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PEORIA, May 8 — At the American Public Works Association (APWA) Illinois Chapter Conference on May 6-8, Fehr Graham was awarded two 2015 Public Works Project of the Year designations in the categories of Transportation and Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair. “We are honored to be recognized, along with our great partners in Champaign and Gifford. The Fehr Graham staff went above and beyond in support of both of these communities and really highlighted the diversity of our services,” said Mick Gronewold, Fehr Graham’s chairman of the board. Unlike a project that is planned in advance, the Gifford Tornado – Water Treatment Plant Rebuild was done in reaction to an unexpected event. Fehr Graham was involved with Gifford from the outset, arriving two days after the tornado touched down. The EF3 tornado destroyed the town’s water treatment plant and maintenance building and caused significant damage to the 65,000-gallon elevated tank and the Village Hall. Fehr Graham created a compressed timeline, constructed a temporary water treatment plant and started plans for the rebuild of the facility. “After the tornado, Fehr Graham staff was able to jump in and provide that much-needed help in getting our basic water needs met. We are very thankful to them for their quick response. We are thrilled to be recognized along with Fehr Graham for the award,” said Jess Childress, Water Superintendent, Village of Gifford. Additionally, Fehr Graham was recognized in the APWA’s Transportation category for its work to replace the bridge carrying Windsor Road over Interstate 57 in the City of Champaign. With input from the City, the overpass was built with new five-foot wide sidewalks and six-foot wide bike lanes providing safe, multi-modal travel benefits for all users. This project provided an opportunity for an approach upgrade to “complete streets” standards and provided a safe link to the quickly growing residential office and commercial areas in southwest Champaign. Fehr Graham worked with the city on design, including the sidewalks and bike lanes, pedestrian safety railings, and a colored concrete retaining wall with an architectural pattern of stacked limestone and new LED lighting. “The Windsor Road and I-57 bridge project was a great example of the need for complete street projects in communities. It shows the necessary connectivity that they provide. This project took a lot of creativity, and our collective team did a great job working together to produce a top-tier project.” said Dave Clark, City Engineer, City of Champaign. ABOUT FEHR GRAHAM |
Phone: (815)987-8118
Fax: (815)987-8129
Brian Thomas
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