Annual Diamond Award Winners Announced; Consulting Engineers Honored for Excellence.

Business Editors

HARRISBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2000

An innovative project to rebuild stormwater pumping stations and help prevent future flooding in the Wyoming Valley took top honors in the annual Diamond Awards for Engineering Excellence presented by the Consulting Engineers Council of Pennsylvania (CEC/PA).

CEC/PA sponsors the annual Diamond Awards program to recognize engineering excellence in public and private sector projects across the Commonwealth.

Borton-Lawson Engineering, Inc. of Wilkes-Barre won the Grand Conceptor Award for its engineering efforts to renovate a 17-mile long network of stormwater and sanitary pumping stations at the Wyoming Valley Levee system near Wilkes-Barre. Commissioned by the Army Corps of Engineers, the project required development of new engineering and construction techniques to enable extensive renovation work in very small working spaces.

In addition to Borton-Lawson's Grand Conceptor Award, five other consulting engineering firms received Honor Awards from the field of more than 30 entries.

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. of Coraopolis received an Honor Award in the Transportation category for its work to redesign the Liberty Tunnel Interchange in Pittsburgh. The project expanded capacity and improved safety at the intersection, which handles more than 80,000 vehicles each day.

An Honor Award in the Water Resources category went to Gannett Fleming, Inc. of Harrisburg for its research, engineering and construction management of the rehabilitation of the Penn Forest Dam in Carbon County. The new 180-foot high, 2050 foot-long roller compacted concrete dam replaced the existing dam at the site.

KCI Technologies, Inc. of Hunt Valley, Maryland was recognized with an Honor Award in the Studies, Research and Consulting Services category for its comprehensive efforts to develop a river conservation and land use plan for the Montour Run Watershed in Allegheny County. The plan addressed a broad range of environmental issues and offered strategies for balancing development with conservation to enhance quality of life in the region.

The Honor Award for Building Services went to STV Incorporated of Douglassville for the adaptive reuse of a vacant building into a research laboratory and office facility. Consulting engineers from STV created an attractive, employee-friendly design and effective, high-tech laboratory space out of an open pre-engineered building.

Barry Isett &Associates, Inc. of Trexlertown received an Honor Award in the Environment category for its innovative and cost effective wetlands reclamation and remediation project in Bensalem Township. An innovative approach recycled leftover fill into an amphitheater for outdoor performances.

CEC/PA Executive Vice President John Van Natta says, &uot;The winning projects represent the best work of consulting engineers across Pennsylvania. The Diamond Awards program was developed to showcase the diverse work consulting engineers provide on public and private sector projects.&uot;

The award winning entries will be recognized at the annual CEC/PA awards banquet held on February 3 at the Hotel Hershey.

The Consulting Engineers Council of Pennsylvania works to strengthen the practice of consulting engineering and the 100-plus CEC/PA member firms by enhancing public understanding of the importance of quality engineering to a building project's success. CEC/PA also promotes legislative initiatives and works to enhance professional development. Membership is open to independent firms of all sizes providing engineering and related services through licensed professionals on an as-needed basis within the Commonwealth.

For more information contact: Consulting Engineers Council of Pennsylvania at 717-540-6811 or visit the CEC/PA web site at www.cecpa.org.