July 2014 CAM Magazine

JULY 2014 Vol. 35 No. 7 $4.00

ELECTRICALGetting the Big Picture at COMTEC

ELECTRICALGetting the Big Picture at COMTEC

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: THE DEXTER WELLNESS CENTER OPENS

Restarting the Engine:Part of Highland Park

Complex Slated for Renovation

On Track:M-1 RAIL

Construction2014

Restarting the Engine:Part of Highland Park

Complex Slated for Renovation

On Track:M-1 RAIL

Construction2014

WOODWARDCORRIDOR

REVITALIZATION

WOODWARDCORRIDOR

REVITALIZATION

ADVANCES INMECHANICALUsing PP-R Pipe for A/C Retrofit

Meeting the Energy Challenge: Retro-Commissioning MSUs Anthony Hall

ADVANCES INMECHANICALUsing PP-R Pipe for A/C Retrofit

Meeting the Energy Challenge: Retro-Commissioning MSUs Anthony Hall

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4 CAM MAGAZINE JULY 2014 Voice Of The Construction Industry

FEATURES

14 SUSTAIN|ABILITY A "No Regrets" Energy Policy Stresses Energy

Efficiency for Michigan

16 U.S. Department of Labor BuildsEnforcement in the ConstructionIndustry

MECHANICAL

18 Established Contractor Uses PP-R Pipefor A/C Retrofit on 83-Year-Old School Campus

John E. Green Company Installs 21st Century Piping inDirect-Bury Heat Pump Application at the University ofDetroit Jesuit High School

22 Meeting the Energy Challenge: Retro-Commissioning Michigan State Universitys

Showcase Project - Anthony Hall

VO ICE OF THE CONSTRUCT ION INDUSTRY

ELECTRICAL

26 Getting the Big Picture at COMTEC

WOODWARD AVENUE REVITALIZATION

30 Woodward Avenue: The Re-Invention of an All-American Road

36 Restarting the Motor Citys Engine: Part of Ford Highland Park Complex Slated for Renovation

40 Keeping Southeast Michigan On Track:M-1 RAIL Construction Slated for Summer 2014

CONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHT

42 A Picture of Good Health: The Dexter Wellness Center Opens on Baker Road

DEPARTMENTS8 Industry news10 marketing on the level12 safety tool Kit46 product showcase52 people in Construction/Corporate news54 Construction Calendar54 Welcome new members54 advertisers Index

About the Cover: John E. GrEEn Company Installs 21st CEntury pIpInG In DIrECt-Bury hEat pump applICatIon at thE unIvErsIty of DEtroIt JEsuIt hIGh sChool.

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PUBLISHER Kevin N. Koehler EDITOR Amanda M. Tackett

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mary E. Kremposky

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Matthew J. Austermann GRAPHIC DESIGN Marci L. Christian DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Gregg A. Montowski ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Cathy A. Jones

DIRECTORS OFFICERS Chairman Eric C. Steck Amalio Corporation Vice Chairman Todd W. Hill Ventcon, Inc. Vice Chairman Mary K. Marble Marble Mechanical, LLC Treasurer Larry S. Brinker, Jr. The Brinker Group President Kevin N. Koehler DIRECTORS Stephen J. Hohenshil Glasco Corporation

Brad Leidal Leidal & Hart Mason Contractors, Inc.

Giuseppe (Joe) S. Palazzolo Detroit Spectrum Painters, Inc.

John Raimondo Roncelli, Inc.

John W. Rieckhoff C.L. Rieckhoff Company, Inc.

Kevin F. Ryan Powerlink Facility Management Services

Preston Wallace Limbach Company, LLC

Donielle Wunderlich George W. Auch Company

CAM MAGAZINE EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE William L. Borch, Jr. Ironworkers Local Union 25 Gary Boyajian Consultant Stevan Bratic Bratic Enterprises, LLC Marty Burnstein Law Office of Marty Burnstein George Dobrowitsky Walbridge Daniel Englehart Peter Basso and Associates, Inc. Chris Hippler Capital Letters Dennis King DMKINGconsultingLLC Nancy Marshall Aluminum Supply Company Rick Rys Hi Def Color Sanford (Sandy) Sulkes International Building Products, Inc. James Vargo Capac Construction Company, Inc.

CAM Magazine (ISSN08837880) is published monthly by the Construction Association of Michigan, 43636 Woodward Ave., P.O. Box 3204, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302-3204 (248) 972-1000. $24.00 of annual membership dues is allocated to a subscription to CAM Magazine. Additional subscriptions $40.00 annually. Periodical postage paid at Bloomfield Hills, MI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER, SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: CAM MAGAZINE, 43636 WOODWARD AVE., BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48302-3204.

For editorial comment or more information: [email protected] reprints or to sell CAM Magazine: 248-972-1000

Copyright 2013 Construction Association of Michigan. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. CAM Magazine is a registered trademark of the Construction Association of Michigan.

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Guardian EnvironmentalServices, Inc. Celebrating 30Years Guardian Environmental services, Inc. (GEs) oflivonia, a heating and cooling (hvaC) mechanicalcontractor, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in2014. GEs co-owners, John C. philbin a formerhvaC tech and anthonyDascenzo, a formerplumber, saw the market forcommercial hvaCmechanical services tocomplement a growingplumbing services segment.GEs began as a sistercompany to Guardianplumbing and heating, Inc.,which started in the early 60s and is still goingstrong today. GEs specializes in commercialhvaC, offering maintenance contracts and projectmanagement according to tom Barker, GEs vicepresident/sales, the companys focus andconsistency is the same today as it was 30 yearsago. our biggest accomplishment is the fact thatwe have been successful for 30 years with thesame leadership, he said. We have beensuccessful during the ups and downs of our local

economy. GEs focuses on several critical environmentalneeds of its commercial customers, includingthose who operate healthcare operations and datacenters. one of their Detroit-area customers whodepend on GEs to maintain its critical data centeras well as mechanical systems throughout itsfacility is raymond James, a diversified financial

services company located insouthfield.lisa Kerr, manager of officeservices for raymondJames, said that GEs is theonly mechanical companyshe has known since shebegan with her company 19years ago. thats saying a lotabout the value of this long-

term business relationship. our corporate officehas very high standards and GEs has always metthem, Kerr said. the GEs workforce is comprise of members ofoperating Engineers local 324, a group that isdedicated to finding good opportunities for itsmembers which includes working at GEs. Wehave an apprenticeship program and currentlyhave apprentices working for us, said Barker. Wethink the best techs are the ones we trainourselves.

Consumers Energy Teams Upwith Food Banks to Distribute85,000 Energy-Efficient LightBulbs to Michigan Families Consumers Energy is helping families acrossmichigan to save energy and money this year bydonating 85,000 energy-efficient light bulbsthrough food banks. Energy efficiency has provided more than$575 million in savings to the homes andbusinesses we serve. By doing this, we continueto make good on our promise to help michigansave energy in a practical, everyday way, saidGarrick rochow, Consumers Energys vicepresident of customer operations and quality. feeding america West michigan food Bank isgiving out about 40,000 EnErGy star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (Cfls)through its network of food pantries. another2,500 will be distributed through the food Bankof south Central michigan in Battle Creek.families receive a package of two Cfls, along

INDUSTRY NEWS

Visit us online at www.cammagazineonline.com CAM MAGAZINE JULY 2014 9

with information on the bulbs benefits and otherenergy-saving tips. this is the third year Consumers Energy hasdistributed Cfls through our network, saidfeeding america West michigan CEo KenEstelle. By helping our clients save money ontheir energy bills, Consumers is giving them abetter shot at affording the food they need to leadhealthy lives. We believe this donation will make it a little biteasier for our neighbors to make ends meet,Estelle said. Cfls can last up to 10,000 hours, or nineyears. they produce 75 percent less heat thantraditional bulbs, making them safer to operateand more energy efficient saving about $30 inelectricity costs over each bulbs lifetime. the Cfls are distributed by Earthtronics(www.earthtronics.com), which is based inmuskegon. Consumers Energy has increased itscommitment to Earthtronics and other Westmichigan businesses by $125 million and isincreasing its spending on all michigan goodsand services by $1 billion from 2011 to 2016, allthrough its participation in the pure michiganBusiness Connect program. for moreinformation, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com. Integrated Design SolutionsCelebrates 15 Years of SuccessProjects, People & Passion Showcasedin New Site: www.ids-troy.com the team of architects,engineers and designers atIntegrated Design solutions(IDs), troy, are pleased toannounce their new online site, www.ids-troy.com, with a mission to connect and sharetheir pride and passion about their business, theirprojects and the people who have enabled theirsuccess for the past 15 years. With an obsession for efficient and effectivedesign, the seven partners of IDs have led byexample to strengthen their respected firmsreputation. now in the 15th year of sustainedgrowth and remarkable work, their focuscontinues to be on the successful integration ofboth architecture and engineering into creativeand cost-effective client-centered solutions. the new website profiles interesting storieswith behind-the-scenes details of many of theirprojects, featuring their keen understanding ofuniversity research Centers and K-12 Education,the nuances of the ever-changing healthcareIndustry, and their leadership role in developing anew paradigm in university residential life andstudent Engagement spaces. Working withnational design partners is a known specialty forIDs and its showcased in their work designingnew art museums and Collegiate sports Centers.the rapidly-growing Data Center market is also

on their list of accolades. Collectively, seven partners bring over 250years of experience to the firm: richard Bracci;richard DeBeliso; Kirk Delzer; David DiCiuccio;Charles lewis, michael nowicki, and paulstachowiak. IDs has almost 100 team memberswith expertise in master planning, programming,architectural planning and design, spaceplanning, interior design, facility conditionanalysis, mechanical engineering, electricalengineering, lighting design, technology design,

commissioning, energy modeling, sustainabledesign and lEED consulting. their portfolio includes projects in higherEducation, student housing, K-12 Education,sports & recreation, healthcare, researchfacilities, technology, Data Centers, Industrial &automotive, Civic & Cultural, Workplace andWorship spaces. the new online presence forIDs is just the beginning of a digital connectionwith their community. visit www.ids-troy.com.

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Lessons Learned from the Big Boys


McGregor Pool Honored at2014 Governor's Awards forHistoric PreservationQEAs Rehabilitation of MinoruYamasaki's Modern Masterpiece atWayne State University ReturnsQualities of Serenity, Surprise andDelight. scott Woosley, executive director of themichigan state housing Development authority(mshDa), and state historic preservation officerBrian Conway presented 12 recipients with 2014Governor's awards for historic preservation at thestate capitol on thursday, may 7th.the mcGregor pond & sculpture Garden project by Quinn Evans architectsand mcCarthy & smith, Inc. restored the modern masterpiece by minoruyamasaki located at Wayne state university in Detroit. Drawing inspirationfrom the original design and drawings, the team restored the poolscharacter while employing new strategies and technology for improving itsfunctionality. the pool and sculpture garden once again epitomizeyamasakis design philosophy of serenity, surprise, and delight. QEa'sproject team included Elisabeth Knibbe, faIa, lEED ap; richard hess;lauren parker; and ruth mills, ma, ms. Beckett & raeder was thelandscape architect and mcCarthy & smith, Inc. served as contractor forthe project.

"historic preservation is vital tomichigan," Woosley said. "It is vitalto the quality of life of our citizens;to the vitality and economic strengthand stability of our communities; tomaintaining the uniquecharacteristics of our cities, townsand rural areas; and to the sense ofwho we are as michiganders.historic preservation keeps usauthentic."

"the Governor's awards helpeducate the public about the impactof historic preservation and thetransformative effect it has on

communities," Conway said. "historic preservation teaches us about thepast, brings tourists to town and helps put older vacant buildings back onthe tax rolls." In michigan between 2003 and 2013, historic rehabilitations using thefederal historic preservation tax credits resulted in more than $1.7 billion ininvestment. In 2013, completed historic rehabilitation projects in michiganalone totaled $146 million in investment. the state historic preservationoffice, part of mshDa, initiated the award program in 2003 to recognizeoutstanding historic preservation achievements reflecting a commitment tothe preservation of michigan's unique character and the many culturalresources that document michigan's past.

INDUSTRY NEWS

BY ChriS hippLerpreSiDeNt, CapitaL LetterS

Before I started Capital letters, I worked atsome of the biggest ad agencies in theworld for 18 years. the Big Boys.

theyre big in every way. they have resourcesto do deep, penetrating research; globalnetworks to build brands recognized worldwide;and, most importantly, rich veins of really smartpeople who develop strategic marketingprograms that launch and sustain those brands. In the Detroit market, the Big Boys orbitaround automotive oEms and their suppliers. Iworked on the ford, Chrysler and Dodgeaccounts, in roles that included senior writer,producer, and regional creative director. What did I learn from the Big Boys that I applyto my Capital letters clients? plenty. here are twokey lessons:

1. Build Your Brand Big agencies spend billions of dollars everyyear defining, building and defending their clientsbrands. think Coca Cola, toyota and ford.these companies know their brand is their singlemost valuable asset. the toyota brand wasrecently named the worlds most valuable brand.Its value? $29 billion. your brand is the foundation of your marketing.seth Godan, author and marketing expert,

defines brand this way: a brand is the set of expectations, memories,stories and relationships that, taken together,account for a consumers decision to choose oneproduct or service over another. If the consumer(whether its a business, a buyer, a voter or adonor) doesnt pay a premium, make a selectionor spread the word, then no brand value existsfor that consumer. Without a brand, your business is acommodity. you will be in a bidding war with yourcompetition with no discernible competitive edge.Whether you are a sole proprietor, a mid-sizedbusiness or a large distributor, your brand is morethan the sum of your parts. Build your brand. Ittakes time, but it will pay dividends in the end.

2. Sell Benefits, Not Features What benefits do your services or productsdeliver to your clients? Its not your product orservice; it is the problem your product or servicesolves. If youre of a certain age, you will rememberwhen minivans only had three doors. I was on theteam that helped launch a new model of theChrysler town & Country, and its most obviousnew feature was a fourth door; a sliding doorbehind the drivers seat.

the fourth door was the feature but what wasthe benefit? there were many, but two werehuge: parents could more easily get their kids inand out of car seats, and older people couldmore easily get in and out of the vehicle. Guesswhat was featured prominently in all theadvertising and marketing materials? the launchwas a huge success. Identify your clients pain points, then positionyour products or services as the solution to theirpain.

Big Lessons, Smaller Doses marketing is the lifeblood of any business, bigor small. I learned a lot of lessons from myagency years. I make sure my team deliversthose lessons to my clients every day, in smallerdoses.

Marketing on the Level is written specifically forCAM members and the commercial and industrialconstruction industry. We are specialists indeveloping and maintaining websites, and onlinemarketing. Ideas for a column, or questions aboutmarketing are always welcome! Contact Chris @[email protected] or 734-353-9918, or visit www.capitallettersmarketing.com.


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on may 30, 2014 the Cam safety achievement awards werepresented to 28 member companies. safety achievement awardsare earned by achieving Days away/restricted/transfer rates(Dart) and recordable Injury and Illness rates (Ir) below 2012construction industry standards, 2.0 and 3.7 respectively, while maintainingan Experience modification rating (Emr) below 1.0. all of our applicantswere categorized by hours worked, then by their Incident rate, and finally,in the case of a tie, the Experience modification rate was considered. Weawarded Gold, silver, Bronze and honorable mention certificates in eachhours worked category. all of the entries received combined to equal5,466,710 hours worked. more than half of the entrants reported ZEroinjuries in 2012.

SAFETY TOOL KIT

The 2013 Safety Achievement Awards

In addition to the awards ceremony and full breakfast, attendees enjoyeda presentation by ronald Weglarz, attorney with lacey & Jones, llp.Weglarz discussed workers compensation law and recommendedstrategies for properly documenting an incident and how to speed returnto work for an injured employee. Wed like to congratulate all of the award winners. Entries for the 2014safety achievement awards will be accepted beginning January 1, 2015.this is a good way to gauge the effectiveness of your safety program and anopportunity to brag to your customers. In the meantime, I wish you all a safeand prosperous season. If I can be of any assistance, please feel free tocontact me at (248) 972-1141 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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When Governor rick snyder laid out hisvision for a no regrets energy future by2025, he called for an emphasis oneliminating energy waste, and replacing coal withcleaner technologies natural gas and renewable. michigan needs an energy policy that ensureswe can be adaptable, have energy that is reliableand affordable, and protect our environment,snyder said. We should set a reasonable,achievable, and efficient range of goals for 2025. michigans 2008 energy laws require annualefficiency gains equal to one percent of total utilityelectric sales, and that 10 percent of our electricitycome from renewable sources by 2015. Eventhough these goals are near the low end of statesthat have adopted similar standards, the resultshave been spectacular. Back in november 2012, Governor snyderdelivered a special message on energy and theenvironment. he called for a one-year study (alreadycompleted) after voters rejected a ballot proposalthat would have amended the constitution to

require michigan utilities to derive at least 25percent of their annual electric retail sales fromrenewable sources by 2025. the michigan Energyoffice and michigan public service Commissionheld seven public forums and submitted fourreports to the governor. one of the reports foundthat it's theoretically feasible for michigan to achieve

renewable energy standards as high as 30 percentby 2035, with a minimum of state involvementdependent mostly on market forces.

SNYDer LaiD out SeveraL keY GoaLSFor the StateS eNerGY poLiCY: energy efficiency: for every $1 invested inefficiency programming, ratepayers see a $3.55savings in total utility system costs. pursuingenergy efficiency is actually less than a third of thecost of producing new electricity capacity. Whatsmore, the michigan public service Commissionfound that renewable energy is significantly lessexpensive than electricity from a new coal plantwould be - approaching almost half the cost of coal. Creating Jobs: Energy programs are alsocreating jobs for michiganders that cant beoutsourced. from large companies, like midland-based Dow, to small contractors and retailers, thestates energy efficiency policies are employingmichiganders across the state. more than 200michigan companies are engaged in the wind and

SUSTAIN|ABILITY

A "NO REGRETS" ENERGY POLICY STRESSESENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR MICHIGANBy Douglas Elbinger, Energy Systems Analyst, GreenLancer.com

The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers UnionLocal #2 of Michigan proudly continues the tradition of excellence.

Your

YourVision

Legacy

Michigan Governor rick Snyder. Michiganneeds an energy policy that ensures we canbe adaptable, have energy that is reliable,and protect our environment.


solar supply chains alone and michigansmanufacturing base is returning, while universitiesacross the state are pivoting to offer training in theseburgeoning industries. Due to its cutting-edgetechnology, one company in Eaton rapids ismanufacturing wind turbine hubs and exportingthem across the globe. adaptability: as part of the foundation ofadaptability, eliminate energy waste and reducecoal and replace it with newer, cleaner technologies natural gas and renewable. reliability: michigan should become a leader inreliability in both reducing the average number ofoutages and their length. additionally, ensure thatour state never experiences massive outages dueto lack of supply. affordability: In the area of affordability,michigan residential customers should spend lesson their combined energy bills (electric and naturalgas) than the national average. In addition, michiganneeds to ensure that energy-intensive industriescan choose michigan for job and investmentdecisions to better compete. protection of the environment: michigansenergy generation needs to be part of a healthierfuture, reducing mercury emissions, pollution thatcreates acid rain, and particles in the air for thehealth of michigan. the Governorsrecommendations come after his special messageon Energy and the Environment in november lastyear and after the submission last month of fourenergy reports by mpsC Chairman John D.Quackenbush, and michigan Energy office Directorsteve Bakkal.

keepiNG MoNeY iN MiChiGaN finally, investing in energy efficiency andrenewable energy allows michigan to have controlover its energy future. Efficiency gains andrenewable power are displacing expensive fuelsthat michigan imports from other states. almost 60percent of michigans electricity comes from coal every lump of it mined elsewhere resulting inroughly $1.3 billion that permanently leavesmichigans economy every year because it is spentto buy imported coal.

hiGhLiGhtS oF the reportreCoMMeNDeD on-shore wind energy would likely continue tobe the main supplier of renewable energy, whilefracking could help michigan tap into its natural gasresources. Environmental activists have foughtagainst fracking, a controversial method ofaccessing underground natural gas, but snydersaid michigan is a role model for fracking doneright. snyder also called for more competitiveenergy rates for industrial customers, but expressedcaution about eliminating the 10 percent cap onalternative energy suppliers. a regulated market, hesaid, offers utilities stability. Choice creates a lot of challenges andproblems, so I wouldnt jump to say increasingchoice is the answer, he said. to counter thisposition, state rep. mike shirkey, r-Clarklake,

introduced legislation to remove the 10 percent capin an effort to increase competition. he said thestatus quo is completely unacceptable, adding thathis bill is meant to initiate debate on the issue. several environmental and pro-renewable energygroups praised snyders message. the governorsaid he wants to remain vigilant about the controlof mercury emissions, acid rain and air pollution tobetter protect the states natural resources. michigan Environmental Council president ChrisKolb said snyder laid out a strong vision,

recognizing the importance of both energyefficiency and renewable energy. "We believe thatconcrete targets are key to keeping the momentumgoing, and we look forward to working with allparties to make that happen. members of CleanEnergy now, a coalition associated with liberaladvocacy group progress michigan, criticizedsnyder for not proposing specific policy changes.We expected Governor snyder to outline concretegoals for how he will move michigans energy policyforward.


Employers in every business look for avenues to improve their bottomlines. In the particularly competitive construction industry, the u.s.Department of labor (Dol) has seen an increase in violations of thefair labor standards act as some employers shortchange employees inan attempt to bolster their potentially narrow profit margins while remainingable to win bids. the Dols Wage and hour Division (WhD) is taking anaggressive and proactive stance against such violations nationwide. Increasingly, developers and prime contractors coordinate production,but contract out the physical work to smaller subcontractors who employworkers themselves, or who further subcontract the work on site. Becausesubcontractors must compete against numerous other small contractorsin their localities to win bids, they face an intense pressure to lower the costof their services, often at the expense of workers wages and employmentconditions. WhD is employing new strategies to combat this race to the bottomculture so that construction workers in this country will not see their wagesand benefits undercut, and so that law-abiding employers will not face unfaircompetition from contractors who use a workforce so eager for work thatit is willing to settle for substandard wages and work in unsafe conditions. WhD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, andchild-labor requirements of the fair labor standards act (flsa). Covered,non-exempt workers are entitled to a minimum wage of not less than $7.25per hour effective July 24, 2009. non-exempt workers must be paidovertime at a rate of not less than one-and-one-half times their regular ratesof pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek. the flsa also prohibitshazardous work for minors under age 18, and restricts minors under age16 to certain occupations and hours of employment. WhD is committed to combat the prevalence of pay practices in theconstruction industry that violate the flsa, such as paying straight timefor overtime (often in cash, off the books); allowing employees to bankovertime hours which are later paid at straight time when they have a shortweek; failing to pay for work performed prior to or after regular workinghours, such as loading and unloading materials and tools needed for theday; failing to pay travel time between jobsites or between a main officeand a jobsite; failing to maintain complete and accurate records of eachemployees daily and weekly hours worked; and misclassifying employeesas independent contractors. the misclassification of employees as independent contractors is analarming trend, particularly in the construction industry. the practice is aserious threat both to workers entitled to good and safe jobs, as well as toemployers who obey the law. misclassified workers are deprived of overtimeand minimum wage protections, forced to pay taxes that their employersare legally obligated to pay, and are left with no recourse if they are injuredor discriminated against in the workplace. By misclassifying these workersas independent contractors and not employees, these workers are furtherdenied protections like unemployment insurance and family and medicalleave, which are afforded to employees. honest employers have a difficulttime competing against those who circumvent the law through such

misclassification and may not be paying the proper overtime compensation,fICa, unemployment insurance taxes, or workers compensationpremiums. the department is committed to leveling the playing field foremployers who play by the rules, as well as for the american taxpayers whoare, in turn, severely cheated by such practices. the Departments misclassification Initiative, launched under the auspicesof vice president Bidens middle Class task force, is making great stridesin combating this pervasive issue and to restoring these rights to thosedenied them. In september 2011, secretary of labor hilda l. solisannounced a major step forward with the signing of a memorandum ofunderstanding (mou) between the Department and the Internal revenueservice (Irs). under this agreement, the agencies will work together andshare information to reduce the incidence of misclassification of employees,to help reduce the tax gap, and to improve compliance with federal laborlaws. Wage and hour is also partnering with individual states, whosestatutes are also being skirted by this practice, further resulting in millionsof legally-due tax dollars remaining unpaid. last year WhD hired over 300new investigators to help combat these practices. Each year, WhD regional and local offices plan and execute enforcementand outreach initiatives to target and to remedy such widespread laborviolations. When violations are found, the agency vigorously pursuescorrective action, using all enforcement tools available including litigation,administrative subpoenas, civil money penalty assessment, and theassessment of liquidated damages to ensure accountability and to deterfuture violations. Increasingly, WhD is seeking the assistance of upper-tiercontractors to assist in ensuring that their subcontractors operate incompliance. WhD is currently conducting a nationwide enforcement initiative focusingon residential construction - another sector where WhD has observed highincidences of noncompliance affecting the wages and working conditionsof many vulnerable workers. this ongoing initiative involves on-siteinvestigations of work sites, including payroll record reviews, employeeinterviews, and the examination of potential joint-employment situations todetermine the prevalence of flsa violations. Investigations usually includeall levels of contractors and subcontractors on a jobsite. additionally, WhD engages key employer associations to help provideemployers with compliance assistance information, and to securecooperation in promoting industry-wide compliance and accountability.similarly, WhD conducts outreach to workers and community groups todemonstrate the agencys commitment to addressing systemic wage andchild labor violations and to encourage vulnerable workers to come forwardwith potential violations. In 2010, the agency launched the secretary oflabors We Can help campaign, specifically to reach such vulnerableworkers who may not otherwise be aware of their rights or file complaintsif those rights have been violated. the Wage and hour Division remains committed to providing the toolsnecessary to assist construction companies in achieving and maintainingfull compliance with the labor statutes administered by the agency. for more

U.S. Department of Labor BuildsENFORCEMENT in the Construction IndustryArticle Provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division


information about the requirements of the flsa, call the Divisions toll-free helpline 1-866-4us-WaGE (1-866-487-9243). Information isalso available on the internet athttp://www.dol.gov.whd.

for more helpful information, please refer to thefollowing links for flsa fact sheets on the Web:

Fact Sheets from the Fair Labor Standardsact (FLSa)

Fact Sheet #1: the Construction Industry underthe fair labor standards act (flsa) www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs1.pdf

Fact Sheet #21: recordkeeping requirementsunder the fair labor standards act (flsa) www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs21.pdf

Fact Sheet #61: Day laborers under the fairlabor standards act (flsa) www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs61.pdf

Fact Sheet #74: the Employment of youth inroofing occupations and on roofs under thefair labor standards act (flsa) www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs74.pdf

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Located in inner-city Detroit, University of Detroit (U of D) Jesuit HighSchool and Academy was founded in 1877. The school has prosperedthrough good times and bad by focusing on its founders Jesuit valuesand preparing students to become community leaders. This commitment toacademic excellence, faith and service has drawn students from the GreaterDetroit area and resulted in a stellar reputation. According to the schoolwebsite, each member of the 2013 graduating class was accepted to acollege of their choice, which included 19 Jesuit universities and four IvyLeague institutions. The majority of the current campus was built in 1930, and while staffconsidered leaving the urban site for a new building in the suburbs in the mid-1990s, the decision was made to renovate the existing campus. The50,000-square-foot residence building had originally served as the residencefor the schools priests, but now serves as counseling, meeting rooms andadministration space. A boiler house located 120 feet from the residence building originallycontained a coal-fired boiler that served radiators in the school. In recentdecades, the boiler house was upgraded with more modern equipment,including water source heat pumps, while also being configured for futureexpansion.

Summer ruSh Job In summer 2013, the engineering staff committed to bringing a central airconditioning system to the main residence building. However, the timeframeto complete the job was tight, as construction couldnt begin until mid-Juneand needed to be finished by mid-August.

The school engineering staff called upon long-time mechanical servicespartner, John E. Green Company, Highland Park, for design-build support.Director of plant operations at U of D Jesuit, Bob Williams, worked closelywith John E. Greens Mark Bobrowski, senior mechanical engineerpreconstruction services, to devise a plan that would work for the historicfacility. Bobrowski, a U of D alumnus, has provided engineering support forhis alma mater for over 15 years. Bobrowski has designed a huge variety of mechanical projects rangingfrom automotive process piping to hospitals and schools, and has spent thelast 40 years working for John E. Green. The company was founded in 1909and is consistently rated as one of the largest, most diversified, full-service,union mechanical and fire suppression contractors in the U.S. When it came to the design of this project, the solution was prettystraightforward. Three new Daikin 2-ton water source heat pumps wereinstalled in the residence building and tied in with existing valves in the boilerhouse. This new arrangement would supply the main residence building withheat pump water and also provide extra capacity for up to 20 new heatpumps in the residence building that will be adjoined to a new Science Wingaddition scheduled to be built in 2014-15. With the equipment decided upon, Bobrowski and Williams still faced oneconundrum: the 4-inch supply and return lines running roughly 120 feetbetween the boiler house and the residence building needed to be buried ina new trench, and neither Williams nor Bobrowski were enthused about thetraditional pipe options for this application. My concern was, with the pipe being in the ground and exposed to theelements, what would the life cycle of the pipe be? Williams recalled. Were

MECHANICALMECHANICAL

Established Contractor Uses PP-R Pipe for A/C Retrofit on 83-Year-Old School CampusJohn E. Green Company Installs 21st Century Piping in Direct-BuryHeat Pump Application at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School

By Barry Campbell, Aquatherm VP of Advertising & Media RelationsPhotos Courtesy of Aquatherm


we going to have to insulate it, or put it in aconcrete chase or whatever, and Aquatherm cameto the table and seemed to be the answer becausewe didnt have to insulate it.

Seeking the right ApplicAtion Bobrowski had been introduced to Aquathermby Cindy Zatto with V.E. Sales Company, Inc.Based in St. Clair Shores, V.E. Sales serves as thelocal Aquatherm manufacturers representativeand has built a reputation for thorough andexceptional support in several construction-relatedmarkets, with a specialization in flow control.Aquatherm is a polypropylene-random (PP-R) pipesystem that has been used to solve plumbing,HVAC, and industrial pipe problems throughoutNorth America for the last six years. Cindy had told me about Aquatherm and wewere looking for the right application where wecould use the product and check it out,Bobrowski said. On this job, it seemed like a greatfit. You wouldnt put normal plastic pipe in theground for this application and I dont like puttingpipe in the ground at all but with this product Imnot worried about it. One of the reasons Bobrowski and Williamswere comfortable with direct-burying AquathermBlue Pipe was the heat fusion connectionmethod used to join pipe and fittings. The pipe andfitting are placed on a 400-500 F iron and thenconnected. For typical 4-inch connections, thepipe and fitting are left on the iron for only oneminute. This bonds the pipe and fitting at themolecular level without the use of chemicals ormechanical connections, and it eliminatessystematic weaknesses and fail-points. The heat-fused fittings maintain the same properties as thepipe itself, so physical stresses will notcompromise their integrity. Several John E. Green installers participated inthe standard Aquatherm training courseconducted by Zatto, and the proper fusion weldingequipment was rented. Once the trench was dugand the building penetrations completed, the crewbegan fusing 4-inch Aquatherm Blue Pipe. Wejust basically threw it in the ground I watched theguys do the installation and it was pretty slick,said Williams. The guys who were doing it werebrand new to the system themselves, but oncethey got a few fusion connections done, it wentpretty good and quick, and I think we took severalhours out of the job, because the installation wentso well, he added.

SAvingS on multiple levelS The quick installation time was important sincethe 6-foot-wide and 5-foot-deep trench waslayered with sand and exposed throughout thepipe-laying portion of the project. While the teamhad budgeted for the trench to be uncovered (andan excavator operator required onsite at his hourlyrate) for eight or nine days, it only took six days. If


we had put steel or welded pipe in, it would havetaken a lot longer. It went fast faster than wewere expecting, Bobrowski added. Using Aquatherm in lieu of steel also presentedsavings since the former didnt require insulation.Since its heat-pump water, its not too hot or toocold and the pipe has some insulating value so wedidnt need to insulate it in the ground, Bobrowskiexplained. Despite this being the first experience withAquatherm for both John E. Green and the school,the project came off without a hitch. Initially itlooked like it [Aquatherm] cost a bit more thansteel pipe, but it fit the application and cost wasntthe first priority, but it was close, Bobrowski said.

green to go with green Williams also liked the idea that PP-R is anenvironmentally friendly pipe option. We alwayslook to use green products, but at the same timethat isnt our main concern because when you gogreen oftentimes it costs you a lot of green andwe cant kill a project because of that. But wealways look at ways of doing things green andobviously Aquatherm is a green product. And since the new four-story Science Wing willbe a showcase of state-of-the-art,environmentally friendly products, Aquatherm isbeing considered for the domestic water supply

and HVAC pipe systems. The fact that theproducts come with a 10-year multimillion-dollarwarranty, and that PP-R is not targeted by scrapthieves, are other benefits that might factor intothe decision. With one successful job in the books, John E.Green also plans to use Aquatherm on other jobsfor which its a good fit. I put this product in theground and Im not going to have to worry aboutit deteriorating or leaking. We even looked intowhether we would be able to drive heavyequipment over it and that checked out okay too.Im not a fan of putting pipe underground, but thiswas a good option, concluded Bobrowski.

About the Author: Before graduating fromOhio Universitys E.W. Scripps School ofJournalism with honors, Barry Campbell hadalready launched a professional writing career asa reporter and working for the Associated Press.His career spans nearly three decades, includingaward-winning work in the newspaper, trademagazine (with a more decade in HVAC), andmarketing/advertising/PR fields. As AquathermsVP of advertising & media relations, Campbellprovides a unique perspective on all media-relatedand marketing matters and works to educateNorth America about the benefits ofpolypropylene-random pipe.

MECHANICAL

u of D alumnus and John e. greencompany Senior mechanical engineer,preconstruction Services, mark bobrowski,is pictured in the campus powerhouse.this is the starting point of the project,where the heat pump water system wasextended to the residence building usingAquatherm blue pipe, which is behind theblind flanged connections his arm isresting on.

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In an effort to challenge building owners and the construction and designindustry to create more efficient buildings, President Barack Obama startedthe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Buildings Challenge (BBC) -(energy.gov/betterbuildingschallenge) - a program that is part of thePresidents greater Climate Action Plan (http://www.whitehouse.gov) thatchallenges leaders around the country to modify and improve buildingsystems and achieve energy reduction of more than 20% by the year 2020. According to the U.S. DOEs website, More than 190 organizations havetaken the Better Buildings Challenge, representing more than three billionsquare feet of building space across diverse public and private sectors, morethan 600 manufacturing facilities, and close to $2 billion in energy efficiencyfinancing. Organizations committing to the Better Buildings Challenge agreeto: Conduct an energy efficiency assessment of their building portfolio and

pledge an organization-wide energy savings goal. Take action by showcasing an energy efficiency project and implementing

a plan to achieve lasting energy savings. Report results by sharing cost-effective approaches for saving energy and

performance data that demonstrates the success. One of those organizations committed to the BBC program is MichiganState University (MSU) - one of only 21 DOE BBC Education Partnersnationwide. According to Namrata Kolachalam, Office of Public AffairsDepartment of Energy, The Higher Education sector has many options forcommitting to sustainability and tracking improvement over time. The BetterBuildings Challenge often aligns with other campus sustainability efforts suchas building LEED certification or the American College and UniversityPresidents Climate commitment, where energy reduction contributessignificantly to achievement. By setting a goal, these (Education) Partnerstrack their energy performance, share their energy data, and showcasesuccessful projects and models for implementing energy efficiency acrosstheir organizations. According to its website, In addition to pledging to meet the challenge,MSU is committed to decrease energy use across its campus, utilizing astrategy that profiles individual buildings and identifies upgrade opportunities.Following its determination to pursue the challenge in 2012, MSU created aBuilding Profile Ranking System and Energy Use Index (EUI) Data, which

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By Camille Sylvain Thompson, Marketing Communications Coordinator, Peter Basso Associates, Inc.

Contributing Writer - Randy Wisniewski, Principal, Director of Contract Administration &Commissioning, Peter Basso Associates, Inc.

RETRO-COMMISSIONING MICHIGAN STATEUNIVERSITYS SHOWCASE PROJECT - ANTHONY HALL


provided energy data for 40 campus buildings.After careful examination, MSU made the decisionto submit Anthony Hall as its showcase projectfor the BBC. Troy-based Peter Basso Associates (PBA)commissioning (Cx) group, led by RandyWisniewski, has provided retro-commissioning(RxA) services since 2007 for more than 70projects, and Cx services on over 300 projects,since 1993. PBAs relationship with MSU is almost asextensive as its commissioning experience;including providing MEP engineering designservices to the University for over 20 years, on over125 (including 20 combined Cx/RxA) projects. Likeits Cx partners at MSU, PBA was eager to take onthe challenge of providing RxA services for

Anthony Hall and to be a part of the DOEs BBC. Anthony Hall is used today as it was intendednearly 50 years ago - as a laboratory/classroomfacility. Included within the building are theDepartment of Animal Science; Department ofFood Science & Human Nutrition; MeatsLaboratory USDA Inspected; MSU Dairy LabProcessing and Dairy Store; and universityclassrooms with a total seating capacity of 891.The building provides space for researchperformed in keys areas of animal agriculture thatare a priority to producers, sustainable agricultureand basic biology, and interface with areas ofbiomedical and environmental relevance. Constructed in 1955, MSUs Anthony Hall, a319,176-square-foot laboratory/classroombuilding, underwent an extensive renovation in1997, receiving a $39 million facelift that includeda complete mechanical and electrical infrastructuresystems upgrade, interior demolition and theinstallation of research and diagnostic labs. As a reflection of its long-term commitment toenergy conservation and sustainability, MSUjoined the BBC and was tasked with making adecision on which project to submit as itsshowcase project. Out of 40 buildings, MSUselected Anthony Hall as its ideal pilot project to

meet the BBC. MSUs objectives for meeting the BBC withAnthony Hall were to enhance safety, reducewaste, increase occupant comfort, reducegreenhouse gas emissions, improve operationsand improve energy-efficiency. Since the renovation in 1997, users andoccupants of Anthony Hall had been experiencingissues relating to thermal comfort within the facilitythat would logically suggest potential deficienciesin the relatively new HVAC systems. Topping the list of user/occupant complaints inAnthony Hall was a seasonal fluctuation in thermalcomfort, lack of ventilation and space/buildingpressurization issues during both the heating andcooling seasons. Also concerning was the discovery during theRxA process that Anthony Hall was using 257,544BTU/square-foot of energy annually - a 20 to 30percent greater energy usage than comparablebuilding-types. In order to successfully meet MSUs objectivesthrough the RxA process, PBA began with athorough review of existing building documentationincluding mechanical as-built documents, as-builtcontrol drawings, and building utility data from theprevious five years.

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the following firms contributed to theAnthony hall project: myers plumbing andheating, inc., lansing; Summit contractors(electrical), haslett; Siemens industry, inc.,(building automation system), plymouthtownship; and ingenuity ieQ (laboratorymonitoring system), midland.


Following review of documentation, a third partyTest and Balance (TAB) survey was performed byAerodynamics Inspecting Company of Dearborn,on 100 percent of the existing air handlingequipment, hydronic equipment and theirassociated terminal devices. Aerodynamicsprepared and provided test and balance reportsto the team that summarized all of its findings. Following review of existing documentation andthe TAB survey, PBA performed field conditionassessments and extensive functionalperformance testing of Anthony Halls existingHVAC systems, including Air Handling Units(AHUs); air distribution terminal boxes andtemperature controls; lab exhaust systems;miscellaneous building/lab exhaust systems;steam and steam condensate systems; heatinghot water systems and chilled water systems. Through the mechanical systems RxA processand the TAB survey, PBA identified mechanicalequipment and operational deficiencies thatresulted in system control issues, thermal comfortissues and poor energy efficiencies, and placedthem into four categories: Deficiencies correctedduring RxA; Maintenance and repair deficienciesto be corrected through MSUs maintenancebudget (M&R); Energy conservation measures(ECM) which included new technology, new controlstrategies utilizing existing HVAC componentsand/or deficiencies requiring engineered repairs;and lastly, facility improvement measures (FIM)which included new technology, new controlstrategies and replacement of HVAC components. The pie chart below shows the energy savingsfor each of the four RxA categories.

Many RxA and M&R repairs - including controlsetpoint adjustments; repairs to variable frequencydrives; repairs to fire dampers and faulty dampers;calibrating fume hoods; thermostat control issues;airflow control devices; corrections to improperlywired return/exhaust fans, etc. - were made byMSU during the RxA process. As a laboratory/classroom facility with multiplelab spaces, the facility was designed to havespace pressurization controls to maintainlaboratory spaces slightly negative to adjoiningnon-laboratory spaces, while keeping the building

as a whole slightly pressurized with respect to theoutdoors. During the air handling systems controlevaluation, PBA discovered that the buildingpressurization controls were not functioning.Pressurization control issues had caused a needto override air handling equipment temperaturecontrols and excess outside air to be brought intothe building by the buildings air handling units.PBA recommended that the airflow monitoring inconjunction with air flow tracking controls beimplemented to provide proper space and buildingpressurization, while reducing the outside air flow. Also affecting building pressurization, theheadered laboratory exhaust systems control wasunstable resulting in less than desired laboratoryairflow control and increased energy usage. Anexhaust re-entrainment/dispersion study wasperformed by Rowan Williams Davies and Irwin,Inc. (RWDI) that determined that the existingexhaust fan stack velocities could be safelyreduced without re-ingesting exhaust into AnthonyHall or surrounding buildings. Based on the resultsof the study, PBA determined that variable speeddrives (VSDs) could be added to the existingconstant speed exhaust fans to vary the fanspeeds in response to varying laboratory exhaustrequirements. This stabilized control of theexhaust systems improved laboratory airflowcontrol improved spatial and buildingpressurization and reduced energy consumption. In addition, the following is a sampling of ECMsand FIMs identified and recommendation forimplementation to achieve the goals of the project:

Install/repair insulation on steam, chilled waterand hot water piping systems

Install variable-speed drives (VSD) on coolingtower fans and lab exhaust

Install air-flow monitoring and repair economizerdamper controls

Implement demand-ventilation controlstrategies in auditoriums, including measuringair quality

Install air-quality sensors in laboratories toreduce number of air changes per hour, whileat the same time maintaining a safe labenvironment

Install heat-recovery units in exhaust air stream Repair or replace failing HVAC system

components Upgrade building Direct Digital Control (DDC)

system Replace pneumatically controlled VAV terminal

units serving non-laboratory areas with directdigital control (DDC) terminal units; connectDDC terminal units to lighting system motionsensors to reset space temperature control setpoints and/or close terminal unit dampersduring periods rooms are not occupied

Connect lighting system motion sensors inlecture halls to lecture hall-dedicated HVACsystems to reset temperature control set points

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and/or shut down HVAC systemswhen lecture halls are not occupied

Install motion sensors at fume hoodsto reduce exhaust airflow throughfume hoods when fume hoods arenot being used, while maintaining asafe lab environment

Through direct digital control system,schedule and turn off HVACequipment serving non-laboratoryareas

Convert pressure dependent,variable volume, 100 percent outsideair HVAC unit serving Meats Lab topressure independent variablevolume system with air flow tracking

Conversion of multiple processcondenser water cooling systems tovariable flow

Conversion of multiple buildingreheat systems to variable speed

Upgrade lighting and install lightingcontrols (motion sensors)

Recommend de-commissioning fume hoods that are not in use

Implementation of PBAs recommendations for Anthony Hall began in May2013, with completion expected during summer 2014. Costs for

implementation total $5,216,363 with aprojected payback period of 8.7 years. Implementing all of the proposed EnergyConservation Measures (ECMs) andcorrecting system deficiencies is expectedto reduce Anthony Halls current energyconsumption by 28 percent, which will bringthe buildings energy usage in line with moreefficient buildings of its type, and will alsomeet and exceed the DOEs BBC of over 20percent energy reduction by 2020. It hasalso created new jobs for local contractorsand MSU staff, another important goal of theDOE BBC and MSU.

The graph outlines the energysavings implemented based on the RxAservices performed at Anthony Hall.

The assistance from ourconsultants with commissioning efforts oncampus has been very valuable, accordingto Lynda J. Boomer, LEED AP, BSEE, PE,MSU Design Administrator. Bringing in ateam of experts to review our systems and

operations provides a fresh look at items that have been functioning, butperhaps not operating at peak efficiency. Existing building commissioningprocess has identified many potential energy conservation measures with agood return on investment.

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(ENERGY CONSUMPTION GRAPHICS, COURTESY OF PETER BASSO ASSOCIATES, INC.)


ELECTRICAL


Knowledge is power. This well-knownphrase certainly holds true in emergencymanagement. Macomb Countys newCommunications & Technology Center (COMTEC)keeps its eyes wide open in the form of a 20 x 50-foot video wall equipped with up to 54 differentscreens. Almost an entire interior wall is blanketedin video screens that monitor major roadintersections, weather information and nationaland local news. Given its knowledge of power, Metro ElectricEngineering Technologies, Inc., Romeo, installedthe electrical systems and power infrastructurethat energizes this massive digital eye, as well asthe remainder of the 25,000-square-foot building.The Dailey Company, Lake Orion, constructed andPartners in Architecture, PC, Mt. Clemens,designed this $13.5 million center created to betterserve, defend and protect the citizens of MacombCounty. The bank of 70-inch video screens is under thewatchful eye of a combined force of four differentcounty agencies: Sheriffs Office Dispatch, theMacomb County Road Departments Traffic

Operations Center, the Information TechnologyData Center and the Emergency Management &Communications Department. COMTECcombines the efforts of four county agencies, pluslocal police, fire and EMS dispatchers all under oneroof, said Director Vicki Wolber, Macomb CountyEmergency Management & Communications. This formidable combination of forces makesthe facility one of the first and among the largestcommunications and technical operations centersof its kind in the country. From an operational andresponse standpoint, it made sense to co-locatethese departments, said Wolber. The fourdepartments interact on a daily basis to provideroutine services. In the event of large-scaleemergencies and disasters, the agencies stronglydepend upon and support one another inresponding to the needs of the community. COMTEC offers a winning combination: Itboosts the level of public services and makesefficient use of scarce resources. Our center is amodel program for other communities to follow,said Wolber. Placing all of these operations in onelocation has maximized our scarce resources for

funding, equipment and personnel, has eliminatedduplicate services, equipment and technology, andhas allowed us to become a more efficient andeffective provider of our services.

A CoordinAted ConstruCtionresponse Metro Electric was part of the projects winningcombination of companies. Metro Electricprovided quality workmanship and personnel,said Wolber. In all of my interactions with them,their staff was knowledgeable, pleasant and easyto work with. Metro Electric worked as the electricalsubcontractor to The Dailey Company, while MotorCity Electric Technologies, Inc., Detroit, provideddata cabling under contract to the county. Thedesign and consultant team also included CurrentDesign, LLC, Rochester Hills, electrical consultant;MA Engineering, Birmingham, MEP engineer; andMetro Technology Services, Mount Clemens,technology designer. Wolber commends The Dailey Company for itsexpert coordination of the entire constructionprocess, high praise indeed coming from anemergency management director charged withcoordinating public security during the mostinsecure of times. They worked well with ourproject team and kept our project managersinformed of the projects progress on a daily basis,said Wolber. They had a large amount ofcoordinating to perform between not only their

GETTING THEBIG PICTUREAT COMTEC

By Mary E. Kremposky, Associate Editor Photos Courtesy of COMTEC


own subcontractors, but also other contractors and vendors that werebrought in by the county. They willingly worked with these contractors, andwere able to seamlessly blend the various functions into their project timeline,always remaining conscious of the end goal of completing the project on timeand of providing quality work. Zero power outAges Clearly, this dedicated project team has delivered a state-of-the-art facility.Whether tracking the course of a major snowstorm, a tornado or a publicsafety threat, COMTEC offers Macomb County residents a well-coordinatedand comprehensive level of protection. A key part of Metro Electrics missionwas to protect COMTECs power supply by installing two emergencygenerators and two Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems. The two systems serve two different halves of an existing building complex.The Dailey Company carved out the COMTEC space from the interior of anexisting building attached to and located behind the road commission officesfronting Groesbeck Highway. Metro Electric then installed a 421 kwgenerator in one building and a 300 kw in the other. The generators are largeenough to allow that building to operate at 100 percent capacity, saidPresident Joseph Brewer, Metro Electric Engineering Technologies. Thebuilding will never experience a power outage. The command center willalways stay up and running. Metro Electric also installed a new UPS system and its companion batterybank. Designed to protect against power spikes, the battery bankcontinuously operates the UPS system. The bank is especially important inthose fleeting seconds before the emergency generators takeover during apower outage. If the power goes out, the generator starts within 12

seconds, said Metro Electrics Project Manager Bill Wilson. The UPS systemprevents any spikes, because it continuously operates and always maintainsa constant level of power to the data systems. Once the generator turns on,it then powers the UPS system during an outage. Thanks to Metro Electric, emergency power for emergency response is nowa given. The county was lacking a fully functional Data Center and EmergencyOperations Center, including having no backup power, said Wolber. The new COMTEC facility has come to the countys rescue in other ways.The Road Departments Traffic Operations Center needed to be updatedand expanded to handle the new 250 traffic cameras that will be installedthroughout the county, Wolber said. The Sheriffs Office Dispatch neededadditional space, technology and equipment in order to expand theircentralized dispatch services to other agencies and departments within thecounty.

MAking ConneCtions The path to this transformation began early. We created buy-in early inthe project and obtained the commitment from all necessary parties, saidWolber. We secured funding well in advance of project initiation. Unitedby the same shared goals of service improvement and wise use of scarceresources, we put aside political differences, jurisdictional control anddepartment silos for the betterment of our citizens and personnel, sheadded. The countys selection of The Dailey Company aided the projectimmeasurably. From the onset of the project, the county team had a greatdeal of confidence in The Dailey Company, because the contractordemonstrated a great understanding of what the project entailed, and why

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS


we were doing it, said Wolber. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable andcompetent, and they brought the project in on-time. In fact, The DaileyCompany guided this fast-track project to completion in just seven monthsfrom start to substantial completion. The Dailey Company demolished the north wall of the future COMTECbuilding, ultimately expanding the building footprint outward an additional fourto five feet to make room for the new video wall, said Peter Locke, COMTECemergency management aide. The Dailey Company created a series ofwalkways behind the video wall for ease of maintenance and service. If ascreen has to be replaced and weare in the middle of an incident,we dont have to set upscaffolding for the repair, addedLocke. The interior was gutted tocreate an open, two-story tieredfloor plan. Essentially, thedispatch stations are in an openlower area directly adjacent to themassive video wall; emergencymanagement is located in amezzanine-type area on the upperlevel. A large section of theexisting second-floor slab andstructure was removed and newstructural steel installed to createthe new tiered second floor, saidPaul Danko, Dailey projectmanager. The Dailey Company workeddirectly adjacent to the roadcommissions occupied offices. Keeping the existing facility and all countydepartments safely open and operating throughout construction was anessential component of the job, said Danko. For Metro Electric, coordinating and connecting with the county was asimportant as the actual electrical connections. We coordinated our workwith the county to meet their needs, said Brewer. In the few instances ofpower disruption, Metro Electric scheduled some work on the weekends andworked closely with the county during weekday operations. The county waswonderful to work with throughout the entire project, added Wilson. Inaddition, Metro Electric carefully phased the installation of LED site lightingto accommodate the road commissions use of the parking lot. getting wired Metro Electric also had to manage the complexities of installing multiplesystems in the existing buildings modest-sized spaces, ultimately making fora highly concentrated and compressed electrical installation. It was a verydetail-oriented project with multiple systems, said Brewer, but we have greatelectricians who pay attention to details. Approximately four to 10 Metroelectricians worked on the COMTEC project. Brewer lists some of the actual systems: For the electrical systems, wehave conventional power, battery-backed up power, and surge suppression-type power. The lighting is a combination of LED and fluorescent. Wilsonadds, The facility also has an intricate dimming system that gives the countycontrol of lights at different levels in different parts of the building. Adding to the technical complexity, Metro Electric also installed all the newwiring and power infrastructure for two new data centers, one servicing thevideo wall in the COMTEC building, and the other servicing a data center forthe entire county that was installed in the lower level of the road commissionsoffices. Motor City Technologies managed all the data cabling for the newdata centers and the entire COMTEC facility. Motor City ElectricTechnologies did an outstanding job with our low voltage cabling and related

work, said Wolber. We had a lot of changes and additions to this area ofthe project, but they were innovative and cost conscious in meeting ourrequests. They participated in our project meetings, and kept our team up-to-date on their portion of the project. serving the publiC Macomb County unveiled the new COMTEC facility in December 2013.Wolber lists the new systems in this state-of-the-art, 24/7 facility: Enhanced9-1-1 phone system; a signal lab and traffic light monitoring system; new

MCC7500 dispatch radioconsoles; and a new computer-aided dispatch and recordsmanagement system available inearly 2015. In terms of stationsand spaces, COMTEC has eighttraffic monitoring positions; 14current dispatch workstations withthe capacity for an additional 11;and 24 emergency operationcenter workstations, as well asoffices, a conference room andtraining center. Our public safety capability will begreatly improved through multiplemodes of interoperablecommunications by multipleagencies and jurisdictions, as wellas improved information sharingand dissemination, said Wolber.Our responders will be betterequipped and trained, our citizens

better informed. All of this will aid the public safety in our community andprovide a more resilient community during emergency and disastersituations. Locke offers examples of COMTEC in action: The Traffic OperationsCenter quickens the response of ambulances to emergency runs bycontrolling traffic lights remotely, even to the point of creating four-way redlights to stop traffic in all directions. The entire system is linked to a GPSmap able to call up the location of every fire station, police station, hospital,school, waterway and hazardous material site in Macomb County. According to Locke, the video wall can be reconfigured to display a varietyof screen configurations, ranging from the display of all 54 screens, all theway down to eight screens or even a single screen. The video wall is a two-way street, meaning COMTEC personnel can post their own damageassessment reports and share other information on the big wall. Headphonespermit selective listening to information relevant to each department orindividual. The video wall and command center is ringed by offices on both levels. Inthe command center, moveable posts identify flexible workstations for theRed Cross, the county executive and even a public health team, said Lockeduring a tour of this impressive center. Acoustical wall panels and strategicallyplaced white noise boxes in the ceiling plenum proper acoustical control avital feature in a facility based on accurate communication in emergencysituations. In a small room overlooking the command center, COMTEC even has aspecial room reserved for licensed, volunteer HAM radio operators. Ifsomething was to happen with the 800 megahertz system used by our radiosystems, HAM radios can establish communications with other HAMoperators anywhere in the world, said Locke. In fact, these radios are linkedto HAM operators we have assigned and placed at every hospital in thecounty. Macomb County residents can rest easy with such a sophisticated

ELECTRICAL

the dispatch stations are in an open lower area directly adjacent to themassive video wall, while emergency management is located in amezzanine-type area on the upper level. the dailey Company removed alarge section of the existing second-floor slab and structure and installednew structural steel to create the new tiered second floor.


protective eye watching every disturbing weatherpattern, traffic incident, and calamity. Thanks tothe expertise of Metro Electric EngineeringTechnologies, The Dailey Company and Motor CityElectric Technologies, the COMTEC facility is up,running and ready to serve the county. I wouldgladly and willingly work with all of thesecontractors and their personnel again, saidWolber. Our architects, the Dailey Companyssubcontractors and Motor City ElectricTechnologies made this a dream project. They alltook great pride in their work, and it shows. Wehave a wonderful, state-of-the-art, public safety-related operations center due to their hard work,diligence and expertise. About Metro eleCtriCengineering teChnologies Joseph Brewer took over the reins of thecompany in 1997, re-inventing a firm originallyfounded by his father and named Metro ElectricHeating. Newly christened as Metro ElectricEngineering Technologies, the company enteredthe education market at full speed under Brewersleadership. Metro Electric ultimately became oneof the larger contractors in the school arena. Today, the company has a long list of large highschool projects to its credit, including Belleville and

Battle Creek High Schools, as well asBirminghams Seaholm High School. The firm hasalso performed complete remodeling of theelectrical systems of Rochester High School andRochester Adams. Currently, Metro Electric isworking on the new Bloomfield Hills High School. We didnt miss much in the down economy,said Brewer. We have been going strong, and Idefinitely thing we are growing.

Metro Electric even opened a new residentialdivision in fall 2013. We see the need for qualityelectricians in the residential service market, saidBrewer. Its not necessarily a stronger market, butjust another opportunity. Weve turned down somuch residential work in years past that we askedourselves, Why arent we doing this? Clearly,the future looks bright for Metro ElectricEngineering Technologies.

35 Years ExperienceConstruction Manager - General Contractor

Trade Contractor

Certi&ed Professional Constructor (10 + yrs)

Certi&ed Professional Estimator (30 + yrs)

Arbitrator (AAA 20 + yrs)

Adjunct University Professor Construction

Recognized at trial courts and arbitration as Expert Witness

Construction claims, delay impacts and changes

Estimating

Scheduling

Cost outcome projections planned vs actual analysis

Phone: 313.320.2663Website: rlsa.net

E-mail: [email protected]

Rolland L. Stapleton, CPC, CPE

2846 Northridge NWWalker, MI 49544

5750 Enterprise CourtWarren, MI 48092-3462

Electrical Trends: The Growing Rise of LED Lighting President Joseph Brewer, Metro Electric Engineering Technologies, has been in the electricalcontracting business for well over 20 years. He identifies two major trends shaping the electricalcontracting industry: the steadily rising dominance of LED lighting in the marketplace and the parallelgrowth of computer-based technologies in the school marketplace. It wont be long before LEDs will be in every fixture, said Brewer. It is gaining and increasing two-fold every year. With growing usage comes lower cost. The cost for LEDs is coming downdramatically, he adds. Brewer outlines the current applications for LED lighting. There are certain applications where LEDmakes more sense, he continues, such as site lighting and other areas where the lights are going tobe on for a long time, and lights that are located in higher areas where maintenance is difficult. As a strong electrical contractor in the

July 2014 CAM Magazine

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Transcript of July 2014 CAM Magazine