FACERS Connect Vol 1 Issue 3

From the President's Desk:

Faith Alkhatib, Flagler County

It is a privilege and an honor to serve as the President of FACERS for the 2017/2018 year. I am thankful for FACERS members and the Board of Directors for electing me with this great opportunity and I look forward to working with all of you.

I am deeply thankful to past presidents and directors for their leadership and outstanding contributions to FACERS. I look forward to continuing the important tasks toward fulfilling the mission of FACERS.

FACERS is a nonprofit and membership supported organization in Florida. I have witnessed FACERS tremendous growth year after year and I believe we can continue to grow and make FACERS greater. All members need to actively participate in order to further our goals and objectives. Addressing the challenges we all face in our counties, sharing our knowledge with each other, and finding new innovative ways to overcome those challenges. I urge members to become involved with FACERS and spread the word to your colleagues to increase membership and attract new sponsors.

As your president, I will remain focused on ensuring that FACERS members are aware of the many valuable and helpful resources available not only to assist with your daily professional needs, but will support your career development and advancement.

I would also like to encourage all of you to not only submit comments and ideas, but to attend the FACERS Conference which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota County, FL., November 15-17,2017. I believe everyone would benefit greatly by attending.

I also encourage you to provide feedback to me anytime so together we can continue to make FACERS a leading organization.

Annual Meeting Re-Cap

Palm Beach County

The FACERS Annual Meeting was held June 28-30, 2017 at the Hilton West Palm Beach Downtown in beautiful Palm Beach County. The meeting was attended by over 90 county, city, state, federal and business employees, and included a packed agenda, retirement celebrations, education and networking opportunities.

As the FACERS membership grows, we look forward to providing you with the most up to date information from not only our State and Federal partners, but our business affiliates and other FACERS members who have had successful projects competed in their communities.

We hope that you will join us for the Fall Meeting being held November 15-17, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota in Sarasota County. Registration will open in October - we hope to see you there!

2017-18 Board Installation

Faith Alkhatib Installed as New President

FACERS Member Spotlight

Faith Alkhatib, P.E., MBA

Flager County Public Works Director & County Engineer

Professional Bio:

Faith is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Florida with a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA), and over twenty (20) years of professional, management, and engineering experience in both the public and private sectors. Her prior work experience is mainly with The Florida Department of Transportation, and both St. Johns and Flagler Counties. Faith is well versed in the areas of environmental, planning, storm water, drainage, traffic, permitting, contracts, construction, and the design and maintenance of roadways and bridges. She also has considerable experience dealing with contractors, consultants, public officials and the general public.

Faith has managed capital projects from inception to completion and also developed bid specifications and performed contract administration to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget. Her major responsibilities include managing, directing, and coordinating contractors and consultants' multi-discipline professional staff activities, which include roadway design and construction, major structures design and construction, pavement management, planning & programming, Engineering/CADD systems, Geotech, utilities, right-of-way, permitting and traffic engineering design and operations.

In 2010, Faith received the 2010 Award from the Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents (FACERS) for Local Agency/State Agency Collaboration for the I-95 and Matanzas Woods Parkway Interchange's Justification Report (IJR) project. In 2016, she was voted as Vice President of FACERS and recently, appointed as President of this organization.

Personal Info:

What's playing on your iPod? I always have either Arabic music playing or music by two of my favorite artists-Celine Dion and Adele-on repeat!
What's the last book you read? The last book I read was a classic--The Great Gatsby
What's your favorite thing to do on the weekends? My favorite thing to do on the weekends is to spend time with my husband, children, and grandson. We are always active by either walking on the beach or going to local parks, but also enjoy just spending quality time with each other since everyone's schedules are so busy.
What's your favorite part of FACERS? My favorite part of FACERS is how different county employees from all parts of Florida have a similar goal in mind and are always looking for new ways to serve their constituents. It shows you that despite the different backgrounds, we all can come together and create solutions to benefit us all as a whole.

Cong ratulations!

2017 Local/State Agency Project

Collaboration Project of the Year

Charlotte Harbor- Community Redevelopment Agency

Charlotte Harbor- Harborwalk (Live Oak Point Park)

An abandon bridge bulkhead owned by the FDOT provided the opportunity to achieve the goals of the CRA and create a new waterfront destination. The $3.2 million construction project was achieved through a collaborative effort of multiple funding sources. The project consists of a seawall replacement, pedestrian promenade, sidewalk connection, passive boat launch, parking and restroom facility.

Need for the Project

To create a village-like atmosphere along Charlotte Harbor that captures the area's heritage while becoming a pedestrian-oriented destination for residents and tourist that includes a linear park and mixed-use development. To sequence redevelopment, the pedestrian experience needs to be created to draw people to the river's edge. Infrastructure needs to be put in place to make property in the vicinity of the US 41 bridge more attractive for redevelopment.

Impact on the Community

This project provided services including a bathroom and drinking fountain to a frequently used favorite fishing spot for locals and residents. It is an economic catalyst to the area and will spur private investment. Additionally, this project provides safer recreational facilities with a decrease in illegal dumping and crime.

Sponsor Spotlight

England-Thims & Miller, Inc.

Established in 1977, England-Thims and Miller, Inc. (ETM) is a full-service civil engineering leader recognized for adding value to many of the region’s complex transportation and drainage projects, and environmental and regulatory compliance challenges. From their corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, and offices in Flagler, Leon, Nassau, and Seminole Counties, they have partnered with numerous public agencies to shape their communities.

ETM’s life-cycle experiences aid Public Work’s professionals with meeting their Community’s needs and achieving their budgetary goals. ETM’s experience includes planning, regulatory compliance, Capital Improvement Program development and implementation, design services, grant application support, and construction inspection. Their professionals understand the need for proactive and cost-effective solutions and have the expertise to serve a wide array of municipal projects.

ETM’s Traffic Management professionals assess the symptoms of general traffic conditions, and make competent diagnoses by conducting traffic counts, analyzing accident statistics, studying speed data, examining roadway conditions, conducting research and studying trends. Their transportation engineers apply technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation and management of transportation facilities.

Clients also count on ETM to ensure their projects are constructed in conformity with approved plans and specifications and that their investments and expectations are met- through construction and into the project’s maintenance life. ETM’s CEI services include construction administration and management, field inspection, materials testing and technical services associated with transportation, traffic/signalization, drainage and many other public and private development projects.

ETM provides thoughtful engineering solutions to their client’s visions—turning them into realities. ETM is ranked as one of ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms in the country and stands ready to serve the needs of their community.