Governor Asked to Spare Office of State Engineer, Geodetic Survey and Grant Program
ACEC-SC and SCSPE wrote Governor Mark Sanford and asked that he continue the operations of the Office of State Engineer, the Geodetic Survey and the grant program for water and waste water projects for small cities and towns.

The SC General Assembly did not overturn Governor Sanford’s veto to fund the State Budget and Control Board. Therefore, offices and responsibilities under the Budget and Control Board umbrella were in jeopardy.

Mr. Joe Jones, ACEC-SC and SCSPE Executive Director, told the Governor in his letter “The office of the State Engineer is a vital link in the design/construction cycle for state improvements. The centralized service and specifications this office provides is important because designers and contractors are familiar with what is expected from this office since state improvements take place in many jurisdictions; this centralization makes sense.

“Shutting down the Office of the State Engineer will have an immediate economic impact on the design/construction industry as professional, skilled and unskilled workers will be left without work they were counting on until another method of providing those services are  established,” said Mr. Jones. Further, the design and construction industries believe the oversight and services provided by OSE are necessary, and the state, the stakeholders and the industry will be set back if these services are removed.

He said the grant program that provides funds for water and waste water treatment plants to small communities generates work for designers and contractors as well as gives communities services they need. Shutting down this program again has an impact on those who work on these projects as well as the loss to needy communities.

The geodetic survey office has provided a service to the surveying community making their work more efficient and effective. Although no jobs may be lost if this program is not funded, the efficiency and accuracy of future surveys will be affected said Mr. Jones.

He concluded his letter to the Governor saying, “With all due respect to your efforts to save South Carolinians tax dollars, these programs under the Budget and Control Board have a place and in the opinion of the design community should be continued.”

The Governor has not replied to the letter and the fate of these three important sections of the Budget and Control Board is not known at this time.

SC Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is Taking Applications for Seat on SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors
Governor Mark Sanford has the opportunity to appoint one (1) qualified Professional Engineer and one (1) qualified Professional Land Surveyor to the SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors for terms beginning January 1, 2011. 

Each engineering and surveying member of the Registration Board must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of South Carolina, must be licensed in this state, must have been engaged in the practice of engineering or surveying in this state for at least twelve (12) years, and must have been in responsible charge of important engineering or surveying work for at least five (5) years. Responsible charge of teaching engineering may be construed as responsible charge of engineering work. The primary responsibility of board members is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public of South Carolina.

The South Carolina Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is charged, by law, to make recommendations to the Governor from which he must appoint engineers and surveyors to the Registration Board.

The South Carolina Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is accepting letters of application from Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors who meet the state’s minimum requirements that wish to be considered for the two (2) Registration Board positions.   It should be noted that the two (2) incumbents (Ms. Theresa Hodge, PE and Mr. Gene Dinkins, PE/PLS) have requested that they be reappointed to their respective seats for another term.

The deadline for applications is August 31, 2010.

The following information should be included in interested engineers’ and surveyors’ letters of applications: education and collegiate achievements, engineering/surveying achievements, professional and technical society activities, civic and humanitarian activities, continuing competence, professional experience, general personal data, and references.

Send applications with the above information to the South Carolina Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies, c/o Jones, McAden & Associates, P.O. Box 11937, Columbia, SC 29211-1937. 

Announcing the 2011 SC Engineering Conference & Tradeshow
Mark your calendars and plan on packing a bathing suit.  ACEC-SC and SCSPE are pleased to announce that the 2011 South Carolina Engineering Conference and Tradeshow will be held June 9-12, 2011 at the Hilton Head Marriott, Hilton Head Island, SC. 

The 2011 Conference committee is meeting soon to start planning education seminars, fun fellowship activities, and another great conference.  So mark your calendar, put it in your smart phone, or post it on your refrigerator, just make sure you don’t miss the 2011 SC Engineering Conference and Tradeshow June 9-12, 2011 at the Hilton Head Marriott.

Office of the State Engineer Seeks Input on SC’s Proposed Modifications to AIA Documents
Mr. John White, PE, JD,  has posted South Carolina proposed modifications (in red line form) to AIA Documents A101 – 2007 (Agreement between Owner and Contractor), A201 – 2007 (General Conditions to Agreement between Owner and Contractor, and A701 – 1997 (Instructions to Bidders). The A701 was not updated by AIA in 2007, however, the proposed modifications to this document in certain areas differ from those made in the past.

He said, “Our attorney’s are still reviewing proposed modifications to the B101-2007 (Agreement between Owner and Architect). As soon as our proposed modifications to the B101 are complete, we will post the changes to this document and notify all parties.”

These documents are posted at:
http://www.mmo.sc.gov/MMO/ose/MMO-ose-draft-manual.phtm
After accessing this page, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the documents.

Mr. White said, “This is not a posting for purposes of starting the promulgation process but a preliminary posting until such time as we are ready to start the promulgation process. Any comments may be directed to me. For ease of filing, tracking, and retrieval, please send comments via email.”  

John White
State Engineer
Office of the State Engineer
1201 Main Street, Suite 600
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 737-0768
jswhite@mmo.sc.gov

SCSPE, SCPLS & the SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Hold Ceremony for Newly Licensed Engineers at State House
Seventeen newly licensed engineers and surveyors came to the State House, July 20 to be given their licenses by Registration Board Chair, Mr. Gene Dinkins.

Along with Mr. Dinkins were other Registration Board members Mr. Andy Kinghorn, Ms. Theresa Hodge, Dr. Cecil Huey, Ms. Nancy Cottingham, Mr. M.L. Love, Mr. Chuck Joye, and Mr. Thurl Amick.  . Ms. Jan Simpson, Registration Board Administrator also attended the ceremony.

Mr. Dinkins listing many famous engineers and surveyors such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Devinci, etc. charged the newly licensed engineers and surveyors to take their professions and their responsibilities seriously and encouraged them to become active in their professional associations.

Family members of the newly licensed snapped pictures as Mr. Dinkins gave the registrants their certificates.

A special treat this year, new licensees were able to be photographed with the Registration Board on the Senate floor.  Following the ceremony, the registrants, family, guests, registration board members, SCSPLS and SCSPE members went to the Palmetto Club for a light reception. SCSPE has sponsored these ceremonies twice a year for some time.

Educational Foundation Scholarships Awarded
By:  Josh Fowler, P. E., Board of Trustees President
The Trustees for the SCSPE Educational Foundation are pleased to announce the award of three $1,000 scholarships for the upcoming school year.  These scholarships are awarded annually to rising Juniors and Seniors majoring in engineering at one of the three state engineering schools.  This year’s scholarship recipients are all from Clemson University:

            Seth Horn                   Austin King                Lindsey Speed     

These scholarships continue to make a difference in the lives of aspiring Engineers.  In the coming months, we will highlight this year’s recipients and how the scholarships impacted them.

Seth Horn, a Junior from Summerville, is a Mechanical Engineering major.   He explains how the Educational Foundation scholarship helps him reach his goal of becoming an Engineer:

Seth Horn

Being awarded this scholarship further proves to me that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed and it also serves as an incentive for me to keep performing well.  Receiving this scholarship also allows me to maintain my focus solely on academics and less on the cost of obtaining this type of education. 

Further, these Educational Foundation scholarships help lay the foundation for the future of our profession and NSPE/SCSPE.  Seth is a great example of this:

I am extremely honored to receive this recognition from your prestigious society and in the future when I am a fellow mechanical engineer and member of the SCSPE I hope to be to able to award a scholarship to a deserving student.

These scholarships would not be possible without the generosity of all Educational Foundation Members and Contributors.  With the rising cost of education, the Foundation is striving to increase the amount of these scholarships, and the quantity.  WE NEED YOUR HELP!  For information on how to become a Member or Contributor, please contact me at joshf@dsouth.com.

The SCSPE Educational Foundation was established in 1990 to serve as a bridge between the present and the future.  The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides a way for individuals and corporations to contribute to programs and services that continue and advance the field of engineering.

SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Loses Three Staff Personnel
Ms. Jan Simpson, SCSBRPES Administrator, informed the registration board at its July meeting three employees have been reassigned to the LLR Office of Licensure and Compliance.

Ms. Tiffany Connelly will continue to process engineer and surveyor applications in her new position in the OLC division, Ms Miriam Berry, a longtime registration board employee, will work on the licensure renewals in OLC. Ms. Wanda Cook is expected to handle portfolio applications.

The remaining registration board staff – Ms. Simpson, Ms. Melissa Jones and Ms. Alice Richardson and Ms. Sherri Moorer are responsible for board meetings, laws and regulations, hearings and “non-routine” applications.

SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Administrator Given Additional Regulatory Board
Ms. Jan Simpson, SCBRPES administrator, has been given the responsibility of the SC Board of Landscape Architectural Examiners, formerly an Advisory Council under the Department of Natural Resources. This regulatory board was moved to LLR following a law passed last legislative session.

Mr. Sherri Moorer, a longtime employee of the Advisory Council, joins Ms. Simpson’s staff and will handle the licensing responsibilities for landscape architects and eventually assist with work for the engineering and surveying board as well as the architect’s board.

Extension of Government Permits Approved
A bill passed and signed into law by Governor Mark Sanford extends certain permits and approvals for the developers.

Due to the crisis in the real estate/finance sector of our state and national economy, real estate developers, including residential developers and commercial developers have experienced an industry-wide decline, including reduced demand, canceled or delayed orders, declining sales and rentals, price reductions, increased inventory, layoffs, and delayed construction plans. Many permits issued during the recession are now near expiration, or they have already expired.

A bill (H.4545) to address the permit extension problem in the construction/development industry was introduced this past session by Rep. Dwight Loftis (Greenville) and Senator Ray Cleary (Myrtle Beach).  The bill passed the SC General Assembly and was signed by Governor Sanford on May 19, 2010.  The purpose of this bill is to prevent the wholesale abandonment of already-approved projects by tolling the term of these permits for a finite period of time as the economy improves.  The extension of these permits and approvals is necessary to maintain the value of the collateral and the solvency of developers and financial institutions throughout the State.

The bill resurrects development and building permits by state and local government agencies that were valid on January1, 2008, but have since expired.  It allows the resurrected permits to remain valid through December 31, 2012.  For example, if a development permit had expired on December 31, 2009, it is now renewed and valid through December 31, 2012 (3 additional years).

For permits that were still valid on May 19, 2010(bills effective date), the bill provides a “tolling period”, which stops the clock on the permit through December 31, 2012.  For example, a DHEC permit had three months left on it on May 19.  Permit now remains valid through December 31, 2012, plus three months. Permit will now expire March 31, 2013.  The additional time provided by the bill insures that the permit doesn’t expire and that a new permit does not have to be purchased.

Permits included in this “pause” period, include land disturbance, storm water, coastal zone consistency certificates, water/waste water permits, 401 water quality certification, OCRM critical area permits, DHEC air quality, site specific development plans, building permits, etc.

In the case of building permits that have expired for one year or more during the applicable period, the local government must extend the building permit at no additional cost.  However, the construction of the new building must comply with existing rules (building codes) and regulations at the time the building permit is reissued.

Permits excluded from this “pause” period, include a number of federal permits and administrative consent orders. The law allows a government entity to revoke or modify a development approval as permitted by law, and it has no effect on Certificate of Need or Demonstration of Need certificates issued by DHEC.

SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Approved Funds for Educational Programs Exceed $50,000
The SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors began providing educational funds to organizations in 2008.

State law allocates $10 of each engineer’s and surveyor’s registration fee to be allocated to an educational fund to assist in providing continuing education for registered engineers and surveyors.

Since 2008, the registration board has approved requests totaling $52,468. ACEC-SC, ASCE-SC, SCSPE and SCSPLS have received funds for programs where professional development hours are awarded.  ASCE-SC also received funds to develop a web-based course for the PE Exam.

These funds have helped bring strong technical and management programs to engineers and surveyors.  

Wilbur Smith Associates and CDM Discussing Merging
Wilbur Smith Associates and CDM are currently in discussions about merging the two firms.

Each firm is a global leader in the consulting industry. CDM’s primary business is in water, wastewater, and environmental, while WSA is known for their expertise in all facets of transportation. This merger would bring together one of the nation’s top water and environmental firms with one of the nation’s top transportation firms.

A merger between WSA and CDM would represent a strategic opportunity for both firms, which have compatible cultures and values, complementary capabilities, strong commitments to exceptional client service and technical excellence, and well-matched geographies. Both firms are employee owned; therefore this merger will require a vote by shareholders.

Because the firms are currently in the process of due diligence, further details are not available at this time. It is anticipated that discussions will continue through the fall.

CDM is a consulting, engineering, construction, and operations firm delivering exceptional service to public and private clients worldwide.

WSA is a professional services consulting firm that specializes in transportation, infrastructure and community development planning, engineering, and economics.

Life Cycle Engineering Awarded $1.7M T&E/S&T Contract via the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Simulation Training Instrumentation (PEO STRI) to Build a Net-Centric Software Development Kit
Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) has been awarded a contract sponsored by the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) Net-Centric Systems Test Technology Area Test & Evaluation / Science & Technology (T&E/S&T) program.

This contract was awarded via the Acquisition Center to build a Government Off-The-Shelf software development kit (SDK) that facilitates the visualization and testing of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) based environments. An SDK is a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create or augment applications for a software package.

The cost plus fixed fee contract award has a three year period of performance with a value of $1.7 million.

“Life Cycle Engineering has developed a Virtual Management Information Base (VMIB) concept that addresses the technological gaps associated with the information domain of warfare,” shares David Johnson, Senior Vice President of LCE’s Applied Technology Group. “Managing and monitoring the Net-Centric distributed infrastructure, plus testing of integrated architectures and information operations, is vital to U.S. military efforts and LCE is proud to be able to support these leading-edge technology challenges.”

Life Cycle Engineering is a leading provider of reliability consulting, engineering services, and applied technology solutions that help both government and private enterprises achieve sustainable success.

Widely recognized as the premier provider of innovative and successfully executed reliability and maintenance solutions worldwide, areas of focus for LCE include: design and engineering, logistics support, information technology applications, program management, change management, education, and holistic implementations of Reliability Excellence (Rx). Founded in 1976, LCE is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina with offices across North America.

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. Acquires Jordon, Jones and Goulding, Inc.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. acquired Jordan, Jones and Goulding, Inc. a 500-person professional services firm.

JJG significantly expands Jacobs position in the North American water and wastewater market, and broadens the company's strong position in the global aviation, transit, and transportation infrastructure markets.

Founded in 1958, JJG is based in Atlanta, Ga. and has 17 offices across the southern U.S., including South Carolina. The highly respected company provides engineering, planning and consulting services for water, wastewater, environmental and other clients.

The addition of JJG to Jacobs gives both companies the ability to provide comprehensive water solutions for clients, from assessments, planning, and design of new systems to the expansion and upgrade of existing systems.
In making the announcement, JJG President and Chief Executive Officer Don Allen said, "We expect our employees and clients to benefit greatly from us joining Jacobs. Combining our capabilities with a company that shares our values allows our employees to continue to grow, and it provides a larger platform to better serve our clients."

Jacobs President and Chief Executive Officer Craig Martin said, "JJG has a very talented team. Their expertise in water infrastructure is not only a great complement to Jacobs strengths, but it also positions us for growth." Martin went on to say, "Like many other challenges resulting from the aging infrastructure worldwide, water and wastewater is a critical concern. This acquisition boosts our global capabilities to support public and private clients with the water solutions they urgently need."

Jacobs is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional, and construction services.