FROM THE CORNER OFFICE

Is there a faster-growing or more important sector in the New Jersey economy than the healthcare industry? In the past few years alone we’ve seen tremendous changes and consolidation including the merger that created RWJBarnabas Health. We’ve seen growth in all areas of the state from University Hospital in Newark to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. And just weeks ago, Kennedy Health and Jefferson entered into an agreement that will shape the future of healthcare in southern New Jersey.

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PS&S has made important, strategic moves to ensure we are well-positioned to assist with the continued growth in the healthcare industry in New Jersey. A few weeks ago, we announced the hiring of Marge DellaVecchia as our new Senior Director, based in our Cherry Hill office, and you can read more about Marge and her career in the accompanying profile piece. Marge’s knowledge of both the private and public sectors will combine with the skills of architects Charles Clauser, Harry Wright and Steve Sgro to create a formidable team in southern New Jersey. The three men joined PS&S last year, providing architectural and interior design, project planning and graphics and rendering services with a concentration in the healthcare sector.

We’re also very happy to highlight one of our most distinctive projects in this newsletter. Before you read this month’s “In Focus” take a look at the photograph in the article and see if you can guess what the challenge was in building this “house.” PS&S’s full array of services and talents were on display for this Jersey-shore project, proving once again PS&S is a “one-stop-shop” for architecture and engineering excellence.

For more information, please contact Anthony Sartor at asartor@psands.com, or John Sartor at jsartor@psands.com.

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In Focus: Peermont Substation

Sometimes, you want to stand out…and sometimes you just want to blend in with the crowd.

Case in point, the shore house pictured below certainly blends in with the neighborhood, possibly as one of the nicest homes on the street. But while it may seem like the perfect Jersey Shore dream house to own or maybe rent for the summer season, in this case, a house is not a home.

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In early 2013, Atlantic City Electric Company (ACE) recognized that in order to continue to provide reliable service to the Boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor (also known as New Jersey’s Seven Mile Island), the aging Peermont Substation would need to be demolished and rebuilt on the same site in Avalon. When the original substation facility was built in 1969, it was housed in a 3,000 square foot Cape-style structure. In 1969, the Avalon community was largely made up of one-story Capes spread out among many undeveloped lots. Fast-forward to 2013, and the little Peermont Substation found itself in a fully-developed neighborhood of high-priced, multi-story single-family residences. Current electric demand required tripling station capacity for the fast-growing area.

The challenge for PS&S was to enclose all the substation equipment in a structure that would resemble a contemporary single-family seashore residence and, thereby, secure community support and regulatory approvals for the project. Working with ACE, and using Revit and Lumion software, PS&S developed a 3-D model of the building and neighborhood. Drive-by and flyover animations were then produced and used at public outreach and planning board meetings.

“Our team designed a 12,000 square foot building on this site and met all local zoning bulk standards and post-Sandy flood elevation requirements,” said Walt Judge, a 24-year PS&S veteran and Project Manager for the PS&S effort. “Hard to believe it’s a 69kV substation, but it fits perfectly in this upscale beach community, and it will provide reliable power to its residents for years to come.”

Once local approval was obtained, PS&S worked with Sargent & Lundy, LLC (substation engineers) and Graycor Industrial Constructors (EPC Contractor) to generate construction documents. PS&S provided the architectural and engineering building design, survey, civil site and stormwater design and landscape architecture services. PS&S was also responsible for obtaining all permits/approvals including the NJDEP CAFRA Permit, NJDCA and Municipal construction approvals, NJDEP construction dewatering approvals, Soil Erosion Certification and a Tidelands conveyance for the project.

Construction began in the spring of 2015 and, after a required summer hiatus, resumed and was completed in May 2016, just in time to meet the resort community’s increased summer electricity demand.

“Perhaps most rewarding was that this multi-disciplinary project brought together so many talented professionals from nearly every PS&S department,” said Judge. “It’s clearly one of the best examples of our all-inclusive model of offering full-service architecture, engineering, design and environmental consulting services.”

For more information, contact Walter Judge at wjudge@psands.com.

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Employee Spotlight: Marge DellaVecchia

It’s often said that good things come to those who wait. And sometimes, the wait can take 30 years.

Marge DellaVecchia first developed a relationship with PS&S back in the 1980’s when she was the construction project coordinator for Bally’s Park Place and Golden Nugget. Marge got to know the firm well in her six years in Atlantic City and knew it was a company she respected immediately. Now, she is proud to be joining PS&S as a new Senior Director, based in Cherry Hill.

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“I have known, worked with and valued PS&S for many years,” said Mrs. DellaVecchia. “I am looking forward to introducing the excellence of PS&S to the South Jersey and Delaware Valley region. I am also privileged and honored to join such a distinguished group of professionals and look forward to working closely with all of the talented staff at PS&S.”

Marge worked for Camden County for the six years prior to joining PS&S, most recently as the Deputy Director of the Municipal Utilities Authority. Her past experience in the public sector includes positions in state government with the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and the Department of Community Affairs and 13 years in various roles in Cherry Hill Township. She is a graduate of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and is receiving the 2016 Career Achievement Award this fall.

“We are fortunate to have Marge DellaVecchia,” said PS&S’s Chief Executive Officer John Sartor. “Marge has decades of experience in southern New Jersey working with both private companies and state and local governments. Her knowledge of the area’s business climate and the respect she has from both the public and private sectors will greatly add to PS&S’s growing presence in the entire region.”

In the past few months, PS&S has doubled its Cherry Hill office space and greatly enhanced the company’s architecture and Health Care practice. In addition, PS&S’s Cherry Hill Land Practice has grown to include expanded services in environmental, civil and survey offerings.

“As new opportunities continue to unfold in the region, we will work hard to ensure that we support the community and deliver quality improvements that are appropriate for all involved,” added Mrs. DellaVecchia. “This is one of the characteristics that truly distinguishes PS&S from other firms and highlights the integrity and character of this organization.”

For more information, please contact Marge DellaVecchia at mdellavecchia@psands.com.

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