Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter

President’s Address – Urgent Membership Response

By: Gavin Gautreau, P.E.

Fellow Louisiana Engineering Society (LES) Members:

The following is to inform you of proposed changes to the existing Qualification Based Selection (QBS) system in place at the City of Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish (City-Parish) Government.

An Engineer and Surveyor’s Selection Board was established by Ordinance 8931 in May 24, 1989 for East Baton Rouge Parish. The purpose of the Selection Board is to evaluate the qualifications of firms competing for City-Parish contracts, and select the most qualified firm. The Selection Board process has been an effective tool in reducing political favoritism in the awarding of contracts since its inception.

Representative Mike Walker of the City-Parish Metro-Council recently introduced three items, which would affect the current QBS system of the City-Parish. In summary:

  • The first proposed amendment would allow the Mayor-President to award contracts based on personal choice, regardless of firm qualifications or the choice of the Engineering Selection Board. The LES Baton Rouge Chapter Board opposes this amendment. This change would render the Engineering Selection Board moot.
  • The second proposed amendment would allow the Mayor-President to award contracts based on personal choice, regardless of firm qualifications or the choice of the Architect Selection Board. The LES Baton Rouge Chapter Board opposes this amendment. This change would render the Architect Selection Board moot.
  • The third proposal would allow the Mayor-President to begin negotiations with his personal choice of consultants for the Green Light Plan, disregarding the Engineering Selection Board’s choice of a different firm on November 3, 2005. The LES Baton Rouge Chapter Board opposes this legislation.

The current QBS system received an award from the National Society of Professional Engineers, and was commended for its strengths in a study by the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), Review of LA DOTD Selection Process for Engineering Consultants (by Knapp et al., 2005, p29).

The Selection Board members are Professional Engineers, governed by Code of Ethics, and as volunteers, serve without compensation. The Mayor-President and Metro-Council positions are elected and do not have the required Engineering Background for a proper evaluation of candidates.

The Louisiana Engineering Society (LES) Baton Rouge Chapter Executive Board believes these changes would subvert the fair process of the Engineering Selection Board; and that Baton Rouge should keep politics out of project selection, holding quality, safety and the public welfare above all other considerations.

Please voice your opinion to all Council Representatives by phone or email. The item is scheduled for an F&E meeting on January 4, 2006, and a public hearing before the Metro-Council on January 11, 2006. Please plan to attend the public hearing.

Sincerely,

Gavin P. Gautreau, P.E.

Baton Rouge Chapter President

Louisiana Engineering Society

President’s Address – Urgent Membership Response (cont.)

Please contact your Metro Council representative to voice your opinion regarding these engineering related items

City Parish Website:

Council District 1Wayne Carter(225) 389-5170email:

Council District 2Ulysses 'Bones' Addison (225) 389-4699 email:

Council District 3Pat Culbertson(225) 389-5162email:

Council District 4Joe Greco, Mayor Pro-Tempore(225) 389-5166email:

Council District 5Charles Kelly(225) 389-5166email:

Council District 6Martha Jane Tassin (225) 389-5165email:

Council District 7Byron Sharper(225) 389-7624email:

Council District 8Mike Walker (225) 389-5168email:

Council District 9Darrell Ourso(225) 389-4688email:

Council District 10Lorri Burgess(225) 389-5140email:

Council District 11David Boneno(225) 389-5169email:

Council District 12Mickey Skyring(225) 389-4697email:

LES Baton Rouge Chapter

2005-06 Officers

December 2005 NewsletterPage 1

Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter

President:

Gavin Gautreau, P.E.

225-767-9110

President Elect

Robert Degeyter, P.E.

225-292-1004

Vice President

Ken Robichaux, P.E.

225-925-4920

Secretary / Treasurer

Dan Rosenquist, P.E.

225-368-2800

1st Director

Robbie Lear, P.E., L.S.I.

225-298-0800

2nd Director

Geoff Wilson, E.I.

225-757-0558

December 2005 NewsletterPage 1

Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter

Visit us on the web

Future City Competition Kicking Off

By: Geoff Wilson, E.I. – Baton Rouge Region Coordinator

The 2005-2006 Future Cities Competition will be held at the ManaganRecreationCenter in Westlake on January 20th. The competing schools are: Morehouse Magnet, St. Thomas More, CarencroCatholicSchool, Our Lady Academy, MaplewoodMiddle School, Pin Oak Middle School, CatholicHigh School, OaklawnJunior HIgh School, DeRidder Junior High, GonzalesMiddle School, EastBeauregardHigh School.

Many thanks to Mr. Tony Arikol, P.E., Mr. Jake Lambert, E.I., and Mr. Kenny Ferachi, P.E. for volunteering to mentor the local schools. Mentors are needed for six (6) remaining schools. If you know anyone who would like to help the following schools please contact Carla Lane (): Morehouse Magnet (Bastrop), Oaklawn Jr. High (Houma), DeRidder Jr. High (DeRidder), Carencro Catholic School (Carencro), Our Lady Academy (displaced student team) (Carencro), Pin Oak Middle School (displaced student team) (Bellaire, TX).

FutureCity is a great opportunity for retired engineers! If anyone would be willing to mentor long distance, via email, that is an option for engineers who don't have a team nearby. Every year there are teams who never find an engineer, which largely contributes to the dropout rate. It's a shame because it's the students who really miss out.

A few judges are needed for the competition as well. Carla would like to have a diverse judging team, so an electrical, environmental,or mechanical engineer would round it out well. She would also like to find a city planner, since that job ties in so well with all of the FutureCity components. These judges would judge the essays, abstracts before the final competition. Then they would be required to judge the models and presentations during the day of the competition. The competition will generally last all day. Since judges in the past have been uncomfortable judging the Simcity computer model, she would like a few judges who are familiar with the software to judge them separately. They do not have to attend the final competition (unless they want to). Also, splitting it up makes it much less time consuming for everyone.

Please contact Carla Lane or Geoff Wilson () if you are interested in helping out. Good luck to our local schools and volunteers in this year’s competition.

LES Baton Rouge Chapter Statewide Award Nominees

The Baton Rouge Chapter is proud to announce its nominees for the LES Statewide awards. These individuals will be considered for the following awards:

A.B. Patterson Medal for an Engineer in Management: Lloyd “Buddy” Porta, P.E. – LaDOTD

Andrew M. Locket Medal for Civic Activities: Darrel Jones, P.E. – Bellsouth

F. Hugh Coughlin Young Engineer Award: Gavin Gautreau, P.E. – LTRC

James M. Todd Technological Accomplishment Medal: John Metcalf, Ph.D. – LSU

The Baton Rouge Chapter is pleased to have these individuals represent the Chapter. Winners of the statewide awards will be announced at the 10th Annual JESC Conference on January 26-27 in Lafayette.

Wanted: Volunteers for MathCOUNTS

Save the date! The local MATHCOUNTS competition is scheduled for February 10, 2006, at the New Transportation Training and Education Center (TTEC) on the LSU Campus. MATHCOUNTS is a national enrichment, coaching, and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement. The event consists of local teams competing against each other in individual tests, group tests, and an individual speed round. The local event usually consists of about 100 students, and lasts one day. Local winners continue on to the State, and National Competitions. Please mark your calendars and volunteer to help

E-Week Banuquet is Around the Corner

The annual E-Week Banquet will be held on February 23, 2006 at the Baton Rouge Country Club. Reservations will be on sale soon, with both individual seats and tables available. We will also be looking for corporate sponsors for the banquet. Winners of the MathCounts Competition, William A. Wintz Scholarship recipients, Future City Competition Winners and the Baton Rouge Chapter / Statewide Honors and Awards Winners will be recognized at the Banquet. Additional information will be included in the January Newsletter.

WelcomeNew Members

The following individuals are new members of LES. If you see these individuals, please welcome them to the Society.

Verdi Adam, GEC, Inc.

Marian U. Aguillard, LDEQ

James J. Dillard, Forte & Tablada, Inc.

Harry A. Goodman, Entergy Operations, Inc.

Jesse T. Thompson, Hess Engineers, LLC

SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM LES-BATON ROUGE


12th Annual LSU / Southern Student - Faculty

Jambalaya Dinner Sponsors

William A. Wintz Scholarship Program

November 3, 2005

Platinum Sponsors

CDM Corporation

Chenevert-Songi-Rodi-Soderberg, Inc.

Daniel T. Calongne & Associates

GEC, Inc.

Owen & White, Inc

Professional Engineering Consultants Corp. (PEC)

Sigma Consulting Group, Inc.

SJB Group, Inc.

Gold Sponsors

ABMB Engineering, Inc.

Boyd Holmes Engineering, Inc.

Forte & Tablada, Inc.

Hartman Engineering, Inc.

HNTB Corporation

Monroe & Corie, Inc.

Providence Engineering and Environmental Group, Inc.

Soil Testing Engineers, Inc.

Special Thanks

A special thanks to Mr. Richard Savoie, P.E. (LaDOTD) for Planning, Designing and Constructing the Jambalaya for this event.

Also, thanks to Lisa Launey and the LSU College of Engineering for their help in coordinating this event.

December 2005 NewsletterPage 1