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by Tom Damm
Transforming lives is something Sarah’s Hope in Baltimore does every day as an emergency
homeless shelter for families.
But this week, the focus at the safe haven was on a different type of transformation: replacing the asphalt and concrete on the property with an environmentally friendly community green space and outdoor playground area.
Earlier this week, EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin was at Sarah’s Hope to join partners in announcing funding for a key phase of the project.
A $75,000 grant from the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) program will be used to tear up the hard surfaces in front of the property that during storms send rain water rushing into the street and drains, leading to flooding and pollution problems. The surfaces will be replaced with lawn, shade trees, native plants, and other green features that will let the rain soak in and provide a welcome lift to this troubled neighborhood.
The atmosphere at the event was upbeat as the project partners, Parks & People Foundation, the City of Baltimore and St. Vincent de Paul, described their plans for the facility.
The G3 grant will tie into a larger Baltimore City project to create public open space, a playground area and a community garden at the site, which is now almost fully covered with impervious surface. The work will improve the property for shelter residents and the community at large, and transform the appearance of the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood.
Many of the other grantees were also on hand at the event to talk about how the G3 funds will help expand urban tree canopies, create bioretention cells to capture stormwater, and install other types of green infrastructure in neighborhoods in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
By keeping rain water from coming into contact with pollution in the first place, green infrastructure improves the health of our waters, while effectively reducing flooding, and helping our communities adapt to the very real challenges of climate change.
The G3 program – sponsored by EPA, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, with assistance from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources – is in its fifth year. In this latest round of grants, 15 recipients will share in more than $727,000 in funding – bringing the total aggregate investment in G3 grants to more than $11 million when matching funds are included over the five-years that the program has been in existence.
About the Author: Tom Damm has been with EPA since 2002 and now serves as communications coordinator for the region’s Water Protection Division.
Photo Caption:
EPA, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and MD DNR announced $727,500 in grants to 15 organizations via the Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs Grant Initiative
Source: https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2015/06
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NASTT turns 25 in 2015! What was happening 25 years ago?
On June 22, 1990, Adam Sandler joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live”.
On June 23, 1990, TV Guide selected Arsenio Hall as TV personality of year.
On June 26, 1990, it was 122°F in Phoenix, Arizona! That’s HOT!
Check in every Friday in 2015 when NASTT posts more fun facts about 25 years ago…
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In underground construction, you pretty much expect the unexpected.
So it wasn’t a shock when an auger boring crew from Nix Construction hit … something that stopped them cold even though they’d just successfully completed a bore using a pilot tube system in the other direction on a job near Salt Lake City last December.
But it was a mystery, at least at first.
“The best way I can explain it is we ran out of jacking force,” says Jon Nix, vice president and COO of the family-owned company. “The auger boring machine operator maxed out the machine, and that piece of equipment is 200,000 pounds of jacking force. The refusal wouldn’t let the head push off from side to side. It just pinned it and held it.”
The job was for the South Valley Sewer District, which provides public sanitary sewer service in the Salt Lake City area. It called for approximately 2,300 feet of 18-inch SDR 35 PVC sewer pipe to be installed under a divided freeway. The PVC pipe was to be housed in 509 feet of 30-inch steel casing, which Nix Construction was subcontracted to install.
Utah-based Nix Construction planned for two bores, one in each direction under the road. The design slope for the sewer line was 0.3 percent.
Auger boring is a popular method for jobs like this, where precision with the line and grade are critical. It’s also a good approach when product needs to be installed under a road or railroad because there is minimal road upheaval and soil subsidence.
It turns out the Nix Construction crew hit what Jon Nix describes as a “massive amount of rock.” Once they got boring again, 6-to-8-inch chunks of cobble were coming out of the discharge on the auger boring machine.
To get through it, Nix rented an On Target steering system from McLaughlin. With it, the steering head can be kept on the proper cutting path with hydraulic actuated flaps that open and close, allowing for lateral movement. The On Target system’s active cutter head was what helped Nix Construction the most.
The cutter head fits on the lead end of the casing and is the same diameter as the pipe being installed. That allows for the ability to swallow larger stones and ingest material through the throat of the steering head, which is augered back to the bore pit. In comparison, with the pilot tube system the company typically uses, soil is displaced using thrust force on the drill string relying on material to be compacted to the sides of the head.
A positive experience with the On Target system several years before left Nix confident it’d work on this job, allowing him to kick the “expect the unexpected” maxim for that part of the bore.
“We had a pretty good feeling that even when we hit the refusal that we could get the job done and take care of the client,” Nix says.
For more information about the On Target steering system and McLaughlin, visit www.mclaughlinunderground.com or call (864) 277-5870. Check out the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mclunderground.
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US-Based ULC Robotics’ CISBOT Robot is Deployed Underground for UK Gas Utility SGN
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., June 17, 2015 – ULC Robotics, a leading robotics, energy services and 
research and development company focused on the energy and utility industries, has deployed its Cast Iron Joint Sealing Robot (CISBOT) for the first time in Scotland on iconic George Street in Edinburgh. Similar to Fifth Avenue in New York City, the visitors and high-end shop owners along George Street are not likely to notice CISBOT because the robot is virtually invisible.
In conjunction with UK gas distribution network SGN, CISBOT will carry out advanced maintenance in more than 1,965 feet of gas pipe that delivers gas to businesses and residents in one of the city’s most high profile and central locations. Unlike traditional methods of rehabilitating or replacing cast iron gas mains, ULC’s CISBOT robot enters the live, large diameter cast iron gas mains through small excavation and the robot’s advanced technology enables it to repair joints while minimizing disruption to the public.
“In George Street, we’ll be carrying out maintenance on around 1,965 feet of gas pipe. The work will take around six weeks, however the use of this technology will make a difference in minimizing disruption, as we will only need to make two excavations in the road,” said Matt Ferguson, Team Manager for SGN. “In fact, 96% of our work will be unseen as it will take place under the ground.”
By using ULC’s CISBOT robotic technology on George Street, the non-intrusive work performed on live gas mains means that many businesses along the busy section of the street benefit because their gas services remain intact and online during the procedure. Furthermore, the work done with CISBOT reduces the risk for gas leaks and because there are no large-scale excavations, greenhouse gas emissions are greatly reduced.
“Gas utilities in the United States and in the UK are dedicated to making pipeline safety and reliability a paramount priority,” said Gregory Penza, President of ULC Robotics. “CISBOT technology helps gas utilities, such as SGN, maintain the safety and reliability of large diameter cast iron gas mains by renewing the joints, where gas is most likely to escape.”
In addition to the George Street project, ULC Robotics performs year-round operations for SGN and now has two CISBOT systems dedicated to the gas utility’s field operations.
CISBOT is currently operated on two continents in highly populated areas including London, Edinburgh, New York City, Boston to seal joints in live gas mains.
About ULC Robotics, Inc.
ULC Robotics, Inc. is a leader in developing and deploying innovative technology and processes that help pipeline operators and energy companies repair, inspect and assess their infrastructure. The deployment of ULC Robotics’ range of products and services helps to eliminate costly and disruptive excavation while eliminating gas leaks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving efficiency.
Both ULC Robotics and their clients have shared accolades for developing some of the most innovative products in the energy industry. Recognition includes a 2014 UK Energy Innovation Award for enabling gas utilities to deliver a safe and reliable supply of energy to customers and inclusion on the 2014 Top 50 Global Robotics Companies by Robotics Business Review. For more information on ULC Robotics, Inc. and its products and services please visit www.ulcrobotics.com
About SGN
SGN operates over 74,000km of gas mains and services in Scotland and the south of England. Whoever the supplier is, SGN has a responsibility to deliver gas safely, reliably and efficiently to all 5.8 million customers. For more information about SGN visit www.sgn.co.uk
Video of CISBOT in Pipeline: http://youtu.be/JnKWZrll10E
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Release Date: 06/16/2015
Contact Information: Chesapeake Bay Trust: Molly Alton Mullins 410-271-3469 mmullins@cbtrust.org; EPA: David Sternberg at 215-814-5548 sternberg.david@epa.gov
BALTIMORE – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, in partnership with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, announced $727,500 in grants to be awarded to 15 organizations through the Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs Grant Initiative (G3). This program was created in 2011 to encourage local jurisdictions to use “green” techniques when pursuing necessary “gray” infrastructure projects, accomplishing two goals within one project.
These collaborative efforts advance watershed protection and economic improvement through the development of stormwater management techniques, green jobs creation, beautification of neighborhoods, and community enhancement. Today’s announcement includes seven projects designed to improve the city of Baltimore specifically, as well as eight other initiatives in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and elsewhere throughout Maryland.
“These funds contribute to a sustainable green economy by supporting a continuous cycle of pollution prevention, water retention and job creation – leading to a better quality of life for the people who call these communities home,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “By keeping rain water from coming into contact with pollution in the first place, green infrastructure improves the health of our waters, while effectively reducing flooding, and helping our communities adapt to the very real challenges of climate change.”
Sarah’s Hope, a homeless shelter and the site for today’s grant announcement, is one of 15 grant recipients through a partnership with Parks and People Foundation. Their $75,000 grant will tie into a larger Baltimore City-led renovation and expansion project that will reduce the amount of impervious surface on the site; contribute to public open space, playground space, and community garden space; and beautify the street and help change the appearance of the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood.
In addition to the project at Sarah’s Hope, the other grantees announced today will lead efforts that include the removal of impervious concrete, the expansion of urban tree canopies, the creation of bioretention cells, and many other green infrastructure practices.
“The Chesapeake Bay Trust has been so pleased to partner with EPA and Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources on this program, combining forces and resources to provide opportunities for area residents to make a difference in their own neighborhoods and for their local waterways and community spaces,” said Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “We want to provide local jurisdictions and neighborhood associations the tools and incentives to use green techniques when embarking on larger infrastructure projects, and to replace impervious surface with green where we can.”
The G3 Grant Program, administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, helps support President Obama’s Executive Order for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Its purpose is to improve local, grassroots-level greening efforts by towns and communities in urbanized watersheds that reduce stormwater runoff through the creation of “green streets,” the increase in urban green spaces, and the reduction of impervious surfaces. This program is open to local governments, non-profit organizations, and neighborhood/community associations focused on green stormwater management retrofits with grants available up to $20,000 for research efforts, $30,000 for design, and $75,000 for implementation projects.
“DNR is proud to support this collaborative program,” said DNR Secretary Mark Belton. “These projects will reduce stormwater runoff not only here in Maryland, but also in other bay states like Pennsylvania and Virginia. This expanded reach beyond just Maryland is the true strength of the partnership. Through G3, we can work together – at the federal, state and local levels − to better the greater Bay watershed.”
Today’s 2015 Green Streets grant announcements include:
1. Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association, Baltimore, $10,795
2. Friends of the North Fork Shenandoah River, Virginia, $43,615
3. Baltimore Tree Trust, Baltimore, $35,000
4. Second Chance, Inc., Baltimore, $30,000
5. Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore, $74,826
6. Land and Cultural Preservation, Inc., Frederick, Md., $14,315
7. Community Action Commission, Pennsylvania, $70,000
8. City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $60,000
9. Old Goucher Community Association, Baltimore, $99,068
10. City of Staunton, Virginia, $75,000
11. American Rivers, Regional, $19,880
12. West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Inc., Edgewater, Md., $30,000
13. Town of Edmonston, Edmonston, Md., $15,000
14. Parks & People Foundation, Baltimore, $75,000
15. Highlandtown Community Association, Baltimore, $75,000
For more information on the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns grant program, please visit www.cbtrust.org/grants/g3. For a complete list of project descriptions, email mmullins@cbtrust.org.
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NASTT turns 25 in 2015! What was happening 25 years ago?
On June 15, 1990, “Dick Tracy” with Warren Beatty & Madonna premiered in theaters.
On June 16, 1990, “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer peaked at #8.
On June 20, 1990, Asteroid Eureka was discovered.
Check in every Friday in 2015 when NASTT posts more fun facts about 25 years ago…
homeless shelter for families.
