Year in Review 2023

A key asset for the Onondaga County Water Authority and over a century old, the Fairmount Reservoir needed updating due to outdated structures, regulatory changes, and issues with water age and chlorine levels. Previously retained in 1965 to construct the 10-million gallon tank, Barton & Loguidice was selected again to replace the existing reservoir with two new 6-million gallon prestressed concrete tanks, designed with a low-profile, flat slab roof to blend with the surrounding community. B&L conducted a comprehensive analysis, including a hydraulic model of the water transmission system and a computational fluid dynamics model for the tanks, leading to design improvements like increased tank height for better pressure and storage. Additionally, the project included optimal site use for OCWA’s maintenance operations, with reconfigured yard piping and operational flexibility.

The City of Binghamton aimed to create a distinct identity for its Downtown Entertainment and Cultural Organizations District (DECO), enhancing pedestrian safety and experience while fostering economic growth in this arts and cultural hub. Barton & Loguidice addressed this challenge with a streetscape improvement plan featuring pedestrian-friendly elements like artful crosswalks, traffic calming measures, themed street furnishings, and innovative lighting, all reflecting the DECO district’s “grassroots art” style. B&L provided comprehensive planning, design, and construction services, in close collaboration with local arts communities, stakeholders, and the Commission on Architecture and Urban Design. This approach ensured the new streetscape not only beautified the district but also resonated with the area’s historical and cultural character.

The project involved relocating an existing medical practice within a constrained timeframe and budget. Barton & Loguidice facilitated the planning and coordination, ensuring client needs were met and State Department of Health approvals were obtained on schedule. The successful outcome was a modern, child-friendly clinical suite for SUNY Upstate Pediatric Urology, moving away from outdated facilities and creating an inspiring environment for both staff and patients.

The City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant faced challenges due to aging infrastructure, stringent discharge limits, and heavy organic loading from the local dairy industry. Barton & Loguidice moved the project forward with an innovative dairy washwater pretreatment system, CAST (Contact Absorption, Settling, Thickening), which removes approximately 50% of total suspended solids and 50% of biochemical oxygen demand from the largest contributor to the wastewater treatment plant. The project successfully upgraded the plant within budget and schedule, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in dramatically improved effluent and compliance with regulations, accompanied by staff training on new equipment and processes.

Unprecedented high water and storm events led to significant damage to Clayton’s public infrastructure, namely the shoreline and multiple docking locations. Barton & Loguidice helped the Village secure grant funding through the Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI), requiring only a 5% local match, for structural repairs and improvements. These included reconstruction of low-lying sections of the Clayton Riverwalk, rebuilding the Mary Street Dock and Boat Launch, installing a wave attenuator to protect village docks and the Riverwalk, and sealing gaps at the Thousand Islands Regional Dock. The project significantly enhanced the resiliency of Village infrastructure against future flooding and damage.

The project addressed a double bridge replacement with a big challenge: a stream running downhill in the middle. In addition to the bridges being very close to one another, the stream’s steep gradient caused high velocities at times. This eroded an existing concrete channel that was already undersized to handle the water, causing the roads to flood. Barton & Loguidice developed a comprehensive hydraulic model and collaborated with the County to develop a solution. This solution enhanced hydraulic capacity and durability while controlling potential high velocities to prevent site damage.

This project for the City of Sherrill upgraded a 40-year-old facility operating beyond its useful life. Barton & Loguidice assisted in improvements, including new vortex grit removal, influent mechanical fine screen, oxidation ditch rotors, and other key process treatment systems. Additionally, we installed new UV disinfection to comply with NYSDEC State Pollutant Discharge Elimination (SPDES) permit requirements. This project utilized innovative and improved process equipment to improve treatment capabilities, efficiency, and safety.

Barton & Loguidice undertook the design and construction oversight for the Cell No. 5 expansion, aimed at ensuring cost-effective waste disposal for the county’s residents. B&L’s solution included the design of a 3.7-acre liner expansion featuring a double composite landfill liner system and leachate removal system, compliant with the latest environmental regulations. We also provided construction phase services for project implementation and certification. The final liner system performance testing yielded exceptional results.

The sewer district was in need of software that would be able to assist in preventative maintenance, work orders, asset inventory, and risk prioritization. Barton & Loguidice implemented Utility Cloud as a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), which now allows the sewer district to access and manage all these functions both from desktop and mobile devices in the field. The system features customizable dashboards, comprehensive reporting, and analytics capabilities for work orders, asset risk, and inspections. The project’s success lies in the district’s enhanced ability to manage asset lifecycles, generate up-to-date state-mandated reports directly from the CMMS, proactively address maintenance needs, and improve customer satisfaction through efficient work order and inspection management.

This project entailed the complete reconstruction and renovation of a 22,000-square-foot former grocery store, including full site plan reconstruction, construction contract administration, and site inspection services. The facility was transformed into a secure, 24/7 staffed health care and counseling center, offering immediate and overnight services. All architectural, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems were replaced or renovated to meet New York State Department of Health care facility standards. The project was completed on time and under budget, revitalizing a vacant building into a critical community resource for mental health and addiction treatment, symbolizing a significant investment in community well-being.

To accommodate their tenant’s growing needs, the building owner chose to expand the parking capacity and truck maneuvering area. Barton & Loguidice conducted a building assessment of the existing electrical system and designed new electrical infrastructure, enhancing site lighting around the expanded parking areas and installing electrical truck warming stations. Additionally, B&L performed an arc-flash hazard assessment to ensure OSHA compliance. The project’s success was marked by the client’s satisfaction, increased parking capacity, improved site lighting, and the addition of truck warming stations.

Barton & Loguidice redesigned the existing dry detention pond to manage stormwater quantity and improve quality. This project included a sediment-trapping forebay and micropool, meeting both water quantity and quality requirements. The redesign of this project helped the Town secure impervious area treatment credits for MS4 permitting. The success of the project was highlighted by B&L’s ability to meet stormwater management objectives, secure MS4 treatment credits, and minimize costs for the Town by obtaining grant funding that covered 95% of the project costs.

Adding to Town-wide safety and pedestrian enhancements, the Narragansett Street project looked to add curbing and sidewalks to a busy stretch of road, as well as improve drainage. The project presented multiple challenges, including the need to finish construction before a MaineDOT project could proceed in the same area. Barton & Loguidice completed the design and contract documents and worked with the Town to ensure night work would be allowed. This meant work could be done when traffic volumes were low and shortened the construction duration. The new sidewalks, curbing, and drainage have improved both pedestrian and driver safety in the area.

The Afton School District was looking to increase building security, modernize classrooms, and build a bus garage on recently purchased property. Barton & Loguidice designed two secure entry vestibules for the school, relocated and updated the classrooms, and constructed a state-of-the-art bus maintenance facility. Various other improvements were included in this project such as security cameras, wi-fi, smartboards, fencing, and walkways. The nearby bus garage was constructed with two mechanical bays, a wash bay, and an easy-to-use snow removal system. The project was completed on time and under budget, ready for use by the district for the upcoming school year.

Maria Regina High School converted its two natural grass fields into one multi-sport synthetic turf field. The synthetic turf field offers a resilient and versatile playing surface and requires less maintenance compared to natural grass. The updated fields provide a long-term solution for the school’s athletic program. B&L handled the field conversion with a process that included site inventory and analysis to ensure the stability and feasibility of a turf field. The project also included the additional site amenities of spectator seating, accessible walkways, a relocated scoreboard, running track straightaway, new fencing, and site landscaping. This project was completed and the field was opened for use by the start of the school year.

This bridge had reached the end of its service life and replacement was needed. The existing roadway alignment and bridge had several non-standard features: horizontal curvature, shoulder width, and horizontal sight distance. Barton & Loguidice was tasked with the preliminary and final highway design, conducting a detailed assessment of each alternative, including highway and bridge design, visual impact, and right-of-way acquisitions. As the project progressed, several design constraints came to the surface that led the project team to develop alternative crossing locations along the Chenango River. B&L’s effective management and navigation of environmental challenges led to the project’s design approval in 2020.

The project entailed migrating Onondaga County Water Authority’s (OCWA) IBM Maximo™ software from an on-premise Oracle database to a cloud-based IBM DB2 platform while ensuring seamless integration and optimizing their asset management processes. Barton & Loguidice tackled the complex task of transitioning the database and reconfiguring integrations between IBM Maximo™, utility billing, and financial software to maintain uninterrupted data flow and operational continuity. The team’s meticulous approach to data and configuration migration and rebuilding integrations was key to the project’s success. As a result, OCWA now benefits from enhanced scalability, improved accessibility, reduced licensing fees, streamlined operations, and reduced IT demands, providing them with increased agility to adapt to changing industry needs.

The electrical substation in the Village of Mohawk, which had been severely flooded years prior, needed to be relocated to a higher elevation to prevent future flood damage. Barton & Loguidice conducted site assessments, including utility alignments and archaeological surveys, to determine the optimal layout for the new substation. The final design featured a new switchgear control building with 5kV switchgear and an outdoor low-profile substation consisting of two 7.5MVA transformers, 46kV air switches, and a backup generator, all situated at an elevation safe from 100-year flood levels. This strategic relocation and upgrade of the substation were key to its success, ensuring its resilience against future flooding.

This project involved designing post-dredging and streambank stabilization conditions using bathymetric survey data, with the additional challenge of the worksite being an amusement park. Barton & Loguidice collaborated with The Great Escape Properties to create a design plan and construction schedule. This plan allowed for hydraulic dredging and streambank stabilization to be executed immediately after the park’s seasonal closure, ensuring completion before its reopening in spring 2024. B&L successfully obtained necessary regulatory approvals, assisted with the bidding and awarding process, and provided construction oversight. The project is on track to be completed on time and within budget.

The City faced the challenge of modernizing its sanitation collection program, hindered by outdated equipment and limited staffing. Barton & Loguidice conducted a comprehensive study to explore various vehicle options (rear-end, side, and front-end loaders) and collection methods (manual, semi-automated, and fully-automated). B&L guided the City in transitioning to provided trash carts, with plans to introduce recycling carts in 2024. The project’s success hinged on achieving consensus among sanitation staff, the City Council, and the public. This collaborative effort ensured a smooth city-wide rollout of the new system, aimed at enhancing safety, reducing litter, and bringing uniformity to waste bins.

Otsquago Creek had caused regular flooding to nearby residential properties and downstream school grounds. This was primarily caused by the undersized concrete and stone arch carrying Wiltse Hill Road. Barton & Loguidice was tasked by Herkimer County to design a new crossing that would meet hydraulic requirements and ensure a 75-year service life. A comprehensive HEC-RAS hydraulic analysis led to the conclusion that a bridge-sized structure was necessary. B&L successfully designed a 32-foot span precast concrete arch with aesthetically pleasing features like colored and formlined wingwalls, headwalls, and decorative columns, ensuring the bridge matched the local character.

Barton & Loguidice designed various improvements, including upgrades to the facility’s headworks, expansion of aeration basins, and the construction of new secondary clarifier basins and a UV effluent disinfection system. The project team was facing sequencing and coordination challenges to maintain effluent quality within SPDES limits during construction. B&L developed a construction sequence to ensure continuous wastewater treatment and coordinated with the Town, WWTP operators, NYSDEC, and three prime contractors for successful implementation. The project was successful as the WWTP improvements were completed with all new equipment functioning as intended, and the plant consistently producing effluent within SPDES discharge permit limits.

The town of Voluntown wanted to revitalize its recreational facilities and programming. With the Town’s property divided on two sides of a road that extends down to a state highway, the Town needed to find a way to unite the area safely. Barton & Loguidice developed a comprehensive master plan, enabling the Town to seek future funding for the park improvements. The plan incorporated community feedback, featuring amenities like community gardens and a bicycle pump track for mountain bikers. The project’s success was reflected in its positive reception by the Voluntown community and the Gate Street Recreation Committee. Following the plan’s completion, the Town secured a grant for a new playscape, anticipated as a central feature in the park’s revitalization, set for construction in 2024.

A former restaurant building needed a complete redesign to become a family dental practice. Barton & Loguidice provided construction materials including code review, demolition plan, electrical and piping plans, and interior design finishes. The primary challenge of this project was to coordinate the scheduling of equipment delivery and installation with various vendors. B&L ensured this by emphasizing meticulous planning and conducting regular team meetings. These meetings were dedicated to closely monitoring equipment delivery and synchronizing it with ongoing construction activities. The project’s success hinged on this effective coordination, ensuring timely delivery and installation of systems and equipment, which allowed for the project’s on-time completion.