Cole Presenting at the Arizona Chapter 2014 APWA Statewide Conference

Cole will be presenting at the Arizona Chapter American Public Works Association’s 2014 Statewide Conference being held in Tucson, AZ, next week July 28-29th. We are speaking on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards and Regulations for Public Rights of Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). Our presentation is meant to help attendees gain a better understanding of the ADA legislation, the necessity of a transition plan, and the benefits of a cost-effective, proven technology. Cole is utilizing this exclusive technology in public agencies throughout the country, including the current Chandler, AZ, ADA Transition Plan.

Mike Vonderheide, PE, Senior Project Manager, and Belinda Banger, Vice President / Chief Strategist will co-present. Both Mike and Belinda are very familiar with U.S. Access Board design guidelines, standards, and technical requirements of providing accessible routes in the public right-of-way. This is one of many occasions they have presented “ADA Transition Planning using ULIP-ADA™ Technology”.

The conference welcomes around 700 Public Works professionals and representatives from municipalities and agencies in the state of Arizona. As a member of APWA and leading ADA Transition Planning consultant, Cole is looking forward to networking with existing colleagues and making new connections. If you’re planning to attend, don’t miss us Tuesday morning at 10:30am.

Visit Cole at the 2014 APWA Mid-America Conference & Exhibit Show

Cole will be presenting at the 2014 APWA Mid-America Conference & Exhibit Show being held in Overland Park, KS, this week May 21-23. We are speaking on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards and Regulations for Public Rights of Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). Our presentation is meant to help attendees gain a better understanding of the ADA legislation, the necessity of a transition plan, and the benefits of a cost-effective, proven technology. Mike Vonderheide, PE, Senior Project Manager, and Belinda Banger, Vice President / Chief Strategist will co-present.

The ULIP-ADA™ technology that has transformed ADA Transition Planning will be on site throughout the duration of the conference. Visit us at booth #17 for a quick demonstration and to learn more about how our cutting-edge technology is improving accuracy and efficiency in data collection.

The conference welcomes over 500 representatives from the Missouri, Kansas, KCMetro, Iowa, and Nebraska APWA Chapters. As a member of the organization and leading ADA Transition Planning consultant, Cole is looking forward to networking with colleagues. We hope to see you there!

The Roxton Grand Opening

Cole is pleased to announce the opening of The Roxton in Denton, Texas. The Grand Opening Celebration will be held on Oct 16 from 5pm-7pm.  The property underwent rehabilitation in late 2012 with the assistance of a HTC (Housing Tax Credit) award from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Cole’s duties included analysis of existing infrastructure and design of replacement infrastructure, project phasing, coordination of platting and permitting, landscape architecture, and construction phase services for the 120 affordable housing unit property.

The Roxton (formerly Singing Oaks) represents just one of several HTC projects designed by Cole. Our experience with Housing Tax Credits includes numerous projects in North Texas and Louisiana.  We’ve helped complete over 2,500 multi-family units in 13 different communities.  Projects have included new construction, phased reconstruction, and over 600 senior assisted living units. Whether our clients are applying for competitive or non-competitive housing tax credits, we can help with pre-application site selection all the way through entitlements, design, and construction.

Cole is providing HTC engineering consultant services for additional projects on the boards in the state of Texas including Amberwood in Longview, a 78 unit property on 6.8 acres slated for completion this year; Saige Meadows in Tyler; Summit Parque in Dallas; and Abbington Meadows in Howe. We wish all of our clients luck in the upcoming TDHCA tax credit selection process for 2014.

Cole & Starodub, Inc. Sign Exclusive Agreement

At Cole, we assist our clients in taking a proactive, sensible approach to effective planning for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance in the public rights-of-way. While some public entities have completed ADA Transition Plans, many are in the process of updating or creating new plans to include the necessary assessment of public rights-of-way. The traditional ADA inventory process can be laborious and imprecise. This challenge motivated us to find a viable solution for our clients. We identified a one of kind sensor and acquisition system created by Starodub, Inc. who was originally contracted by the Federal Highway Administration to develop a dedicated technology designed for accurate collection of comprehensive data for ADA transition planning. With the complement of our in-house software development, engineering and ADA expertise, Cole aligned forces with Starodub, Inc., a highly reputable transportation engineering firm specializing in advanced technology, to ensure this system could be made available nationally.

In June 2013, Cole and Starodub, Inc. signed an exclusivity agreement for the ULIP-ADA™ technology. Having exclusive rights to the ULIP-ADA™ allows us to offer a unique service to our clients around the country in the most cost effective way possible.  The Ultra-Light Inertial Profiler (ULIP) records measurements and potential barriers to determine compliance with the ADA. This highly accurate tool is mounted on a segway for expedient and efficient data collection.

Cole has completed the inventory process for two transition plans in the St. Louis area and is currently working in North Texas, Arizona, and with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Stay tuned for updates on these projects.

Cole’s Commitment to Licensure

For years, our partnerships have taken us to places beyond our regional borders. Regardless of location, Cole has always sought opportunity in new markets that are relationship driven and value unique, quality design, and progressive technology; which is synonymous with the Cole brand. Today we find ourselves working extensively throughout the United States on environmentally sensitive land developments and infrastructure projects.

With a staff licensed in nearly 40 states and a portfolio of projects representing a considerable national presence, Cole is committed to becoming an expert in virtually any part of the country. Along with the flexibility and knowledge required to work on substantial sites in many states comes the responsibility and commitment of continuing education. We are proud that our staff places a major emphasis on obtaining and maintaining licensure. In 2012 alone, eight of our staff members obtained licenses in 15 new states. As growth plans for 2013 and beyond come to fruition, we will continue to add to our portfolio of licenses. Currently our staff represents:

• Professional Engineers Registered in 36 States.

• Professional Landscape Architects Registered in 17 States.

• Professional Land Surveyors Registered in 7 States.

Tucson ATD Distribution Center Opening

The American Tire Distributors (ATD) regional distribution center opened this month in Tucson, Arizona. This is the latest of several openings across the country over the past year as ATD expands operations in response to rapid growth.  Cole worked with developer/builder BC Construction Group to bring this project to fruition along with others in Grand Junction and Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as Casper, Wyoming.

Cole provided concept planning, civil engineering, and landscape architecture for the ATD site in Tucson. Stormwater management services included detention and the design of a public water main loop. Cole also designed a sanitary sewer main extension to serve the entire planned industrial park. Access points and connections to the public roadway system were planned for proposed future development. In addition, Cole managed the relocation and mitigation of protected cacti under the City of Tucson Native Plant Preservation Ordinance.

In total, Cole has been and will be involved in over 15 American Tire Distributors projects. Next up is the ATD distribution center in Londonderry, New Hampshire. It’s on track for an early 2013 opening.

Cole Launches New Website

Our 2012 was kicked off with the launch of the new Cole website. We are pleased that you have found your way to it! We have refined the look of colestl.com to support our mission of taking quality to the next level and showing the industry our design-centric side. Among the updates, you’ll find a sophisticated feel and fresh take on our services and design solutions. It was created to provide a unique user experience and demonstrate a continued focus on client communications and partnership building. The new website is meant to have a strong impact and distinguished web presence that sets us apart in the industry and compels our clients to take note.

Cole Kicks off ADA Transition Plan

Cole was selected by St. Louis County for the Americans with Disability (ADA) Public Infrastructure Transition Plan. The plan will ultimately establish compliance with ADA guidelines on intersections and sidewalks throughout St. Louis County. These guidelines ensure that the transportation environment functions safely and effectively for individuals with any number or type of disability.

This project involves the inventory of approximately 800 miles of sidewalk and inspecting nearly 4000 intersections which include 863 signalized intersections and approximately 15,000 curb ramps. Cole’s team is conducting the ADA public inventory in a highly accurate and cost effective manner by utilizing new and modern technology which consists of a ULIP (Ultra Light Inertial Profiler) mounted on a segway. Cole kicked-off the project this month by developing a web portal and geo-database in ArcGIS. Data collection and inventory is expected to commence in March, 2012.