"Engineering Infrastructure Solutions since 1978"
Thank you for taking the time to check out KEM’s Fall Newsletter. Wow, what a year its been! To say things aren’t quite normal is an understatement, yet we continue to move forward. As a part of our newsletter, the feature project is the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield Ohio, a really unique project that utilizes green storm water management techniques to enhance the natural beauty of this beautiful and historic estate. You should try to visit this location as it is one of the hidden gems of the Richland County Community.  A little further south, in Galena, work continues with the administration to plan active transportation and help oversee some amazing development that’s occurring. It’s certainly a balancing act managing growth while protecting the small community feel that is so important to their residents. Additionally, we recently completed the Broadway Streetscape in downtown Lorain, which has become a vibrant destination for Lorain County. It is truly great to see our old downtowns becoming destination locations again, and while covid has slowed the momentum, they are positioned to come back stronger than ever.
 
I hope everyone is staying well and as always if there is anything we can do to support you or your community, feel free to reach out to me.
 
 
Have a great day,


Brian McCartney P.E., P.S.
President
Kingwood Center Gardens- Mansfield, OH
KEM provided civil engineering services for the master planning of Kingwood Center Gardens to enhance their visitor experience. KEM’s services included utility planning and design to minimize site impacts while providing proper utilities. A sanitary sewer extension was designed to connect to the City of Mansfield’s existing system, which crosses the County’s park system bike trail. A design was developed that minimized impact to the bike trail and sensitive forest land. A water main loop was designed through the existing gardens to provide enough water supply for the new and future facilities. Additionally, a model was developed for the existing storm sewer system, which played a significant role in the design of the new system and replacement of undersized portions of the existing system. Artful design for the botanical garden’s stormwater management system was accomplished while still enhancing water quality, safely transporting stormwater runoff through the site and detaining excess stormwater on-site with controlled release to reduce downstream flooding and providing education to visitors. Water quality is provided through a series of bioretention areas that became a major aesthetic element of the gardens. Coordination with the design team and owner regarding grading, cost estimating and minimization of environmental impacts of on-site sensitive areas was key to the success this project.
How fast is too fast for sewage in a pipe?  

One of the less glamorous parts of civil engineering is knowing how to transport wastewater so that it can be properly treated before being released in our rivers and streams. Sewage is required to flow a minimum of 2 feet per second in horizontal pipes to avoid settlement of debris in the pipes. However, if sewage flows too fast, (over 12-18 feet per second,) then dangerous gasses can be produced which creates odor issues and can deteriorate the sewer system prematurely. There's a lot more science around handling your waste than you may think.
Cody Gerhardt
This employee spotlight goes to Cody Gerhardt! Cody oversees the construction inspection projects and field inspectors for our Mansfield office. He started working at KEM in May of 2017 and said that working here has impacted his life in several ways for the better. "Kenny and Brian really believe in a work/life balance which is a far cry from the contractors I'd worked for in the past. Also KEM really pushes personal health with incentives and competitions, always striving to improve ourselves and co-workers. I am in much better shape than when I started a little over 3 years ago, which has really improved my quality of life!” Gerhardt stated. When asked what motivates him to wake up and go to work, Cody responded, “There are several things that come to mind. First off, we have a great group to work with, which are more like family than co-workers. I have the opportunity to work on multiple projects, which provides unique challenges and rewards each day. Last but not least, making money to provide for the family gets me up each day!” Cody's favorite project to date is the Butler Regional WWTP, which is currently under construction. Cody has moved around and worked in several states throughout his career so getting to come back to his home town and oversee a project which will really impact the communities of Butler and Bellville for the better has been very enjoyable. One thing that most people don’t know about Cody is that although it may not look possible, he beats Jason Burgholder at most of our CrossFit Workouts. Cody was asked what his favorite thing about working at KEM is, to which he responded, “Thursday night golf league of course.” The KEM family wouldn’t be complete without Cody Gerhardt and we are so grateful to have such a dedicated and hard-worker on our team!
K.E. McCartney | 419-525-0093 | info@kemccartney.com | kemccartney.com