Hussey Gay Bell Wins $40 Million Worth of Local Projects

• November 21, 2014

Savannah, Georgia – Hussey Gay Bell, a Savannah-based engineering and architectural consulting firm, is pleased to announce the firm’s selection as a design partner on two significant, local projects – a $25 million Phase I Biosolids Handling Upgrade project at the City of Savannah’s President Street Water Reclamation Facility and a $15.62 million Science and Technology Facility for Savannah State University.

For the Biosolids Handling Project, Hussey Gay Bell is teamed with lead firm Brown and Caldwell, a privately-held, 100-percent environmental firm that is a nationally recognized leader in wastewater treatment and biosolids management. Together, the two firms will provide engineering design and construction oversight for the new and upgraded solids handling facilities at the President Street Water Reclamation Facility, which will allow the City to meet air compliance requirements that will take effect in 2016 by providing an alternate means of biosolids removal and abandoning the current incinerators. At full build-out, the project will allow the city to cost-effectively produce a Class A biosolids product and help maintain the facility’s award-winning, reliable performance track record through the year 2030.

“This is a tremendous win for the team of Hussey Gay Bell/Brown and Caldwell,” said G. Holmes Bell, IV, PE, CEO and Chairman of Hussey Gay Bell. “This upgraded biosolids facility will serve the City of Savannah, notably during a time when communities are struggling with major infrastructure funding shortages. This is truly a demonstration of the commitment of City Council to select design teams with qualified local project partners who are committed to providing the highest value for rate payers.”

Jennifer Oetgen, PE, will serve as Hussey Gay Bell’s Deputy Project Manager for the project. As Director of Water and Wastewater for Hussey Gay Bell, Ms. Oetgen has more than 15 years of experience specializing in municipal wastewater facilities systems design. Since the 1990s, Ms. Oetgen has designed more than 10 water quality control plants, including the first membrane bioreactor (MBR) wastewater treatment facility in Coastal Georgia, as well as numerous projects with the City of Savannah.

As for Savannah State University, Hussey Gay Bell will lead the architectural and structural engineering design efforts for the project and provide overall project management.  Eric Johnson, FAIA, President of the architectural division of the firm – stated: “This is a tremendous win not only for Hussey Gay Bell but for Savannah State University.  This project will have a positive impact upon students that major in the STEM degree programs and the faculty and staff within the College of Science and Technology. We are mobilized and excited to begin our work on this tremendous project which will result in a state-of-the-art research facility right here in Savannah.”

Other members of the Biosolids Handling Upgrade project team include: Long Engineering, The Architecture Group, Rohadfox Construction Control Services, and McMillan and Associates. City officials have authorized design to commence and anticipate construction to begin in early 2015.

Other members of the Savannah State University project team include: Lord Aeck Sargent – an award-winning architecture and laboratory planning firm specializing in the programming and design of complex learning and research environments, and Coastline Consulting Services, Inc. – a locally-based MBE firm, headed by a SSU alum.  The Design Professional’s services are underway with construction documents anticipated for completion the Summer of 2015.