PS&S attended this year's New Jersey Future Redevelopment Forum on March 6th. We were excited to explore and discuss all the trends and issues surrounding redevelopment as the most efficient, equitable and sustainable way for New Jersey.
PS&S Attends NY State Bar Association Annual Meeting
PS&S was proud to sponsor the Annual Meeting of the Environmental and Energy Law Section of the New York State Bar Association last week in Manhattan.
PS&S Attends Project Freedom Gibbsboro Municipal Walk-through
PS&S is happy to share photos from the municipal walk-through of the buildings at PF Gibbsboro.
Mayor Ed Campbell and Tim Doherty welcomed everyone, and noted the pride they have in the development.
PS&S in The Burlington County Times
County begins study of Centerton Road Bridge replacement
The issue of replacing Centerton Road Bridge has persistently dogged county officials ever since it was closed five years ago after severe structural damage was discovered.
MOUNT LAUREL — There’s little left of Centerton Road Bridge.
Demolition on the over century-old metal swing bridge started last month and appears to have progressed rapidly. All that’s left protruding from the water are just a few pieces of rusted steel and concrete abutments. In a few months those remnants will likely be gone, too.
While most of the demolition work on the bridge is expected to be completed by March, the job of determining whether a new span — of any kind — will rise across the water is really just getting started.
County officials acknowledged as much Thursday night during an information session about the new feasibility study being prepared on the concept of rebuilding the bridge as a smaller pedestrian and bicycle bridge.
“It (the study) doesn’t mean that the bridge will be rebuilt. We’re just getting information,” said Mary Pat Robbie, director of the county’s Department of Resource Conservation, told the eight residents who attended the meeting. “Any information gathered will be passed on to the decision-makers. Rest assured, no final decision has been made.”
Yet.
The county Board of Freeholders previously decided to move forward with studying the possibility of building a pedestrian bridge rather than trying to replace the old span with a new modern bridge capable of handling motor-vehicle traffic.
At the time, the five-member board was controlled by three Republicans and the board’s two Democrats — Tom Pullion and Balvir Singh — expressed some skepticism about the potential high cost of rebuilding the bridge for motor vehicles and the necessity of a pedestrian span.
Democrats took over the majority last year and expressed a willingness to revisit the idea of rebuilding the bridge for motor vehicles. But they also voted to move forward with the pedestrian bridge study, which is being funded with a $70,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.
The Democrats said the more-detailed study of the pedestrian bridge could help better inform them for their future decision and that the information and engineering work performed for that study could also prove useful if the board decides to pursue a bridge capable of holding cars and light trucks.
Robbie reiterated that point Thursday night.
“We’re looking at the feasibility of a pedestrian bridge. But that doesn’t mean the information we collect can’t be fed into developing a vehicular bridge,” she said, adding that doing so would require much more extensive environmental and engineering studies.
Engineering and architecture firm, PS&S Integrated Services, was awarded the contract to perform the feasibility study and two of the firm’s associates attended the information session. But it was the eight residents who showed up who did most of the talking on issues ranging from the desire for fishing stations on a new bridge to motor-boat traffic on the creek and the traffic impact on local roads and Interstate 295 since the bridge’s 2015 closure.
Others asked about the county’s plans for the former Rowan property, which is adjacent to the now demolished bridge on the Westampton side of the Rancocas Creek. The county acquired the 83-acre property in 2007 for $4.5 million and intends to develop a county park there.
Still, most of the discussion continued to surround whether a pedestrian bridge or a larger vehicular crossing should be built.
The issue has divided residents in the area, with some lobbying for the freeholders to rebuild the bridge for cars, arguing that the loss of the crossing has hurt businesses, impacted quality of life and forced many residents to deal with traffic on I-295, which is now the main route to cross the Rancocas between Willingboro, Westampton and Mount Laurel.
Others have said the loss of the bridge has reduced traffic in their neighborhood and that rebuilding it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars.
A prior study of the issue put the cost of a building a modern, fixed span for vehicle and pedestrian traffic at around $25 million compared to a pedestrian and bicycle-only crossing cost of $5.5 million. Rebuilding another swing-span capable of moving to make way for marine traffic on the creek would cost at least $37 million, the study said.
Lori Howard and Victoria Cuneo both advocated for rebuilding the bridge for vehicles and questioned the previous cost estimates, with Cuneo arguing that if motorboats aren’t permitted in that area of the creek that the bridge could likely be rebuilt at a lower height at less of an expense.
“I just feel $37 million is obviously an outrageous sum,” the Moorestown resident said.
The engineers responded that whether this area of the Rancocas is still considered marine navigable by the U.S. Coast Guard would be part of the new feasibility study’s analysis.
New cost estimates for building a pedestrian-only span would also be included that reflected different designs and options for materials and size, the engineers said. No cost estimates for a vehicular bridge will be included.
“Our study is going to stay focused on a pedestrian bridge,” said Kyle Rutherford, an associate with PS&S. “We’re not going to comment on (not rebuilding) or vehicular (bridge).”
Mount Laurel Mayor Irwin Edelson said the county needs to address existing traffic logjams in the area before moving forward with any bridge reconstruction.
“My concern is traffic,” the mayor said. “The traffic that’s going on at Creek and Centerton Road and Masonville Road now is unbearable now at rush hour. So if you open up that bridge to cars and not fix the traffic problem you have now, you’re just feeding the fire. That’s why I’m here. A pedestrian bridge? I’m for.”
Others also expressed support for keeping a replacement span small and open solely to walkers, cyclists and anglers.
“The bass fishing is so great in that area,” said Brian Parker, of Mount Holly.
Howard, who resides in Mount Laurel, said an analysis should be undertaken that looks at how many residents would use and benefit from a pedestrian bridge versus those who would use a motor-vehicle bridge.
“I really feel communities are being segregated,” Howard said during the meeting. “For me there’s the perception that you don’t want people from the Willingboro side on the Mount Laurel side.”
Traffic across the 312-foot bridge averaged about 14,000 vehicles a day before the it closed and officials have said the prior study indicated that traffic impacts on I-295 since the closure were minimal.
“Where did all that traffic go?” asked Moorestown resident Chris Salvatico. “I guess I don’t buy that it’s not affecting traffic on 295.”
The meeting was the first of two information sessions planned for the feasibility study. The second session is expected to be held sometime this summer once conceptual drawings and plans are completed. Afterward a final report will be written and presented to the freeholders, officials said.
Cuneo and Howard said they planned to continue encouraging the freeholder board to take a deeper look at rebuilding a bridge for vehicles before making a final decision.
“We have a lot of support for a vehicular bridge,” Cuneo said. “We’re not looking for something like the New Jersey Turnpike; the smaller, the quainter the better.”
PS&S Among the Project Team for School Facilities Planning
On January 25th, PS&S was part of the Princeton Community Forum to share its School Facilities Planning presentation for Princeton Public Schools. Our Gordon Griffin and Daniel Balto are among the project team.
PS&S Attends 2020 NJ Planning Conference
PS&S were proud sponsors and exhibitors at the 2020 NJ Planning Conference.
Brian McPeak and Hany Hanafy presented at the session titled; “A look at Planning Excellence in 2019” and presented the Camden County Department of Parks’ Norcross McLaughlin Memorial Haddon Dell and Ampitheater redesign project.
In addition, PS&S attended the keynote speaker session with singer/songwriter Dar Williams, who spoke about why some towns flourish while others fail, and presented examples of real solutions to rebuild declining communities. Marge pictured with Dar Williams (attached) and Marge at the PS&S Booth.
PS&S Participates in the Future City Competition
PS&S participated in the Future City Competition on Saturday, January 18th, 2020.
Future City starts with a question—how can we make the world a better place? To answer it, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. Past topics include stormwater management, urban agriculture, public spaces, and green energy. The 2019-2020 theme is Clean Water: Tap Into Tomorrow. Teams will choose a threat to their city's water supply and design a resilient system to maintain a reliable supply of clean drinking water.
Participants complete five deliverables: a virtual city design (using SimCity); a 1,500-word city essay; a scale model built from recycled materials; a project plan, and a presentation to judges at Regional Competitions in January.
PS&S enhances Water Resources staff with hire of Industry veteran Robert Fischer
PS&S has announced that Bob Fischer will join PS&S as a Senior Director as part of their Water Resources team effective February 10, 2020. Fischer brings a wide variety of knowledge and experience in all aspects of wastewater operations and management with a strong background in short and long-term planning, budgeting and execution of major projects.
For the past 17 years Bob served as Executive Director of the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority which provides wastewater conveyance and treatment to eight communities in Monmouth County. Bob had overall responsibility for the facility which handles up to 16 million gallons per day of wastewater flow.
“Bob’s knowledge and leadership will be a great addition to our team,” said John Sartor, President & CEO of PS&S. “His experience and reputation as an industry leader will allow us to better serve our public and private clients.”
In 2012, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy the 24-acre Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority was left heavily damaged and knocked out of service. Under Fischer’s leadership the plant operation was restored and a $50 million recovery effort to completely rebuild and protect against similar storms ensued. His efforts culminated recently with the last of five major projects coming online.
Fischer is past president of the New Jersey Water Environment Association and current Chairman of NJWEA Long Range Planning Committee. He is currently serving as a director of the NJ Association of Environmental Authorities and in the Water Environmental Federation House of Delegates. He also served as the chairman of the NJ Utility Authority Joint Insurance Fund.
"This is an exciting opportunity for me to contribute to a highly-regarded architectural and engineering firm like PS&S," said Fischer. "I look forward to working with the team to provide clients with the kind of exemplary service they are accustomed to.”
Fischer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and holds a NJDEP issued S-4 Public Wastewater License. He lives in Howell, NJ and will be working out of the PS&S office in Wall, NJ.
PS&S Attends the 10th Annual Anointed Gala
PS&S was happy to be a sponsor for the 10th Annual Christmas with Chris Collins Black Tie Gala & Circle of Winner Awards better known as the Anointed Gala to raise funds for the Anointed News Journal. The event took place on Saturday, December 21, 2019 from 7pm to Midnight at the Crown Plaza Cherry Hill, NJ. Among the notable attendees were Mayor Mary Ann Wardlow of Lawnside and Mike Rozier the 1983 Heisman trophy winner from University of Nebraska.
Winter 2019 Newsletter
|
WINTER 2019 – 2020 NEWSLETTER |
FROM THE CORNER OFFICE
Our clients; our employees; our future
As the year comes to a close, PS&S has committed time and resources to several initiatives to position the company for growth. We recognized the need to bring our employees closer to our clients. In the process, we embraced technology to allow for a more mobile workforce. Our goal has been to create multiple office locations to better service clients. We found an added benefit—greater work life balance for our employees. It has been a departure from how we have done business traditionally, but by adding offices such as a New York City location has allowed us to retain and attract our most valued assets—great employees.
The new year also brings a newly-expanded PS&S: we announced our purchase of DW Smith Associates last month, and welcome the talented team from DW Smith as we expand our energy, land development, and community association practices. While this was a natural extension of our current working relationship, our goal is to expand our presence well beyond the Northeast.
Moving forward to 2020
Looking ahead to 2020, we are making some organizational changes. For the past 10 years, we have operated under two main profit and loss centers which many of you are familiar with—the building and land groups—which were comprised of numerous individual department disciplines. We will now merge these departments into three new divisions: Architectural and Engineering, Land Development and Environmental and Energy. Strategically, this new organizational structure will help align our company, as well as foster a smooth transition of incorporating DW Smith clients and employees into the PS&S family.
We are excited about moving to our new headquarters in Warren later next summer. We are creating spaces to allow for a more collaborative work environment as we reorganize into our three new business units. We will have new space, new equipment, and employees will be on one floor, instead of different buildings. We are confident this will help promote more interaction and the exchange of ideas so we can continue providing world-class service. In addition, we expect to open up more offices in the tri-state area, as well as additional locations including Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
A new decade
For 2020 and beyond, we will continue to focus on increasing our work on public projects as well as energy utility projects. While we can never forecast the ups and downs of the economy, we believe the stability of public projects and energy utilities will keep our business strong no matter how the economy is impacted.
We thank you for your partnership throughout the years. We value our clients, employees and other partners who have contributed to our success and growth. We look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2020. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!
PS&S Attends Camden Business Association end-of-year event
Our Marge DellaVecchia attended and PS&S sponsored part of the Camden Business Association end-of-year event that took place on December 18, 2019. The Camden Business Association hosted its members, business leaders, community leaders, and local officials to a Holiday cocktail reception at Seasons 52 restaurant in Cherry Hill, NJ. The association highlighted its 2019 work behind the scenes and what’s to come in 2020.
PS&S Attends 2019 Angel Award Dinner Gala
PS&S was a supporting sponsor of the 2019 Angel Award Dinner Gala - Celebrating Project Freedom’s 35th Anniversary that took place on November 23, 2019, at The Stone Terrace, Hamilton, NJ. Our Marge DellaVecchia and Mark Allen were in attendance.
PS&S Participates in Better Tomorrows Spelling Bee
Our Marge DellaVecchia participates as a Board Member with the Better Tomorrows Organization, a not for profit services organization serving the residents of affordable housing throughout the Country. On Saturday, 12/7, Marge joined Better Tomorrow's Executive Director Howard Tucker and fellow Board member Dr. Bruce Johnson at the annual Better Tomorrow's Spelling Bee Finals held at Jackie's Garden in Philadelphia. Marge was the Spelling Bee Pronouncer for the day; and pictures attached show the Spelling Bee mascot and the winners of the Spelling Bee; both, proudly from Camden, NJ.
PS&S Attends 2019 Camden Environmental Summit
Colin Greenwood attended on behalf of PS&S as a supporting sponsor of the 2019 Camden Environmental Summit which was held at the Rutgers University Camden Campus.
The summit, which was organized by Camden Collaborative Initiative, featured a diverse panel of speakers including:
Mayor of Camden Frank Moran
Shawn LaTourette, Chief of Staff of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Chris Lyon, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2
Carolyn Finney, Ph D and author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors
The summit also featured workshops which included “Environmental Planning through an Equity Lens” and “Achieving Community and Environmental Benefits through Public-Partnerships” which discussed and highlighted many of the important projects being conducted within Camden and those working towards solutions to overcome Camden’s environmental legacy.
PS&S was an exhibitor at the event and the company gained exposure from a wide range of attendees at the event, which included high school and college students, the general public, and individuals working with non-profit organizations and government agencies. There was a significant amount of interest in the projects that PS&S has completed in Camden and other cities in New Jersey.
John Sartor Recognized as one SJ Biz Mag's Executives of the Year
South Jersey Biz Magazine’s
2019 Executives of the Year
20 professionals who have paved the way for success in South Jersey and beyond.
PS&S Purchases DW Smith Associates in Strategic Expansion
Acquisition will enhance PS&S’ architectural and engineering offerings beyond Northeast region
WARREN, N.J., Nov. 20, 2019 – PS&S, a full-service architecture, engineering, design, and environmental firm, has purchased DW Smith Associates, a multi-discipline professional design and engineering consulting firm, the companies announced today.
DW Smith Principals Jennifer Nevins, Timothy Lurie, and Thomas Murphy will join the PS&S Senior Management Team. PS&S will merge its regional office located in Wall, New Jersey, with DW Smith’s current headquarters, also based in Wall. DW Smith will continue to operate under the DW Smith name for the near-term.
“We are excited to bring the immense talent of DW Smith into the PS&S family,” said John Sartor, CEO of PS&S. “We’ve had the pleasure of working alongside DW Smith on projects for several mutual clients. The talented team of DW Smith will help us expand our energy, utility, and community association practices. This will also allow us to continue to provide the highest quality work within the Northeast region and beyond.”
“Combining our firm with PS&S was truly a natural extension of our current working relationship,” said Jennifer Nevins, Principal of DW Smith Associates. “Our cultures are so closely aligned and given PS&S’ reputation in the industry we couldn’t imagine a more appropriate partner. The synergy brought by combining our talents will enable our combined firm to better serve existing clients and enhance our depth of offerings to current and potential clients.”
Together, PS&S and DW Smith will provide architectural, engineering, surveying, design and environmental services in the science & technology, energy & utility, real estate — residential, commercial, and community associations — transportation and education sectors, for both public and private clients throughout the United States.
About PS&S
Founded in 1962, PS&S has evolved into a unique best-in-class architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firm, providing design and permitting services to a wide range of corporate, institutional and commercial clients. PS&S is ranked among the top national design firms by Engineering News Record (and among the top 15 national engineering firms in pharmaceuticals). Recognized both for its breadth of services and depth of expertise, PS&S is the single source for planning, permitting and design at the local, State and Federal levels. To learn more, please visit www.psands.com.
Media Contact:
Deborah Kostroun
deborah@zitopartners.com
Source: https://www.dwsmith.com/
PS&S Attends The Yonkers Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner
PS&S was thrilled to attend The Yonkers Chamber of Commerce 126th Annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner on Thursday, November 7. The event took place at the Westchester Manor in Hastings-On-Hudson, New York. PS&S was recognized and honored with the Business Growth Award.
PS&S Attends NJ Alliance for Action Annual Awards Breakfast
PS&S was delighted to attend this year’s NJ Alliance for Action Annual Distinguished Engineering Awards Breakfast. Five of our projects were honored with distinguished engineering awards.
PS&S Attends NJAFM Conference
PS&S attended the annual New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management Conference that took place on October 15th to October 16 in Atlantic City.
PS&S was happy to sponsor the Cracker Barrel event where participants went through several topics: FEMA, ISO - CRS, NJOEM Grants, Terrestrial LIDAR, Electrical requirements for SFHA, Envision & Sustainability, Land Use, FEMA Story Mapping, State Coordinators Office, PR Dams, Flood Risk, Non-Res Dry Floodproofing, Elevation Projects, and Green/Blue Acres Buyouts.
PS&S Attends PAM's List Event
PS&S attended this year’s PAM's List "Women Who Get It Done," a fundraiser honoring women who exemplify the goals of PAM's List, which was held on Monday, October 7th, 2019 in Hamilton, New Jersey.
Honorees lead by example, and demonstrate along the way that women can and do have the strength, the intelligence and the courage to serve at the highest levels of government, organized labor and advocacy.
Our Marge DellaVecchia was honored among those as a PAM's List "Women Who Get It Done."