|
Williford, Gearhart & Knight, Inc. |
||||||||||
|
Engineers & Surveyors |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Volume 1,
Issue 11, January 23, 2009 |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Unless you’ve been locked in a Siberian work camp
for the last year, you’ve probably heard about the pending stimulus package
planned by the President-elect’s transition team along with members of
Congress. The actual dollar value is a
moving target; however, the most recent figure puts the entire package at
around $775 billion dollars. Yes,
billion with a “b.” A large chunk of
the proposed plan is scheduled for infrastructure projects. No one can deny with a straight face that
improvements to our infrastructure are in great demand, however, in order to
“stimulate” the economy, proposed projects need to be ready to execute
quickly. This will not be an easy
task. As recently stated in Fortune magazine:
Enter the term “shovel ready.” For the program to actually provide jobs
quickly, the new administration wants at least half of the proposed
infrastructure funding to go towards projects which can begin within 90 to
120 days. The balance of the
infrastructure funds are planned for projects which can be executed within
two years. With these pronouncements,
every professional and political entity in the country has been scrambling to
put together their “shovel ready” lists.
Due to the compressed nature of the timeline, projects likely to be
funded in the first round are road repairs which do not need a design,
projects that are designed but require additional funding for completion, and
equipment purchases, such as railroad engines and busses. The House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is concentrating on
eleven categories for funding including highways/bridges, transit, passenger
rail, aviation, environmental infrastructure, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
federal buildings, Economic Development Administration, Coast Guard, Maritime
Administration, and the St Lawrence Seaway.
A major issue which comes along with the spending of so much money is
finding a process by which to quickly get the funds obligated and still
maintain accountability. The natural
solution is to spend the money through existing mechanisms – such as community
development block grants (CDBG) and state revolving loan programs (SRF). But even these mechanisms may have trouble
processing such a vast sum of money in the time frames required. It is especially problematic that proposed
funding for water quality improvements is through the SRF program as
low-interest loans, not as grants.
Organizations have been providing suggested changes to the SRF program
to the USEPA to make payback less of a burden on municipalities (like
extending the payback period to 30 years) and making a portion of the water
quality allotment available as grants through SRF’s administrative
processes. What does all this mean for 1. What improvements can we accomplish
(such as repairs) without requiring any designs? 2. What valid projects do we have
completed designs for but have not yet constructed? 3.
What projects are ready for construction, however, the scopes had been
previously reduced due to cost restraints? 4.
What are our priorities for the longer term (two-year money) funding? 5.
Have we scoped the projects sufficiently? Will there be environmental concerns? Easements? Rights-of-Way? What can we honestly accomplish in the time
frames currently proposed? Finally, the pending stimulus teaches all of us an
important lesson: comprehensive
planning is an investment worth making.
Whether it’s a capital improvements plan (CIP), hazard mitigation
plan, or a solid waste management plan (SWMP), having current strategic plans
enables elected officials to make good decisions quickly when the Brinks
truck rolls into town. WGK is experienced at putting together
comprehensive infrastructure plans to help municipalities achieve their
strategic goals. If you think your city
/ town might be in need of some planning, feel free to contact Jeff Knight at
(601) 833-9598 to learn what we can do for you. For more information about
the stimulus, check out: Water
Infrastructure Network: American
Association of Officials: http://www.transportation.org/?siteid=99 Article
by: |
Making Men Being a father of two boys has probably
been one of the most daunting challenges for me as a man, but also one of the
most rewarding aspects of my life. At times I have felt more than inadequate
to father two boys in today’s society.
There are so many distractions in the lives of our youth (TV, sports,
education, church activities etc…). They also have numerous venues of communications
such as MySpace, Facebook, texting, cell phones and email. They are busier
than most professional people. Who is molding the future of our children; is
it us or is it Google and Nintendo? A man I respect highly gave me some
advice at a conference in Children have a special place in the
heart of Jesus. In Matthew 18 one of his strongest condemnations in all of
scripture concerns harming children, and the punishment He declares is worse
than a millstone around the neck and being dropped into the sea. You get the
picture. If they are so special to him then they should be that special to
us. Your time with your children is so short; schedule a special time each
week to show your children how special they are to you. Michael
McDade 325
Hwy 80 East, 601-506-3579 |
||||||||||
|
TIPS FOR KEEPING NEW |
|
||||||||||
|
Did you know that fewer than 10% of
the people who set New Years' Resolutions actually achieve them? How can you ensure YOUR success? Try using
the following tips: Be Realistic Make a “pro and con”
list Focus on One
Resolution Reward yourself Don’t beat yourself
up Stick to it Keep
Trying |
|||||||||||
|
CLIENT
SPOTLIGHT |
|
||||||||||
|
|
Thanks to Joe Byrd of Joe Byrd &
Associates, WGK Surveyors Wes Cowart and Chris Adams recently traveled to |
|||||||||
|
James Johnston was born in While employed at the SWMPDD, Mr.
Johnston worked closely with many of the cities and counties that are served
by the planning district, including the City of In 1999 he went to work for the City of
He works closely with the Board of
Supervisors, County Departments and local industry to obtain funding for both
community and economic development efforts. His efforts included securing funding
to improve the fire fighting efforts of the Claiborne County Fire Department
through the purchase of fire fighting equipment, the purchase of five (5)
fire trucks and the extensive renovation of three fire stations. Mr. Johnston also worked closely with the
Mississippi Development Authority in responding to the Nuclear 2010 Request
for Information (RFI) to NuStart Energy, a consortium of utility companies,
including General Electric and Westinghouse, to possibly secure the
construction of Unit III at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. In April 2007, he was named Interim
County Administrator by the Claiborne County Board of Supervisors. He was
named He is a member of the Mississippi
Economic Development Council and serves as President of the Port
Gibson-Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce. |
|||||||||||
|
Salmonella Infection Salmonella infection (salmonellosis)
is a common bacterial infection of the intestinal tract. Humans become infected most frequently
through contaminated food sources, such as poultry, meat and eggs. Typically, people with salmonella infection
develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours. Signs and
symptoms of salmonella infection generally last four to seven days. Most
healthy people recover without specific treatment. You can
contract salmonella infection by touching or ingesting anything contaminated
with salmonella bacteria. Reservoirs for the
microorganism include pet reptiles, dogs and cats, pigs and cattle, infected
humans, contaminated water, raw dairy products and chicken eggs. Salmonella
can survive for months in water, ice, sewage and frozen meat. Your risk of salmonella infection is higher
if you travel to countries with poor sanitation. Most
frequently, humans come in contact with salmonella through food sources such
as contaminated poultry, meat, eggs and egg products. Prevention Keep eggs adequately refrigerated (lower than 41 F),
and discard cracked or dirty eggs. Avoid keeping eggs unrefrigerated for more
than two hours. Cook eggs for 15 seconds or more at
145 F. Eat eggs promptly after cooking. Avoid eating raw eggs, as in cookie dough, homemade ice cream or eggnog. If you must
consume raw eggs, ensure that they have been pasteurized. Check the egg carton
or package for labeling. Wash your hands after contact with
animals,
including reptiles, rodents and other pets. For
more information on Salmonella please Click Here |
|||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
If something is happening in your town/city that you want to
include in this section |
|||||||||||
2009
|
For more
information Click Here |
Friday,
January 30, 2009 7:30
a.m. Guest Speaker:
Attorney B. Clint Gardner, The Gardner Group, P.A. His presentation
will be titled "Executives, Entrepreneurs, Equestrians and
Estates". Mr. Gardner will be discussing the importance of
estate planning in regards to business ownership, along with other
interesting facts. This is a very, very important topic that every business
owner and individual should be knowledgeable on. For more information please call the Brookhaven
Chamber at 601-833-1411. |
|||||||||
|
January 27 – 29, 2009 |
|||||||||||
|
Run Thru History 10K Road Race and Saturday,
March 7, 2009 For
more information about the race, obtaining an entry form or becoming a
sponsor please visit their website at |
2009
July
13-16, 2009 The MML Annual Conference is the
largest private association conference held in the state each year over 3,000
attendees during the four day conference. The conference agenda
includes training and education sessions, affiliate group and mayors'
association activities, the annual membership business meeting and election
of officers, the MML Hall of Fame inductions and the MML Excellence Awards
presentation. This year's conference will be July 13-17, 2009 in |
Activities for the day include a 5K walk-run, arts
and crafts, children’s activities, guided tours of historic sites and the
original Mississippi Venison Cook-Off. Saturday,
March 28, 2009 For more |
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
