Harbor Masters
Continued
Anchors Aweigh
In 2003, city officials hired Maryland's largest employee-owned engineering firm—KCI Technologies—to perform a feasibility study on the harbor. After consulting with Annapolis Harbor Master Ric Dahlgren and the designers of the new 70-foot-long boats, as well as Volvo Race officials, KCI's Environmental Engineering division developed a plan that involved dredging along a 50-foot-wide, 3,500-foot-long channel. KCI's capacity to manage every aspect of the project won the contract for the firm.
With so many resources and tasks required to make the dredge a success, KCI relied on Oracle technology to help manage the multiple stakeholders involved, keep track of resources, organize schedules and budgets, and complete the project on time. But having a plan and IT infrastructure in place was only the beginning of a long journey.
During the preliminary design phase, KCI determined that the best location for the dredged material was Greenbury Point, an area owned by the U.S. Naval Academy. Greenbury Point offered opportunities to create wetlands using the dredged material. The wetlands help filter sediment runoff from the mainland, which is especially problematic in the Chesapeake Bay region. "A key goal of this project from the early-stage design was to provide an environmentally beneficial use for the material," says Chris Overcash, professional engineer and KCI project manager.
With the disposal problem solved, KCI faced another issue common to large-scale projects: too little time. The permitting process for such a project usually takes months, so Overcash began to draft permit applications for the Maryland Department of Environment early—in November 2004. But because the final decisions regarding the project were not determined until August 2005, final design could not start until then. With a project completion deadline of April 2006, this left only a few months to draw up plans, select a contractor, and complete the work.
Due to environmental restrictions, the project team had to look for a construction company, get it under contract, and get the crew working within two weeks. Dredging in certain areas had to be completed before mid-December, because of regulations pertaining to the local oysters. Starting in mid-November, the construction company took two months to complete all the dredging work.
