Hayes | James Latest News

Lawrenceville Heritage Trail Phase II

Hayes, James and Associates, Inc. will host a public meeting at Lawrenceville City Hall on Tuesday, September 15th at 6:00 pm.  The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public with information about the trail route and design. 

Background:

The City of Lawrenceville was awarded a Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation in 2008.  TE projects have very strict criteria for how funds are spent.  This project must address the connectivity of people and places by way of pedestrian facilities.  More specifically, the trail must provide for pedestrian and bicycling traffic linking residential areas, city and county government, businesses and schools to parks and scenic areas.  This trail also makes a connection to another TE trail project currently underway that will begin at the Veterans Memorial at Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and end at Rhodes Jordan Park.

Below is a conceptual plan of the trail.  More detailed plans will be available for viewing at the informational meeting.

Hayes | James Recycles     

In an attempt to do our part to help the environment, Hayes | James recently contacted the Louise Radloff Middle School in the Gwinnett County Public School system and inquired about any recycling programs in which the school might be involved.  An arrangement was made to have discarded white paper as well as phone books, newspapers and magazines placed in the Radloff Middle School recycling bin.  Hayes | James employees have all been encouraged to use both sides of each piece of paper and regularly place used paper in a recycling collection area within the building.  One of our employees, Fred Perry, has organized delivery of the paper to the school which is located adjacent to our Norcross office.

Additionally, used inkjet cartridges were given to the Radloff Middle School staff to aid in a student club fundraiser.  Other toner cartridges are recycled through Staples office supply store.  Another employee, Ruth Hansen, has also placed a collection bin for empty soda cans in the company break room.  She recycles the cans monthly.

 Finally, Hayes | James employees have consented to turn off lights, PCs and printers that are not being used for long periods in an effort to save energy.

Now more than ever, Hayes | James strives to be a good steward of our environment and pledges to protect it in as many ways as possible.

New President is Announced

Hayes | James is moving forward into the new year.  Congratulations are in order for S. Mark Bond, PE, J. Anthony Muse, ASLA, and Thomas H. Hipp, PLS.  Mark, who has been with Hayes | James since 1994, was elected President of the firm at the last Board of Directors' meeting.  Tony, with the company since 1988, was elected Executive Vice President.  In addition, Tom, a Vice President, who has been with the company since 1989, has been promoted to the Director of the Survey Department following LeRoy James' retirement.

Reuse Specialty Conference Draws a Crowd

On February 21^st and 22^nd, the GAWP Reuse Committee hosted a specialty conference entitled, “Georgia Reuse – Drivers, Trends and Technologies” at the Sea Palms Resort in Saint Simons Island, Georgia.  Taking place in the middle of a record drought in north Georgia and during a time where reuse along the Georgia coastline must be considered for new water withdrawals, the conference drew a crowd from all across the state even attracting reuse experts from Florida and as far as Arizona.  The conference kicked off with a keynote presentation by Dr. David York, a retired Florida reuse regulator, who broke down the need for alternative water supplies stating that the world demand for fresh water actually surpassed its available supply as of the year 2000.  According to population growth estimates, by the year 2030, 3 billion people will lack the available water for sustainable health.  Even though planned water reuse will not satisfy the state’s, region’s or world’s water demands, it will play a major role in water planning efforts for now and years to come. 

Presentations and lively discussion continued with Georgia EPD regulators Jeff Larson and Curtis Boswell discussing how reuse is currently being regulated in the state.  The major driver for water conservation and reuse along the coast is due to the cone of depression in the Savannah region and the need to stop the effects of salt water intrusion from increased ground water withdrawals.  Reuse requirements are now commonplace for developing communities in the region, and many utilities are struggling to implement an economically feasible reuse utility.  The conference provided a perfect forum for the municipalities, engineers, and regulators to share their ideas including a thought inspiring presentation by Frank Stephens from Gwinnett County who discussed the possibilities and limitations of direct and indirect potable reuse, a subject so often disregarded but one that is beginning to be taken more seriously due to the advancements and affordability of treatment technologies.

Many of the topics provided valuable insight to communities planning and implementing their own reuse program including topics on treatment technology selection, daily and seasonal storage considerations, and public education.  On the issue of pricing strategies, the implementation of metered service connections was highly recommended in lieu of un-metered distribution.  Case histories in cities such as Jacksonville, Florida have proven that it can be more difficult to control the use of reuse water as demand approaches and exceeds available supply without providing meters to every end user.  When demand exceeds supply, conservation rate measures are often taken in Florida communities to discourage excessive use and maintain adequate supply for reuse customers.

All of the presentations from the conference are available on the GAWP Reuse Bulletin Board located at www.GAWP.org.  Those interested in joining the Reuse Committee can contact Danny Johnson at djohnson(at)hayesjames.com.

Fred Perry Attends Houston Pipeline Conference

Fred Perry attended the 20th International Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management Conference.  The conference and exhibition were held at the Marriott Westchase Hotel in Houston, Texas and began on Monday, February 11.  A major focal point of the conference is the eight training courses which include assessment methods for pipeline integrity, pipeline repair methods and in-service welding, defect assessment in pipelines, pigging and in-line inspection, pipeline mapping, GIS and data integration, stress corrosion cracking and two new classes - excavation inspection and optimizing ILI inspection scheduling.  This premier event, which is essential to pipeline maintenance and inspection as well as integrity evaluation and repair, draws from engineering management and field operating personnel from both transmission and distribution companies concerned with improved operations.  More than fifty companies were represented at the Exhibition over a two-day period.  In addition, Fred gained additional knowledge of the pipeline industry.  The ongoing pipeline surveying project will benefit from Fred’s current training and this will enable Hayes | James to have an increased understanding of our pipeline clients. 

New Website is Launched

The Hayes | James website has received a much-needed facelift as part of our celebration of our 50th year.

Naturally, we are proud to introduce our new logo!  The layout of our web pages also reflects our excitement in announcing our 50th anniversary.  We hope you will enjoy the ease of navigating the website and will contact us to let us know what you think!

PE DeSouza Serves in Iraq

Mark DeSouza, a professional engineer in Hayes | James' Development Services Division, is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves.  His unit, the 478th Engineer Batallion, is serving in Iraq, where Mark is a platoon leader in charge of 38 soldiers.  Their home base is Fort Thomas, Kentucky.  Our best wishes for a safe return home go out to Mark and all the men and women serving our country.

Hayes | James Launches New Identity

On the dawn of its 50th Anniversary, Hayes, James & Associates, Inc., a leader in engineering, planning and surveying, has launched a new brand identity that will include a new website to be released mid-year, logo, company colors, collateral materials, trade show booth, and promotional video.

“This change not only gives us a chance to make sure we can stay relevant to our clients, but also communicates that we are keeping our image fresh and our talent in house on the cutting edge,” said Jim Maughon, president of Hayes | James .  The new brand identity is an outgrowth of both the company’s longevity in the market and its ability to maintain the quality of service our clients have come to expect.

The new logo consists of an updated design that symbolizes the joining of the past with the future.  The clean colors of blue and gold play out the confidence of the past (blue) with the optimistic color of the future (brown gold).

“We’re taking Hayes | James to the next level,” said Maughon in announcing the new brand.  “We started this company 50 years ago and want to make it successful for another 50 years.”