THE CITY OF NAPLES UPGRADES THEIR EMERGENCY GENERATORS

Backup power is critical infrastructure for the City of Naples Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WRF).

Upgrading the City’s emergency generators isn’t just about enhancing infrastructure; it’s about safeguarding the community and ensuring that essential services remain operational when they’re needed most.

It is essential that a water reclamation facility continue to operate during a power failure to ensure continuous processing of wastewater and recovery of reclaimed water from it. This process helps preserve our natural resources, meets regulatory requirements, and provides inexpensive reclaimed water for irrigation to lawns and golf courses, keeping them green during Florida’s dry season.

Reliable electrical power equipment and control systems are critical to drive the pumps and processes in a water reclamation facility. Once these systems age, they become increasingly difficult to operate and maintain reliably. Operating equipment, until it fails, leads to unexpected downtime and is not acceptable for critical infrastructure. To prevent unplanned downtime, emergency standby power systems are necessary to keep the plant up and running 24/7/365, even when electric utility power is unavailable. Plant staff are always proactively trying to gain greater reliability, efficiency, and productivity with limited resources by leveraging new technology and equipment that includes networked equipment, power surge protection, and enhanced operational capabilities via an upgrade of the existing obsolete generator systems.

Retrofit projects are particularly challenging due to the amount of field research, incomplete documentation, incorporation of existing equipment, space limitations, plant layouts, and requirements to keep the plant fully operational even during construction. The City of Naples Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) project scope included replacing the existing 1250 KW and 1500 KW diesel generators at the WRF that operated independently and which were supplied with diesel fuel from two 6,000-gallon above-ground diesel fuel storage tanks. The two existing generators were replaced with four 600 KW generators, each with integrated diesel fuel storage tanks that are configured to work together in parallel for 2400 KW of total emergency standby power.

The two existing generators were located indoors which occupied valuable space and created operational challenges related to the generator cooling and exhaust systems. The four new generators are located outdoors which simplifies the cooling and exhaust systems and allows for the re-purposing of the existing generator rooms into an electrical room annex and other future uses. Since the new generators were designed with integrated diesel fuel tanks, the existing diesel storage tanks and associated piping were able to be removed which eliminated potential fuel leakage and the environmental issues associated with maintaining and operating diesel fuel within the plant. Since there are two separate electrical rooms, the design included significant underground conduit duct banks and associated pullboxes to provide power to both rooms from one common location.

In addition to design services, Johnson Engineering provided construction services consisting of programmable controller programming, operator terminal programming, and control system start-up and commissioning to integrate the new generators into the existing plant power and control system’s electrical and network infrastructure.

For more information contact Wayne Wright, PE at [email protected].

CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT OF OUR VALUED TEAM MEMBERS

Johnson Engineering’s legacy of exceptional employee tenure stands as a testament to the dedication and commitment of our workforce. It is with both pride and sadness that we announce the retirement of a few esteemed members who have contributed significantly to our company’s success. These individuals, with their decades-long service spanning 19, 24, and 37 years, have left an indelible mark on our organization. As they embark on this new chapter of their lives, we reflect on their invaluable contributions and wish them all the best in their well-deserved retirements.

STAN LEONHARDT – 19 YEARS

Stan began working for Johnson Engineering in May of 2004 as a survey rodman and is retiring as a survey Party Chief. Over the last 19 years he performed thousands of surveys throughout Southwest Florida for our clients including projects such as hydrographic surveys of the Peace River, Subsurface Utility Explorations for FPL and the I-75 IROX project, as well as FDOT bridge surveys for the I-75, Sanibel Causeway, and Marco Island bridges. Throughout his tenure, he became a heavy equipment operator, obtained his CDL, and became SCUBA certified. We wish Stan well in his retirement with relaxation and countless new adventures.

CAROL DOCKER – 24 YEARS

Carol served as the Director of our Human Resources group for the past 24 years, playing a pivotal role in shaping our HR policies and procedures for the last two decades. Her dedication and expertise not only influenced our company culture and operations, but also significantly contributed to the overall success and growth of our organization. Her unwavering commitment and readiness to assist wherever needed has been invaluable to our success. We extend our heartfelt wishes for a fulfilling retirement journey.

MARK THEIS – 37 YEARS

In 1987, Mark embarked on a journey to relocate his family to Fort Myers from Ohio after vacationing in the sunshine state. During his job search, Johnson Engineering kept emerging as a top recommendation. He applied, interviewed, and was hired as an Engineering Technician. Mark had the privilege of being trained and mentored by our team of seasoned veterans who had strong work ethic, integrity, and strong demand for quality plan preparation.

Throughout his tenure, Mark had to adapt to many technological advancements including transitioning from hand-drafted designs to computer-aided drafting. Before e-mail existed, Mark recalls the days where it used to take him weeks to produce hand-drawn plan sheets using ink and Leroy lettering templates and hand deliver them to clients. Today this work can be produced electronically and e-mailed in mere minutes.

His career milestones included spearheading the establishment of our Port Charlotte office in 1992, a pivotal moment in his professional trajectory. Mark swiftly rose from an entry-level Engineering Technician to Project Manager working on a variety of development projects throughout Charlotte County.

Mark’s strong project management skills are etched in the significant projects he undertook, notably the Charlotte Correctional Institution. Being one of his first large projects and one of the biggest projects in the County at the time, Mark was admittedly intimidated by this $40 million project on 275-acres which included wetland impacts and a large 40-acre wetland mitigation area. Mark remained steadfast and the project was a notable success. His career take-away was to never give up on a challenge, you can always handle more than you think you can.

As Mark concludes his 37-year tenure at Johnson Engineering, his absence will surely be felt. Mark, with his quiet demeanor and subtle wit, was always ready to lend a hand wherever it was required. A genuine and hardworking individual, he leaves behind a commendable legacy of dedication to Johnson Engineering. We extend our sincere gratitude and wish Mark all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

GATEWAY BLVD & GRIFFIN DRIVE’S NEW ROUNDABOUT

Johnson Engineering provided construction engineering & inspection (CEI), as well as constructability review services, for the new intersection improvements at Gateway Boulevard and Griffin Drive in Fort Myers.

This project included drainage and utility improvements, roadway reconstruction and rehabilitation and most notably, a center fountain. Existing traffic was maintained throughout construction to minimize the impact to the traveling public. Our team worked closely with Lee County, the contractor, and the Engineer of Record to assist in the development of a logical phasing plan. Constructability reviews conducted by Johnson Engineering resulted in both cost and time savings to the project by utilizing existing material on the project to the greatest extent possible. This project was recently completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

Modern roundabouts have seen a tremendous uptick in recent years, as they slow vehicles down, reduce idle time, and keep traffic continually moving, maximizing both safety and efficiency.

For more information contact John Glenn, PE at [email protected].