WE Communicate
from Woodson Engineering and Surveying
July 2020
Volume 8
Issue 1
In This Newsletter:

  • APWA 2020 Project of the Year Award
  • ENR Southwest Top Design Firm
  • WIFA Water Project Experience
  • Staff News
  • Expanded Drone Service
  • ENR Southwest Snapshot
APWA Project of the Year Award - Grand Canyon Boulevard, Williams, AZ
The Grand Canyon Boulevard Project has received a Project of the Year award from the Arizona Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA). This project for the City of Williams was designed by Woodson and the contractor was LP’s Excavating and Paving. The project involved the reconstruction of pavement, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks, as well as waterline replacement. Check out our 60-second video about the project.

Approximately five million tourists pass through Williams annually and Grand Canyon Boulevard handles a lot of this traffic. It provides the most direct route from I-40 to Historic Route 66 and the Williams Historic Business District.

The project was funded through the HURF Exchange which authorizes ADOT to provide State Highway Funds in exchange for federal aid. This helped get the project completed one year ahead of schedule, and approximately $1 million was saved that was used to extend the project.

Like most rural communities, Williams has limited resources for improvements and the funds through the HURF Exchange are critical for maintaining transportation infrastructure. 

Grand Canyon Blvd in Williams, Arizona - Gateway to the Grand Canyon.
Managing and Designing WIFA-Funded Projects
As City Engineer, we regularly assist both Williams and Winslow with Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) grant applications. This includes preparing exhibits and cost estimates for projects such as the Dogtown Waterline (Dogtown Lake is shown in the photo below), and the Million Gallon Tank for the City of Williams, and the Apache Sewer Projects for the City of Winslow.

WIFA provides financial and technical assistance for water infrastructure throughout the state. The support is in the form of low interest loans with forgivable principal, for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects. Eligible applicants include Cities/Towns, Private Water Companies, Special Districts, Tribal Entities; economically disadvantaged communities are encouraged to apply. Woodson can help prepare WIFA applications and design the project. Please get in touch if we can be of assistance. 

Dogtown Lake, Williams AZ
ENR Southwest Top Design Firm
Woodson has made the ENR 2020 list of Top Design Firms in the Southwest. It’s unusual for a small firm serving primarily rural areas and clients to make the list and we thank our many clients who helped make 2019 a strong year for the firm.
Staff News
The Woodson Team continues to grow! Most recently, we are pleased to announce that Nisa Rascon has joined Woodson as an Engineer In Training (EIT). Nisa has nearly four years of professional experience in the civil engineering field. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. With her project experience involving water and wastewater systems she will be a great addition to our staff!
Nisa Rascon, EIT
Drone Operators
Woodson now has two drone operators and a new drone! Both Chris Hull, RLS, and Brian Mansker are FAA-Certified Remote Pilots. Chris and Brian are part of Woodson’s Survey Department.

Chris explained that the drone has a wide variety of applications for our work. “We now have expanded the services we offer to our clients. The drone is especially valuable in the areas of site reconnaissance, evaluation and photographic documentation and assessment. It’s another service we can offer our clients for development site selection. We can provide a more informed assessment before any property purchase decisions are made.”
The drone also provides expanded marketing capabilities and services, not just for Woodson’s projects, but for our clients’ marketing programs. The drone image above shows the entry to the City of Williams.
ENR Snapshot!

Our Apache Sewer Parallel project for the City of Winslow was featured in the January issue of ENR Southwest!
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