Category Archives: Communities
Posted in Communities | Current Events | Economic Development | Politics by Steve Muller (Client Development Representative) on January 26, 2011
Image: © Svilen Milev
There are a lot of ‘economic forecast’ events happening this time of year. One year is ending, another one is beginning, and we have the added interest of new politicians taking office in 2011 as well. While there are many views on where the economy is, where it will be going, and whether we will all thrive or merely survive in 2011, I’ve been compelled by one overriding thought: economic growth comes from certainty.
While I know that statement to be true, in my gut, I heard it convincingly shared by an economic development leader in our area several months ago, and it really struck me. That’s it… that’s the solution we need to turn our economy back toward growth, increased employment and prosperity. In a word: certainty. He expanded on the thought to say that all economic development is local, and where there is certainty, there is growth and economic development. Where there is uncertainty, there is economic stagnation with no growth or activity.
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Posted in Client Service | Communication | Communities | Sustainable Design by Brad Breneisen (Graphic Design) on January 18, 2011
The design of this machine may not look like much but it could improve the lives of millions – because designers listened.
Recently I decided to invest in a new vacuum cleaner, but only after I broke our old vacuum and bought a disappointing replacement with a price tag too good to be true – and it was. As I entered a local store ready to talk with the experts and drop some bucks I was slightly taken back to see a row of vacuums that looked more like prosthetic legs for athletes than something that’s designed to suck up clinging dust bunnies. This is a trend that I have noticed becoming increasingly prevalent in design – the use of decorative form to exaggerate the function of the object without improving it – often at the cost of the objects strength, integrity, and lifespan. Speculations aside, I decided to buy something simple, pricey, and with a loooongg warranty.
Later on that week I watched “Objectified”; Gary Hustwit’s recent documentary on Product Design. This shed light on my vacuum dilemma as it pointed out that most commercial products are brought to the shelves with little improvement and built-in obsolescence because companies need new SKU’s to market and see more consumer opportunities in a fresh coat of paint than in research and development. Good design is often seen as bad business.
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Posted in Communities | Current Events | Marcellus Shale | Natural Gas | Politics | Transportation | Water/Wastewater by Marty Muggleton (VP Client Development & Marketing) on November 29, 2010
Our region will always try to define the Marcellus experience. Some think it’s good; some see an irreversible threat; some think of it as both. What we need is a commitment to make Marcellus development better and safer. While not everyone may be on board, there is a clear swing towards improving operations and technology to make development better and safer. I thought I would share two recent items.
Last week, I was involved in a conversation with some folks that weren’t convinced any improvements or progress are being made to reduce the impact of Marcellus Shale development. I thought I would share how this conversation went.
“There are still problems with gas companies destroying local roads. How are taxpayers going to handle that?”
No doubt that development activity is hammering local roads. There are lots of heavy trucks traveling on roads that were never built to handle the use. But there is a change underway to make this work better. This summer PennDOT issued guidelines primarily for the gas industry, but also for other heavy haulers. These guidelines included mandatory roadway maintenance and repair strategies. These strategies have to be submitted to PennDOT within 24 hours of a report of critical road condition. The strategies outline the contractor to be used, what materials will be used to repair to road, if the material will be replaced prior to June 30 following the winter, and so on. All actions relating to the strategies will be paid for by the gas companies. An article by John Beauge in the September edition of Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal describes how Chesapeake Energy has spent $15 million since spring repairing roads in Lycoming, Sullivan, Bradford, and Tioga counties and their plan is to spend another $15 million before the end of 2010. The inconvenience of a damaged road isn’t avoided; but the cost is being passed from the tax payer to the gas company. A good and necessary step I think.
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Posted in Bridge Design | Client Service | Codes & Regulations | Communication | Communities | Economic Development | Structural Engineering by Quentin D. Rissler, PE (Structural-Bridge) on October 20, 2010
Photo: Cocalico No. 3 bridge in Lancaster County © Larson Design Group
Transportation funding has been in the news with discussions on the need to repair, maintain, and improve our extensive network of roads and bridges, not to mention mass transit facilities. As in most discussions of finances, we tend to boil it down to whether we need more money or if we can cut costs to be more cost effective in what we are already doing. > Read the rest of this article
