February 2022 ASCE-NH Newsletter | Page 14

ASCE-NH Ski Day – A Day of Networking

What a memorable event hosted at the Loon Mountain Resort by our sponsors GZA GeoEnvironmental , Inc . and Doucette Survey , LLC . With the prediction of a major snowstorm and the Covid-deferred event last year , you could feel the buzz of all the people who were energized to get back together again . Some mobilized the night before to avoid morning travel in the storm . As the rain turned to snow overnight , participants were blessed with a new blanket of 10-15 inches of soft white bliss . Those who braved the conditions were pleasantly surprised by the new Kancamagus 8 , a new 8-person chair lift with heated seats and lowering dome . As engineers we were more preoccupied with the quality of the loading area building ’ s architectural finishes and the investment for a partially exposed non-revenue generating facility . We cannot help ourselves .
After a physically daunting morning , a lunch break was welcomed by all . Friendly faces and cheer were the theme of the Octagon Meeting Room where we all enjoyed a presentation by Matthew O ’ Brien , PE of McFarland Johnson about Martha ’ s Vineyard Airport and the associated construction challenges with runway reconstruction ; and airspace obstruction analysis including the potential environmental impacts to nearly 30-listed protected species in a State Forest with no land rights to cut . In addition to being an entertaining story line , this presentation touched on nearly everyone ’ s discipline from planning , geotechnical , environmental and survey . The presentation ended with MJ ’ s technology solution developed by InfraSolutions which takes the traditional paper and PDF plans and attributes the data into a 3D virtual model powered by GIS and accessible through a web based portal . This was the next-level engineering deliverable with dynamic properties to ensure the information is current .
The capstone to the event was the après ski appetizers and comradery developed by reminiscing the days ’ activities , building upon old relationships and creating new . This was more than just about skiing and food , this was networking at its highest level .
Dynamic Obstruction Visualization Tool developed by InfraSolutions to ‘ Future Proof ’ engineering deliverables .
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