Jul 18, 1995

Entranco

Engineering and environmental consulting firm Entranco has added two vice presidential positions to respond to the company's 1995 expansion into Tuscon and Boise and addition of 25 technical staff. Dale LeMaster, a 10-year Entranco veteran who has managed the civil engineering unit since 1988, has been appointed vice president, Northwest region, responsible for managing the Washington and Idaho offices. LeMaster has 29 years of experience and is a registered professional engineer in Washington and several western states. Ed Berschinski, supervisor of Entranco's Construction Services unit for Washington, has been named vice president, quality and risk management. He has been with the company for 18 years. Entranco's Washington state office is located in Bellevue. The 34-year-old firm also has a another Arizona office, in Phoenix.

Thea Foss cleanup costs triple

TACOMA (AP) -- The cost of a hazardous-waste cleanup along the Thea Foss Waterway on Tacoma's waterfront has more than tripled, surpassing the $1 million mark, city officials said. The main reason is because contaminated soil on one property was found to be more widespread than expected, said Craig Sively, manager of the city's Building and Land Use Division. Work crews also unexpectedly discovered an underground storage tank, which had to be removed. The contaminated area is the possible future site of a $20 million glass museum. The City Council has approved paying an extra $742,000 to finish the cleanup, which was originally budgeted three months ago at $300,000. "I can see missing it by a few bucks," Councilman Mike Crowley said last week. "But we're three times the cost." The city bought the land for $1.2 million in 1993. It's part of 26 acres of waterfront property along the west side of the waterway, most of it contaminated from decades of industrial uses. "They initially thought that perhaps the contamination was more concentrated," City Manager Ray Corpuz said. "But it's really spread over a wider area." Engineers will try to produce more accurate estimates for future projects, Sively said. Typically, engineers estimate how much soil is fouled by studying the history of the site and digging a series of tests pits in areas where contamination levels should be highest, Sively said. Previous owners of the property used oils as tarring for blacktop on the site, which spread the contamination evenly over the soil, Sively said. The soil has to be dug out and hauled away. The property has been targeted by a group of art boosters who want to buy it from the city and build a $20 million glass museum on the site.

Bureau of Land Management

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Clinton nominated Michael Dombeck on Friday to become director of the Bureau of Land Management, where he has served as acting director since Jim Baca's controversial resignation last year. Dombeck, whose nomination is subject to Senate confirmation, was named acting BLM director in February 1994. Baca resigned in protest over the Clinton administration's retreat from an earlier pledge to raise livestock grazing fees on BLM lands in the West. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt praised Dombeck's selection, calling him a dedicated outdoorsman and conservationist. Local firms find work in China The burgeoning market for environmental technologies and services in the developing Asian economies is beckoning an increasing number of U.S. firms overseas. International export consulting firm Associates International Inc. and Robison Construction Inc., both Seattle companies, recently completed a business trip to China, which resulted in a World Bank contract for environmental laboratory equipment, including a water quality monitoring vehicle, for the municipality of Wuxi. Located on the shores of a large lake, the city of 1.5 million is in the process of two large environmental projects: the first to add a second phase to a small wastewater management plant, and the second, slated for later this year, to clean up the lake's polluted water. According to Associates International President Joe Reed, opportunities like this one will increase exponentially over the next 20 years as China attempts to overcome the environmental mind set of the past with projects funded by institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Other Seattle area companies involved in the negotiations were Casne Engineering and Barrett Consulting.

Jul 12, 1995

GeoEngineers

Julie L. Wilson, a toxicologist with 14 years of experience in risk assessment and industrial health and safety, has joined GeoEngineers as an associate of the firm. With a doctorate in toxicology and certification as an industrial hygienist, Wilson's responsibilities include managing the firm's risk assessment services. She has served as a member of the Washington Department of Ecology's external advisory committee for developing hazardous waste cleanup policy under the state's Model Toxics Control Act.

Exceltech

Allan H. Walley has joined the bridge engineering staff at Exeltech in Olympia as bridge engineering coordinator. He was previously with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), where he served as Bridge and Structures Engineer and as Bridge Construction Engineer. At Exeltech, he will be responsible for overseeing bridge engineering services and business development in commercial and government markets.

Triad

Phillip Kitzes has recently joined Triad Associates as a planner and site designer. Specializing in hillside grading and geotechnical issues, Kitzes' experience includes a 3,000-acre hillside development and small infill projects.

W&H Pacific

Jeffrey Daggett of W&H Pacific was named chair of the budget and finance committee of the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) during the ACEC's annual meeting in New Orleans last month. He met with ACEC's new national president, Richard Weingardt, and several other committee chairmen, to map out a strategy for the coming year.

WaterLeaf

Betty M. L. Lee has joined the interior design division of the Seattle office of WaterLeaf Architecture & Interiors. Lee will assist in selecting project finishes and space planning, and is currently involved with projects for Legacy Health Systems, Seafirst Bank, and a private residence. Lee comes to WaterLeaf from Potter-Stewart & Associates of Bellevue.

Walker & Macy

Walker & Macy, a Portland landscape architecture and planning firm, has added three new staff members. Michelle Winningham has joined the firm as marketing director, a newly created position. Marvelee Gaviola is Walker & Macy's new marketing assistant, responsible for the production of marketing materials and for office management. Bryan Cole, landscape designer and graduate of the University of Idaho, brings 9 years of landscape design and construction experience to the company.

Coughlin Porter Lundeen

J. Alan Jacobson has joined Coughlin Porter Lundeen as a civil engineer. He is currently at work on Microsoft Studios and KCPQ Channel 13 Studios. Bob Pack has joined the firm as a CAD technician. He is working on the SoDo Center renovation and the New Bainbridge Island Fire Station.