www.wgkengineers.com	Williford, Gearhart & Knight, Inc. Engineers & Surveyors Volume 1, Issue 6, August 20, 2008
Lake Lorman Utility District
Madison, Mississippi
			When the Lake Lorman Water System began to fail, the community arranged for an emergency tie-in with the Bear Creek Water System. While initially meeting their needs, the Lake’s Utility Board wanted more autonomy over their system.	Another Christian Book? There are so many Christian books on the market now it is amazing and overwhelming to choose what to read next. People recommend at least five books a week that I should read immediately. There are self help books, spiritual discipline books, men’s books, women’s books, parenting books etc… How many different ways can we as men try to explain the gospel of Jesus Christ? To admit that it is a mystery that we will never truly understand is hard for most of us; especially the educated elite. Seminary was a tough place for a simple man like me. However, I was recently challenged by a good friend to read a book called The Shack. The first few chapters were absolutely gut wrenching, but for some unknown reason I could not put the book down. The rest of the book challenged everything I was taught about God in church and seminary. It was unbelievably captivating and beautiful. I am using this editorial to suggest that you read the book and open your mind to the possibilities of our God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I am not sure that I agree with everything written in the book because it is a fictional story, but what a wonderful picture of God’s love for us. What a beautiful depiction of the Gospel! READ THE BOOK!
The Board asked WGK to design a new water well and a elevated storage tank, and to make improvements to the existing distribution system. The well would have to provide 200 gallons per minute with the tank storing 200,000 gallons of finished water. The low bid on the project came in at almost $1.05M, more than the Board had anticipated. Looking for options to lower the price tag, WGK came up with a solution which saved the district over $170K in construction costs. The tank would be downsized from 200,000 gallons to 150,000 gallons. Additionally, the site work for the overall project would be broken out as a separate contract. In this way, the tank contractor and the well contractor would not have to each provide their own site work and some economy of scale could be gained. The construction began in April 2007 with the tank construction following in January 2008. Startup was this past June. As with most water startups, there were a few initial water quality issues dealing with pressure, turbidity, and chlorine levels, all of which have since been resolved. Many thanks to the WGK team of Bill Gilliland, Wes McCleese, Greg Gearhart, Larry Coleman, and Steve Massey. While any project has its share of lessons learned, this particular one has reemphasized the old saying from your grade school teacher that indeed “spelling counts.” Just ask the folks of Lake Loreman, I mean Lorman. Article by: Brian Standley
							J. Michael McDade 325 Hwy 80 East, Suite 145 Clinton, MS 39056 601-506-3579 mike@eyesoftheheart.com For information on ordering “The Shack” just click on the book to the left.
				Unusual Survey Helper
Mayor Alton Shaw Town of Wesson, MS				The WGK Survey crew got a helping hand from an unusual friend. The hawk (pictured right) landed on the GPS equipment out in a field and decided he didn’t want to move. You have to admit the hawk is a beautiful creature and not one that we often see so up close. Thanks to the survey guys for sharing this picture with everyone.
Mayor Alton Shaw is originally from North Mississippi, being born in Oxford. He moved to Wesson with his family in 1990 and was elected Mayor in 2003, sworn in on his 29^th birthday. During his tenure, the Town of Wesson has made great strides forward to become a prosperous and developing community. Mayor Shaw is a graduate of Wesson Attendance Center and holds five separate collegiate degrees from colleges such as Copiah-Lincoln Community College, the University of MS Medical Center, and the University of Southern MS. He also holds multiple specialty certifications in a variety of medical courses, serving as adjunct faculty and teaching courses for three different colleges. Along with his mayoral duties, Mayor Shaw also works as a Registered Nurse in a local emergency room. Prior to that he worked for eight years as a paramedic throughout the Hinds, Rankin, and Madison county areas. Mayor Shaw serves on the MS Municipal League’s Board of Directors, and was recently appointed to the league’s health committee. He also serves on the state advisory council for citizen corps and was appointed last year by the governor to the MS State Department of Health’s EMS Advisory Council, which acts to set policies for all prehospital care throughout the state. Mayor Shaw is a very active member of Wesson Baptist Church and serves on several committees of other local and county organizations. He was recently married to the former Christy Funderburke of Rankin County; they wed on June 14, 2008. He has one son, Benjamin, who is eight.				$AVE GAS & MONEY Even though gas prices have dropped recently, the price is still at a record high. Are you looking for ways to save gas and money? Below are a few tips to help conserve gas and improve your mileage: · Fill up when it's cool and before holidays. Cooler temperatures in the early morning or late evening create less vapor. Also, getting a fill-up three days before a holiday will help you save on the per-gallon price at the pump. · Remove junk from the trunk. Added weight in your vehicle affects fuel economy, so take unnecessary items out of your trunk. · Avoid rooftop carriers. Approximately one quarter of each gallon of gas is needed to overcome wind resistance, so avoid carrying things on your roof. If necessary, use an aerodynamic carrier to help minimize drag. For more information on ways to save gas please visit www.goodwrench.com and click on Fuel Efficiency Tips.
If something is happening in your town/city that you want to include in this section please send me an e-mail at srand@wgkengineers.com
		26^th Annual Old Court House Flea Market Saturday, October 4, 2008 Vicksburg, Mississippi (8 a.m. until 5 p.m. rain or shine) Two hundred booths of arts, crafts, collectibles, plants, antiques, food, etc., and vendors are set up on the square at street level around the Old Court House. Applications to reserve space may be printed from this website under “Frequent Downloads.” For more information contact George “Bubba” Bolm at 601-636-0741 or visit www.oldcourthouse.org and click on upcoming events.
					Destination Downtown Regional Main Street Conference Bay St. Louis, October 6-8
The 31st Annual Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival September 20, 2008 Greenville, Mississippi www.msdeltablues.com
14th annual roosevelt day Roosevelt State Park Morton, MS August 22, 2008 MDA, DEQ, USACE, DOT, MSDH, BOB & RUS This is your opportunity to get answers and speak your mind about issues that affect the entire engineering community. For more information on this event please visit: www.acecms.org and click on upcoming events.
		If you like to scrapbook then you’ll be interested in a cool site created by owner Kim Crothers who lives in Ridgeland, MS. Kim teaches classes, including on-line, about digital scrapbooking and she makes presentations at local stores. Some of her layouts have even been featured in Better Homes & Gardens “Scrapbooks”.
		Creative Snaps offers fun, fresh, unique, & stylish digital scrapbooking kits for purchase or download. They have frequent contests on the site and also offer freebees. If you’re interested please visit www.creativesnaps.com for more information.
DTV TRANSITION: On February 17, 2009, analog television broadcasting will end for full-power stations. After that date, if you get TV broadcasts with an antenna over the air, you will receive only digital signals. This does not mean you need to get a new television set. There will be converter boxes to change the digital signal to one that analog sets can receive. You may be able to obtain up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of converter boxes. The program will be run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a part of the U.S. Department of Congress. For more information on the digital conversion, including information on a government coupon program for converter boxes, please see information below: · Apply online at www.dtv2009.gov (Download a coupon application here) · Mail the coupon application to: P.O. BOX 2000 Portland, OR 97208-2000 · Fax the coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-888-388-4632) · Or, call the Coupon Program 24-hour hotline at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009), TTY 1-877-530-2634 You can also visit www.dtvtransition.org for more information.
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