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Spotlight / Traffic — No comments
10
Apr 13

Project Spotlight: Decker Lake Road Extension

On March 27, Bury+Partners joined representatives from Travis County, the City of Austin, Taurus of Texas and many others for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Decker Lake Road Extension in Austin.

 

Ribbon Cutting 1

 

Travis County Precinct 1 Commissioner Ron Davis began the ceremony by addressing the crowd on-hand to highlight design aspects of the project and praise the design team, City, County, and Developer representatives for their partnership efforts throughout the project design and construction.  Mr. Douglas Gilliland (Taurus of Texas) echoed this praise, prior to gathering with Commissioner Davis, Mr. Guenther Reibling (Taurus Investment Holdings, LLC), and Mr. Gary Sheffield (Sheffield Asset Management) in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

 

Ribbon Cutting 2

From left to right: Guenther Reibling, Ron Davis, Gary Sheffield, and Douglas Gilliland

The project was developed as a Public/Private Partnership (PPP) between Travis County, the City of Austin, and Taurus of Texas.  The extension of Decker Lake Road serves as a direct link between existing Decker Lake Road (which previously terminated at FM 973) and State Highway SH 130 – noted as Project # 115 on the CAMPO 2035 plan.  The 4-lane median-divided roadway features 6’ sidewalks and 5’ bike lanes to facilitate future multi-modal transportation modes.  An experimental pavement section designed by the City of Austin was constructed and is intended to limit the amount of pavement heaving and cracking due to the highly expansive clay soils in the area.

 

Ribbon Cutting 3

 

Decker Lake Road Extension will also serve as the backbone of Indian Hills – a future multi-use development of residential, retail and office space.

 

Congratulations to the Bury team!

 

Bury provided traffic impact analysis for the Indian Hills development, as well as several other design services including: roadway and intersection, storm sewer drainage, erosion control, SWPPP, water quality, pond, sidewalk and bike lane, turn lane, and the traffic control plan.

 

Take a look back at Decker Lake Road’s ground breaking: SH 130, Decker Lake Road project begins

 

Culture / Voices — No comments
08
Feb 13

Bury and You: An Inside Look at Our Student Internship Program

This week marked the most celebrated recruiting day in the world – or at least the sporting world that is. While college football programs across the country have thrown in the recruiting towel, here at Bury, spring recruiting season is still in full swing. From January to March, our Bury representatives are on the road, visiting universities across the U.S., on a mission to find top-tier talented engineers, planners and landscape architects to participate in our student programs.

 

Photo

Today real world experience is more vital than ever, and as a leader in our industry, we love finding young students eager to learn how to apply theoretical classroom lessons to real world problems. At Bury, interns are vital members of our project teams and are encouraged to participate in all aspects of a project. Our internship program is a successful way to kick-start your professional career and really figure out what pathway is right for you.

 

In many cases, Bury interns have returned after graduation to pursue full-time opportunities with us. In fact, a good portion of our team members have risen through the ranks of the Bury family: starting out as student interns and working their way up to Project Engineer, Project Manager and even Vice President!

 

So what can students applying for an intern position with Bury expect if selected to join our student program? Intern program graduates and now full-time team members Megan Wanek, Caroline Hayden and Donald Cecil share a bit of their experiences and advice below.

 

What originally enticed you to apply for an internship with Bury, and what factor(s) convinced you to pursue a full-time position with us?

Cecil: I learned about an internship opportunity with Bury through a friend who has done business with Bury in the past.  After my internship, Bury kept in touch with me while I was in school.  Their eagerness to carry on that relationship made me want to be part of the company full-time after graduation.

 

Hayden: I read about the company, and it seemed like an incredible place to work. It also seemed like an opportunity I could not turn down. The environment and people convinced me to apply full-time. The people are hard workers who are always more than happy to help and answer questions.

 

During your internship, do you feel you gained valuable skills and experience you were able to apply to your full-time position? If so, please give an example or two.

Wanek: Yes, I did a lot of hands-on work during my internship and was able to build some relationships. I learned a lot about the local processes for seeking a site plan permit during my internship.

 

Cecil: Absolutely. I was able to familiarize myself with everything that goes into producing a set of plans and become acquainted with everything else that we do beyond engineering.  The practical application of what I was learning in school helped me when I went back to class and even more when I started full-time.

 

What service area did you specialize in while interning with Bury (if any), and what professional service area are you currently working in? Did your internship experience help you figure out which discipline you wanted to professionally pursue?

Cecil: I interned with the land development group in San Antonio and am currently working in land development in Austin.  The internship piqued my interest in land development, and I directed the remainder of my coursework to classes that would teach me more about the industry.

 

Hayden: I interned in land development, and I am still working in that field. My internship showed me I wanted to pursue a professional career in land development once I became a full-time employee.

 

What’s it like transitioning from a Bury intern to a full-time employee?

Wanek: I think it is helpful.  You know what you are getting into before you do it; you can foresee what your job will be like in advance of accepting a full-time position.  I remember feeling very comfortable and welcomed coming in full-time after already having been around the firm during my internship.

 

Hayden: It’s more responsibility and a much faster pace, but I like it!

 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to current college students applying for internships, either with Bury or other firms?

Cecil: An internship is the best way to apply what you are learning and then decide if (or if not) that is you where you want your career to begin once you graduate.

 

Wanek: Apply for jobs that you think you might like, so you can confirm that you like the type of work, the pace of work and the atmosphere of that type of company before you accept a job.  Think of an internship as a trial run, not just a job; the things you do or don’t do during an internship can move you far ahead of your peers if you take advantage of the opportunities presented to you.

 

For more information on our student programs and available full-time positions, please visit our website, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

Spotlight — No comments
06
Feb 13

Spotlight on Larry Heimer, P.E.

We love to celebrate accomplishments around here, and today we’re spotlighting a recent award-winning leader in our firm.

 

Soon after Bury+Partners launched an office in San Antonio back in 1996, Mr. Larry Heimer, P.E., joined the team and assumed the role of Managing Principal. Under Larry’s leadership, the San Antonio office has grown in leaps and bounds, taking on major projects with local municipalities, utility services, and other governmental agencies. Many projects have been for corporate clients building and expanding their facilities, and for private land developers building new significant commercial and residential projects.

 

On Wednesday, January 30, Larry was named the 15th recipient of the Philip M. Barshop Founder’s Award, an honor given every year by the Real Estate Council of San Antonio to recognize “excellence and leadership in the real estate industry.”

 

L to R: Armando Niebla, Mark Johnson, Cindy Cardenas, Larry Heimer, Paul Bury, Coy Armstrong, Chris Crim(Photo Courtesy of Overstreet Photography)

L to R: Armando Niebla, Mark Johnson, Cindy Cardenas, Larry Heimer, Paul Bury, Coy Armstrong, Chris Crim (Photo Courtesy of Overstreet Photography)

We caught up with Larry a few days after the award presentation and are excited to share with you a closer look at San Antonio’s fearless leader.

 

When asked why he chose a profession in engineering, Larry laughed and said, “It was just luck.” Larry married his high school sweetheart at the age of 19, and the civil engineering building on Texas A&M’s campus was closest to the married student housing where they lived.  He may think of it as luck, but Larry also grew up with his father who worked for TxDOT for more than 35 years. Seeing road construction projects, surveying equipment and construction plans as a kid may have influenced him too.

 

“What I love most about working at Bury+Partners is our employees and the work they do for our clients,” Larry said. In his role as San Antonio’s Managing Principal, he observes daily how well the staff handles their work and the high level of service they provide.

 

Other leaders in the San Antonio office look up to Larry as a role model and mentor.

 

Mark Johnson, Principal in San Antonio, has worked with Larry for the past 17 years. “Larry came on board (at Bury+Partners) just in time to keep me from drowning,” Johnson said. “His calm, even demeanor makes him a great leader, and he never lets you see him sweat. The most important lesson he has taught me is that when a problem arises, tackle it head on.”

 

“Larry possesses a true love of his job and a desire to succeed,” said Coy Armstrong, another San Antonio Principal. “He has been a mentor to me since I started with Bury+Partners in 2001, and I continue to learn from him every day. He’s taught me that a key element to success is being responsive to client needs and readily available to address their questions.”

 

Larry has over 30 years of engineering experience specializing in the design and management of public infrastructure projects. He served as president of the Real Estate Council of San Antonio in 2007 and is involved in the Texas Society of Professional Engineers and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

 

A few more Q’s and A’s with Larry:

 

Q: What’s going on in the San Antonio market that excites you?
A: There are so many signs out there that point to growth – new businesses are moving to the San Antonio area and existing businesses are planning for expansion. Also, new people are moving here from other parts of the country for job opportunities, which seems to be creating a demand for housing and other services. The Eagle Ford Oil boom is also creating many new jobs on the south side of San Antonio.

 

Q: What is something surprising about you that your coworkers might not know?
A: I was a truck driver (delivered freight) for one-and-a-half years after high school.

 

Q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
A: I like to spend time farming and ranching. I also enjoy weekend get-a-ways to fish along the Texas coast (Port Aransas, South Padre Island, Port O’Conner, Baffin Bay) and in Belize.

 

Q: What is your advice to students pursuing an engineering degree?
A: Never give up!

 

Congratulations again, Larry! We’re so proud of you.

 

Read more on the Philip M. Barshop Founders Award here: “Engineer Larry Heimer wins Real Estate Council award”

 

Community / Spotlight / Traffic / Voices — No comments
18
Jan 13

Austin Seeks Solutions to Rise in Traffic Fatalities

bike lane markings

Statistics for 2012 are in, and they point a steady finger at a rising problem for Austin roadways. With 77 traffic fatalities on record, 2012 is reported as the deadliest year in Austin’s history.  Even more disturbing is the fact that auto-pedestrian deaths occurred last year at twice the average rate of the past eight years.

 

The Austin Police Department (APD), City Council and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have joined forces to determine how to curb these rates. The problem is that there are countless factors driving these statistics, and therefore, likely just as many solutions needed to counter them.

 

Austin has seen a significant spike in population over the past decade, which adds drivers to the roads and highways. Driving styles, often those that are more aggressive, are colliding. Driver inattention due to cell phone or GPS usage is another contributing factor and drivers refusing to yield to bicycles and pedestrians appropriately.

 

fatality-stats

 

“As a road user, I frequently notice a general disrespect of pedestrian and bicycle right-of-way,” says Valerie Kaiser, a traffic engineer at Bury+Partners.

 

Not so surprisingly, weak or impaired judgement on behalf of drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians has also ended in many deaths. More than one-third of 2012’s traffic deaths were alcohol-related. “It’s frustrating,” said Lt. Ely Reyes with the APD’s traffic enforcement division. “It just seems that people are making poor decisions, whether they are drivers or pedestrians. We don’t refer to them as accidents anymore. They’re all preventable.”

 

When asked about the most dangerous areas in Austin, Kaiser offered a couple of different answers. She cited North and South Burnet Road and Lamar Blvd. as hazardous travel for bicyclists, simply because of the lack of a dedicated bicycle lane for the northern roads, the high volumes of traffic traveling on the roads, the intermittent sidewalks, and the large number of driveways accessing these roads. For vehicular safety, she calls out IH-35. “This highway was designed as a regional highway, prior to the development of interstate standards. While it has undergone many improvements to meet standards, the abrupt on and off ramps, particularly on the lower deck are cause for concern – especially when passenger cars and truck traffic are merging or diverging.

 

So, what can we do to address these issues?

 

Public education is an obvious step in the right direction. Kaiser suggests that the State (TxDOT in partnership with DPS and local governments) should consider a comprehensive multilingual campaign so the public will clearly understand the safety hazards in attempting to cross highways. Austin has seen an unusually large death toll due to such attempts. “I think most people actually think they can visibly calculate the distance and speed of vehicles on the roadway.” Clearly, miscalculations are common.

 

 

Enforcement of existing traffic laws is another obvious answer. Police Chief Art Acevedo announced that his department will devote additional overtime dollars to traffic enforcement this year. This includes a boost in area patrols, an increase in “no-refusal” weekends and tickets rather than warnings. Acevedo says that “the nice guy giving warnings is not working.”

 

Perhaps less obvious are the adjustments we can make in our infrastructure.

 

While bicyclists are permitted on all City streets and have the right to take the lane, a separate lane for them increases safety. Currently, there is a trend to increase the number of striping-separated bicycle lanes on Austin’s roads. This often results in lanes that are more narrow. As a result, motor vehicles tend to go slower and speeding is less common. Separate lanes for drivers and bicyclists help both parties know they have a place on the road and exactly where that is.

 

Deterrents are in development for those who decide that crossing the highway on foot is a good idea. Officer Reyes says that the city is in discussions with the state officials to create “some kind of barrier” for IH-35 that would keep pedestrians from crossing the highway anywhere other than an overpass or underpass.

 

It is refreshing to know that we have professionals like the APD, City Council, TxDOT and traffic engineers paying strict attention to the trend in traffic fatalities. If anyone can identify the areas where Austin can improve the roads, it’s them. The rest of us can trust that they have our backs, and they are doing what they can to improve the safety of drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.

 

Sources:

 

Industry / Voices — No comments
11
Jan 13

Austin’s Desperate Need for Hospitality

JW Marriott

JW Marriott

People flock to Austin to be part of its many events. From UT games, SXSW Interactive/Film/Music Fests, ACL Fest, NI Week, The ROT Rally, etc. Truly, the list goes on and on. There is always something to do, and folks want to be there.

 

The problem is, the City’s hotels simply do not have enough space to accommodate its visitors. The Austin Convention Center and Visitors Bureau currently reports 6,000 hotel rooms downtown. While that might sound like a healthy sized inventory, it seems attendance to major events always leave visitors without a place to stay.

 

What’s more, statistics show that these events are growing and so is their attendance. Total attendees for the SXSW Festival was reported as 302,700 in 2012, whereas 2011’s festival brought in 286,000. The ACL Festival lures roughly 70,000 people to Zilker Park each day of its three-day event in past few years. Next year, the event will span two weekends, which will certainly encourage a huge jump in attendance.

 

So what happens if you double up on events?

 

Formula One’s race weekend this November falls on the same weekend scheduled for the Texas Longhorn football game against Oklahoma State. Hotel managers and owners in Austin are voicing serious concerns for incoming guests. Each event alone supplies downtown hotels with enough guests to reach capacity.

 

Danelle Awtrey, director of sales and marketing at Inter-Continental Stephen F. Austin said, “Many of (the UT Alumni) are repeat, and they book months in advance. So, the hotels in downtown are booked typically 90 percent to 100 percent on every UT football weekend.” Similarly, Formula One fans book as far out as a year in advance and bring the same amount of visitors. Awtrey says it is logistically impossible to accommodate that many visitors in one weekend.

 

F1-UT conflict bad for hotel business

 

All parties involved are scrambling to find a solution to a potentially large problem. In the meantime, however, Oklahoma State’s Director of Football Operations, Mack Butler, is forced to lodge his team and staff as far as Horseshoe Bay or Temple. He needs a block of 100-plus rooms, and they are just not available.

 

Developers are certainly not blind to the need for hospitality in the downtown area. For instance, White Lodging has two new hotels in construction right now. The Hyatt is set to open in Spring and the JW Marriott will open in the first quarter of 2015. They announced yesterday that they will also be building a Westin, which is projected to open in Spring of 2015. These three projects will add another 1,634 rooms to CBD hotel room availability.

 

It is refreshing to know that hotel developments are on the horizon for downtown Austin. Unfortunately, until we get there, we are in quite a conundrum.

 

Sources:

Industry — No comments
04
Jan 13

Water and Wastewater Woes

A Brief Look into America’s Aging Water Infrastructure

As citizens living in one of the most industrialized nations in the world, it’s probably safe to say most of us take our unlimited access to available clean water for granted. Thanks to modern infrastructure, we never have to worry where our clean water will come from or second guess if it is potable and ready for personal use and consumption.

 

But, what if the fundamental systems in place today were slowly deteriorating and beginning to fail. What if most of our water and wastewater systems across the country were beginning to age, and not receiving the attention they require to be brought fully up to date.

 

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), that’s exactly the kind of situation most of the nation’s water and wastewater systems currently face.

 

As the U.S. population has continued to steadily increase, the percentage of people served by the public water system has increased as well. As a result, new water lines have been constructed to connect distant residents to nearby centralized water systems. However, although new pipes are being added to serve demand in new areas, existing component parts of current centralized water systems are not being upgraded, and as a result, are showing signs of disintegration.

 

In their report “Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Water and Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure,” the ASCE  documents the lack of capital spending being invested in our nation’s water infrastructure. Their depiction shows if current trends continue, the gap between how much money is needed to update existing water facilities and how much federal money is actually available, will only continue to widen.

 

 

In a recent report, PBS took a look into the wastewater tunnels beneath the City of Detroit, home to some of the most outdated infrastructure pipes in the country. Points of concern for them are leaks that have popped up and are in need of repair. Quick fixes exist to temporarily patch up existing leaks, like lining old pipes with a polymer sleeve that hardens soon after a resin is applied, but old, leaky pipes aren’t an incident isolated only to Detroit. Cities across the nation are facing the same crumbling infrastructure beneath the streets, and it’s a growing engineering concern.

 

Watch A Journey to Confront Our Aging Water Systems on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

 

In PBS’ report, Sue McCormick discusses a significant concern among engineers regarding the fact that we’ve  “…differed our replacement of public systems, and ultimately we will see potential significant rises in failures.” Many existing wastewater treatment plants are forced to keep old plants running, while trying to adhere to the federal Clean Water Act, and manage $600 million in improvements. It’s a lot to juggle to maintain existing infrastructure and keep polluted water from entering our rivers and lakes.

 

In 2009 the ASCE issued a U.S. Infrastructure Report Card, divvying out a D-minus to the nation’s water and sewer systems. A D-minus meaning we’re short “$84 billion over the next eight years to bring it to a good condition over what we’re currently spending.”

 

So without the federal funds necessary to properly update our country’s water infrastructure, what is the best solution to this growing problem?

 

San Antonio, Texas, a city constantly praised for its approach to water and wastewater systems, thinks they’ve found one answer – preventative conservation.

 

Though the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) also is tasked with patching up existing systems at the lowest user cost, they are also in the game of preventing the need for so much infrastructure patch-work through means of conservation. For example, their largest wastewater plant is called a recycling center, where they reuse all of the processed residuals that come out of the plant. Individual conservation methods are also strongly encouraged, as well as xeriscaping, or landscaping that doesn’t need irrigation.

 

Perhaps San Antonio’s conservation methods are the best way to avoid our aging water systems from receiving another D-minus from the ASCE.  One thing is clear however, our aging centralized water systems need to be given the attention they deserve to preserve our fundamental way of living.

 

Sources:

PBS Newshour: Crumbling Pipes and Underground Waste: A Glimpse at Our Nation’s Ailing Sewer Systems
ASCE: “Failure to Act”
Wastewater Infrastructure Report Card
 

Voices — No comments
21
Dec 12

3 Simple Approaches for Last-Minute Gifts

 

World's largest LEGO Christmas tree

World’s largest LEGO Christmas tree at St. Pancras Station – London – Consists of approximately 600,000 individual bricks.

Only a few shopping days remain before Christmas Day arrives, and like many, you may be scrambling to purchase some last-minute gifts. If you’re stumped at what to give the engineer, designer or landscape architect on your list, here are a few simple things to keep in mind.

 

1. Lighten up and give something fun.

 

Zoning, codes, schedules, measurements, numbers… day after day, we deal with these things in our industry. We’re wired to solve problems, we love a good challenge and we strive to make things work more efficiently. But we all need a little brain break every now and then, so why not give the gift of laughter this Christmas? Some of our favorites in this category include:

 

 

Super Cube Puzzle

Super Cube Puzzle

2. Gifts to inspire.

 

Designers are innovative by nature. Our daily tasks require that we create and offer solutions. But sometimes being creative is tough when you feel like you’re fresh out of ideas. Give something that will inspire great design! Perhaps this gift comes in the form of a yearly magazine subscription, like Dwell, Wired or Popular Science. If you have access to particular image files, consider having prints made of their favorite project, skyline or city to frame in the office. And who doesn’t love a good coffee table book for inspiration? We’ve gathered a list of ones that won’t just collect dust!

 

 

3. When in doubt, give something practical.

 

Calculators, engineering scales, their favorite brand of pens, pencils or drawing utensils, a desk calendar, a new briefcase or a business card holder – it’s okay to outfit the engineer, architect or designer with practical things they need to do their job. If it’s something they’ll use everyday, why not have them think of you and your thoughtfulness every time they use it?

Good luck as you cross things off your holiday to-do list. And Merry Christmas from all of us at Bury!

 

 

Community / Spotlight — No comments
08
Nov 12

Bury Joins the Movember Movement

 

Oh, Mo!

Ah, yes. The season of the ‘stache has arrived again along with a real opportunity to help raise awareness of men’s health issues, in spirit and in return for a chuckle.  And, man, does it work!

 

Last year, when the MoBros in the Bury office all began sprouting mustaches, people began to wonder what kind of “trend” had come about. Is this a joke or some kind of competition between male co-workers? It was impossible to know unless you asked – which is exactly the reason it’s done.

 

History Behind Movember

The idea brewed from a couple of Australians in 2003 who joked about whether the moustache (referred to as “mo” in Aussy) could ever be made cool again. That year, co-founder Adam Garone and his friends asked an additional 30 male friends to join them in growing their own well-groomed moustaches through the month of November.  It began an annual tradition, and the question changed – how could that make a difference?

 

Garone recognized that Movember had big potential to bring attention to the under-discussed cause of men’s health. He approached the Prostate Cancer Foundation about forging a partnership and was able to raise $54,000 first time around. The movement has since grown “handlebars “ out to change the face on men’s health all over the globe and is met with growing donations for its purpose.

 

What Can You Do?

Offer your own support for research on testicular and prostate cancers or other well-known health issues men suffer from. While you may not know exactly which illness your donation can help, you can be certain it is aiding where it is most needed. Bury team members have created the Austin MoBros group to give you a place to go now.

 

Click on the mustache to visit the Austin MoBros site.

Click on the mustache to visit the Austin MoBros site.

Get Creative

We would also like to encourage creativity with presentation. Consult the American Mustache Institute’s guide to ‘stache style perhaps. Choose from The Chevron, The Dali, The Fu Manchu and The Walrus (Go big or go home, eh?). For inspiration from mustachioed luminaries like Wyatt Earp or Tom Selleck, visit “The Manliest Mustaches of All Time,” courtesy of The Art of Manliness.

 

For Your Viewing Pleasure

 

 

 

 

For Mo information, please visit the Movember website.

 

Movember Website

Click the moustache for
Mo information on Movember

Sources:

TED Staffers Grow Moustaches for Movember

Movember: A Guide to celebrating your ‘stache and supporting men’s health

Movember: Who’s growing what and why

Movember and Sons

 

Community / Spotlight — No comments
25
Oct 12

Beating the Odds

Ellie shows her spirit in recovery - Hook'em Horns!

Ellie shows her spirit in recovery – Hook’em Horns!

Over the past few weeks, Bury Team Members have banded together to raise awareness and money for the American Heart Association’s fight against heart disease and stroke. For years now, the annual Heart Walk event in Austin has provided us a great opportunity to do just that. As we ramped up for this year’s event, we had surprise visit from one incredibly brave 5-year old named Ellie during one of our staff meetings.

 

Ellie was born with a heart condition that is very serious. We listened to Ellie tell the story of her “boo-boo’s” alongside her mother, Amanda, and father, John. The story touched everyone in the room.  If you didn’t already have anything motivating you to fight against cardiovascular diseases, you do now.

 

The opportunity to meet Ellie came through her father, John , a long standing employee at Bury, and his wife, Amanda – At Bury, we think of employees as family members, and we support each other in trying times. When we heard of Ellie’s condition, Paul Bury took it upon himself to show their family that we are all behind them, ready to help in any way. To John, Amanda and Ellie, telling Ellie’s story became a way that they could give back to cause and give others hope.

 

Ellie’s Story

Ellie was born on March 30, 2007 as a full term, healthy baby. At approximately 36 hours old, Ellie turned blue and was having obvious difficulty breathing. She was transferred from Seton Northwest to Brackenridge NICU immediately by a special transport team, which meant that John and Amanda were not allowed to ride with her. They were also not allowed to see her for another four hours while tests were performed.

 

Ellie tells her story to Bury employees
at their October staff meeting.

The cardiologist finally met with John and Amanda to explain Ellie’s condition: she has a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) known as TAPVR- total anomalous pulmonary vein return, one of the most severe and deadly known CHDs. Ellie’s four veins that connect her heart to her lungs, carrying oxygenated blood, were not connected at all, and the lack of connections had to be corrected as soon as possible. The surgeon waited until she was 13 days old to allow the tissue to mature as much as possible. Then, on April 13, 2007, Ellie underwent open heart surgery and the surgeon was able to connect three out of the four veins. He was unable to reach the upper vein as it was too small and fragile, and could not take the chance of doing permanent damage. After another three weeks of recovery, Ellie got to come home and sleep in her crib for the first time.

 

John and Amanda were advised to keep Ellie away from people and public places as much as possible for the first 18 months of her life, as doctors did not know what to expect for her tolerance to germs. Ellie’s CHD is very rare and there are no statistics to support a long term outlook. Finally, at Ellie’s two-year checkup with the cardiologist, her parents were released to live normal lives and let Ellie be a kid. And so they did.

 

At Ellie’s 5-year checkup, the cardiologist felt the results from the routine tests indicated that Ellie should have a cardiac catheterization procedure. The right side of her heart was significantly enlarged and her lungs sounded thick. Ellie had been having a hard time keeping up with other kids her age. She would tire easily and seemed to get mysterious fevers if she didn’t nap and sleep on schedule. The catheter results indicated that the upper pulmonary vein was causing her left lung to flood, and she basically had the equivalent of pneumonia. Surgery was required, as soon as possible. The same surgeon that corrected her the first time was called in again, and he successfully connected the last vein to her left lung.

 

For the first time in her life, Ellie is anatomically correct. All veins are connected at the correct sites, and her lungs are clear. Ellie will have to stay under close watch of cardiologists for a long time to come. The most dangerous threats are the build-up of scar tissue at the different repair site and monitoring her patches to be sure they hold up while Ellie grows.

 

John and Amanda don’t know what to expect for Ellie’s future. She may lead a normal life and never really feel any effects of these surgeries. She may have to go through more, including a full transplant heart and both lungs. So far, everything looks good, and they have been told they have every reason to be hopeful. Ellie has beaten the odds and continues to set records with her recovery.

 

Walk With UsHelp the cause and donate here!

This Saturday, Bury Team Members will meet at South 1st Street Bridge at 8:30am to show our support. If you have time, please join us with your friends and families. We can walk together because it is one of the very best behaviors that can save our lives – by getting active.

 

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. They team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.

 

Sources:

 

Community / Culture — No comments
12
Oct 12

How Big is Big Tex?

Big Tex

Big Tex

The annual State Fair of Texas is upon us, and like many Texans, you may soon be flocking to the fairgrounds to enjoy fried foods and carnival rides. Your visit may be as soon as tomorrow, if you are a Longhorn fan headed to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry.

 

This year marks the 60th birthday of “Big Tex,” the iconic 52-foot-tall statue that welcomes fairgoers with his booming, southern voice. Since we as engineers and designers pay attention to precise measurements and details, we thought it would be fun to talk stats on Mr. Big Tex himself. They say “everything’s bigger in Texas,” but just how BIG is he? Let’s take a look from the top down.

 

Big Tex wears a 75-gallon Stetson cowboy hat measuring 5 feet tall. For size comparison, 75 gallons is the size of a large in-home aquarium!

 

His neck measures 100 inches (more than 8 feet) in circumference, and his lanky arms require 181-inch (15 foot) sleeves on his western Dickies shirt. The shirt size itself is 100 180/181 – that’s 600 times larger than shirts sold in stores – and requires 70 yards of blue denim and 80 yards of awning material! His chest measures 30 feet across, and the buttons on his shirt are 3.5 inches in diameter, approximately the size of a credit card.

 

To match his shirt, Big Tex dons Dickies brand jeans that measure 284W/185L, a size XXXXXL. To keep his jeans from sliding or shifting, Big Tex wears a 23-foot-long belt with a thick, 50-pound Dickies belt buckle.

 

Lastly, Big Tex wears a size 70 boot that stands 7 feet 7 inches tall – that’s 7 inches taller than Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. Talk about big shoes to fill! Big Tex weighs in at an astonishing 6,000 pounds.

 

After this weekend, you only have one more weekend to see Big Tex in person until he reappears for next year’s fair. The last day of the 2012 State Fair is Sunday, October 21.

 

Have a great weekend, from all of us at Bury. And if you make it out to the State Fair, we’d love to see a picture of you with Big Tex!

 

Stat Sources:

Big Tex Stands Tall for the 60th Year, Dallas News

Big Tex Fact Page

State Fair of Texas, Wikipedia

 

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