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Included in this issue...
What Sets Us Apart (2009)
KEI Volunteers: Vet's Field
Roundabouts Reduce Crashes
PA Overregulation & IRRC
Recycling Infrastructure Grants
DCNR Grant Workshop
Two New Hires
Employee Celebrations
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The following article was featured in our Winter 2009 Newsletter, titled "Message from Joe: What Sets Us Apart". Fifteen years later, Joe's message still remains relevant today. Enjoy!
It didn’t take long to come up with a topic for our new newsletter – What Sets Us Apart from Other Firms.
The answer: Our Employees.
Our competitors are all technically competent to get the job done. What our employees do is add a personal touch. They are genuinely interested in their projects and meeting our client’s goals. They establish life-long friendships with clients, funding agencies, review agencies, contractors and suppliers.
Our employees give back to the communities they live and work in by being active in their churches and other non-profit groups, coaching, organizing fundraisers for those in need, and even picking up litter along roads.
I hear many good comments about our firm from clients, friends and occasionally even a stranger. There will always be an occasional project that does not go as the client or we had planned. No matter how hard we try; we’re not perfect. However, how we resolve problems, always in the best interest of the client, exemplifies our employee’s commitment to doing things right. Our company has steadily grown, in large part to our group of dedicated employees. We have all worked hard to develop and promote our company and its image. I truly appreciate all our employees do.
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KEI Volunteers: Vet's Field | |
Brian Wiser, Joan Keller, Joe Keller, Lisa Ebersole, Andy Ebersole, Dave Cunningham, Tina Cunningham, Jude Keller, Jared Keller, Ben Piper, Owen Piper, Nathan Patrick, & Kate Patrick spent their Saturday morning painting the ticket booth, concession stand, restrooms, and bleachers at Veterans Memorial Field in Altoona. Our Director of Water/Wastewater, Dave Cunningham, coordinated this fun volunteer opportunity! | |
Roundabouts Reduce Crashes | |
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This roundabout connects Old Gatesburg Road and Pine Hall Road in Centre County.
According to research conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), roundabouts continue to reduce crashes.
Click here to read PennDOT's article from September 19, 2024.
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What is a Roundabout?: A roundabout is a circular junction where vehicular traffic travels in one direction around a central median with priority given to the circulating flow. Roundabouts reduce driver delay by allowing motorists to yield rather than stop, which in turn allows them to handle higher traffic volumes, and operate more efficiently than signalized intersections. This more efficient operation helps reduce delays and congestion, while decreasing fuel consumption and air pollution. A roundabout also has only eight (8) conflict points, making it a much safer roadway design than a signalized four-way intersection with twenty (20) conflict points. Roundabout design is considered a specialized discipline within Transportation Engineering. It is a complex endeavor involving geometric considerations, right-of-way concerns, capacity requirements, detailed signage, detailed pavement markings, etc.
Keller Engineers' Roundabout Design Experience: Keller Engineers’ Transportation Division has completed designs for five roundabouts. Two have been constructed in Centre County, Pennsylvania; one in the Gray’s Woods community and the other intersects Old Gatesburg Road and Pine Hall Road in Ferguson Township. The other three have not yet been constructed.
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Pennsylvania Overregulation | |
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The following article is from Representative Jim Gregory's weekly newsletter.
At the direction of the Pennsylvania House Republicans and various standing House committees, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) recently completed a two-year-long review that found numerous regulations no longer in the public interest.
This is great news for the Commonwealth, as overregulation hinders economic growth, impedes our ability to govern ourselves and sometimes confuses the public. Streamlining government and reducing the size and scope of our administrative state has long been, and continues to be, a focus of House Republicans.
The report and orders issued by IRRC last week are another successful step in holding government accountable to itself and, most importantly, the people of Pennsylvania. Click here to learn more.
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Recycling Infrastructure Grants | |
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced approximately $58 million in funding to improve recycling infrastructure and boost food waste prevention and composting education under the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grants for Communities program. For more information click here.
Municipalities are eligible to apply through December 20, 2024 for projects that will improve collection, transport, systems, and processes related to post-use materials that can be recovered, reused, recycled, repaired, refurbished, or composted.
Eligible projects include the purchase of recycling equipment, including but not limited to sorting equipment, waste metering, trucks, and processing facilities; Upgrades to material recovery facilities (MRFs); Construction and upgrades to composting facilities or anaerobic digesters to increase capacity for food and organics recycling; and Development of or upgrades to curbside collection programs or drop-off stations for organics.
(Grant information is courtesy of the Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors.)
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DCNR 2024 Statewide Annual Virtual Grant Workshop for Recreation and Conservation Projects
Thursday, November 7, 2024 9:00am to 12:00pm
This free, virtual workshop is designed to help applicants develop project ideas in preparation for submitting a grant application to the 2025 Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2). DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation staff will present information about grant program selection criteria, review current program priorities, and discuss eligible project types.
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend. The workshop is especially suited for municipal officials, consultants, board members, trail managers, land trust staff, and park and recreation professionals.
The workshop runs from 9:00 AM to noon. A general session for all applicants will begin at 9:00 AM. Project type-specific breakout sessions will follow. Applicants should plan to attend both the general session and the breakout session for the project type they plan on applying for. There will be ample time for project-specific Q&A with DCNR’s professional grant managers and regional advisors.
Registration is free. Click here to register.
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WELCOME STEPHANIE & RACHEL! | |
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Stephanie Rowland joins Keller Engineers Transportation Division as the Assistant Construction Manager. Due to her 25 years of experience in construction inspection and management, she will be primarily coordinating inspection personnel and overseeing inspection of construction and scheduling for state, municipal, and private projects. Stephanie holds a National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) Level III Highway Construction certification and is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology and an Associate of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. She is also a certified Engineer-in-Training.
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Rachel Ferko is an Engineer-in-Training with a strong background in environmental engineering. She joins us as a Designer in our Land Development Division and will be responsible for various aspects of land development design services and the production of plan drawings and reports including site layout, utility design/profiles, grading, and watershed analysis. Rachel’s experience includes analyzing and interpreting geochemical and hydrologic flow models, conducting workshops, and analyzing mine waste rock leachate data. She is a graduate of Saint Francis University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering and a minor in Mathematics.
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September Employee Service Awards | |
Employee Work Anniversaries | |
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October
32 Years - Dan Carbaugh
1 Year - Sean McAlorum
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November
29 Years - Wendy Rossman
27 Years - Matt Stoehr
18 Years - Diana McClure
16 Years - Shawn Ritchey
2 Years - Kevin Fersch
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October
5th - Wendy Rossman
7th - Mary Nelson
15th - Rachel Ferko
16th - Thomas Hawn
19th - Jared Keller
20th - Chip Carr
23rd - Erik Vranich
27th - Fran Crocco
30th - Matt Stoehr
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November
8th - Lorena Caldwell
11th - Ron Samuel
15th - Brian Moore
21st - Uday Patel
23rd - Jordyn Hinkle
29th - Kevin Hampton
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