Three engineering firms are competing to become West Liberty’s next city engineering firm. During the April 15 work session, West Liberty City Council listened to two engineering firm presentations. Then, during the regular city council meeting, a presentation was given by City Engineer Leo Foley for Veenstra & Kimm, Inc. of Rock Island, West Liberty’s current engineering firm.
Following recommendations from city staff, the council is expected to select its next city engineering firm during the May 6 council meeting.
JEO Consulting
The first presentation of the evening was by the team at JEO Consulting, led by client manager Gene Gettys. Founded in Wahoo, Neb., in 1937, JEO Consulting is a full-service engineering and architectural firm made up of 400 team members.
JEO has served as the engineering firm for 170 other communities, Gettys said, with many of these communities being similar to West Liberty in terms of size, needs, and multi-cultural background. Many of JEO’s staff and team members have also resided in or have served in rural Midwestern communities.
JEO has teams focused on construction, wastewater, water, and electrical infrastructure. The group also has a dedicated funding team with an assigned funding specialist in each state they work in. If West Liberty were to hire JEO as its city engineering firm, its funding specialist would research grants and non-traditional funding options for West Liberty projects, and would assist in preparing applications for these options.
JEO would also offer a “no cost transition” Gettys said, allowing the group to take the time they need to learn about West Liberty without charging extra fees for this time spent. In preparation, the team at JEO has already looked at West Liberty’s capital improvement plant.
Gettys believes he and his team have the experience needed for each of West Liberty’s upcoming priority projects, including well rehabilitation, lift stations, and wastewater treatment plants. The team would also focus on learning from West Liberty’s operators, identifying existing knowledge from within the community that can then be implemented into sustainable, innovated plans.
The JEO team also emphasized public engagement as another main focus, promising open house meetings with the public and local businesses for the purpose of providing clear information on projects, aiming for convenience and clear communication. The team would also discuss the “measures of success” for each project, bringing in the community’s views of success and providing consistent project status updates.
ISG, Inc.
West Liberty alumni and engineer Lenny Larson led the second presentation of the evening from ISG, Inc., founded in Minnesota in 1973. Larson said he would act as the primary point of contact between ISG and West Liberty, should the company be chosen as the city’s new engineering firm. He was also excited to have the opportunity to lead the presentation back in his hometown.
Larson, as well as the two other ISG team members he brought with him, said they had a passion for helping rural communities thrive. Larson said ISG’s main goal with this potential partnership would be to help the West Liberty community grow and “make an impact that lasts.”
ISG has worked on projects throughout Iowa and the upper Midwest region. It has three Iowa offices, with the closest being in Waterloo, and is a multi-disciplinary, full-service engineering firm consisting of nearly 500 professionals. This includes two English Spanish bilingual engineers.
With the communities ISG serves, Larson said he and his team focus on always putting the communities they work for first, keeping the community’s interests front and center. The ISG team would also act as an extension of the city’s staff, providing clear and reliable communication to the council, the public, private developers and local media regarding city projects.
With its background in Midwestern communities, the ISG team would pull resources and project examples from other rural communities they’ve worked with to help with West Liberty projects, allowing for innovative and well-informed decisions that fit the community.
The team would also be proactive, Larson says, through reviewing city codes, engineering standards, and different funding opportunities. The team would also meet often with the city’s council and operators to understand the vision for each need the city has. ISG also has expertise in budgeting, resource allocation, and sustainable growth.
Veenstra & Kimm, Inc.
Foley, who serves as vice president for Veenstra & Kimm, said the group’s engineering approach is focused on providing professional cost effective services. “We really pride ourselves in knowing what we’re doing, and doing it in a cost effective way.” This is accomplished, he said, through having a flexible approach to projects and not billing time or mileage for attendance at council meetings.
Foley highlighted the company’s 64 years of experience with municipal engineering throughout Iowa, providing comprehensive services through its team of 210 members, as well as its 25 years of service to West Liberty. V&K uses a “tailored approach”, Foley said, understanding the community’s needs.
The group is also well-versed in eastern Iowa communities both big and small, from Davenport to Sabula, with extensive experience in all factions of municipal engineering. V&K has also proven to have good coordination through monthly staff meetings with public works and the city manager. “I feel like things are working very well,” Foley said.
Through the group’s experience with various Iowa projects, Foley believes V&K has “unmatched funding experience”, having a successful record of obtaining funding for these projects through different grants.
Foley highlighted V&K’s examples of community engagement related to different projects outside of West Liberty. For its upcoming projects in the community, Foley plans to hold public and neighborhood meetings on the upcoming park/trail and street projects, and mail out surveys to residents.
V&K’s sustainable engineering practices were also discussed, with Foley bringing up how the company uses energy efficient smart lighting and reuses grey water for pump priming and wash downs. The company also paid for a biogas study, which was completed by West Liberty Foods, to see how biogas could be used in future projects.