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Ridgway Riverfront Master Plan Wins Honor Award from PA-DE ASLA

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Recently, two of our landscape architects: Tracy Strickland and Jennie Ryan-Gisewhite, RLA, accepted an award on HRG’s behalf for the Ridgway Riverfront Master Site Plan we developed last year. The project received the Honor Award for analysis and planning from the Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects.

 

Tracy Strickland and Jennie Ryan-Gisewhite accept the Honor Award for Analysis & Planning for the Ridgway Riverfront Master Plan

 

The Borough of Ridgway is a gateway to the scenic PA Wilds. Its waterfront area has the potential to significantly improve livability for the community and attract outside visitors. We worked with the borough to develop a master plan to improve public access to the river and create new public recreational space along the waterfront.

We collected extensive input from the community and regulatory agencies via meetings and surveys to determine the most desirable uses for the space and created several design concepts. Almost the entire site is located within the floodplain, so we carefully designed the concepts to incorporate flood mitigation and reforestation. You can see the designs below. The master plan groups improvements into five phases for implementation and includes detailed cost analysis and funding strategies.

  • Click the arrows on the right and left side of the image to view the slideshow

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Thank you to PA-DE ASLA for the recognition and to everyone who worked with us on this exciting project. Thank you also to the Borough of Ridgway for the opportunity and to the community for their ideas and engagement with the process. We look forward to seeing this area develop.

Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve Honored as Top Project

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The Central Penn Business Journal has named recent enhancements to the Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve one of the region’s Top Projects. HRG worked with Silver Spring Township to restore wetlands and meadows, add new riparian buffer plantings, increase parking, and add a boat launch at the preserve. These improvements simultaneously help the township meet its MS4 pollutant reduction plan goals and nurture wildlife while improving the recreational experience for township residents.

 

Shawn Fabian with Silver Spring Township's Jennifer Groller, Carl Machamer, and Scott Maldonado at the Central Penn Business Journal Top Projects Award ceremony

Shawn Fabian with Silver Spring Township’s Jennifer Groller, Carl Machamer, and Scott Maldonado

 

The nature preserve was already a popular place for birdwatching and nature walks, but, thanks to this project, it now has more shade, more wildlife viewing opportunities, and more aesthetically pleasing views with colorful flowers and plantings that simultaneously reduce watershed pollution. It is a bit of a natural oasis in the middle of one of the state’s most rapidly growing suburbs, and the boat launch creates a new convenient access point to one of the region’s treasured recreational amenities: the Conodoguinet Creek Water Trail. An expanded parking area makes it all more accessible to users, allows for buses to more easily turn around in the parking area to facilitate environmental education programing, and created two new ADA compliant parking spots for easier trail and boat launch access.

The project is a great example of how investments in the environment and recreational amenities go hand-in-hand where there is smart planning and thoughtful design. Silver Spring Township has made wise investments in long-term planning, so that each project they do – big or small – supports the community’s long-term goals. These plans have helped them attract extensive grant funding, including more than $252,000 for the nature preserve enhancements in addition to the grant funding that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation brought to the table from grants they secured for the riparian buffer along the Conodoguinet Creek onsite.

We’re grateful to work with Silver Spring Township and be a part of great projects like this. Congratulations to the township on this recognition and to all of the project partners, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, LandStudies, and KLA Roofing & Construction. Thank you to Shawn Fabian and everyone on the HRG team who contributed their time and talent to making this a successful project, including JJ Robinson, Jake Hoffman, Eric Fleisher, Terry Meek, Katie Valla, Lauren Zumbrun.

Free and Low-Cost Cybersecurity Services for Local Governments

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HRG’s chief innovation and technology officer Mike Smetana discusses free and low-cost cybersecurity services available to local governments.  He focuses on the offerings of:

  • CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • CIS, the Center for Internet Security, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping organizations protect against cyberthreats
  • MS-ISAC, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a collaboration between CISA and CISA designed to serve as the central cybersecurity resource for the nation’s State, Local, Territorial, Tribal (SLTT) governments

The webinar is divided into chapters:

0:00 – Introductions

4:37 – Real-world Attacks on Local Governments

9:23 – MS-ISAC Services

24:08 – CIS Services

35:34 – CISA Services

It was hosted by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners (PSATC).

Regional Stormwater Collaborations Win Governor’s Awards

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We had the pleasure of attending a ceremony yesterday day for this year’s recipients of the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence.  Two of our clients were being honored for regional stormwater management collaborations we helped them develop.

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission’s Water Resources Enhancement Program (WREP) was recognized as an “Innovative Community/Government Initiative.”  This program brings Dauphin County and its member municipalities together to pursue regional water quality goals, reduce flooding, and lower the cost of stormwater management for participating communities. It is voluntary and flexible: local governments can choose from one of three levels of participation based on their own unique needs. Participating municipalities are estimated to save between 60 – 90% through their involvement, depending on which level they choose.

Erin Letavic joins the team accepting its award for the Dauphin County Water Resources Enhancement Program on stage.

The Southwest Butler Stormwater Planning Group was recognized for “Innovative Planning and Sound Land Use Practices.”  This group is a collaboration between Butler County and ten municipalities to reduce historic flooding in the Lower Conoquenessing Creek Watershed.  HRG conducted a study to identify problem areas and recommend strategies to reduce flood risk.  We worked with the county and municipalities to develop an equitable cost-share agreement and are currently working on design and permitting for several of the suggested projects.

The Southwest Butler Stormwater Planning Group accepts their Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence.

These programs show the benefits of regional collaboration, and they also show how flexible it can be.  We worked extensively with participating communities to design unique programs that met their needs. Kudos to Butler and Dauphin Counties, the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, and all of the participating municipalities for their ability to work together for the betterment of the entire region.

And congratulations to the other winners at today’s ceremony!

Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority Honored by American Water Resources Association

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James Tomaine accepts an award for Integrated Water Resources Management at the American Water Resources Association national conference, November 2022Congratulations to the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority (WVSA), who received an award this week from the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) for Integrated Water Resources Management.  The authority’s executive director Jim Tomaine accepted the award at a luncheon during AWRA’s national conference in Seattle.

The Integrated Water Resources Management Award honors exemplary teamwork on a complex water resource challenge.  WVSA received the award for their work creating a regional stormwater authority to help communities in Luzerne County reduce watershed pollution and comply with MS4 requirements. The project is noteworthy because it was the first regional stormwater authority in Pennsylvania, and it blazed a trail for others to pursue regional stormwater solutions. WVSA partners with more than 30 municipalities in Luzerne County on a joint Pollutant Reduction Plan and BMPs.  Working together, they are able to address pollution on the watershed scale, producing better results than small, uncoordinated projects could.  They are also able to achieve economies of scale that reduce the overall cost burden on individual communities.  The collaboration does not end there, however.  WVSA and its member municipalities work with Luzerne County and its flood protection authority on stream restoration and partner with private landowners, who install BMPs on their property in exchange for reduced stormwater fees.

HRG helped WVSA develop and implement this innovative program, and we are proud to have worked with their passionate and visionary leaders:  Jim Tomaine, Jeff Colella, Sandy Bartosiewics, Sam Guesto, Gerry Cross, and the entire WVSA board. This program also received the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence in 2018.

Bridgeport Transportation and Land Use Study Receives Planning Award

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HRG was part of a team that was honored this week at the Places 2040 Planning Leadership Awards. Our project, the Bridgeport Transportation and Land Use Study, was recognized in the Thinking Beyond Borders category. Thinking Beyond Borders is one of five “Big Ideas” in Lancaster County’s comprehensive plan (otherwise known as places2040). It promotes cooperation across traditional boundaries to achieve regional goals, and the Bridgeport Transportation and Land Use Study exemplifies this approach.

Bridgeport began as a historic village and gateway for travel between Lancaster’s city neighborhoods and its rural landscapes, dating as far back as the 1800s. Today, it encompasses portions of four municipalities: the City of Lancaster and East Lampeter, West Lampeter, and Lancaster Townships. These four municipalities worked together on a shared vision for the area’s transportation infrastructure, trails, and land use policies in order to enhance walkability, reduce congestion, and create vibrant spaces for the community to enjoy.

HRG provided transportation planning services and cost estimates for the creation of this study. Derck & Edson led public engagement and provided streetscape and land planning services. Town Planning Partnership, LLC, assisted with land planning and public engagement. All municipalities and the Lancaster County Planning Department provided representatives for the steering committee. Over 800 local community members provided essential input/feedback as part of the planning effort.

We’re humbled to be recognized among so many great projects at the Places 2040 award ceremony, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this project team.

Bridgeport Transportationa and Land Use Study team accepts the Places2040 planning leadership award

(L-R) Bob Shenk, Steve Hackett (Derck & Edson), Ryan Hostetter (HRG), Cindy McCormick (City of Lancaster), Tara Hitchens (East Lampeter Township), Mark Evans (Derck & Edson, Town Planning Partners), Terry Martin (Lancaster County Planning Commission), Ben Bamford (Lancaster County Planning Commission)

 

 

Ryan Cummings Joins HRG’s Civil Team in York

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Ryan CummingsHRG has hired Ryan Cummings as a project engineer in our York office. Ryan has seven years of experience in stormwater management, land development, and site design.  He has primarily supported the construction of pipelines, well pads, roadways, bridges, and culverts. He is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania and a member of both the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Highway Engineers.

HRG assistant vice president Tim Staub welcomed Cummings to the team, saying, “I am excited to match Ryan’s outgoing community-driven personality with our municipal clients. Ryan has the technical capabilities and passion to be a leader for the communities we represent to drive results.”

Steve Malesker Joins HRG as Senior Project Manager

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Steve MaleskerSteve Malesker recently joined HRG as a senior project manager in our Transportation Group.  He is responsible for bridge design and inspection projects throughout the south-central counties of Pennsylvania.

Steve has extensive experience managing bridge inspection, replacement, and maintenance programs for York and Franklin Counties as well as Gettysburg Borough and many other municipalities. Steve has also served as a project manager for civil and municipal projects and as the retained municipal and bridge engineer of record for several municipalities in Central PA. He is a licensed professional engineer and certified bridge safety inspector with more than 20 years of experience.

Steve lives in Dallastown and is a board member of the Dallastown-Yoe Water Authority.  He is also a member of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design and the American Institute of Steel Construction.

“Steve is a talented and accomplished engineer, and his skills will be a great asset as we continue to grow our presence in the transportation markets across the commonwealth,” Tim Staub said.  Staub is an assistant vice president of HRG and manager of the firm’s York office.

(View Steve’s full bio here.)

 

ABOUT HRG

Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) is a nationally ranked design firm providing civil engineering, surveying, and environmental services.  The firm was founded in Harrisburg in 1962 and has grown to employ more than 250 people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.  For more information, please visit the website at www.hrg-inc.com

 

Route 39 Intersection Improvements Honored with Road & Bridge Safety Award

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West Hanover Township received a Road & Bridge Safety Award Friday for improvements that HRG designed at the intersection of Route 39 with Douglas and Devonshire Heights Roads. This location had been the site of several rear-end and angle accidents due to poor intersection alignment and sight distance deficiencies.  HRG realigned the intersection, installed a northbound right turn lane along Route 39, enhanced advance signing and pavement markings, and installed a flashing yellow control beacon.  We also increased the separation between this intersection and a second intersection where Douglas Road met Devonshire Heights Road. This second intersection had been less than 100 feet away from the Route 39 intersection, creating the opportunity for confusion and conflict between drivers.

Our civil practice area leader Matt Bonanno and our traffic team leader Eric Stump attended a brief ceremony at the intersection where West Hanover Township received their award from the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association (PHIA) and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. You can view the ceremony below:

 

 

You can also see photos of the project by clicking through this slideshow:

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ABOUT THE ROAD & BRIDGE SAFETY AWARD

The Road & Bridge Safety Award is given annually to townships that have completed road or bridge improvements in the prior year that increased public safety.  It is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association, and PennDOT.