Newsletter - Spring 2012

Featured Article

Uncommon Wetland Invasive Species Studied for First Time in Wisconsin
Reed manna grass (Glyceria maxima) is an aggressive invasive plant species that ecologists historically don’t know much about. But that’s changing as ecologist Heather Patti of R.A. Smith National and wetland ecologist Alice Thompson of Thompson & Associates are embarking on the second year of a two-year field study of this uncommon invasive species.

In-Person Blogs

	Use a GIS Enterprise Solution to Better Manage Your Independent Data Systems Many agencies are seeking a GIS enterprise solution to manage multiple, independent data systems as a single system.
	Construction Survey Staking New Steel Mill Steel making is back! My hometown Pittsburgh is popping with activity around the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom. But another big story is steel and a new $1.3 billion steel mill project just north of Pittsburgh and near our office.
	Spring Has Sprung; Think Wetland Delineations Happy Spring! The fieldwork season for wetland delineations is quickly approaching.
	Remotely Manage Your Sanitary Sewer Flow Monitoring Sites R.A. Smith National is taking advantage of newer technology to remotely manage several sanitary sewer flow monitoring sites for multiple clients in southeastern Wisconsin.

Project Briefs

3D Laser Scanning the Wisconsin Rapids Bridge, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
Historic and offering simple elegance within a beautiful setting, a bridge with its design history lost is finding renewal through 3D laser scanning.

Allegheny Commons Park Pedestrian Bridge Renovation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
R.A. Smith National provided 3D laser scanning services for the design and relocation of an existing dilapidated pedestrian bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad within the Allegheny Commons Park in Pittsburgh.

7 Mile Road, Racine County, Wisconsin
Construction management services are being provided for this 1.3-mile, $10-million reconstruction and reconfiguration of the 7 Mile Road/I-94 interchange ramps and frontage roads.

Signage Inventory and Retroreflectivity Program, Waupun, Wisconsin
A sign inventory was conducted of more than 3,000 existing street signs in public rights-of-way in the City of Waupun and the Town of Waupun in support of a sign retroreflectivity program for the City of Waupun.

Pioneer Drive, Muskego, Wisconsin
Roadway plans and construction specifications are being prepared for the reconstruction of Pioneer Drive from Janesville Road (CTH L) to Racine Avenue (CTH Y).

Geodatabase Development/Data Conversion, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
An Esri geodatabase is being developed to best manage the city of Manitowoc’s sanitary sewer, storm sewer and storm water management datasets.

Target Simon Coddingtown Mall, Santa Rosa, California
Site civil engineering services are being provided to Simon Property Group for a new Target located at the 930,000 s.f. Coddingtown regional mall.

Southpointe Town Center, Cecil Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Civil engineering design was provided for this 39-acre mixed-use development.

Awards

Highland Road Bridge, Mequon, Wisconsin Receives Awards from WisDOT, Daily Reporter
R.A. Smith National has received an Outstanding Highway Construction Award from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and a Top Projects of 2011 award from “The Daily Reporter,” for the Highland Road Bridge project over I-43 in the city of Mequon, Wis. R.A. Smith National provided construction management and inspection services for the project.

Events

	SPAR International 2012 Conference, Houston, Texas - April 15-18, 2012 R.A. Smith National’s Jon Chapman, 3D laser scanning project manager, and Drew Miazga, R.L.S., 3D laser scanning technician, will attend the 9th annual SPAR International 2012 Conference.
	Integrating Native Landscapes and Stormwater, Milwaukee - April 26, 2012 Tom Mortensen will conduct a presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on April 26. Tom's presentation will review various design techniques, approaches, principles, successes, pitfalls and roadblocks to designing, getting approvals for and establishing a native landscape in anything but a natural environment – the stormwater facility.
	Miazga, Bratty to Attend ICSC ReCON Event, Las Vegas - May 20-23, 2012 RECon is the global real estate convention for the shopping center industry and provides networking, deal making and educational opportunities for retail real estate professionals from around the world.
	R.A. Smith National to Host LocateInWisconsin, Brookfield, Wisconsin - April 24, 2012 R.A. Smith National is hosting a workshop featuring LocateInWisconsin – a new program available through the new Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.