Greetings from Olsson Associates
 
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Planning for anticipated change is a highly important skill. In this month's e-newsletter, we are featuring two articles that highlight the importance of looking towards the future to have a well-rounded plan, as well as increasing the chances of gaining additional funding. Joan Darling's article shares a new process that should help simplify NEPA compliance on transportation projects, while Courtney Dunbar's article urges us to consider the needs of a full community when planning for and chasing grant opportunities.

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If you have questions or would like more information on the information shared in this e-newsletter, or about any of our services, don't hesitate to give me a call. 


John S. Olsson, PE
Lincoln and Greater Nebraska Office Leader
402.458.5661 or [email protected]
New, Simplified NEPA Process for Some Nebraska Federal-Aid Transportation Projects
By Joan Darling, Ph.D.
 
Projects that have federal funding must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires documentation of the social, economic, and natural environmental impacts of the project. For six types of federal-aid transportation projects, the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have just developed a new, simplified process intended to facilitate NEPA compliance and, thus, approval of the project.
 
Six Programmatic Agreements (PAs) between FHWA and NDOR were signed on June 23, 2010. These PAs were developed to outline the procedures for environmentally approving certain federally-funded actions that involve specific transportation improvement activities. The PAs cover the following six categories of transportation projects:
READ MORE
Planned Development: The New Model for Federal Funding of Community Projects
By Courtney Dunbar
 
http://oaconsulting.com/perspectives/dir-sign1.jpg"Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?" asked Alice. "That depends a good deal on where you want to get," said the Cat. "I really don't care where," replied Alice. "Then, it doesn't much matter which way you go," said the Cat. 
  - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

If we don't care where we go or how we grow, it doesn't matter the method. Over the last century, the U.S. has seen it all when it comes to community growth. We've watched the rise of industrialism capture full labor forces in cities, only to close and destroy the economic base of entire regions, such as what occurred in Flint, Michigan. We have seen what was awarded as ingenious public housing constructed in St. Louis, only to be torn down a few years later due to its role in fostering appalling crime statistics. Roads have been constructed to get people quickly to and from without a single thought about what happens to the small town businesses and residents now skipped over by the new freeway. 
 
While, in some regards, it is apparent that the average American hasn't much cared about their direction as it relates to the whole, times are changing. It is difficult to find an elementary student who has not been taught the value of preserving natural resources. It is nearly embarrassing to enter a grocery store without bringing your cloth grocery bags for fear you would have to suffer the humiliation of leaving the store with your plastic bags filled with goods. Redeveloping historic inner-city spaces is all the rage. Nearly everywhere, we are reminded to do more with less and consider the whole in our decision-making.
In light of these dynamics changes, it should be of no surprise that the face of the Federal Government Grant is changing to address development from a holistic angle. Rather than being individually concerned about the viability of a specific project to a community, our government decision-makers are now increasingly concerned about the impacts of community improvement projects on other facets of the community. For example, READ MORE
Featured Project: Wittson Hall HVAC at the University of Nebraska Medical Center | Omaha, Nebraska
Renovating and Protecting a Library
  
http://oaconsulting.com/media/projects/Wittson.jpgOlsson Associates adapted a design to renovate the HVAC systems in the McGoogan Library within Wittson Hall, located on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. The design reused substantial portions of the duct to save cost, reduce waste, and minimize disruption during construction. READ MORE
In This Issue
New, Simplified NEPA Process for Some Nebraska Federal-Aid Transportation Projects
Planned Development: The New Model for Federal Funding of Community Projects
Featured Project: Wittson Hall HVAC
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