Austin Branch Newsletter

December 2008

Volume 13, Number 3

In This Issue…

Meeting/Speaker Info

President's Message

Meeting Sponsor

Changes to Meetings and Payment

New Orleans Trip Update

EAU for Haiti

Continuing Education Webinars

December Meeting Sponsor:

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of professional technical services. With annual revenues exceeding $11 billion, we offer full-spectrum support to industrial, commercial and government clients across multiple markets. Services include scientific and specialty consulting as well as all aspects of engineering and construction and operations & maintenance. Our fundamental business strategy is building long-term client relationships. With more than 60 years in the industry, we have attracted and retained clients by providing superior customer value—in fact, over 90 percent of our work is repeat business from loyal clients. Our global network includes more than 160 offices in more than 20 countries. We have operations in North America, the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, India, Australia and Asia. Our headquarters are in Pasadena, California.

Changes to Lunch Meeting RSVP and Payment Beginning January 2009

by Rose Marie Klee, P.E. – 2008-2009 VP Programs

At our December Board meeting, the Board of Directors of the Austin Branch discussed the cost of our meetings as well as changes to our arrangement with Embassy Suites as we renew our contract. The cost of lunch, per plate, has typically increased by 5-6% per year, and in the past Branch has chosen to absorb this cost rather than pass on the increase. In addition to a per plate cost increase beginning in January and due to the burden of last-minute changes to the headcount, our catering service will also be limiting the number of same-day additions before charging an additional service fee.

Based on these increased costs and the need to get a more accurate headcount, the Board has decided to make the following changes:

· $18 – with RSVP and PayPal web payment

· $20 – with RSVP and payment at the door

· $25 – walk-up (no RSVP, no pre-payment)

· $5 – student/government employee with RSVP and web payment

· $10 – student/government employee walk-up (no RSVP, no pre-payment)

For the December meeting, the lunch cost/RSVP will remain the same: $15 with RSVP, whether pre-paid or paid at the door; $20 for walk-ups; $5 for student and government with RSVP; $10 for student and government walk-ups.

We do understand that schedules change at the last minute, which may cause you to miss a meeting that you RSVP’d for or suddenly be able to attend. However, in order to minimize the financial impact to our organization, we hope to get more accurate advance RSVP counts while not discouraging our members and guests to make every meeting they possibly can—PLEASE JOIN US, EVEN IF LAST-MINUTE!

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact Rose Marie Klee at rmklee@crespoinc.com. Your feedback about the catering service is also welcomed!

New Orleans, Here We Come!

by Rose Marie Klee, P.E. – 2008-2009 VP Programs

The Austin Branch and UT Student Chapter of ASCE would like to invite you to join us on our January trip to New Orleans!

We will be departing Austin on Friday, January 16, 2009 (departure time TBD), and will spend Friday and Saturday night in downtown New Orleans (the Broadmoor neighborhood). During the day on Saturday and Sunday we will help local residents with work on their homes, and on Saturday afternoon we will also have the opportunity to learn about the events and repercussions of Hurricane Katrina. Our group will leave New Orleans on Sunday afternoon and arrive back in Austin in the wee hours on Monday morning. Hopefully many of you can take some time off on MLK day (January 19^th) to relax.

Past participants can attest that this trip is a fun and valuable opportunity to connect with our community and learn some amazing lessons as civil engineers! Visit http://www.austinasce.org/neworleans07.htm for info.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Rose Marie Klee at rmklee@crespoinc.com

We’ll be keeping anyone who is interested updated and additional information will be provided in the coming weeks. Our roster will be finalized as the date draws closer, and places are given on a ‘first-come’ basis. (We had 112 volunteers plus a waiting list for our Labor Day trip which was cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav!)

Big Brothers Big Sisters – Bowl for Kids Sake 2009

by Dale Murphy, P.E.

For the 4^th year, the Austin Branch will be participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas’ annual Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser, with our bowling event scheduled for Friday, February 27^th at 8:30 PM at Highland Lanes. There will also be a happy hour before the event. Last year the Austin Branch had 20 teams, 100 participants and raised just under $20,000!! This year we are looking to have increased participation and raise even more money. Participants are asked to solicit donations from their friends, family and co-workers through a simple web based with each bowler committing to raise at least $125.

We are looking for people who are willing to be Team Captains who would recruit 4 additional co-workers or friends to form a team of their own. If you’d like to participate but don’t have a team, we can put teams together for you or you can just donate to one of our ASCE teams or bowlers as well. For more information on how you can have fun bowling with your colleagues while raising money for a good cause, contact Dale Murphy (dmurphy@kfriese.com) or Jason Bybel (jason.bybel@jacobs.com).

New for this year we will have corporate sponsorship opportunities, with each sponsor receiving recognition at the event and on our website. Additionally, sponsors will be invited to the pre-bowling happy hour to mingle with the participants from local consulting firms and government agencies. Sponsorships are $500, a sponsorship form is located on our website.

Engineer’s Day at the Austin Children’s Museum

by Linda Barlow, P.E. – Public Relations Chair

Sunday February 15, 2009

It’s that time of year again…E-Week is on the way and so is our annual Engineer’s Day at the Austin Children’s Museum. Help kids build a hoop glider and see how far it goes… Watch how high they can build a newspaper tower that supports a golf ball… Lend a hand to help them build all kinds of structures with spaghetti and marshmallows – you’ll be surprised at their creativity!

As a volunteer for ACSE’s 8^th Annual Engineer’s Day at the Austin Children’s Museum, you will help the kids build structures, fly helicopters, and complete other simple engineering activities…and you’ll have fun, too!

There will be an on-line sign up at our website shortly with the available shifts. Until then, please email any member of the PR Committee. Please pass the word around to anyone else who may be interested! Volunteers can choose one of two 2 ½ to 3-hour shifts in the afternoon. Training will be minimal and take place just before your shift. You will also receive a certificate for PDH credit.

We also need sponsors for the annual event. For individuals or firms, the two levels of sponsorship are $100 and $250. We also need an admission sponsor at $1000. We have recruited ACEA as a $1500 event co-sponsor for our second year in a row, so thank an ACEA member (and ask them to volunteer for the event). If your firm is interested in sponsoring the event, or if you have any questions, please email or call a PR Committee Member: you can email any of the PR Committee members: Linda Barlow at lbarlow@hvj.com; Sharon Hamilton at Sharon.Hamilton@CASEngineers.com; John Conquest at JDCONQUEST@mactec.com; Cesar Calderon at calderon@guerra.com; or Jim Huffcut at JHuffcut@Pape-Dawson.com.

Thanks so much to the sponsors who have already pledged to support this year’s event:

Austin Branch ASCE

Greater Austin Contractors and Engineers’ Association.

EAU for Haiti

by Robert Scholtz, P.E. – President Elect

Over the last year, I have been reflecting on the role of our organization and the immeasurable capabilities and influences that it holds throughout the United States, if not globally. ASCE has played significant roles in hurricane disaster recovery, analyses and forensics of buildings and levees, critical infrastructure lobbying, New Orleans rebuilding efforts, and many related topics of the political, scientific, and humanitarian nature. As civil engineers, it is in our very nature to provide for others and many of you have responded to this calling outside of your daily business. I assure you that these efforts are not going unnoticed by your elected board members. I humbly write to you today to bring yet another critical humanitarian effort to your attention and I can only hope for your generous support and encouragement. As civil engineers, we are, by definition, charged with preparing designs, analyses, and managing construction for public works, which provide to and benefit the citizens as a whole. Perhaps the most significant form of public works is water infrastructure.

Over the last year, several opportunities have surfaced whereby we can help third world countries provide water to their citizens. Though I keep asking myself, “How can I help? What can one person do to bring water to these countries?” I became stalemate. Then a life-changing event came my way…I got married. Not only did I marry the most beautiful and gentle woman I have ever met (kudos for me!), I also found that she brought about the opportunity I have been awaiting. Kimberly has always lent a helping hand to those in need through her very profession in a nursing home and through her missionary work in Nicaragua seven times. However, recently, her parents, Ken and Yolanda Trahan, have become involved with improving the lives of those in the poor country of Haiti. For our wedding present, “Pop and Mom” donated a water well to a small village in Haiti in our name. A plaque will be placed on the well with our names to commemorate our marriage. At first, I thought, “a water well?” But shortly thereafter, the revelation of the meaning of this gift hit me like a bucket of cold water! Cold, filthy, nauseating, and disease-infested water, to be exact. This past Thanksgiving Day, Pop showed me pictures that he took on his three trips to Haiti. The trash and brown water sickened me as these villagers washed their clothes and bathed in the same water that would be used downstream for consumption. The corruption in the Haitian government prevents US government funds from truly helping these people. I knew then and there that my “stalemate” had come to an end. As an officer in ASCE, it is time I do something about this and form an organized system to help these efforts in some capacity.

In the coming months, I will be organizing a group to help with the humanitarian efforts of those citizens of Haiti, particularly in the poorest part of the country near Jeremie. The focus of the group will be to provide clean water to these citizens through our efforts of fundraising. Through my very trustworthy contacts, I know that any money raised to help these people will truly get into the right hands in Haiti. One water well costs approximately $15,000 and my goal is raise this amount within 6 to 9 months. I humbly request your help in serving in this special group. Though this group will be similar to the vision of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the major difference will be that we will not go to Haiti to perform work.

Through our networking capabilities in the Austin metro area and the generosity of firms and individuals, I am confident that fundraising will provide the capital necessary to provide several water wells to the citizens of Haiti over the next few years. But I do need help. Together, we can make a difference and bring a more civilized and sanitary lifestyle to the people of Haiti, not to mention, have a little fun with fundraising while doing it! Please note that this activity has not been approved by the board just yet. My immediate need is gain interest in the membership to review the possibilities at hand and form an organized group to present this proposition to the Austin Branch Board of Directors. Please contact me to help. My business phone number is 512.342.3228 and my mobile number is 512.484.4288. Thank you in advance!

Robert W. Scholz, P.E., M.ASCE

President-Elect

YMF Update

by Brandon Haamman, EIT

We hope all of our members enjoyed a relaxing November holiday stretch. As the year comes to an end, please join us in one or all of the upcoming events. We are hosting a happy hour at the Six Lounge on Wednesday, December 17, from 5:30-7:00. Free appetizers will be provided! Listen up Longhorn, Aggie, and basketball fans…YMF will be selling tickets to the men’s basketball game on January 24 at the Erwin Center! Tickets will go on sale later this month.

A few new things this year…YMF will begin holding technical seminars to help young professionals by providing technical expertise on various design topics. The first technical seminar will be held in late January over detention analysis. Dinner will be provided! One of our goals this year was to inform the local community (outside of civil engineering) about YMF by volunteering our time to help make a difference in the City. The opportunity would also provide a personal forum for members to interact with one another outside of the workplace while doing something constructive for the local community. To find such an opportunity, YMF teamed up with “Keep Austin Beautiful”, an organization created to help upkeep the City’s public space.

YMF is pleased to announce that we are registered to help out with the Austin Marathon, held in February, by reducing the environmental impact of the race and maintaining the event’s “Green Race” status with Runner’s World, a premiere running publication. Specific information about all these events will be sent via email or you can contact me directly. That being said…please contact Yvonne Garcia to confirm your contact information is up to date in our database to ensure delivery of this information. We appreciate the opportunity to serve as your representatives and encourage you to be part of this growing organization!

Sincerely,

Brandon Hammann, A.M.ASCE

Austin YMF President

brandon.hammann@klotz.com

UT Student Chapter Update

by Michelle Wilkinson – Corporate Relations Officer

During November, UT ASCE held only one meeting, sponsored by Zachry Construction. Zachry spoke about construction of the Osceola Plum Point Power Plant and the West County Power Plant project in West Palm Beach. We discussed the challenges faced when working on these wide scale projects and how resources, especially labor, are difficult to deal with. Students learned more about the practices used in the construction side of civil engineering through these two projects.

November was a regrouping month for outreach since the year was winding down. We are currently planning what outreach projects we would like to participate in during next semester. We are really excited about setting up elementary school visits to speak about civil engineering. We are also signed up for Explore UT and Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, both of which are geared toward encouraging people to choose the career path of engineering.

Intramural Sports is getting organized for the sports we are going to play next semester. We’re hoping we have a lot of members come out to play!

Concrete Canoe is right on schedule. All of our materials are in and we are currently testing mix designs to determine the optimum ratio of materials. We have started breaking some of our cylinders as well. We are getting ready to create the formwork for the hull and can’t wait until we can begin pouring.

ASCE, in coordination with AEI, has also decided to participate in the Seismic Competition this year again. Last year we placed second and this year we are looking to improve. We have already completed our final architectural design and have made several graphic mock-ups of the structure in various sites. Structural design is starting right now and we are looking forward to finishing our designs so that we can begin constructing. We can’t wait to go to Salt Lake City and compete!

Contact Michelle Wilkinson at mwilkinson@mail.utexas.edu if you would like to get involved with UT ASCE. Please let us know if you would like to sponsor a meeting, a Friday in the Park, or any of our technical competitions (Seismic Competition and Concrete Canoe). Visit our website, www.ut-asce.org, for more information regarding the student branch.

Underwater Roads (Early Roads in Central Texas inundated by the Highland Lakes)

by Melinda Luna, P.E. – History and Heritage Chair

Driving down today’s roads, it’s hard to imagine how it was to travel in Central Texas when it was first being settled. Under the Republic of Texas, Congress empowered the counties to plan, maintain, and appoint overseers for the roads of Texas. Some counties like Travis county, required men between the ages of 18 to 45 to work on roads. Road progressed very slowly in this manner. There were a few bridges and some crossing utilized ferries. Road building was changed with the Federal Road Act of 1916 which made the states create a Highway Department in 1916. The established Highway Department then used license fees on automobiles to build roads. The peak of road building did not occur until the 1950’s. A number of roads built by locals and then were inundated by the Highland Lakes when the lakes were impounded.

Bluffton road was built along the Colorado River on the Llano side of the river. It travels from the Inks Lake Area to the town of Bluffton. Bluffton was a stopping point between Burnet and Llano. The town of Bluffton was inundated along with the road. A few photographs still exists showing the Bluffton ferry that crossed the residents of the area. There existed another crossing in the 1920’s a truss bridge that crossed the Colorado River at the San Saba/Llano County liens called Dutchman’s point. That bridge washed out before the lake was impounded.

Another underwater road is a crossing downstream of the present US 71 at Pedernales River. In 1920, Spicewood residents appealed to Travis County to build a crossing at Cox Crossing(the road to the approaches is called Old Ferry road) The bridge at Cox Crossing with the bridge reduced from a ninety mile trip to only forty miles. The bridge was used by Marble Falls and Spicewood residents. Lake Travis started to be impounded in late in the year 1940 and by 1941 the waters covered the bridge. A temporary solution was to put a Ferry into operation. The ferry was operational until the Lake levels started fluctuating and there were times the water levels were too low for the ferry to operate. It would be until 1946 that the US 71 bridge over the Pedernales River made in possible for people to cross the Pedernales River at this point.

Another of other roads are shown on the 1896 topographic map of the area of Lake Travis that include Stewart Ford, Sylvester Ford, Lohmann Ford and another unnamed crossing near Starnes Island just downstream of the Sandy Creek confluence with the Colorado River. The farmers in this area used the fords to cross the Colorado River to carry corn to Anderson Mill, socialize, and attend schools and general travel. These crossings are all under the waters of Lake Travis.

Marshall Ford was a natural ford located under what is today the Low Water crossing bridge. The Corps of Engineers uses this name for Mansfield dam because the project was initiated under Marshall Ford the name Marshall Ford. It was not inundated with the building of the Austin Dam (1893 version) except for times of high flow. Another crossing under Lake Austin was the Cameron Ferry Road in about what today is the Steiner Ranch area. The Cameron Ferry Road location is also shown in the 1896 topographic map of the area.

Without these few roads and natural fords, travel would have even more difficult in the early days of Texas. We are fortunate that travel is much easier bridges that are open with most of the weather events where roads are heavily traveled.

References:

History of Travis County & Austin 1839-1899, Mary Starr Barley, the Steck Company, 1963

USGS topographic map of 1896 for Austin, Texas

Historical marker files, Texas Historical Commission, Austin. Vertical files, Austin History Center, Austin.

City of Austin Road Names – Manor Road

Named after the Tennessee native James Manor, who followed Sam Houston to Austin and settled in the region east of the city.

GEO-San Antonio 2009

The San Antonio Chapter of the Geo-Institute of ASCE (an affiliation of the San Antonio ASCE Branch) is co-sponsoring its 3rd annual continuing education seminar with UTSA on January 9, 2009 at the Buena Vista Conference Center at UTSA’s Downtown Campus.

This third annual geotechnical seminar provides a forum for the presentation of a broad spectrum of “State-of-the-Practice” Drilled Shaft topics. This year we are honored to have presenters Fred Kulhawy, Clyde Baker, Dan Brown, Silas Nichols, Jack Hayes, Mark McClelland and Gus Beck. Please join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative program. A certificate documenting 7.0 Professional Development Hours will be provided to participants upon request.

For more information please contact Joseph A. Waxse, P.E., SAGI Chair at 210-641-2112 or jawaxse@terracon.com.

ASCE Continuing Education Webinars


Dec. 9	Strengthening Concrete Buildings

Dec. 11	Foundations for Metal Building Systems

Dec. 12	An Introduction to Roadside Delineation and Safety Systems

Dec. 16	Design of Wood Connections

Dec. 17	Floodplain Basics for Municipal, Transportation and Airport Projects New Webinar

Dec. 18	Proposed Amendments to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) New Webinar

Dec. 19	Preparing and Implementing Construction Site Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans

Thank You to All of Our 2008 Sponsors!

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The Austin Branch Newsletter gives you the latest information on ASCE events and activities. To inquire about this newsletter or to publish articles contact the Communications Director. Contact information for our Board of Directors can be found at www.austinasce.org.

National ASCE – www.asce.org Texas Section – www.texasce.org