Articles

Technical Sessions - January 2016

MORNING SESSION - Hosted by Sustainability Institute @ 11:15 AM 

Topic: An Eclectic Reconstruction: Deep Ellum Complete Street Project

Speakers: Garry Kraus, PE – TranSystems Corporation and Lindsey White, PLA, ASLA - Caye Cook & Associates

The Deep Ellum neighborhood consists of a culmination of music venues, restaurants, and nightclubs on the fringe of Dallas’ central business district. Set against a backdrop of old automotive service shops and new urban residential, it is quite an eclectic mix. With two broad one-way streets running through it, the opportunity for pedestrian accommodation to the businesses was lacking. The reconstruction project consists of narrowing the two streets, converting them to two-way and expanding/improving landscape and pedestrian areas for both aesthetic and outdoor functional uses, and really realizing this effort as a ‘complete street’ project.

Based upon a conceptual plan prepared by the Dallas Design Studio, reconstruction plans were prepared including landscape and streetscape. In addition, the plans also included water conservation methods such as rain gardens and permeable pavers. Detailed survey and subsurface investigations were needed in this very old area of Dallas where many “surprises” could lurk.

An important aspect of the project was the high degree of stakeholder coordination and buy-in needed for the success of the project. This included design input, peer reviews and meetings with business operators, owners and local residents.

Garry Kraus has utilized his 41 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering in a variety of ways, one of which being the ability to manage large complex projects requiring multidisciplinary teams and considerable interface with clients and other interested parties or stakeholders. Garry has performed this successfully for projects ranging from land development, water and wastewater facilities design, flood plain analysis and hydraulics, environmental engineering, and especially roadway and drainage design. Garry is involved in American Society of Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers as well as a longtime member of the American Public Works Association. 

Lindsey White has been involved in the expanding field of sustainable design of sites since her graduation in 1981 from the University of Texas at Arlington with her Bachelor in Science in Landscape Architecture.  As a Professional Landscape Architect, she has worked for several diverse firms gaining experience both locally and internationally in hardscape and softscape constructability solutions.  As Senior Landscape Architect at Caye Cook & Associates (CCA), Lindsey has worked on over 20 miles of streetscapes, promoted applications of integrated storm water management (iSWM) to all projects, and has worked with the North Texas COG to help develop the Division Section 205 per EPA requirements for regional iSWM application.

AFTERNOON TECHNICAL SESSION - Hosted by EWRI @ 1:15 PM

Topic: Update on EO13690 and the Federal Flood Risk Management Standards

Speaker: Dan Delich, National Levee Issues Alliance

Dan Delich oversees efforts by the National Levee Issues Alliance (LIA) to promote consensus flood hazard reduction policies that are clear, achievable, and adaptable to place-based variation. The LIA advocates for balanced and cost-effective approaches that retain well-conceived structural solutions among the various necessary options to reduce flood hazard levels for people, property, and commerce in developed lowland areas.

The Levee Issues Alliance began operations in November 2009, and includes membership from the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Previously, Delich worked for ten years (1999-2008) to develop and manage a national government relations program for a large consulting, engineering, construction, and operations firm with 4,000 employees in 100+ offices worldwide. From 1994-1999, he served as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works advising former committee chairman John H. Chafee on matters related to water resources development, global climate change, and the annual federal budget. Delich began his career by working for four years (1990-1994) as a policy analyst in the Office of Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.