Hope Survives in Western North Carolina: A Relief Worker's Perspective

Six months after Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina is still reeling from the aftermath. While the news cycle moves on, the residents continue to rebuild. It was my privilege to be part of these efforts as a member of a Baptists on Mission disaster relief team this February. Having only witnessed the destruction done by hurricanes on the North Carolina coast, I was shocked to experience the effects in a mountainous region. And pleasantly surprised at how residents continue to be optimistic after a disaster.

A water tank and other debris that washed down along Highway 19E in Western North Carolina.

My team was assigned to work in various locations in Yancey and Avery counties during our week-long volunteer trip. During our stay, we heard miraculous stories of near-death experiences, recovery of precious property, and reassuring messages among the rubble.

As we approached Spruce Pine on our way to Burnsville, we began to see the trails of water that had washed down the mountains, pushing trees and undergrowth into the valleys and beds of rivers nearby including the French Broad and the North Toe, as well as smaller tributaries and creeks. Furniture, kitchen appliances, and even cars and trucks were mixed with branches, mud, leaves and whole trees. By now, much of the debris had been collected and deposited in designated landfills, but mounds of packed sediment still held remnants as lurking reminders. Some winding bodies of water had literally carved out new paths. Yet, even with the clear devastation, FEMA trailers sat alongside dilapidated houses as promising signs of restoration and of the work we were about to do.

A deluge of water washed down behind and in front of this house. A FEMA trailer in front provides alternate lodging.

One project was in a house in Micaville, owned by a 74-year-old lady who had lived there for 48 years, moving in as a young bride. She was determined not to evacuate during the storm, so when she noticed the water rising and funneling down the roads surrounding her house, she took her cat and hiked up the almost vertical hill behind her house. She watched as her car floated down a river of water that had once been a street. When she finally was able to walk down the hill, she was forced to stay in her living room until help came, due to flooding in her basement and first floor.

We completed tasks that we could, painting and replacing flooring and adding a grab bar in her bathroom, but we were limited in the time given. Her kitchen cabinets were ruined. Some had been replaced, but some were still on order. Their contents were scattered around the living area, but they would have to remain until the next group was able to install the replacements. Despite her losses, isolation, and physical disabilities, she was cheerful. She was grateful for the company when volunteer teams arrived, and the progress of repairs kept her looking forward to better days ahead.

A house we visited in Marshall, was owned by a couple who told us another harrowing story. They got their vehicles out in time, but the husband stayed back to look for a lost cat while the wife headed to higher ground. They were separated for three days without cell service, not knowing if the other was still alive. During that time, the husband saw neighbors swept away as others were rescued by the local fire department in the nick of time. After the couple was united and able to return to their ruined house, the wife found one of the only household items that was salvageable: a plaque with the word “hope”.

Our team prayers alongside a couple who were one of the few families who had flood insurance.

Our work with them ended with hope. Our team was able to give them the keys to their front door at the end of our week, marking one of our more complete projects. After praying with the couple, they told us that once they dreamed of traveling in an RV like the one parked outside, but now they don’t want to spend another day in one. They learned later that they were one of the lucky few who had flood insurance. A purchase they made days before the storm that offered them a further guarantee of renewal.

There were more stories of people all over the region losing almost everything, returning to rebuild, and finding similar signs of God’s grace and presence in their lives. Even after much devastation, hope survives in Western North Carolina. We hope through helping to repair ravaged roads and bridges and volunteering to help rebuild houses and lives in the area, we’ll be able to sustain that hope and share the love of Christ with those who need it most.

If you want to learn more about how to contribute to the relief efforts, please visit our post detailing different organizations.

A note placed on a reconstructed fireplace by a resident

Our Strength is in our Values

While skill and experience are key indicators of success, even the most skilled, experienced employees can flounder if they work where the values or culture clashes with their own. Or if they’re confused by what is expected of them. Here at A&O, we express our culture and values with a unique Formula for Success, so every employee understands their distinctive contribution to the team from the very first day on the job.

Celebrating Christmas together at Buffalo Lanes

Relationships (R)

We believe that a company is founded on outside relationships, between our team and our clients, and inside relationships, between the members of our teams. With our clients, we strive to be timely, communicative, and build long-lasting partnerships. Within our company, we strive to create a family atmosphere where we support one another.

We achieve both with:

• Monday meetings where we explore various topics to help us be better employees and better employers.

• Regular progress meetings with clients, making sure to update them on all changes and developments.

• Monthly events to give our team time to connect with one another. 

• Open communication with clients.

• Weekly meetings with department managers so everyone is always on the same page.

Trust (T)

Inspecting the Emerald Isle Bridge

This is the most important piece of our motto, the glue that holds everything else together. Our clients cannot have successful relationships with us if they do not trust us. And our teams cannot work together if they are worried other members can’t complete their parts of a project. Without trust, no other element of our motto is possible.

To help foster trust:

• We finish what we promised to do on time, putting in the extra hours if necessary to reach the deadline.

• We provide the highest quality work possible.

• We communicate clearly if something unforeseen happens, revising schedules and seeking help if necessary.

Teamwork (T)

For A&O, everything is a team exercise, from marketing to bridge inspection. While being able to work independently is essential to doing our jobs, we know that the best work is done with feedback, or with other people to watch our backs. Teamwork is essential to a job well done, and part of teamwork is completing individual tasks on the team.

Another part of teamwork is being flexible, taking on other jobs as necessary. A team supports all its members, and that means individuals taking on the extra load if needed. At A&O, there is no such thing as a “typical day,” since no one does the same job day after day.

Servant attitudes (S)

Glenn and Dana Going the extra mile in the office

As a Christian workplace, we strive to emulate our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been called to serve one another (Mark 9:35). As such, our team puts the needs of others above our own. We put in that extra mile to create something excellent rather than just “good enough.” That may involve coming in a little earlier, or leaving a little later, or going over our “check every box” method to confirm results one more time. This practice has helped us achieve our reputation for doing the best job, the first time. For example, we have completed projects such as Raven Rock Pedestrian Bridge with no change orders throughout the entire process.

Stewardship (S)

We are called to be stewards of the earth. Being a good steward is more than reducing waste; it’s also about conserving and protecting what we are given. For instance, we incorporate design methods such as stormwater control measures on projects where it’s possible to sustain the natural environment, while controlling erosion and stormwater drainage.

Our dedication to Stewardship is another reason we are willing to dig deeper to find the best answers, and to seek out innovation, rather than continuing to use solutions that have become outdated. We expect our team to improve and learn about new, enhanced techniques whenever possible.

Excellence (E)

The outcome of this kind of a culture is excellence. A team that knows the value of hard work, takes the time to never stop learning, works together for the best answers, listens to and trusts one another, and strives to give their clients the best possible solutions.

If you think this describes you, we’d love to see how you fit into the A&O family!

R + T² + S² = E

Safeguarding North Carolina’s Dams Through H&H Evaluations

Our nation’s dams are aging and deteriorating, while upstream and downstream populations are increasing. This not only affects our infrastructure, but the valuable benefits that dams provide, including flood protection, water supply, hydropower, irrigation and recreation. Storm events and dam breaches not only cause concern, but sometimes raise false alarms about dam failures and cause widespread panic.

According to data submitted to the National Inventory of Dams and obtained by The Associated Press in 2019, North Carolina has 1,445 dams rated high-hazard, out of about 5,700 dams total. That hazard classification indicates any failure that would likely cause the loss of one or more human lives. Recently, devastating flooding in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence again raised issues about whether dams across the state are able to hold up under the strain.

In response, the state increased its dam safety program budget by two-thirds and reached out to area engineering firms like Alpha & Omega Group (A&O) to help predict the potential impact on high hazard dams before storms occur. As part of North Carolina’s recovery and resiliency efforts, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR) issued a call for firms to participate in the Neuse River Basin Flood Study.

A&O staffers Rhonda Brewington, PE, and Chris Stone gathered critical dam measurements for Springfield Estates Lower DaM in Raleigh, NC to determine what storm events can cause over topping.

A&O was selected to deliver hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) computer modeling reports and results for 40 dams in the study. Our task was to gather data and develop the hydraulic capacity from these high hazard dam impoundments for use by Emergency Operations Center, Division of Energy Mineral and Land Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers, and local emergency management services.

“Our goal was to look at these dams to determine what storm events can cause overtopping,“ said Rhonda Brewington, PE, A&O’s hydrologic and hydraulic designer. “This allows state agencies to be proactive leading up to a storm event, so dam owners can draw down impoundments to prepare for it and the public can be notified in extreme events. If we know that a certain amount of rain will overtop a  dam during, say, every 100-year storm event, we can not only improve the impoundment, but also prepare nearby residents for potential flooding.”

As part of the project, A&O’s team collected data, created models, and sent the information back to the state’s department of Dam Safety using specific software reporting tools. The process started with gathering watershed data from Streamstats. We used Geographic Information System Mapping (GIS) to determine the stage-storage volume of each impoundment. The team used Excel worksheets provided by Dam Safety to calculate curve numbers and lag times, taking into account how soil and land use affect runoff infiltration.

Finally, we determined the stage-discharge volume between the primary spillway and the emergency spillways with regard to the top of the dam for each impoundment. The team then used the data to model scenarios for 25-year, 50-year, 100-year, 200-year, 500-year, and 1,000-year storm events to predict whether overtopping will occur. To ensure the accuracy of data, the team performed multiple quality checks in-house before submitting information to Dam Safety.

The models used rainfall data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that is based on past storm experience and long-term data researched by federal authorities. By being part of this study, A&O hopes to provide valuable forecasting data to mitigate losses from future storms and save lives.

“We are proud to work alongside North Carolina agencies who are not only concerned about property losses and reservoir storage, but the impact that future storms may have on residents’ welfare and quality of their day-to-day lives,” concluded Brewington.

2020 ACEC Grand Award: Lincoln Heights Elementary School Renovations

Lincoln Heights Elementary, a 1960s-era school in southern Wake County, struggled with a declining population and low test scores, even as the surrounding area grew. A face lift and a new curriculum increased enrollment and raised science EOG scores to above the Wake County average.

Alpha & Omega Group has been named a winner of the American Council of Engineering Companies - NC Grand Award for 2020. Below is the text of the nomination, written by staff member Nancy Cummings.

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“The result of this major renovation and new construction project on a very tight site is beautiful, functional and is providing a wonderful place for our students to learn and grow.”

Marcella Rorie
Director of Facility Planning and Design
Wake County Public School System

Lincoln Heights Elementary, a 50-year-old neighborhood school in southern Wake County, had struggled in recent years. After eliminating a previous magnet program, the school’s enrollment and test scores dropped, even as population in the town of Fuquay-Varina grew. The school was in a low-income area and had one of the highest rates of free and reduced lunches in the county. “The majority of Lincoln Heights Elementary’s building structures had existed since the 1960s,” said John Ramsay, AIA, principal at GMK Associates, the architectural firm and prime consultant on the project. “The last major renovation was completed in the 1990s. Fuquay-Varina needed a 21st Century School where there was a 1960s school.“

The team designed and constructed a modern two-story instructional building, a new administrative wing, multipurpose room, cafeteria and kitchen, four interactive, outdoor learning spaces designed to better engage students, a more efficient carpool drop-off area, new playground and a new bus loop.

To turn things around, the school adopted a new magnet program theme, Environmental Connections, to teach students to collaborate, think critically, make hypotheses and solve problems while experiencing the outdoors. To create more opportunities for learning outside on the crowded campus, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) embarked upon a multi-year renovation project.

Alpha & Omega Group (A&O), a civil, structural and water resources engineering services firm in Raleigh, provided civil-site engineering services for the project, as part of GMK Associates’ team. The outcome increased enrollment and enhanced the school’s overall perception in the community.

A&O’s Role

The multi-stage project spanned two school years, during which selected existing buildings were demolished, while others were renovated and incorporated into the new 90,000 square-foot layout. A&O provided a master site plan, site demolition, erosion and sediment control, grading, drainage, stormwater management, and water and sanitary sewer layout design. In addition, A&O worked with the Town of Fuquay-Varina to widen a section of an adjacent public street, add new curb and gutter, sidewalk and piped storm drainage and add turn lanes at two offsite intersections to manage traffic arriving and departing from the school. All three phases of the construction project were completed while students attended classes onsite.

Innovative Techniques

In addition to providing engineering know-how for improvements, A&O’s engineers incorporated creative concepts into their designs to illustrate valuable lessons about our environment. A&O’s “Mountains to Sea” courtyard design adapted stormwater management techniques to simulate a “riverbed” that captures stormwater from its source of bigger rocks, or “mountains,” directs it downstream under a pedestrian bridge, through graduated sizes of smaller rocks, and finally exits it to the “sea,” a nearby bio-retention pond.

Another outdoor learning space features strategically-placed rain barrels, raised garden beds, and composting bins for scrap and yard waste, to illustrate the continuous growing cycle and the importance of conserving and re-using our renewable resources.

An aerial view of the “Mountains to the Sea” learning space shows the route of water flow from bigger rocks at the bottom (mountains) to gradually smaller rocks, under a bridge (center) and to a storm drain (top center), exiting to a nearby bio-retention pond (the sea).

Tree stumps at the “Mountains to the Sea” learning space provide flexible seating for students to gather, observe and interact. A rain gauge charts the amount of rainfall and helps students learn how weather affects our day-to-day environment.

Value to the Engineering Profession

A&O engineers used a rain barrel, raised gardening beds and composting bins to illustrate the continuous growing cycle, and the importance of conserving water resources.

Incorporating lessons into our engineering designs advances the engineering profession by passing the mantle to the next generation of engineers. A 2019 New York Times article, “Can Climbing Trees Replace Preparing for Tests?” notes a nationwide downward trend in outdoor learning time for elementary school children. The rise of nature-based curricula like Lincoln Heights Elementary’s reflects documented benefits that cross educational disciplines to encompass not only the natural sciences, but also reading, writing, physics and social studies skills and increase overall learning.

The Lincoln Heights Elementary project challenges engineers to design solutions that go beyond pre-defined physical structures and answer questions such as “How can we make this solution more meaningful to our client audience and the community as a whole?” and “What can stormwater management teach us about a living, moving, changing and self-sustaining environment?”

“Taking learning outside in different spaces gives [the students] the opportunity to think better . . . I can see the increase in engagement by 100 percent."

Carl Gillispie, Teacher
Lincoln Heights Elementary School

Social, Economic, and Sustainability Considerations

Elevating Lincoln Heights Elementary to an Environmental Connections magnet not only brought environmental learning to life, it also advanced the four Cs – communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity – a key focus area of the Wake County Public School System’s strategic plan. “I can see the increase in creativity among students and teachers,” said Cari Gillispie, a second-grade teacher whose children attended Lincoln Heights Elementary before and after the renovation. “Taking learning outside in different spaces gives them the opportunity to think better. I can see the increase in engagement by 100 percent. I can see that the spaces are welcoming to parents, and I can see that citizens in the community are prouder now of their neighborhood school.”

Complexity

This covered, interior playground provides a safe, self-contained learning space for special needs students.

The challenge for GMK Associates and A&O was to double the capacity for the student population on an already tight campus and ensure that students, teachers and construction personnel could co-exist during the entire process. To accomplish this, the project was conducted in multiple phases over two school years:

• The initial phase of construction included adding a two-story building adjacent and connected to an existing building. Students, teachers, and administrative tasks like cafeteria service were combined in an existing building during this stage of the project.

• During phase 2, classes were moved to the newly constructed building, while demolition occurred on older parts of the campus and a new administrative wing, multipurpose room, cafeteria and kitchen were built.

• Phase 3 included final demolition of older buildings, a new carpool drop-off area, outdoor learning spaces, a new playground and a new bus loop.

Throughout the project, fencing and plexiglass windows were placed at strategic locations to maintain safety while offering an opportunity for students to observe and make a connection between the design and construction phases. Engineers also visited other elementary schools to observe how site elements helped students learn outdoors. They used this experience to evolve the outdoor learning spaces as construction progressed.

“Being outdoors has made a huge difference in academic outcomes for all grade levels. It’s all been positive. When I came here in April 2017, we barely had three kindergarten classes. Now there are five, and if enrollment keeps increasing at this level, we may have to add a sixth.”

Kim Grant, Principal
Lincoln Heights Elementary
Environmental Connections Magnet

After learning about the growing cycle, students are encouraged to give back to the community. A field trip can include choosing their best produce and taking it to the nearby Fuquay-Varina Farmer’s Market.

Exceeding Client Needs

A&O’s six core values – relationships, trust, teamwork, servant attitudes, stewardship, and excellence – are exemplified in our approach to the Lincoln Heights Elementary school renovation.

A&O worked closely with the architect and the Wake County Public School System staff to successfully navigate and obtain approvals from the multiple review agencies involved in this complex project. The final contract price of $22,538,420 was only a 1.99% increase over the guaranteed maximum price and was due to owner-requested changes and project scope creep. “A&O’s efficient delivery of a design solution contributed to the project being on time and helped fulfill the owner’s requirement of completion during the regular educational calendar,” added Ramsay.

The Lincoln Heights Elementary project has become a new benchmark for excellence when evaluating the performance of other Wake County Public School System projects. According to Marcella Rorie, WCPSS Director of Facility Planning and Design, “The result of this major renovation and new construction project on a very tight site is beautiful, functional and is providing a wonderful place for our students to learn and grow.”

“With flexible work spaces and the availability to move around, collaborate with one another, and incorporate new technology, our students are able to move into the next generation,” says Kim Grant, Lincoln Heights Elementary’s current principal. “After one full year since the renovation and change in curriculum, enrollment has shot up tremendously and so has our perception in the community. Before the renovation, we had some of the lowest test scores in the county. Now our school is outperforming Wake County in science EOG scores. We are truly blessed.” Ω