DeSign of the Times is an online newsletter for members of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania.

THE PRESIDENT'S SAY

News from ACEC/PA President Chester L. Allen, PE.

Happy New Year! Though the holidays have come and gone, I trust that each of you had time to reflect upon 2008, enjoyed the time with your family and friends, and sighted some opportunities for the coming year--may there be many for each of us and our firms.

As I write this, we as a nation are faced with a daunting economic crisis that many of us have never witnessed. While President-elect Obama and Congress are settling on a stimulus package to help jump start this economy and create jobs, I trust they will put partisan politics aside and do what is best for this nation and its people. It is obvious that infrastructure will be a significant part of this package, which has been estimated to be $675-$775 billion, with $80 billion mentioned for infrastructure--as this is one of the best ways to get people back to work. It is important to be prepared to help deliver the transportation, water, and energy demands presented to us.

Deputy Secretary Rick Hogg and his staff met with the ACEC/PA Transportation Task Force in mid-December to inform us how PennDOT was preparing for the upcoming stimulus package. Deputy Secretary Hogg admitted that PennDOT had not finalized its list of projects yet (although preliminary numbers had been printed in Engineering News Record) and was in the process of doing so as we were meeting. Deputy Secretary Hogg further stressed that PennDOT would not lose one penny of the dollars to be allocated to them; therefore, he is relying upon us as an industry to deliver. In addition to advertisements, PennDOT expressed its intention to handle much of the additional stimulus work by extending the ending dates, and increasing the dollars of current open-end contracts.

I want to thank the board and PAC members for last-minute fundraising efforts for the ACEC National PAC. This shows that we in Pennsylvania are serious about keeping ACEC in the top 3 percent of PACs in Washington DC. ACEC supported select Pennsylvania candidates with $35,000 in 2008; after much effort on behalf of many of our board members in December, we reached our goal by contributing $26,159! We greatly thank firms and members for contributing throughout the year on behalf of our business interests at the national level.

Please remember that ACEC has a seat at the table with the Obama transition team preparing for the stimulus package to be delivered. As we enter 2009, I trust that each of you will seriously consider increasing your PAC contributions so we can meet our national and state goals. This increases the chance of our voices being heard by legislators in Harrisburg and Washington, DC, so they can become familiar with our industry’s needs and know that we host functions or support their candidacies.

Our chapters are working hard to provide exceptional speakers for upcoming meetings in 2009; these events are exceptional marketing and learning opportunities. As a special venue, our Government Affairs Committee has the newly elected Senate Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Rob Wonderling committed to meet with us on February 11. I hope you will join me in supporting this event that promises to be very informative.

As an important note, time is drawing near for our Diamond Awards Banquet in Hershey on February 5. This is the highlight of the year, showcasing many of the wonderful projects that we deliver for our clients. Please plan to attend and bring a client with you so that he or she can witness firsthand what engineering firms are doing to develop solutions that benefit our society.

In addition, we are only three months away from our annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla. I believe our agenda of speakers will have items of interest to benefit everyone. The roster includes a national contractor who will speak about design/build, and what contractors seek from engineering firms; representatives from FLDOT who will discuss mutual gains negotiations (be prepared to ask specific questions regarding this); and representatives who will address the energy and water markets. Check www.acecpa.org soon for more information. Remember to make your reservations as soon as possible to join us. It promises to be a great meeting as we face new undertakings in 2009.

As I close, I request that you continue to be active in our committees and meetings. Let’s make 2009 the best year on record for our businesses, and show citizens of this great commonwealth that we indeed make meaningful contributions to the standard of living we all enjoy.

Best wishes for an outstanding 2009!

Chester L. Allen, PE

President

THE BUZZ

PennDOT Releases List of Candidate Projects for Anticipated Federal Stimulus Program

PennDOT's Candidate Projects for Stimulus Package

Three Firms Interested in Finishing Turnpike Expansions

Federal Stimulus Package Update
The House version of the stimulus bill (300 pages long) was unveiled and we anticipate a vote in the next few weeks. The Senate is expected to take up its own bill in early February. This is the “opening hand” in a high stakes game over the next several weeks. Ace’s lobbying effort has been, and will continue to be, aggressive and focused on a number of key areas – maximum investment in infrastructure, business-friendly tax changes, and implementation provisions to assure timely expenditures and maximized use of the private sector.

This bill totals $550 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax cuts. It contains more than $100 billion in infrastructure and public facilities funding – above and beyond annual appropriations or funds already in the pipeline. It includes more than $43 billion in new spending for transportation (highways, transit, and aviation), $9.5 billion for water and wastewater, $20 billion for school construction, $6.7 billion for GSA federal buildings, and $16 billion for public housing improvements. DOD programs total over $12 billion, including new medical facilities and Corps of Engineers projects. Additional funds are provided for veterans’ medical facilities, customs and border patrol facilities, infrastructure on public lands and parks, and Superfund and other cleanup programs. On the energy side, the bill contains $11 billion for the electricity grid, $8 billion in renewable energy loan guarantees, $6.9 billion for local energy efficiency grants, and a long-term extension of the renewable energy production tax credit.

Business tax breaks include accelerated depreciation, increased small business expensing, and expanded net operating loss carry back. The bill also postpones the 3 percent withholding mandate on government contracts for an additional year, as ACEC continues to push for full repeal. In addition, the bill includes new funding for science, math, and engineering education.

Welcome New Members!

• Maser Consulting
• Susquehanna Civil, Inc. 
• French Engineering, LLC
  

PennDOT ACEC/PA Task Force News

PA Water & Wastewater Funding Initiatives

SAVE THE DATE

February 5: Diamond Awards Dinner, Hotel Hershey
Banquet Registration.

April 15-19: ACEC/PA Annual Membership Meeting
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa
Registration and pricing details coming soon.

ACEC/PA Events Calendar

ACEC NATIONAL

Check out the latest in national engineering news with online issues of Engineering Inc. magazine.

April 26-29: ACEC 100th Annual Anniversary Convention & Legislative Summit, Washington, DC. Details & registration.

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P: 717.540-6811

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