owners to have asset management plans in place to improve resiliency and sustainability. By having a management plan, asset owners and communities can properly identify at-risk areas that require updating and meet evolving state and federal climate goals. With a plan in place, communities can take advantage of the substantial federal investments for sustainable infrastructure from programs like the Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA) or state infrastructure grants and legislation.

For example, the IIJA has provided upwards of $7.5 billion for the purpose of updating outdated infrastructure to improve climate friendliness and the ability to withstand climate-related disasters. Without a quality asset management team and plan in place, communities could easily miss out on these opportunities.

How WSB Can Help

WSB’s multidisciplinary team includes experts in asset management who understand sustainability practices and policies, as well as how infrastructure is impacted by natural environments and climate-related issues. By staying at the forefront of techniques and technologies like the use of 3D modeling and automated data collection systems, asset stakeholders, elected officials and the public will have all the information necessary to make the most informed decisions. We work with communities to create a holistic, comprehensive asset management approach that brings real value and is customized for your community or project.

The Future of Construction Staking

March 7, 2024, WSB

In the ever-evolving landscape of construction, precision is not just a goal; it’s a necessity. As we stand on the cusp of a new era in construction technology, the role of construction staking has never been more pivotal. Modern construction staking is reshaping the industry and embracing this change is crucial for future success.

Innovation at the Forefront

Construction staking is the unsung hero of the building process and a critical step that translates visionary 2D plans into tangible reality. With the advent of advanced technologies such as GNSS, laser scanning and drones, the accuracy and efficiency of construction staking have reached unprecedented levels, and as the technology evolves, so too must construction staking. These innovations allow for rapid, precise measurements, ensuring that every stake set is a step toward perfection.

Leveraging technology to share staking data, updates and changes in real-time assists in moving the industry forward and increasing productivity at all levels. Tools like construction management software are being utilized more to effectively streamline communication and reduce wasted time using outdated plans and data.

Sustainability as a Guiding Principle

As environmental stewardship becomes increasingly important, construction staking plays a vital role in sustainable building practices. Accurate staking minimizes resource waste and environmental impact, laying the groundwork for projects that not only stand the test of time but also respect our planet’s delicate balance. The environmental impacts of construction are the responsibility of all parties involved.

Collaboration: The Keystone of Success

The complexity of modern construction projects demands a collaborative approach, and construction staking is at the heart of this synergy. The single commonality of all parties in construction is the successful completion of the project. By fostering clear communication, construction staking ensures that every stake is placed with a shared vision of success.

Educating the Next Generation

Thought leadership in construction staking also involves mentorship and education. By sharing knowledge and experience, seasoned professionals pave the way for the next generation of surveyors, equipping them with the skills and insights needed to continue the tradition of excellence. Through effective training, evolution of the construction industry will not leave behind the future surveyors.

Eliminating Common Errors in Construction Staking

Construction staking is a critical step in the building process, but it is not immune to errors. These mistakes can lead to costly delays, rework and even safety hazards. However, with diligent planning and execution, most common staking errors can be avoided. By utilizing the available technology effectively, errors created by plans and calculations can be eliminated, and surveyors can focus more on eliminating the human errors that are often the cause of construction staking errors. It is essential for surveyors to adhere to standards and build in independent checks to eliminate errors and maintain consistency.

During the staking process, potential errors with the project can be identified early on. For instance, a project manager can physically see if a portion of a building is too close to a property boundary line or does not allow enough room for a walkway. This proactive approach allows for adjustments before they become expensive problems.

Establishing a Clear Chain of Command

A well-defined chain of command facilitates efficient communication and decision making. It is crucial to establish who is responsible for conveying staking information and who the contractors should contact when questions or concerns arise. Typically, the field crew are the ones in front of the contractors. Quick decisions can be made on the fly; however, requests outside of planned tasks should always be rerouted to the project manager to ensure that budget and time constraints are not impacted.

Maintaining Quality Checks

Regular quality checks of communication help prevent errors that could arise from miscommunication. This includes verifying that all parties have received and understood the latest staking information. This includes proactive communication by all parties prior to the work taking place.

Summary

Construction staking remains a fundamental part of the building process. It ensures accurate and safe construction, adherence to codes and regulations and minimizes costly errors. From planned improvements to actual site mapping, construction staking bridges the gap between the 2-dimensional development plans, and the 3-dimensional executed reality.

How WSB Can Help

The highly trained team at WSB uses cutting-edge technology and industry leading best practices to ensure every project is completed safely, accurately and efficiently. Contact us to learn more about how we can set your project up for success.

Waste Reduction: How to Make a Difference

March 8, 2024
By: Rebecca Haug, Sr. Project Manager, WSB

The amount of waste in communities continues to increase. Many community members aren’t aware of where our waste goes. In a majority of the states our waste fills up landfills, taking valuable land space and requiring extensive engineering and monitoring to protect our environment. Both landfills and waste to energy facilities are used at the same time to reduce the use of landfills. Waste to energy facilities are costly to run and necessitate careful air quality monitoring to protect public health. 

To reduce cost and risk, increase operational efficiencies, and be a strong community leader, WSB is conscious of the waste that is generated every day, and we work with clients on waste reduction strategies. We are taking the opportunity to look at how we contribute to food, paper, plastic, and other wastes. To improve on waste management, we are focusing on pragmatic changes and also encourage community members to do what they can. There are various tactics to make a difference in the amount of waste we generate. Below are a few that can make an impactful difference for events and operations:

• Rethink if you need to purchase an item in the first place. Is there something you could repurpose or re-use?
• Think upstream and design the event, process, system, or product for recycling and re-use downstream. If you buy or design something differently, how can it be repurposed down the road instead of ending up in a landfill?
• Buy second-hand items.
• Participate in local organics composting program to keep food waste out of landfills and allow it to be turned back into a soil amendment. Check with your community about these programs.
• Store leftovers in reusable containers to reduce waste.
• Bring a waste free lunch to work by purchasing in bulk and putting foods in reusable containers.
• Work with local vendors and caterers to reduce disposables and increase re-usable food service, catering and event supplies.
• Say no to plastic straws when eating out, this helps environmental waste.
• Buy in bulk to reduce purchasing products with a lot of packaging. Excessive packaging fills up landfills and is harmful to earth’s ecosystems.
• Recycle plastic bags to reduce waste of resources and landfill.

There are many other programs and initiatives to advance strategic, comprehensive community goals that are the focus of WSB’s services to write Climate and Sustainability Plans. Many cities where we live, and work have these plans in place written by consultants like WSB and other firms; participating in your local community to advance the waste and climate portions of the City plans will offer another avenue to engage with local leaders. There are many more areas where you can reduce waste. The Environmental Protection Agency provides more ideas here: Reducing Waste: What You Can Do | US EPA

We can all make a difference and reduce our waste generation by making changes, big or small. We encourage everyone to try a few this year. If your business is interested in learning about the ways we’ve helped our clients with waste reduction strategies, please contact us.