How Communities and School Districts Can Collaborate and Plan for Population Growth

By Lori Johnson, Sr Professional Community Planner, WSB

The housing market is booming, and many families are making major investments in a new home, choosing houses and communities based on school district boundaries. But as communities rapidly grow, those school district boundaries can change. How are these decisions made and how are school districts and communities planning and adjusting to growth?

Developing a Master Plan

Cities plan for growth and explore ways to best utilize available land. Cities develop comprehensive plans that focus on areas of growth throughout a community, taking into consideration numerous elements like expected population growth, transportation access and road realignment, the utility capacity of the area, the natural aspects of the land (i.e., is the land wetland, heavily wooded, etc.), and more. Comprehensive plans are an important tool to guide zoning decisions and help communities grow with success.

The Relationship Between Communities and School Districts

When cities make land use decisions on where and how to develop and designate land, it’s important for school districts to be part of that conversation. In my experience as a city planner, I’ve been fortunate to work with many superintendents who proactively reach out to the city to talk about growth.

Working with cities at WSB, part of my job is to advise and encourage our clients to have meaningful discussions with their local school boards and superintendents. Examining school district boundaries, zoning, and projected growth can help build collaboration and confidence in decision making among leaders.

When School Districts Change Boundaries

For community members and families impacted by school districts altering boundaries, it can be confusing about who is making the decisions. School districts evaluate boundaries according to state law, and they look to cities to help explain where growth is likely to occur. At the end of the day, school districts own the process of setting up district boundaries and make decisions on where they build schools to meet the needs of their students and communities.

For school leaders looking to redraw boundaries, it’s critical to host public meetings and gather community input. Even holding one to two neighborhood level meetings before larger school board hearings can help alleviate concerns and better prepare leaders for these big conversations.

Furthermore, unexpected growth can place greater scrutiny on those decisions. When a school is built and is almost immediately at capacity – community members can be frustrated or feel like growth was not properly planned for. With the exponential and unexpected housing boom during the pandemic, sometimes even the best planned growth expectations can fall short of reality.

Clear and straightforward communication with the public and collaboration among community leaders is critical to zoning decisions, redrawing school boundaries, and building strong, resilient cities.

Lori has more than 25 years of experience working in a municipal planning department, having worked her way up through the planning department at the City of Blaine to become their city planner. She has worked in all aspects of city planning activities including project management, site plan and application review, public participation and long range planning.

[email protected] | 612.364.3029

Should Your Project Include a Constructability Review

By Christopher Kester, Sr Estimator, WSB

A constructability review is a useful project management tool that allows a client to “think like a contractor” throughout the design phase of a project. Looking at the buildability of a project, problem-solving cost, and risk in design has numerous benefits, providing clarity for both owners and contractors.

It is especially valuable to projects that have a higher degree of variability, whether in scope, size, location, subsurface conditions, schedule, or material shortages. Reviews consider the unique variables of every project and help better inform an owner of cost and risk, giving them the tools to make the best decisions possible for their individual needs.

Why include constructability review in your project planning? Here are five reasons why it adds value.

Greater Accuracy in Estimating Cost

It’s no mystery to anyone in the construction industry that right now costs are volatile. Whether it’s the price of oil, materials, or supply chain woes, estimating cost as accurately as possible and finding cost savings is critical.

Average prices are often used in our industry to estimate the cost of a project, but these baseline costs are relied upon too often – creating greater risk and opportunities for sizable miscalculation. Just think about the cost of materials and labor in 2021 for a project, and how much those costs have jumped in just one calendar year. Using data that could be as much as 15 months old, in a volatile market, and the significant variability of costs depending on the uniqueness of a project, shows the value of a constructability review and how it goes hand-in-hand with cost estimation.

Mitigating Risk

A constructability review provides value throughout the project’s design iterations from initial concept to final design. Every project involves risk, but the proper feedback during a constructability review can provide information to help the owner/designer better define scope and adjust their design plans and specifications as needed before the bidding process even begins. This allows contractors to better understand what to bid and how they will get paid, reducing their risk.

For example, think about how a contractor might approach a bid for a street reconstruction with no geotechnical report, and therefore not know the subbase conditions or how much pavement and base will need to be removed. That is a risk to the contractor, so they may bid higher to cover that risk. There is also a risk that unsuitable material is found once construction begins, which will increase the price of the work and potentially the schedule of the project. Understand, the contract documents how a contractor gets paid, and any uncertainty will increase pricing.

Mitigating risks should not be seen only as a means to reduce threats, but also as a way to identify opportunities to create positive outcomes. It is essential to analyze and monitor identified risks that could both positively or negatively impact the overall outcome of project. This aspect of a constructability review helps with building a mature risk register and determining evaluation practices to identify threats and opportunities appropriately.

Measure the Risk

Some risks cannot be mitigated or avoided, and a constructability review helps to identify them. The risk is thereby accepted and can be measured and calculated, along with the probability of it occurring

Furthermore, using the Monte Carlo simulation techniques and (PERT) Program Evaluation and Review Technique method to analyze the risks provides precise statistical results that accounts for thousands of potential outcomes. Utilizing these techniques to evaluate budget and schedule risk assists with improving predictability, provides guidance for effective monitor and control practices, and improves the ability to eliminate probable failures or reworks during execution.

Refining Design & Realizing Value Before Construction

Because a constructability review can be used throughout design stages, projects can identify constructability and payment issues before the bidding process which is more time and cost efficient than addressing them in the field with a contractor. Are you using a certain kind of pipe when a less expensive alternative could be substituted? Do your specifications leave a quantity up to each contractor to estimate and bid incidental or lump sum? These types of issues are easy to address throughout the design stages to save headaches down the road.

Especially for government and public entities – if bids come in higher than what was budgeted for, going back to the design process and rebidding will delay construction and add money and time to the project.

Tailoring Constructability Review to the Project

Perhaps most important is that a constructability review is scalable and can be adapted into any project. Whether it’s a high-level, one hour review into a focused risk or a deep dive in every stage of design, owners can integrate a constructability review plan that is tailored to meet their needs. Thinking like a contractor allows the owner to better understand the likely range of project costs before the bidding process begins and to improve the biddability of their plans by reducing the uncertainty for the contractor.

Chris spent most of his career with a regional construction company where he prepared production-based estimates in excess of $300 million annually, many of those being DOT or State-Aid. He provides the ability to analyze from the perspective of a contractor and assemble a contractor-style estimate while identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks.

[email protected] | 651.492.3853

How to Leverage Infrastructure Bill Funding to Advance Clean Water Projects

By Ray Theiler, Project Engineer and Ryan Spencer, Sr Environmental Scientist, WSB

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden late last year, provides a meaningful opportunity for communities across the country to invest in essential water infrastructure and address key challenges related to poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination and other emerging contaminants like manganese and nitrates.

There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and high levels in our water supplies can cause risk to human health, as well as environmental risks. But removing these chemicals from drinking water can be a serious cost to local governments, as they often have to monitor contamination levels and either retrofit or build new treatment facilities to manage it.

The majority of the money over the next five years will go through existing Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This is on top of existing dollars.

Protecting water resources and providing clean water is a critical role of local government, but it also can come with significant financial costs. For that reason, communities should be looking at how to take advantage of this historic investment in infrastructure and tap into funding opportunities.

Where to start? Here are a few tips.

Be proactive and get on the appropriate Project Priority List.

This is the first step that every community should take. The Project Priority List (PPL) ranks projects with respect to other proposed projects and that will be ready for construction within the next five years. Communities must be on a PPL to become eligible for state revolving funds to help with clean water and drinking water projects.

Put together your plans and specifications.

Once a community is on the PPL, the next step is to put together a schedule, plans and specifications. Consultants can help communities navigate planning and design projects that meet their specific needs.

Request to be placed on appropriate Intended Use Plan.

If a community expects to be ready for construction and is seeking state funding, their projects need to be placed on the appropriate Intended Use Plan (IUP). The IUP identifies projects that are on the PPL and are eligible for state revolving funding.

Make sure your project meets all criteria for funding.

Don’t forget that throughout this process, it’s important to make sure your plans and specifications include all necessary criteria for project funding like using iron and steel products produced in the United States. Additional requirements are expected to be announced by state agencies in the near future as they finalize grant application processes and criteria.

For communities who may feel overwhelmed, or not quite sure where to start, WSB can help whether it’s filling out a PPL application, navigating environmental impacts, or designing a project. The federal infrastructure bill is a historic opportunity to advance clean water projects across the nation and improve the health of our environment and communities.

Ray is a Project Engineer specializing in project planning, feasibility studies, computer modeling, preliminary and final design, bidding, construction management, grant writing, wellhead protection planning, risk assessments, emergency response planning, community engagement, and state water permitting.

r[email protected] | 612.360.3163

Ryan has over 14 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry servicing both public and private sector clients. His work includes planning, management, and completion of Regulated Material Assessments, Demolition Specifications, Phase I & II ESAs, Remedial Investigations, Response Action Planning, and Construction Monitoring.

[email protected]m | 612.723.3644

How Communities Can Effectively Manage Population Growth

By Jay Kennedy, Vice President | Texas Operations, WSB

Experiencing significant growth is exciting for communities, and many places are seeing considerable population growth and expansion across the country. But this growth also leaves many leaders asking, “How can we effectively manage this growth for our community and residents?”

Meeting the needs of new and existing residents, and addressing development, environmental, infrastructure, and other related challenges that come along with growth is critical. Here are some things cities can do to effectively manage growth.

Planning, Planning & More Planning

Communities must plan for the future thoughtfully, understanding risk and tapping into opportunities. Generally, communities have a 30-year land use plan, which drives the development of comprehensive infrastructure plans to accommodate the growth. A complete plan also includes a capital improvement plan including a financing plan. These plans are updated on average every five to 10 years—especially if a community needs to pivot or adjust due to faster than expected population growth.

For significant improvements, such as water and sewage treatment facilities and significant transportation projects, the approval processes can be time consuming, so it is important to manage risk and find a balance that meets the community’s needs for delivering infrastructure at the right time.

Managing Permitting & City Work

When a city experiences dramatic population growth, they are not always able to add staff resources to respond to increased permitting requests within the required deadlines. Especially if applications are flooding in at the same time, city staff can be overwhelmed, and applicants can experience delays awaiting approval.

There are some things that cities can do to help streamline this process and make it more efficient.

First, technology can help speed up the process for cities. Programs that help track and schedule reviews ensure tasks are clear, and development proposals and permitting requests are reviewed in a timely manner. Automation and improved workflows can also minimize the time for reviews.

Additionally, many cities also contract with firms like WSB where we work hand in hand with staff to help review development requests. Bringing in outside experts can help manage peaks and make the permitting process more efficient.

Furthermore, it’s vital that cities clearly lay out the requirements and what criteria they expect from applicants. This helps reduce delays and improves the chances of getting a quality, thorough submittal package.

Finally, during construction, city representation at construction sites helps keep projects are on track and meet city requirements. With proper monitoring on site, it verifies that projects are going according to plan and won’t cause more headaches for city staff down the road.

Understanding the Value of Development

Many cities have a philosophy that development pays for itself. An expanded tax base, critical infrastructure investments, and proactive planning all help bring value to the community, making it an attractive place to live, work, and raise a family.

For communities, it’s important to remember when reviewing development applications that once a project is done, it’s up to that community to manage the roads, parks, utilities, water, and other essential services associated with the project.

Proper planning and investment, along with choosing smart projects, will help cities manage growth effectively.

Jay has over 30 years of experience managing municipal and civil engineering projects. He has also provided land entitlement services for residential and commercial projects. Jay’s specific experience as a City Engineer included leadership and management of comprehensive infrastructure plans, as well as CIP development and implementation.

[email protected] | 512.518.1819

Avoiding Vehicle Pileups

By DJ Sosa, Sr Project Manager, WSB

When winter storms sweep across the nation, dangerous road conditions can cause crashes, pileups, and leave commuters stranded for hours on end. How can road design play a role in making roads safer in the winter?

When roads are designed, many elements, such as drainage and flooding, are considered. Unfortunately, snowdrift prevention is often overlooked until after these disasters occur. What’s more, even long after snowstorms are over, snow can get blown back onto the roadway, requiring agencies to plow or push back the snow to clear the roadway. Significant snow accumulation, particularly on a “heavy” snow winter season, drives up maintenance cost for these agencies. Snow drift problems typically occurs on long, flat, rural stretches of highway. To create a snowdrift prevention plan, designers start by analyzing the terrain on both sides of the road. Determining how and where the snow is being picked up and drifted back onto the roadway is important in choosing which solution best suits the road.

Using that analysis, the following three options should be considered for minimizing snowdrifts and avoiding dangerous pileups:

Option 1: Wider Ditches

If there is adequate space, the best option is to have a wide ditch next to the roadway to create a “bowl” effect. These are ditches that serve as another area to capture the snow. Since roads are typically higher than the ditches, it blocks the wind and prevents snow from blowing back onto the roadway. This option requires a lot of room and typically involves additional right of way. If feasible, it is the top choice due to cost and maintenance.

Option 2: Living Snow Fence

A living snow fence consists of trees, shrubs, or hay bales along the roadway. Farmers can work with their local department of transportation to line the road with hay bales, providing a cost-effective solution to block the wind from stirring up snow from the fields and on the roadways.

Option 3: Structural Snow Fence

This option looks like a robust version of a vinyl fence used for backyards that acts as a direct wind block. These fences often require coordination with property owners because they typically are on private property and outside of public right of ways.

These above three tactics can work for many roadways, but too often they are built reactively and only after a number of crashes, pileups, and other dangers already occurred. All options require room, more often, outside of public right of way. This requires transparent and consistent coordination with nearby residents. Discussions of the benefits for each tactic is key for the residents to allow any mitigation measures in the property. Because many Midwest states see snow for one-third to one-half of the year, agencies must be more proactive, many are now incorporating these tactics into their original planning and design. The Minnesota Department of Transportation, for example, is currently working on major interstate highways in rural locations and are including analysis of the corridor as part of the project. They have a whole department dedicated to working on snowdrift prevention.

Driver safety in winter is important and proper snowdrift prevention design can go a long way to saving lives, preventing crashes, and making roads safer for all of us. WSB’s transportation team can help advise on ways to make roads safer all year round.

DJ has been a quality manager and a senior project manager in transportation, both in preliminary and final design, for over 15 years. Prior to joining WSB, DJ was a design engineer and project manager for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and has managed or been part of a wide range of design-bid-build transportation projects.

[email protected] | 763.762.2817

Metropolitan Council 2022 Regional Solicitation Grants

By Mary Gute, Sr Transportation Planner, WSB

The Metropolitan Council’s 2022 Regional Solicitation process is now open. Please review the information below if you are considering submitting a project application or are wondering if a project is a good fit for the program.

Overview

Due Date: April 14, 2022
Funding available in three main categories: roadways; bicycle and pedestrian Facilities¹; and transit/travel demand management (TDM)²
Projects can only be submitted in one category
See the Metropolitan Council website for more information: https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Planning-2/Transportation-Funding/Regional-Solicitation.aspx

How much funding is available? Does this include new federal infrastructure funding?

The Metropolitan Council initially identified $180 million for the 2022 solicitation. With the new federal infrastructure bill, the Council anticipates an additional $10-$20 million will be available. It is likely that federal funding will augment the available Regional Solicitation funding in future years, but not confirmed.

What can funding be used for?

Up to 80% of construction costs; a 20% local match is required
Construction only; Funds CANNOT be used for studies, preliminary engineering/design, construction engineering, or right of way
Projects that are to be constructed in 2026 or 2027; applicants will be asked if their project(s) could be programmed earlier

What Makes for a Good Project?

Successful projects must meet all qualifying criteria. Projects meeting several prioritizing criteria and demonstrating a high level of project readiness will score higher.

Qualifying Criteria – Required	Prioritizing Criteria	Project Readiness
• Consistency with regional plans • Inclusion in local plan or program • ADA compliance – ADA Transition Plan • Accessible/open to the public • Permanent improvement independent utility	• Role in regional transportation system & economy • Project usage • Equity and housing elements • Infrastructure age • Congestion reduction/air quality • Safety • Multimodal Elements/ Connections • Risk Assessment • Cost Effectiveness	• Public process with residents, interested stakeholders • Project layout • Review of Section 106 Historic Resources • Right of way acquisition process, if applicable, or knowing no additional right of way is needed • Railroad right of way agreement, if applicable

What is the likelihood of a project receiving funding?

This program is highly competitive with requests far exceeding available funding. In the 2020 solicitation, 130 project applications were submitted and 56 (43%) were funded. Projects were funded in all seven metro area counties, in twenty-six cities and townships.

What is the level of effort to complete an application? Is it worth it?

These applications are moderately complex. Some elements require considerable lead time (e.g., preparing a layout; public engagement activities, etc.). Applications started early are generally higher quality than those that are completed towards the end of the solicitation process.

Federal requirements must be met on selected projects (e.g., federal environmental documents, federal and state design, and construction requirements, etc.). WSB advises that applicants request at least $500,000 to make going through federal process(es) worthwhile for financial reasons.

If you are considering submitting a Regional Solicitation application or want to discuss whether a project is a good fit for the program, please contact Mary Gute.

¹: To be competitive, multiuse trail and bicycle facility projects should be on the Regional Bicycle Transportation Network (RBTN); Safe Routes to School (Infrastructure), projects should be included in a completed Safe Routes to School Plan and/or engineering study.
²: Transit funding is usually awarded to transit agencies.

Mary has 20 years of progressively complex transportation planning and project management experience, gained from working on a variety of transportation projects for modes including roads/bridge, transit, and trails. Several these projects have included environmental documentation considerations – either pre-NEPA, or through NEPA and/or MEPA processes.

[email protected] | 612.741.7055

Supply Chain Woes and Construction Projects: Thinking Creatively to Overcome Barriers & Adjust

By Michael Rief, Sr Vice President of Construction, WSB

The supply chain is tightly integrated, and when one part of the supply chain faces issues, it can have a domino effect. For those working in construction, supply chain problems have caused project delays, a long wait for and lack of key materials, and frustration over the past year. Unfortunately, it shows no signs of improving in 2022.

With a shortage of labor, shipping delays, and trouble getting materials, we should prepare for our recovery to take longer than many people anticipated. As our industry continues to tackle supply chain problems, there are things construction teams can do to anticipate, innovate, and adapt to the current situation.

Be Flexible Where You Can

Flexibility is key to adapting to supply chain uncertainties. While many contracts require specific materials, if clients and contractors can build some flexibility into the contract to use alternative materials, it’s more likely that a project will be completed on time or without significant delays.

For example, some of WSB’s transportation contracts require a certain kind of seed mix, but those seed mixes may not be available for many months or at all into the foreseeable future. Allowing a substitution that is available and still meets the needs of the project allows us to finish the job sooner and more efficiently.

Consider Buying Hard to Procure Items Sooner

This applies to both construction teams and clients.

If municipalities are planning a project where they know they will need to procure certain items that may be hard to come by, doing so early and paying to store it may be more efficient in the long run and ensure your project won’t face unnecessary delays. Similarly, some contractors are procuring high-risk items and pre-purchasing material for clients, working in storage cost to help prevent delays.

Additionally, as more contractors buy materials in advance, they sometimes find they need to move materials around to different projects that face more critical needs or that have tighter timelines. Being flexible when possible can benefit both contractors and clients.

Manage Risk

With every project, it’s important to manage risk. If cities or contractors purchase hard to procure materials in advance or in bulk, and then find the value goes down in a year, they could be stuck paying to store a material that is worth less than what they paid for it. Each will have to make decisions that work best for their needs and anticipated projects.

Furthermore, building risk management into contracts can be helpful. Whether it’s procurement of materials or more flexibility on timing of projects, thoughtful contract terms can help both cities and contractors, mitigating some risk.

A great example of mitigated risk in many current construction contracts is a provision for fuel cost escalation. If the cost of fuel goes up significantly after a contract is signed, a client may pay more to cover fuel costs. Similarly, if it goes down significantly after a contract is signed, a client may recoup some of those savings. Thinking about how contracts can offer more flexibility in ways that adjust to supply chain and labor issues is something that could offer substantial benefit to all parties.

Since supply chain issues, labor shortages, shipping slowdowns, and numerous other factors are expected to continue creating challenges for the construction industry over the next year, innovation, flexibility, and adaptability can help keep projects moving forward for clients and contractors.

Mike has nearly 30 years of experience in civil engineering, with an emphasis on pavements and materials, pavement management, quality management, project management, design, risk assessment, project controls, contract administration, construction, preventive maintenance, planning, education, and technical team supervision. Mike has managed several complex, high-profile projects throughout Minnesota.

[email protected] | 612.518.829

How Corridor Studies Play a Role in Community Growth

By Steve Lindsey, Director of Transportation, WSB

In 2021, Texas added more people to its population than any other state. For residents, businesses, and communities, it’s critical for planners to meet the immediate needs of citizens, while also planning for the future. For local, city, and county governments, corridor studies play a key role in creating and executing comprehensive transportation design that adapts to and meets the needs of growing communities.

What is a Corridor Study?

Corridor studies examine the relationship between roadways and adjacent land. In more densely populated areas, this can mean figuring out ways to overcome challenges where roadway expansion is limited. For land in development, it means looking at future population growth and where investments are being made to build homes, businesses, and public services. Corridor studies also help ensure that if opportunities to acquire land becomes available – whether because they are being sold or planned for future development – there is a long-term view on how to best meet transportation needs.

Corridor studies are instrumental to help communities plan for 5, 10, and even 50 years down the road.

Trends in Community Growth

In Central Texas, Austin and the surrounding communities are growing rapidly. It is a technology hub with major companies like Tesla, Apple, Dell, and Samsung employing thousands of people. Densley urbanized areas have seen population growth, and more people are building homes and businesses in communities farther and farther from the city centers as the population grows.

Additionally, with the ongoing pandemic, we’ve seen more people looking to build homes, expand their space, and work remotely. With a hot housing market and population growth, more people are building and expanding into areas that were traditionally more rural or predominantly farmland.

Communities need properly planned transportation infrastructure to help transport people and commerce in those growing areas.

Working with the Experts

For community leaders facing growth challenges and working to plan for what’s next, it can be difficult to know when and where to start. When we partner with clients, we help them explore what opportunities their community can tap into in transportation design, and corridor studies are an important tool to get them and their community where they want to go.

Steve brings over 22 years of experience in all phases of the transportation industry including schematic, environmental, GEC/program management, construction and plans, specification and estimates (PS&E). He has a history working with TxDOT divisions and districts around the state as well as municipal clients in central Texas.

[email protected] | 512.983.5624

The Hydrogen Revolution

By Paul Rodden, GIS Program Lead, WSB

Hydrogen has long been utilized in niche industries as a feedstock for fertilizers and to aid Oil and Gas companies in processing hydrocarbons. Several times throughout history, hydrogen supporters have attempted to push the element into the mainstream as a clean energy source. But these attempts have failed due to a few factors that, until recently, have held hydrogen back as a legitimate fuel.

Separating hydrogen

These restrictions have revolved around the fact that hydrogen loves to bond tightly to other elements like oxygen and carbon. It is also the smallest atom in nature and can leak through most materials. The first restriction of its bonding ability means that striping hydrogen from other elements has been extremely costly and intensive. The process to separate hydrogen from oxygen is called electrolysis and requires clean water and a massive amount of energy to generate hydrogen in bulk. The process to separate hydrogen from carbon, which has historically been the accepted way to generate the fuel, uses natural gas as the feedstock, separates the hydrogen from the carbon, and releases the carbon as CO2 into the atmosphere. The obvious drawback to this is the release of the greenhouse gas (GHG) in large quantities.

Why is this revolution different?

What makes this push to establish hydrogen as the fuel of choice for the energy transition more likely to develop then the half dozen times previously? Well, that’s the big difference. The energy transition movement is sweeping the globe and forcing every nation to establish carbon neutrality goals. The associated costs and risks of leveraging hydrogen as the energy transition fuel of choice seems highly likely depending on several factors. There are massive government subsidies that will aid hydrogen development costs and technical developments. These subsidies and developments will reduce the cost of materials and will lower the risks involved with large scale hydrogen energy development.

What technologies develop hydrogen?

There are many factors to consider when exploring the best way to develop hydrogen. What are the costs involved and what technology makes the most sense to invest in? Most people in the hydrogen industry discuss the different processes in terms of colors. Green is hydrogen generated from water using renewable energy (Wind, Solar, Geothermal, etc.) to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. This process relies on electrolysis using either a proton exchange membrane (PEM) or alkaline electrolysis. On the surface, this is a very clean method of making hydrogen but also the most expensive, and depending on the study one references, not nearly as clean as the industry would like everyone to believe. The other largely referenced color is blue. This is same technology referenced earlier that converts natural gas into hydrogen. What makes blue different is the addition of capturing the CO2 and either utilizing it in other industries or sequestering the GHG underground. This technology, called steam methane reforming (SMR) with carbon capture (CCUS), has much lower associated development costs but still has the stigma of utilizing hydrocarbons as its feedstock and the associated costs of capturing carbon.

Outside of the two main avenues of creating hydrogen are a handful of technologies that are quickly gaining in popularity. The first, is new tech called methane pyrolysis. This technology uses natural gas as its feedstock to create hydrogen but unlike SMR, this method (dubbed turquoise hydrogen) has no CO2 byproduct but rather solid carbon. This technology uses a carbon negative process to generate the hydrogen. Other technologies include in-situ combustion, plasma gasification, and photocatalysis. All of these have amazing upside potential and distinct advantages over both blue and green hydrogen.

What’s leading the hydrogen revolution?

Another key element leading the hydrogen revolution is the incredible surge in development for hydrogen fuel cells. The hydrogen fuel cell industry is one of the globe’s fastest growing markets and is the main target of hydrogen investment funds. Fuel cells have distinct advantages over traditional battery technology and internal combustion engines. Since hydrogen is so small and light and is the most energy dense (per unit mass) fuel on earth, it can be densely compressed to provide electricity through the fuel cell in a more efficient manner and takes up less space while doing so. This makes fuel cells the ideal solution for carbon free long-haul trucking and shipping

With the technological advantages coming to light almost daily, new utilization methods getting deployed, and nearly all governments developing (or already developed) hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, this revolution looks to stay.

Paul Rodden has nearly 19 years in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), data management, and business development primarily focused on the oil and gas industry. In April of 2020 he worked alongside Exxon’s hydrogen team to develop the world’s first commercial hydrogen dataset. During the development cycle of the dataset, Paul gained unique insights into the hydrogen market and its rise as the energy transition leader.

[email protected] | 281.787.9423

Improve Project Outcomes Using an Owner’s Representative

By Bob Barth, Director of Land Development, WSB

From inception to completion of a project, having an expert walk alongside you can make all the difference. An owner’s representative, often seen as a significant value in private sector projects, can and should be used for public projects to add value as well.

What is an Owner’s Representative?

An owner’s representative is essentially the eyes and ears of a project – representing the owner, investor, or developer throughout a project. A deep understanding of the overall goals of the project, as well as having an in-depth knowledge of engineering and construction, means this person is an advocate and champion that can ensure a project goes according to plan, while helping to mitigate risk.

Given the proven value of the service, it is curious that public sector vertical construction has traditionally underutilized the owner’s representative in favor of project leadership from the lead architect or general contractor. So why should the public sector use an owner’s representative?

They help keep projects on track and on budget.

The more expensive the project, the more the architect and contractor get paid. Though obvious, this fundamental conflict creates competing incentives for both the architect and contractor. The owner representative’s compensation, in contrast, is often determined by the original project budget and does not subsequently increase or decrease as the project budget increases or decreases. Their job is to act on behalf of the owner, keep the budget on track, and represent the overall financial interests of the project.

Owner’s representatives see the big picture.

Public project financing is very different from private project funding. Public sector projects are often financed through bonding, and operating budgets serve as a proxy for revenues. Cost needs to be managed throughout a project’s duration, as do relationships. An effective owner’s representative does this.

Additionally, the project schedule is more complex than the design schedule kept by the architect, or the construction schedule managed by the contractor. The project schedule includes time building stakeholder consensus, conducting preliminary environmental and property investigations, aligning financing, and developing project parameters. These activities often precede the architect’s involvement and need to be managed by someone with a wider perspective on the project – the owner’s representative. The project schedule also includes post-construction activities such as commissioning, grant close-out, sustainability certification, occupancy, and logistics. These are not activities contractors can effectively manage but, rather, activities that the owner’s representative expects to manage.

They simplify decision-making and mitigate risk.

Finally, well-structured projects allow the owner’s representative to lead in all aspects of a project, empowering them to make decisions over contractors, architects, and other consultants. Effective owner’s representatives also build consensus among teams and stakeholders. All of this brings critical leadership and certainty to projects.

When unexpected change orders, cost overruns, unforeseen environmental and property issues, or other problems arise, a good owner’s representative help manage and mitigate risk.

In summary, owner’s representatives bring expertise, leadership, and credibility projects. Given their value, they should be utilized in more public projects.

Bob has over 20-years of experience providing technical and management support to public and private clients. In addition to leading our Land Development Group, Bob is also responsible for our Commercial Market Sector, delivering a wide-range of services to industrial, institutional, property management, and construction clients.

[email protected] | 763.231.4876