burns & mcdonnell 2000 no. 1 & mcdonnell 2000 no. 1. beyond the scope looking over this...

Taking OffProgram managementsmooths the way

Boiling UpSpeed countsfor power plant

Field WorkPlanning power linesin wide-open spaces

Taking OffProgram managementsmooths the way

Boiling UpSpeed countsfor power plant

Field WorkPlanning power linesin wide-open spaces

Bench MarkBurns & McDonnell 2000 No. 1

B e y o n d T h e S c o p e

Looking over this first issue of Bench Mark for the year 2000,I’m proud of all the ways Burns & McDonnell is helpingclients prepare for an exciting future.

As management services consultants, we’re aiding theirefforts to remain competitive in a changing business and reg-ulatory climate. As scientists and engineers, we’re workingto meet energy demands in ways that protect environmentalquality. As information management specialists, we’reapplying technology to allow instant evaluation of geograph-ic data relevant to clients’ goals.

And in our role as program managers, we’re helping ourclients’ future take shape with modernized, expanded airportfacilities, innovative water treatment systems, and power andprocessing plants.

Our clients have long relied on our expertise in designingfacilities and supervising construction. So much that moreand more they’re calling on Burns & McDonnell to assistthroughout the process with complete oversight and coordi-nation of complex programs, such as the upgrades atPhiladelphia and Kansas City International Airports featuredin our story on page eight.

In the new millennium, we expect our clients to be facedwith implementing capital programs without adequate staffto oversee and maintain them. As designers, constructorsand program managers, we’re prepared to be the owners’advocate. From feasibility studies and concept developmentthrough occupancy of facilities that are responsive to theirneeds, we’re serving clients in a cost-effective and timelymanner. We are prepared to be, and look forward to being,an important resource and partner for our clients as we moveinto the future together.

Past and Future Partners

David M. GriffithVice PresidentAviation Services

Burns & McDonnell

Dave Ruf, Chairman and CEOGerry Bukowski, Vice President and General CounselMark Taylor, Vice President, Treasurer and CFORick Beck, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Marketing

SPECIALTIESInfrastructure, Water and Wastewater (816) 822-3008Joel Cerwick, Vice PresidentJim Foil, Vice President

Energy Services (816) 822-3205Greg Graves, Vice President Dan Froelich, Vice President

Electric Transmission and Distribution (816) 822-3056Walt Womack, Vice President

Environmental Studies and Permitting(816) 822-3057Dan Froelich, Vice President

Aviation and Industrial (816) 822-3060Dave Griffith, Vice President

Management Services (816) 822-3013Dave Christianson, Vice President

Construction Services (816) 822-3118Don Greenwood, Vice President

Chemical Process (816) 361-7999Nofsinger DivisionDon Greenwood, Vice PresidentTom Armstrong, Vice President and COORowland Nofsinger, Vice President

Waste Management (816) 333-8787Paul Hustad, Vice PresidentJohn Ruf, Vice President

International Projects (816) 333-3158Burns & McDonnell InternationalRick Beck,Vice President

Colbert-Burns & McDonnell Golf, LLC (816) 333-9400Jim Foil, Director

OFFICE LOCATIONSKansas City(816) 333-9400 Fax: (816) 333-36909400 Ward ParkwayKansas City, Missouri 64114

Atlanta, Georgia (770) 671-0409Pat Croker, Vice President

Chicago, Illinois (312) 454-0674Westmont, Illinois (Chicago) (630) 654-0220Steve Linnemann, Vice President

Dallas, Texas (972) 248-9570Rick Norton, Manager

Denver, Colorado (303) 721-9292Dennis Whitney, Manager

Fenton, Missouri (636) 305-0077Curt Fahnestock, Manager

Houston, Texas (713) 622-0227Judith James, Manager

Jacksonville, Florida (904) 296-7022Fred Tarverdi, Manager

Long Island, New York (516) 221-8426Dean Scari, Manager

Los Angeles, California (714) 632-5183Clay Rumbaoa, Manager

Miami, Florida (305) 461-2233Armando de León, Manager

New York, New York (212) 696-0900Martin Durney, Manager

O’Fallon, Illinois (618) 632-0354Mark Everett, Manager

Phoenix, Arizona (602) 553-1196Bob Schulz, Manager

Portland, Oregon (503) 224-6880Jared Smith

San Diego, California (858) 547-9869Jeff Thornbury, Manager

San Francisco, California (650) 871-2926Kurt Janisch, Manager

St. Louis, Missouri (314) 821-9016Bob Berry, Vice PresidentMike McComas, Vice President

Tulsa, Oklahoma (918) 744-7111Valerie McCaw, Manager

Wichita, Kansas (316) 941-3921Brian Meier, Manager

INTERNATIONAL OFFICESAtkins • Burns & McDonnell Ltd.Epsom, Surrey, EnglandSingapore

Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co.Taipei, Taiwan

Burns & McDonnell Pty. LimitedBrisbane, Australia

Bench Mark 2000 No. 1 3

C o n t e n t s

D e p a r t m e n t s4

Start UpAsset advisory. Attention to attenuation. Funwith geography. Reaching equilibrium.

15Off LineNew technology makes an old-time powersource practical.

16A Natural BeautyColbert-Burns & McDonnell meshes form andfunction at Sycamore Ridge golf course.

12

Going WestHow do you find a route for a line that hasn’t beenpermitted in a state for 15 years? Very carefully.

6

Bringing Up BoilerBurns & McDonnell begins the challengingtask of replacing a nominal 500-megawattcoal-fired boiler that exploded in February1999.

14

TEA It UpFind out how the federal highway bill signedby President Clinton in 1998 makes it easierto obtain money for transportation projects.

For the latest listing of our worldwide offices and more information about the Burns & McDonnell Companies, visit us on the Internet athttp://www.burnsmcd.com

Printed on Recycled Paper

© 2000 Burns & McDonnell Marketing, Communications & Research

Corporate Marketing Manager Kevin FoxContributing Editors Joe Bathke and Margaret SmithPrinting Production Manager Bill CrippenArt Direction & Design Cynthia Cain

On The Cover: A computer-generated rendering of acompleted facility at Philadelphia International Airport.Burns & McDonnell is providing owner’s representativeand program management services for the fast-trackproject.

8

Clear the RunwayProgram management readies airport projectsfor takeoff.

Q:

S t a r t U pTechnical Q&A

In the past, asset valuation for utilities was simpler — book

value was used to calculate allowedreturn. Today, with deregulation andprivatization turning up competitivepressure, knowing the actual value ofyour assets is imperative. An accurateappraisal can give your utility anadvantage in merger and acquisitionnegotiations, obtaining financing, andin long-range planning.

Reliable assessment of plant and equip-ment requires accounting proficiency,

knowledge of the industry, and techni-cal expertise.

For example, fair market value may beestimated by considering the discount-ed value of future income flow likely tobe generated by the asset, but the esti-mate is only as accurate as the apprais-er’s evaluation of market factors.Thorough industry knowledge addsreliability to the projection.

Utilities today are challenged to makemanagement decisions based on effi-

cient use of capital assets. Knowingthe actual value of assets, as deter-mined by an expert appraiser, helpsform a basis for sound decisions.

Through vapor/liquid equilibrium,chemical compounds that would nor-mally go to waste can be recycled andused again.

“When you heat a liquid mixture, youproduce a vapor that has a differentchemical composition than the liquid,”says Don Meyer, a chemical engineerfor Nofsinger, Inc., Burns &McDonnell’s process subsidiary. “Invapor/liquid equilibrium, we use thiscomposition difference to purify materi-als. This is the basis for distillation.”

Vapor/liquid equilibrium is most com-monly seen in cooking. A heated pot ofwater will eventually reach the boilingpoint, where vapor and water co-existin the same space.

Why is asset appraisal important in managing a utility’stransition to a competitive environment?

Q:A:

Brian D. Farber is anassociate project con-sultant in the man-agement servicesgroup.

Vapor/Liquid Equilibrium

A:

This process was used to solve a prob-lem for a client. The client, a chemicalmanufacturer, had drums containinghydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid andwater.

“There is a lot of data out there on howto predict vapor/liquid equilibrium forone acid dissolved in water,” Meyersays. “But when you have more thanone, you’ve got all sorts of ionic matterfloating around that you have to figureout, and it gets more complicated.”

4 Burns & McDonnell

Using an electrolyte model and asophisticated computer program,Meyer and chemical engineer DaveNispel were able to show the clienthow to separate these acids.

“These drums of acids were basicallygoing to waste,” Meyer said. “Armedwith the knowledge we provided theclient, he could now recycle theseacids and put them to use in his facili-ty.”

Acids

SulfuricAcid

Liquid

condensate

Steam

Vacuum pump

water

water

Vapor

HydrochloricAcid

VaporNofsinger engineers

used an electrolyte

model to simulate the

process at left. The pro-

cess separates

hydrochloric acid from

sulfuric acid.

Like a medical examiner or researcher,Kristin Eder spends part of her timesearching for evidence under the fluo-rescent glare of laboratory lights.

Her sleuthing skills won’t solve crimesor hunt down viruses, but they willhelp clean up the earth. Eder, an envi-

ronmental engineer with Burns &McDonnell Waste Consultants, Inc.(WCI), uses the lab time to look forsigns of natural attenuation, naturallyoccurring processes that reduce themass, volume, toxicity or concentrationof contaminants in groundwater.

Eder’s work offers clients a cost-effec-tive, non-intrusive method of ground-water remediation. But there’s more toit than just letting nature take its course.Natural attenuation involves repeated

monitoring, groundwater sampling,and, in some cases, labwork.

“What I’m looking for are linesof evidence indicating the con-

If you could know vital informationthat would help you find the best pos-sible site for your landfill or the cheap-est route for your fiber-optics line —and could access it with the click of amouse — wouldn’t that help you makeimportant decisions for the good ofyour organization?

The answer from Burns & McDonnell’snew Geographic Information Systems(GIS) services is a resounding “Yes!”And this group is dedicated to helpingclients make those very decisions.

“Everything — from a substation in anew subdivision to a water supplymain — has geographic information

associated with it,” says Cleve DeVault,manager of the group. “What we do istake that type of information, relate itto other project data, and make it reallyeasy and efficient to retrieve. From thatpoint, we can manipulate or analyze itany way we want.”

GIS services can use the information totell a client what the market is for newenergy demands, the adequacy of fireprotection for commercial or industrialdevelopment, or even where a watersupply main has leaks in need of repair.

“GIS creates enormous efficiency in thework we do for our clients,” DeVaultsays. “Clients are demanding this typeof efficiency and a new approach totheir projects, and through GIS services,we are providing it.”

GIS turns data collected from projects into

spatial and tabular information that can be

used for a variety of enterprise solutions.

taminants are degrading over time,”Eder says. “If I can’t get the evidenceI’m looking for at the site, then I head tothe lab for more detailed analysis.”

Eder is currently analyzing groundwatersamples in the lab from a site in Kansas.She is duplicating site conditions todetermine whether attenuation of a par-ticular chemical is occurring at a chlori-nated solvent groundwater plume, andif so, at what rate.

Her results will be important in deter-mining whether attenuation at the sitemeets federal and state guidelines, andwhat, if any, other types of remediationwill be needed — possibly saving thou-sands in cleanup costs for the client.

Geography Lesson

The Natural Way


Commercial Property

Subdivisions

Water Mains

Roads

Reality

Mini-Profile

6 Burns & McDonnell

“Speed” is the word for Burns &

McDonnell engineers and environmen-

tal experts as they plunge into the mas-

sive job of replacing a Kansas City, Mo.,

power plant boiler that was destroyed

by an explosion in February 1999.

The new nominal 500-megawatt pul-

verized coal-fired boiler, which is large

enough to provide electricity to approx-

imately 100,000 households, is being

designed and built for Kansas City

Power & Light’s (KCPL) Hawthorn No.

5 generating station. Burns &

McDonnell, engineer for the project, is

adhering to an extremely aggressive

schedule to limit power-purchase costs

for KCPL.

“We chose Burns & McDonnell because

their accelerated EPC (Engineer,

Procure, Construct) approach to this

project was best for meeting our sched-

ule,” says Stephen Easley, director of

construction for KCPL. “We have also

used Burns & McDonnell before and

have been pleased with the results.”

Rod Robertson, Burns & McDonnell

project manager, estimates the normal

time frame to design and construct a

new coal-fired boiler of this size is

about four years. The Hawthorn plant

is scheduled to be designed, built and

in service in just over two years.

“If there is another boiler replacement

out there of this magnitude, I’m not

aware of it,” Robertson says. “There

have been occurrences where a dam-

aged boiler has been repaired using

replacement parts, but I don’t think an

entire pulverized coal-fired boiler has

ever been completely replaced.”

As Time PermitsBurns & McDonnell’s environmental

experts worked closely with regulators

and the firm’s own emissions control

designers to get the plant permitted in

about four months, says Block Andrews,

Burns & McDonnell air permitting spe-

cialist. Andrews says the normal time

frame for permitting a coal-fired plant is

between 12 and 18 months.

The permitting process included submit-

ting a 100-plus page report with 80 air

dispersion modeling runs and data such

as projected plant emission levels, and

the effect the plant would have on air

visibility and the area’s soils and vegeta-

tion.

“Our integrated design and permitting

services were one advantage Burns &

McDonnell brought to the process,”

Andrews said. “Plus, the quick actions of

the regulatory agencies helped make this

one of the fastest, most efficient permit-

ting processes you’ll ever see for a coal-

fired power plant.”

Clearing the AirSteve Bjorklun, Burns & McDonnell pro-

cess engineer, says a creative layout was


needed to fit the new boiler, which is

larger than the old one, and the new

emissions control equipment into the

available space on the plant site.

The new equipment will make

Hawthorn one of the cleanest coal-fired

plants in the country, Bjorklun says. It

includes selective catalytic reduction

for NOx control, a dry flue gas desulfu-

rization system for SO2 control and a

baghouse to control particulates and

visible emissions.

“With this state-of-the-art technology

this is as clean as a coal-fired unit

gets,” he says.

“If there is another boiler replacement out there of this m

agnitude, I’m not aw

are of it.”

Boiler Makers

Left: An explosion in February 1999 destroyed a power plant boiler at Kansas City Power & Light’s Hawthorn No. 5 generating station in Kansas City, Mo. Burns &McDonnell — which did not design the original boiler — is the engineer for a new nominal 500-megawatt coal-fired boiler being built at the same site.

F e a t u r e

You’ve been sitting on the runway for a while. The plane is

finally taxiing for takeoff, picking up speed. Pressed back in

your seat, you hear the engine pitch rise slightly, the wheels

lift, …and you’re off!

There’s nothing quite like the instant when you’re finally soar-

ing toward your destination. With the help of Burns &

McDonnell program management, that moment has arrived for

programs at Philadelphia International Airport and Kansas City

International Airport (KCI).

Planes soar

above the hori-

zon with the

support of air-

ports below.

Burns &

McDonnell

program

management

keeps airports

operating

smoothly in

the midst of

changes.

Continued on page 10

new parking garages, and relocation of oil

pipelines running through the site, all

within a two-year time frame.

“We were concerned about our schedule at

Philadelphia,” says U S Airways Facilities

Manager Ken Wiseman. “We hired Burns

& McDonnell to provide direction for the

project.”

The timetable was also uncertain at KCI,

where airport and airline officials hadn’t

yet reached agreement on a plan for termi-

nal reassignment. Both clients needed to

get their projects off the ground and flying

right.

U S Airways invited Burns & McDonnell

aviation specialist David Yeamans, who

recently completed a nationwide computer

and image upgrade for the airline, to

oversee the Philadelphia International

Airport project as an owner’s representa-

tive, with program director Ted Ferg

coordinating the massive expansion.

“We have a very difficult project,” says

Wiseman. “We had to have a firm that

we had complete confidence in. Burns &

McDonnell has unique capabilities in the

knowledge of airport design — and in

the qualities of their people.”

The Kansas City Aviation Department

also had confidence in Burns &

McDonnell — the firm served as primary

design consultant when the airport,

known for exceptional passenger conve-

nience, opened in 1972. Burns &

McDonnell airport operations consultant

Bret Pilney stepped in as program man-

ager for KCI’s update for the 21st centu-

ry.

Just as aircraft are carefully prepared for

takeoff, Burns & McDonnell program

managers first organized a framework

for the planning, monitoring and coordi-

nation needed to get the projects off the

ground. That meant negotiating agree-

ments, writing detailed program man-

agement plans, hiring staff, installing

computer systems and producing reams

of cost information and schedules — just

for starters.

“Our role is to review, coordinate and

assist in completing the facility on time

and on budget,” says Yeamans. “We

push and pull things along to resolve the

problems.”

Because the Philadelphia program has a

unique public/private structure,

Yeamans and Ferg were able to imple-

ment a fast-track plan to keep the expan-

sion on schedule. They also rapidly

assembled equipment and staff to create

a communications system designed to

enhance coordination.

10 Burns & McDonnell

Above: Map shows scope of $650 million PhiladelphiaInternational Airport terminal expansion. Right:Demolition makes way for new facilities.

Continued from page 9

The Kansas City Aviation Department’s

$156 million improvement program at

KCI involves reconfiguring airline assign-

ments to facilitate future expansion,

replacing HVAC systems, improving con-

cession and ground transportation ser-

vices and upgrading terminal interior and

exterior finishes. The facility-wide

improvements must be accomplished with

minimal disruption of passenger service.

The Philadelphia airport terminal expan-

sion, a joint project of U S Airways and

the city of Philadelphia, will add a 13-gate

international terminal, a 38-gate com-

muter terminal, and a 195-foot ramp con-

trol tower — at one of the nation’s busiest

air traffic hubs. The $650 million total pro-

gram includes a $90 million interstate

highway relocation, construction of two

Philly

“Communication will be the key element

in our success,” Yeamans says.

A cornerstone of that communications sys-

tem is an electronic information bureau

that allows on-line status reports. U S

Airways and the city of Philadelphia must

accomplish the expansion in tandem with

the interstate and oil pipeline relocation —

and meet a target completion date of 2002.

With dual project owners and multiple

components, instant transfer of informa-

tion will help avoid miscommunications

and delays.

Fostering communication — and gaining

agreement — was also key to program

management at KCI, where airlines initial-

ly balked at reconfiguration and space

reallocation.

“Airports are experts at their business, and

airlines are experts at theirs,” Pilney

explains. “There are areas where they have

different priorities. We looked for a collab-

orative solution.” Pilney says the collabo-

rative approach was possible because of

Burns & McDonnell’s specialized exper-

tise. “We’ve worked closely with both air-

ports and airlines. It’s enabled us to gain

perspective from both sides,” he says.

For the KCI program, Burns & McDonnell

guided a process that identified overall

goals and examined options, using aids

including simulated modeling, to help the

department and the airlines reach consen-

sus. As plans proceed, a web site will sup-

ply project updates and allow public com-

ment.

As both airport programs wing toward

completion, project owners have the secu-

rity of knowing that every detail is under

control — with Burns & McDonnell pro-

gram managers keeping the big picture in

sight.

Says Wiseman of client U S Airways:

“We’re convinced we made the right

choice.”


Burns & McDonnell, lead design consultant when KCI was built in1972, completes exterior pavement resurfacing. The KCI improve-ment also calls for relocation of passenger boarding bridges.

KCI

Timely, accurate communication is key tocomplex programs such as the PhiladelphiaInternational Airport terminal expansionand the Kansas City International Airportimprovements.

Contractors, stakeholders, and the publiccan stay in touch and track programprogress by visiting project sites via theInternet.

Burns & McDonnell built on-line informa-tion centers for the two programs, allow-ing project managers to share detailedinformation on design, schedule, and con-struction status. The sites include publicinformation areas, where construction pho-

tos of the Philadelphia program are postedmonthly, and the Kansas City site will fea-ture traveler updates.

“Travelers can check the web site to see ifthe airline location for their flight has beenreassigned because of construction,” saysColeen Burns, Burns & McDonnell’s commu-nications manager for the Kansas City pro-gram. “There’s also an area of the site forthe public to ask questions or make com-ments about the improvements.”

Visit www.kcadprojects.com for informationon the Kansas City International Airportimprovements, and www.phl-pmo.com forinformation on the PhiladelphiaInternational Airport terminal expansionprogram.

O n S i t e

In two years, a 345kV transmissionline will run seamlessly through thepatchwork farmland of westernKansas, soaring over the grazing cattlewho walk the earth beneath.

But there’s one thing the cattle willnever fathom: Burns & McDonnell’sintense work to overcome vague regu-lations and a skeptical public to find aroute for the line that will have mini-mal impact on homes, people, farm-land, and, yes, cattle.

Background: Burns & McDonnell wasselected to find a route for 330 miles(531 kilometers) of transmission linefor New Century Energies. The linewill begin in southeastern Colorado,head east into western Kansas, andthen south through Oklahoma intoTexas. The line will allow energytransfers between utilities in theregion.

Problems: Kansas regulations pertain-ing to 345kV transmission lines arevague, partly because it’s been 15years since a line of that size has beenpermitted in the state.

“In most states, the process you haveto go through to permit such a line isso detailed it looks like a list of ingre-dients in a cookbook. That’s definitelynot the case in Kansas,” says DaleTrott, Burns & McDonnell projectmanager. “That’s why we first

Permitting on the Plainsexplained every step in our routingprocess to the Kansas CorporationCommission (KCC) staff and thenkept in close contact with them sothey could tell us what they felt wasnecessary to make this work.”

Solution: Burns & McDonnell beganthe process with an intense publicinformation campaign. Personal invi-tations were sent to hundreds ofwestern Kansas residents to attendfour public meetings on the project.At the meetings, three differentroutes were presented. Based on pub-lic comment and analysis of environ-mental impacts, some changes weremade and a route was selected.

Public involvement did not endthere. Burns & McDonnell and NewCentury Energies participated in aninformational hearing where resi-dents could quiz them on the project.Then a technical hearing before anadministrative law judge was heldwhere testimony could be presentedon both sides. No testimony was pre-sented on the “con” side.

“We felt that by the end of the publicinformation process, we were fullyaware of the range of issues and con-cerns raised by the public and couldthoroughly address them,” Trott said.

Burns & McDonnell’s environmentalexperts also performed an archaeo-

logical survey to ensure the line routedid not affect any significant culturalresources such as the Santa Fe Trail,which passes through westernKansas. They also came up with somecreative routing to minimize theimpact on agricultural operations.

“If you run a line route through west-ern Kansas, you’re going to encounterfarming operations no matter where itgoes,” Trott says. “Our route endedup taking several sharp turns to stayon the fringes of the cropland.”

Burns & McDonnell provided input tothe permit application that was sub-mitted to the KCC, then went backand performed additional work at thecommission’s request.

“Because there were no specific per-mitting guidelines, we generally wentby the guidelines used in otherstates,” Trott says. “Still, the KCCrequested additional informationabove and beyond those guidelines.”

Results: The siting permit wasapproved by the KCC. With the con-struction of the transmission line,New Century Energies will be able toconnect two of its subsidiary compa-nies and provide its customers withlower costs, increased transfer capaci-ty and better reliability.


Col

ora

do

thru

Right: Burns & McDonnell environmental and permit-ting experts worked closely with Kansas state regula-tors and the public to locate a route for a transmissionline with a design similar to the one seen here.


Western Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas

N e e d T o K n o w


alternatives, and adverse environ-mental impacts that cannot beavoided.

The flaw of the MIS process,Schikevitz says, was its one-size-fits-all nature.

“With an MIS, the transportationalternatives that apply toWashington, D.C., also had to bestudied by Chillicothe, Missouri,” hesays. “What was needed was astudy that was regionally appropri-ate.”

That can be found in TEA-21.Corridor studies replace the MIS andare tailored to suit a particularregion. The NEPA process can alsobe tailored to satisfy local andregional needs.

Burns & McDonnell’s comprehen-sive capabilities include many ser-vices that can help ease the processof highway funding and construc-tion, including extensive NEPAstudy experience and a design-buildapproach to projects (see sidebar).

“The new, streamlined process ofTEA-21 gives communities morecontrol and allows them to addresstheir most pressing transportationneeds in a timely manner,”Schikevitz says.

Time for TEATEA time is under way for cities, coun-ties and states who hope to nab federalfunds from a highway bill thatPresident Clinton signed into law in1998.

The Transportation Equity Act for the21st Century (TEA-21) offers a guaran-teed minimum level of federal fundsfor highway and transit programsthrough 2003. That level is $198 billion,an increase over funding in TEA-21’spredecessor, the Intermodal SurfaceTransportation Efficiency Act of 1991(ISTEA).

But TEA-21’s biggest asset, says Burns& McDonnell transportation depart-ment manager Ron Schikevitz, may bethe way it streamlines the process forreceiving money from the federal gov-ernment.

Under ISTEA, a major investmentstudy (MIS), as well as a NationalEnvironmental Policy Act (NEPA)study had to be performed in a rigor-ous, structured manner before a projectwould be approved for funding. TheMIS, which could take 18 months orlonger, involved studying multiplealternatives to the project, determiningthe impact of each alternative andevaluating the economic, environmen-tal, social and community aspects ofeach. NEPA, similarly, requires majortransportation projects to have anaccompanying report detailing theenvironmental impact of the action,

Design-build and TEA-21

With TEA-21, the design-build

method of project delivery can now

be used for federally funded trans-

portation projects costing $50 mil-

lion or more.

This is good news for communities

— with design-build, design and

construction take place concurrent-

ly, saving time and money. These

benefits are particularly acute with

transportation projects, where time

is of the essence, says Ron

Schikevitz, Burns & McDonnell

transportation department

manager.

“When you consider the cost bene-

fits associated with alleviating

potential traffic hazards and seri-

ous traffic problems, the benefits

of design-build start to pay enor-

mous dividends,” he says.

For more on Burns & McDonnell’s

design-build capabilities in trans-

portation, call Schikevitz at (816)

822-3478 or Dennis Hine at (816)

822-3831.

O f f L i n e

Think of windmills as rusted-outrelics standing abandoned in scat-tered farm fields?

Think again.

Jutting out of the craggy rock ofDelaware Mountain in West Texas are40 gleaming, white, tubular steeltowers rising over 170 feet, (53meters) topped with sculpted fiber-glass blades forming a three-prongedpropeller 164 feet (50 meters) indiameter. The futuristic-lookingstructures are 750kW wind turbines.Together they’re capable of supply-ing enough power for a small city.

Wind energy, once thought too ineffi-cient to compete with other types ofpower generation, is coming of age.U.S. Department of Energy SecretaryBill Richardson recently announcedthe federal government’s plan toboost national production of thisnon-polluting “green power” fromthe current 0.1 percent to 5 percent oftotal energy by the year 2020.

Burns & McDonnell teamed withZond Constructors, Inc., a division of

Enron, to work toward that future inthe Delaware Mountain Project.Zond furnished the wind turbines asa complete package with towers andfoundations. Burns & McDonnelldesigned the infrastructure connect-ing the turbine output to the utilitygrid.

With average daily winds exceeding50 miles an hour, (80 kilometers anhour) the remote site was ideal forwind power generation, but therugged terrain, populated by rat-tlesnakes, mountain lions, and scor-pions, presented a challenge. Federalsubsidies contributing to the project’sprofitability were scheduled to expireon June 30, 1999, calling for anaggressive project schedule.

Burns & McDonnell determined thatif traditional design methods, includ-ing line surveying, were used, theproject wouldn’t be completed ontime. Instead, engineers used a glob-al positioning system (GPS) to deter-mine the exact location of each pole.GPS coordinates were used indesigning an eight-mile (13-kilome-ter) 35kV overhead transmission line

able to withstand winter ice loadingand 100-mph (161-kph) winds. Thetechnique allowed the line design tobe developed in a few weeks.

The turbines were connected viaunderground cable to 480V/35kVstep-up transformers and individual-ly fused, allowing for isolation ofindividual turbines from the powergrid. Burns & McDonnell designed acombined fiber optic/microwavecommunications system that linkedturbines with an O&M building eightmiles away to transmit supervisorycontrol and data acquisition,(SCADA) information, and provideremote dial-up access.

The Delaware Mountain wind farmwas successfully completed by dead-line, providing a glimpse into afuture of non-polluting, infinitelyrenewable power that once tapped,can allow a wild landscape and itscreatures to exist undisturbed.

Wind Power


Available BeautyThanks to Colbert-Burns & McDonnell (CBM)and the city of Spring Hill, Kan., more golferswill be teeing off at a championship course insummer 2000.

Construction of Sycamore Ridge public golfcourse is under way in southern JohnsonCounty, Kan. When complete, it will offerchampionship quality — and affordablegreens fees.

The course winds over rolling hills and wood-land areas surrounding the lake supplyingwater to Spring Hill. With start-to-finishresponsibility for design, construction, andmaintenance, CBM planned Sycamore Ridge topreserve the beauty of the natural landscape— and protect Spring Hill’s water quality.

CBM used silt fences during construction anddesigned an underground drainage system tocarry storm runoff to a point below the dam.The course was laid out with a buffer zonearound the lake to preserve wetland habitat.

As grass sprouts and clubhouse constructionproceeds, the groundwork for an environmen-tally sound, professional-caliber facility isalready in place.

W o r k s I n P r o g r e s s

burns & mcdonnell 2000 no. 1 & mcdonnell 2000 no. 1. beyond the scope looking over this...

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