LandmarkJCM

Invention Convention

2012-01-16T07:22:00.002-05:00

Several LandmarkJCM staff had the opportunity this weekend to volunteer at the Hagley Museum Invention Convention.

The Convention is a neat opportunity for kids to explore and disassemble old computers, appliances, and other donated goods that no longer function. Then they worked to create their own inventions. Under the watchful eyes of mom or dad, or grandmom or granddad. Plus lots of other science activities and events. Our staff members Bruce Tease, Joe Irato and Howard Fortunato helped out at various times Saturday and Sunday.

The Invention Convention runs thru today January 16, 2012. Info at http://www.hagley.org/. Perfect event for the kids if they are home from school today.

CPFCU Ground Breaking Ceremony January 12, 2012

2012-01-13T14:09:00.011-05:00

With the strong growth of housing developments in the Bear area, the new Community Powered Federal Credit Union branch will be readily accessible to the many working class families who live around and transit the Route 40 area. CPFCU is a full service financial institution currently serving 9,000 families in New Castle County. This new facility will have an exponential effect on the number of families it serves.

The 10,000 sq. ft. modern facility to be constructed on Route 40 is all about being responsive to the New Castle County community in member services, design and cost. Community Powered FCU did two feasibility studies before deciding on this branch, one in 2006 and another in 2010. The results were very consistent—this was the location. The new branch designed by Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates-Architects is cost effective and responsive to the environment.

LandmarkJCM is pleased to be part of the local Design & Construction Team:
- Crabtree Rohrbaugh Associates – Architects
- Joe Zebleckes/Brandywine Design Guild – Construction Admin
- Landmark JCM – Site/Civil
- Baker Ingram – Structural
- Furlow Associates – MEP
- Commonwealth Construction - GC

The Building Design: The design maximizes energy efficiency, and utilizes cost effective construction methods.
- Optimized Site orientation & sun exposure
- Roofs designed to reduce solar heat gain
- High performance building envelope
- Cost Effective and efficient HVAC systems
- Energy efficient Low emitting (Low E) materials for improved indoor air quality
- Maximized day lighting – numerous Low E windows
- Low flow & water saving plumbing fixtures
- High efficiency lighting
- Sustainable & regional plantings will help with storm water management
- Aesthetically appealing building by day or night along Route 40
- User friendly facility for community & employees

LandmarkJCM has performed the land surveys, environmental services, infiltration testing, civil engineering and site design, stormwater management (SWM), and the certified construction review for SWM structures.

Seasons Greetings to all our friends!

2011-12-21T16:02:00.007-05:00

Congratulations 2012 HBADE Board

2011-12-09T10:36:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to all our clients and friends that were officially sworn in last Saturday night as the new Officers and Directors of the Home Builders Association of Delaware. Everyone looked sharp as tuxedo's were the call of the evening for gents, formal gowns for the ladies.

Special congratulations to Fred Fortunato of Benchmark Builders as the new President for 2012. This is a special honor for us since Fred joins the list of second generation families to serve as President. Steven L. Fortunato, father of Fred and this blogger, was President of HBADE in 1970.

It is an honor to be part of HBADE, an association of builders and associate members looking to further the interests of housing in Delaware.

J.S. Hovnanian Wins at MAME Awards

2011-11-30T11:23:00.008-05:00

Our client J.S. Hovnanian and Sons won big at the recent MAME awards, held this month by Builders League of South Jersey.

Stephen Hovnanian won the coveted Builder of the Year Award, and the firm won the Commitment to Excellence Award. This is truly an exciting award because it is based on homebuyer satisfaction surveys and input.

Read more: http://www.hovhomes.com/about/news_display.php?id=110

Congratulations to J.S. Hovnanian and Sons! We are proud to serve their green-minded home building at Roesville, as they continue to build homes certified in the National Green Building Certification Program.

Ted Williams Joins College of Fellows of ACEC

2011-11-01T15:39:00.007-04:00

Ted C. Williams, P.E., FACEC, principal and EVP of LandmarkJCM, has been inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Council of Engineering Companies, an elite group of engineers who have made significant contributions to the engineering profession through their experience, knowledge and networking abilities.

Ted (second from right) was reconized by (from left) David Raymond, President and CEO of ACEC, Everett Cowan, Chairman of the Committee of Fellows, and Terry Neimeyer, Chairman of ACEC, during their Fall Conference held October 19-22, 2011 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ted currently serves as ACEC Chairman-Elect and will succeed Terry Neimeyer, who began his one-year term as ACEC Chairman in March, 2011.

ACEC is the voice of America's engineering industry. Council members – numbering more than 5,000 firms representing more than 400,000 employees throughout the country – are engaged in a wide range of engineering works that propel the nation's economy, and enhance and safeguard America's quality of life. The Council's mission is to contribute to America's prosperity and welfare by advancing the business interests of member firms.

Halloween at LandmarkJCM !

2011-11-01T07:02:00.003-04:00

A few of us took time out to get in spooky costumes yesterday to celebrate Halloween. Kind of takes you back when you were a kid and all that candy was a huge treat. For some of us, it still is...

Pictured left to right: Megan Zelano, Morgan McGee-Solomon, Brent Sulecki, Amy Nazdrowicz.

When sustainable land planning, engineering and environmental sciences have you spooked, contact LandmarkJCM. In costume or not, we can help.

Kent County Courthouse Grand Opening

2011-10-13T16:08:00.009-04:00

Following its grand opening in June, the Kent County Courthouse sits in the heart of the historic City of Dover's Capitol Complex and will serve as an expansion and modernization of the justice system for Central Delaware.
LandmarkJCM performed the Site Engineering services for this project which was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Areas of design included stormwater management, sanitary sewer systems and a pump station with force main. With offices in Dover, New Castle, and Georgetown, LandmarkJCM is well positioned to provide engineering, environmental and surveying services statewide.
Solomon McCloskey, P.E., Project Engineer

Green for Green Helps New Homeowners

2011-10-12T13:45:00.005-04:00

Ted Williams and Howard Fortunato were honored today to help Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County and Home Builders Association of Delaware present SEU-sponsored Green for Green rebate checks to two new Habitat homes at Terrace Green in Wilmington.

Habitat and the homeowners built the homes to achieve Silver Certification in the National Green Building Certification Program which means their homes were built to be 15% more energy efficient than other new homes built to the State energy code. Plus not to mention all the other features of certified green homes - water efficiency, improved indoor air quality, etc. To achieve certification, LandmarkJCM performed the Verification Inspections. Pictured are Kevin Smith of Habitat, Jen Casey of Home Builders, Ted Williams, Geneva Wilson homeowner, Maurice Boddy homeowner, and Howard Fortunato

Bestfield Homes Celebrates 57 Years

2011-08-24T09:12:00.004-04:00

Congrats to Bestfield Homes. They are celebrating 57 years in the homebuilding business!

Bestfield Homes began its roots in 1954, when Mr. DiEgidio built his first community on Boxwood Road in Wilmington, the community of Bestfield.

Since then, the company has transformed and today has several partners. Tony DiEgidio and Dan Martelli are the "main men", with strong support by Construction and Sales Scott Bradley and Guy Waites.

Bestfield has built more than 4,000 homes. For the last few years, we have been privileged to help them obtain green home certifications in the NGBS Program! More importantly, they give back to the homebuilding business by remaining active with the Home Builders Association of Delaware and the Green Building Council.

Way to go Bestfield!

Schell Brothers Launches Extreme Home Makeover

2011-08-23T09:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning, the Dunning family in Sussex County Delaware happily learned they are the recipient of the latest Extreme Home Makeover:

http://www.joinextreme.com/delawarefamily/-dp1

The Rehoboth based homebuilding firm Schell Brothers is spearheading all of this, and has been in a whirlwind of activity these last several weeks to prepare. Certainly, other builders that have done these can relate to all the emotions Schell's staff is experiencing. I witnessed the intense planning behind the scenes, during our meeting last week to coordinate timing of our green verification inspections to yield a certified green home! Of course, our Accredited Verifier Joe Gordon is likely to do his first inspection before sunrise later this week as this will be a green certified home under the NGBS program.

Congrats to Schell Brothers for taking on this monumental task.

New Brownfield Task Force formed in Cecil County

2011-08-05T16:32:00.016-04:00

John Gonazalez, PE and Kevin Hansen, PG, LEED AP, of LandmarkJCM, on August 2, 2011 were named to a new Cecil County Brownfield Task Force.

The Brownfield Task Force members, selected by Cecil County's Commissioners, will consider draft ordinance for Brownfield overlay zoning and make recommendations to the Commissioners based on their review.

As a resident of Cecil County and branch manager of LandmarkJCM's Havre de Grace office, John Gonzalez says he's

"very interested in seeing the County have a tool to help get economic development going." He says "this type of ordinance can help redevelop sites within the growth corridor, and the County can get properties back on the tax roles."

Kevin Hansen, Director of LandmarkJCM's Science Division, brings years of knowledge and experience in remediation of Brownfield sites and says he is

"excited to have the opportunity to share my experience in helping the County find ways to encourage owners to clean up sites that are contaminated."

The outcome of this Brownfield Task Force can be a Win-Win for all!

I-95 High-Speed Recovery

2011-07-26T09:50:00.013-04:00

LandmarkJCM's Ted Williams was present at the July 25 rededication of the newly completed I-95 Newark Toll Plaza and its Highway Speed E-ZPass Lanes as a member of the Delaware Council on Transportation.

Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt hosted the ceremony, which included speakers Governor Jack Markell, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Christopher Coons, U.S. Congressman John Carney, and Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez offering comments about the $32 million project which was fully funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Delaware-based A-Del Construction Company, of Newark, beat the projected 479 calendar day contract by over a month. Congratulations and thanks for the speedy completion, A-Del!

Great News from Delaware General Assembly!

2011-07-01T13:37:00.004-04:00

The Delaware 146th General Assembly recessed on Wednesday June 30, 2011 for the year.

A highlight came on June 28, 2011 when the HBADE represented by Mark Grahne, Steve Bomberger and Fred Fortunato were recognized on the floor of the House as House Concurrent Resolution #24 sponsored by Representative Brady was passed. This Resolution Recognizes and Proclaims June as "New Homes Month".

In addition, the Delaware Green for Green Program received additional funds to extend it through 2012 and hopefully into 2013 with an additional $500,000 set aside for rebates for homebuyers of Green certified Homes!

Congrats Mark, Steve and Fred! And thank you Jen Casey for your advocacy to help Delaware provide this successful funding for such a wonderful program! Of course it goes without saying we thank our State officials to provide the funding!

Happy Fourth of July to all!

First Master Certified Green Professionals at HBADE!

2011-06-27T10:47:00.003-04:00

We are proud to congratulate and announce Dave Blackwell and Don Yoos as the FIRST Master Certified Green Professionals that are members of the Home Builders Association of Delaware!

Dave and Don are with J.S. Hovnanian and Sons. Not only are they the first Master CGP's, they are a member of our HBADE Green Building Council. We at LandmarkJCM are proud they are our client in the National Green Building Certification Program, which is powered by the NAHB Research Center.

The Master CGP goes beyond the standard CGP and is available exclusively to experienced builders and remodelers. The Master CGP curriculum digs deeper into green building science and methods and strategies for selling green. This is a brand new designation which just became available this Spring. Don, Dave and J.S. Hovnanian are early adopters!

Congrats once again to Dave and Don!

Schell Brothers Unveils New Systems for Home Comfort

2011-06-21T15:13:00.009-04:00

Schell Brothers Homebuilders held the EXPOsure event this past Saturday at their Independence Hall in Millsboro.

The event showcased introduction of the new Schellter advanced building science construction program and all it's component parts. It gave the 200-300 attendees a behind-the-walls view of the systems related to advanced framing, insulation, air sealing, tankless water heaters, and much more. We were happy to be there to talk with the attendees about the NGBS green certification program, and of course the Green for Green $3,000 homebuyer rebates.

It was a great day, the prospects were fun to talk with, and the Schell staff were enthusiastically courteous. We look forward to participating next time they hold this event.

Philadelphia's Green City Stormwater Solutions

2011-06-06T13:34:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia recently kicked off an initiative to help solve their stormwater system problems by incorporating use of porus pavement and rooftop gardens. See this link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110601/ap_on_re_us/us_philadelphia_water_2

Addressing creative solutions to stormwater management and low impact development is what LandmarkJCM is all about. For incorporating such measures in your project, contact Keith Rudy, head of our Water Resources Division, 302-323-9377.

Mick's Critters Demonstrate LMJCM at Milton Festival

2011-05-29T16:12:00.004-04:00

Mick, our Senior biologist and critter expert, and his band of critters - local snakes, toads, frogs and turtles - delighted attendes at Saturday's Horseshoe Crab / Shorebird Festival in Milton Delaware.

Under ideal spring weather conditions, an estimated 1500 people stopped by to look at, learn, ask questions and even hold a live snake. It's always fun to see how some people, initially squeamish about snakes, quickly become fascinated to learn and feel that they are indeed not slimy.

Joining Mick to answer the more involved science questions was fellow envirnomental scientist Amy. The easier questions were fielded by fellow LMJCM'ers Bob from Dover office, his wife Bonnie, and Howard from New Castle office.

We even had a handful of visitors who asked about LMJCM, and we were able to tell them about our other services - pond management, engineering, sciences, and green building. We even impressed one volunteer with the League of Women Voters, when we explained how we helped improve land use decisions for the private sector and govenment bodies. She take special note of us and our services.

As always the case, it was a fun volunteer day to help the cause, and have a pleasant day meeting the public while making additional contacts in the community.

Habitat for Humanity New Home Dedication

2011-05-27T13:46:00.003-04:00

This morning, Habitat for Humanity held a dedication and key ceremony for 6 new homeowners at Terrace Green in Wilmington.

An audience of 50 or so watched as remarks were made by local and State officials, and then the 6 new homeowners officially received their key to their new home. The site, formerly an auto repair and cab company, has transformed into a home place these individuals will soon call home.

We were happy to be there to participate in the celebration, as these homes are almost completed and are on track to be certified Green under the National Green Building Certification program. Rick Burritt of LandmarkJCM is the Accredited Verifier that has helped these homes become certified.

Congrats to the new homeowners, and also to Habitat for Humanity as they continue their mission of affordable homeownership.

Home Appraisers Starting to Appreciate Green

2011-05-26T07:13:00.003-04:00

Looks like the appraisal industry is putting in place guidelines so that appraisers can properly value green homes.

See this article: http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2011-05-16/Front+Page/3.html

We are working to get further and emerging details about this. If you have any questions about it call Howard Fortunato at LandmarkJCM at 302-323-9377

New Wetlands Guidance

2011-05-24T11:06:00.004-04:00

EVERYTHING IS CHANGING……

……AGAIN!

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA have issued Draft Guidance that would, once again, change which wetlands and waters are considered Jurisdictional.

Where does your project stand?

What do you need to do to protect your value?

Call Jim McCulley at LandmarkJCM for more information and look for our breakfast seminar coming up in June.

(302) 323-9377

www.LandmarkJCM.com

Family Activity Fun this Sunday

2011-05-20T10:41:00.003-04:00

Make plans to stop by the North Coventry Woods Festival, this Sunday May 22, 2011 starting at 1pm and running to 5pm.

The Festival is near Pottstown, PA and will include informal demonstrations and lectures about native critters - by our own Environmental Scientist John Phelps and Senior Biologist Mick McLaughlin. They really know their stuff and the kids will be fascinated to get up close with the frogs, turtles and other critters.

See the link for more info: http://www.northcoventry.us/

Free food, games and fun for the entire family. While you're there say hello to John and Mick!

Triple Net Zero - Energy, Water & Waste

2011-05-19T09:02:00.004-04:00

That is the goal of 2 new planned commercial buildings in Portland and Seattle. Interesting read of sustainable green off the charts!

Take a read:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/17/green-wars-two-living-buildings-battle-for-sustainable-supremacy/

Thanks to our engineer Solomon McCloskey in our Dover office for providing this link.

Happy 24th Anniversary LandmarkJCM!

2011-05-18T12:23:00.018-04:00

LandmarkJCM is celebrating its 24th Anniversary today.

The Delaware firm was founded on May 18, 1987 by five civil engineers. LandmarkJCM has successfully grown to 58 registered and graduate employees that range from surveyors and civil engineers/designers to environmental scientists, biologists, hydrogeologist, GIS and green building specialists...doing business in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Congratulations to principals Tom Prusak, Bruce Tease, Ted Williams, Joe Charma, Jim McCulley, Mark Parker and Keith Kooker.

Keep up the good work, guys!

Congratulations to our Regal Award Winning Clients!

2011-05-17T16:26:00.062-04:00

LandmarkJCM congratulates all of the 2010 Regal Awards winners at the Home Builders Association of Delaware's 19th Annual Regal Awards ceremony on May 6, 2011 at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino!

LandmarkJCM's NGBS Accredited Verifiers are ecstatic to have worked with these builders on their green-built home projects!

Congratulations on your Regal Awards:

Benchmark Builders
Building A Brighter Future, LLC
Echelon Custom Homes
J.S. Hovnanian & Sons *
Insight Homes
LC Homes
Schell Brothers *
Zero Energy

* Congratulations to staffing award winners

LandmarkJCM was happy to win a Regal Award for the Best Associate Logo!

For a listing of all of the winners - including our clients and those we'd like to work with - and their spectacular projects and efforts that won Regal Awards, click: complete listing.

Federal Wetlands Guidance Out for Comment

2011-05-12T09:22:00.000-04:00

It took a little over a year to get the guidance from the Federal Government after the Rapanos Case was heard in the Supreme Court. This guidance addressed the Rapanos case as well as the earlier SWANCC case and gave us all complicated but clear rules about what waters were regulated by the Federal Government and which weren't.

We have been hearing the rumor for over a year now that the Obama Administration was going to release their new guidance because the "Bush era" guidance didn't regulate enough waters. That day is finally here and the guidance is out for comment (see link at bottom of this blog).

The new Draft Guidance appears to try to grab more waters as jurisdictional, especially isolated waters that were clearly excluded by the SWANCC case and the subsequent guidance. Jim McCulley of LandmarkJCM will be meeting with leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA next week in Washington DC to discuss this guidance and to get clarification.

LandmarkJCM will be scheduling a breakfast seminar in June to discuss what this guidance means to our clients.

Guidance Here: http://www.usace.army.mil/CECW/Documents/cecwo/reg/nwp/cwa_wous_guide.pdf

The Sage Report - What Will it Cost to Clean Up the Bay

2011-04-25T10:59:00.003-04:00

What will it cost to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and more importantly, will it work?

Most people have now heard that the Chesapeake Bay TMDL is the law of the land in six States and DC. Many new laws, policies, regulations and initiatives are being developed and are all memorialized in the State Watershed Implementation Plans or WIPS.

The Sage Policy Group has evaluated the WIP in Maryland and has issued a very informative report. The highlights:

1. It will cost $11 billion between 2012 and 2017 for Maryland alone (conservatively).
2. The cost does not include broader impacts to the State economy, including the loss of 65,000 jobs in Maryland and the associated $2.8 billion in lost wages.
3. The target score for the Bay is 70 (with 100 being a pre-colonization Bay condition). In 2010 the score was 31, better than the 2008 score of 28 (the worst Bay score in the early 1980s and was 23).
4. New development will be responsible for 70.6% of the costs, New emissions rules will account for 26.7% of the cost and changes to agricultural rules and policies will account for 2.5% of the cost.

It is clear that the Chesapeake Bay TMDL will bring significant costs and may not come close to achieving the goals of cleaning up the Bay. It is imperative that we set the goals and then let the free market system address the issue in order to reduce costs.

We can clean up the Bay and we can do it a lot cheaper than what is being proposed.

Transportation Trust Fund

2011-04-04T14:41:00.002-04:00

The TTF Task Force submitted its report to the Governor and General Assembly on the 31st. The report provided over 90 different revenue options to be considered to fully fund the shortfall in revenue needed to address all projects identified in the current Capital Transportation Plan.

New Wetland Guidance Coming

2011-03-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

The new guidance for Federal Jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act is expected to be released soon. It is expected that this guidance will greatly increase the acreage of jurisdictional lands. For details see:

http://www.martenlaw.com/newsletter/20110311-federal-jurisdiction-over-wetlands

but:

A lawsuit was just decided in which the courts gave less weight to agency guidance, see details here:

http://www.martenlaw.com/newsletter/20110311-cwa-jurisdiction-dispute

NAHB Research Center Announces 2,000th Certified Project

2011-02-24T08:41:00.003-05:00

The NAHB Research Center announced last week their 2,000th Green Certified Project in the Nation. Certified projects are almost all single family homes, but they also include remodeling, multifamily projects and site certifications such as this one. Congrats to the NAHB Research Center and the developer of this project in Cecil County Maryland. The link to the article is below.

We are happy to see the National Green Building Certification Program explode, a worthy accomplishment which is helping to support the housing economy. Of course here in Delaware, we have a lot of green to brag about. Our HBADE created the Green for Green homebuyer rebate program in conjunction with State DNREC officials. Delaware ranks #1 on a per-capita basis for the number of certified green homes in the nation. And while our many fine builders and clients in Delaware are embracing green, just last April Bestfield Homes in Delaware achieved the 1,000th certified green home project in the nation.

LandmarkJCM is happy to help all our clients build green, we are the most experienced Accredited Verifiers in Delaware. We're always happy to tell you about it, call Howard Fortunato at 302-323-9377 for information.

2,000th Green Certified Project link: http://www.nahbrc.com/news/pressreleases/rc_20110214.aspx

Delaware's First Certified EMERALD Home!

2011-02-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

Our friend and client Lance Manlove of Zero Energy Homes just completed the first home in Delaware to receive the highest green home certification possible - Emerald!

The custom home in Lewes, Delaware, certified under the ANSI approved National Green Building Certification program, was awarded Emerald certification for including numerous green features. Not only is this home energy efficient, it received an eye-popping HERS score of 35 (the lower the better, 100 is code, 80 is energy star), it contains a partial green vegetated roof, solar electric and hot water heating panels, a rooftop rainwater collection and distribution system, and many other features. LandmarkJCM's Joe Gordon was the Accredited Verifier of record.

Our congratulations go out to Lance once again, and we are pleased to have partnered with Lance to build the first Certified Emerald home in Delaware!

Delaware Leads the Way in Green Certified Homes!

2011-01-20T13:27:00.003-05:00

According to just published statistics by the Research Center of the National Association of Home Builders, Delaware has the largest number of green certified NGBS new homes in the nation, 123, based on a per-capita basis. Although North Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana have more certified homes on an absolute basis, we are proud of our per-capita accomplishment considering we are a small state!

We at LandmarkJCM are pleased to help Delaware be a national leader in green certified new homes. Our experienced staff has verified 90% of all green certified homes in Delaware. If you would like any further details, please call Howard Fortunato at 302-323-9377.

Delaware's Kevin Kelly Elected to NAHB

2011-01-18T16:47:00.003-05:00

Kevin Kelly, President of Leon N. Weiner & Associates, was elected last week as Third Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Home Builders. In this position, Kevin will serve on a multi-year leadship ladder, becoming the Chairman of NAHB's Board of Directors in 2014.

This is a huge accomplishment for Kevin, his firm, and Delaware. NAHB, with nearly 200,000 members, is the voice of housing for our nation.

We at LandmarkJCM are pleased to congratulate our client Kevin on this much deserved honor. We wish him the best of luck!

Chesapeake Bay WIP Decision Expected Tomorrow

2010-12-28T12:37:00.004-05:00

The inside scoop from EPA is that the Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) reviews for all of the States will be available tomorrow.

According to EPA, there may be some backstop measures implemented for some States.

The Chesapeake Bay TMDL will be finalized and go into effect on December 31, 2010 (in 3 days).

Stay tuned for the news on the State WIPs and what it means to you.

One Year Merger Anniversary

2010-12-13T09:48:00.001-05:00

If you didn't see our announcement, it is available at the link below.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/One-Year-Merger-Anniversary---Already-.html?soid=1011134954559&aid=UWMn9CfYu8k

Congratulations with New Pictures

2010-11-29T10:31:00.004-05:00

Bob Thornton - Builder of the Year

Once again, we want to congratulate Bob Thornton of Silverstock Builders and the rest of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Homebuilders Association of Delaware.

Here are some better pictures.

Congratulations to our Friends and Colleagues

2010-11-22T09:16:00.005-05:00

The Homebuilder's Association of Delaware (HBADE) celebrated a Leadership and Legacy Ball on Saturday night.

Mark Gandy of Bath, Kitchen and Tile was honored as Associate of the Year.

Shari Hendley of J.S. Hovnanian was given the President's Distinguished Service Award.

Bob Thornton of Silverstock Builders was honored as the Builder of the Year.

Congratulations to them and to all of the Executive Committee Members and Board Members who were sworn in (see list here).

Don't You Want to Hire the Experts?

2010-11-18T11:33:00.003-05:00

Amy (Alsfeld) Nazdrowicz (pictured here, immersed in her work) is truly the expert when it comes to Wetland Mitigation. Amy had her second paper published earlier this month on Wetland Mitigation in Delaware. You can view the paper here.

Amy is one of the many experts you can rely on at LandmarkJCM.

You can reach Amy and any of our other experts by contacting LandmarkJCM.

Roesville's First Green for Green Success!

2010-11-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. Moran, formerly of New York, received their ceremonial $3,000 rebate as the first recipient at Roesville of the new DNREC/SEU Green for Green program! Because J.S. Hovnanian and Sons built and delivered the home in Felton, Delaware that earned Silver Certification from the National Green Building Certification Program, Mr and Mrs Moran received the rebate!

Pictured from left includes Jim McCulley, Principal of LandmarkJCM; Howard Fortunato representing the Green Accredited Verifiers at LandmarkJCM and the HBADE Green Building Council; Don Yoos of J.S. Hovnanian & Sons; Mr & Mrs. Mr. & Mrs. Moran; Tammy Quiroz, Sales Manager at Roesville; and Jen Casey, EVP of Home Builders Assn of De.

We hope more buyers continue to buy homes and obtain their energy efficient, certified green homes - plus a rebate! Info at http://www.degreen4green.com/

This is about the future....Thanks Mick!

2010-11-11T09:42:00.008-05:00

Mick McLaughlin of LandmarkJCM has conducted dozens of hands-on demonstrations for schools and other youth focused groups. Mick is a teacher at heart and loves sharing his extensive knowledge about reptiles and amphibians.

His latest program was held last week at Appoquinimink High School. Here is the nice note he got.

Dear Mick McLaughlin and LandmarkJCM,

I wanted to personally thank you for coming and speaking to our high school classes on Friday November 5th. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the ability to learn from an expert, and see where their interests in animals and nature can lead in future careers. The students had a life changing experience they will never forget. It means so much to us as faculty and students to have people from our community come and give their time and support. Your presentation was invaluable and we hope you will be able to visit again soon.

Sincerest Thanks,

Ms. Karen Wiener and Jen Taylor

Appoquinimink High School

Agriculture Department

Sincerely,

Ms. Karen Wiener

AHS Agriculture

FFA Advisor

EXT 4127 Room #D127

Thanks Mick for being such an ambassador for LandmarkJCM.

Delaware Green for Green Picking Up Speed

2010-11-05T12:27:00.003-04:00

Having launched only 5 months ago, the Delaware Green for Green homebuyer rebate program is really picking up speed. The initial $300,000 allocation of total rebate money, available to buyers of new-construction certified green homes in Delaware, is nearly one-third gone. Between actual paid rebates, pending applications and approved rebates awaiting settlement, nearly $100,000 has been committed/earmarked or paid. The word is spreading as new home buyers are being rewarded for buying green, energy efficient homes while assisting the local housing economy. The program was put together as a joint effort between the Home Builders Association of Delaware, DNREC, and the Delaware SEU.

Thus far, ALL of the participating homes in the program are receiving certification under the National Green Building Certification Program, the only national green building rating program to be consensus approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Builders interested in selling more homes or buyers wanting to learn how and where to buy a new green certified home can email Howard Fortunato at howardf@landmarkjcm.com

Celebrating Our Green Verifiers Extraordinaire

2010-11-02T08:49:00.003-04:00

As the National Green Building Certification gets ever closer to the 2,000th certification in the Nation, once again our Accredited Verifier Joe Gordon of LandmarkJCM has been recognized. Accredited Verifiers serve as in-field ambassadors for the program and the National Green Building Standard. The Research Center recently recognized the national top-volume Verifiers for their service and experience. Joe Gordon is #3 in the entire country!

Congrats Joe! And thanks to all of our clients for placing their trust and confidence in us, allowing us to serve their green building needs. Any other homebuilders wishing to join the crowd can give us a call to see how they can build green.

MORE Good Green Housing News

2010-10-26T09:34:00.003-04:00

Green housing is preparing to boom.

See this article:

http://www.builderonline.com/green-building/green-housing-comeback-predicted.aspx?cid=BLDR101021002

Let us help you enter this upcoming booming market. Call or email me for details.

Home Sales Show Signs of Life - Reported by MSN.COM

2010-10-25T16:23:00.001-04:00

Sales of U.S. existing homes rose in September, a sign cheaper borrowing costs are helping stabilize an industry that’s battling the headwinds of foreclosures and joblessness. Purchases increased 10% to a 4.53 million annual rate from 4.12 million in August, the National Association of Realtors said today. The month to month gain was the largest on record.

But September sales were still off 19.1% from a year ago. Economists had forecast sales would rise to a 4.3 million rate. The median price of a home was down 2.4% from a year ago to $171,700. That's also down 25.2% from its peak of $229,600 in August 2005. Prices were strongest in the Northeast, weakest in the West.

Distressed sales -- either of foreclosed homes or short sales -- were 35% of the market. At the current sales pace, it would take 10.7 months to sell those houses, compared with 12 months in August. Month’s supply would need to drop to eight to nine months in order to stabilize home prices, according to the NAR.

Lawsuit Against LEED

2010-10-20T11:18:00.003-04:00

Henry Gifford has been a thorn in the side of the US Green Building Council for a couple of years, since he wrote an article claiming that LEED rated buildings used 29% more energy than conventional buildings. LEED has changed a lot since then, but not enough for Henry; He's launched a $100 million class action lawsuit against the USGBC, going after them for Sherman Act Monopolization through fraud, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, wire fraud and unjust enrichment.

See the article here:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/100-million-class-action-against-leed.php

For more information on Green Building, contact Howard at LandmarkJCM.

FED Will Crack Down on Green Washing

2010-10-19T09:22:00.001-04:00

The Federal Trade Commission has new guidelines out for comment on Green Claims in Advertising.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/10/greenguide.shtm

Builders can be sure they are safe in advertising Green Homes by getting those homes "Certified Green". The National Green Building Standard is the ONLY Green Building Standard in the country. This standard requires third party verification of all green claims and issues a certificate for each home to verify that it meets the requirements of the standard.

There are four levels of green recognized by the Standard (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald), each with a higher level of energy efficiency, resource efficiency, indoor air quality and water conservation.

For more information, contact Howard Fortunato at LandmarkJCM.

EPA recommends VETO of EXISTING Corps of Engineers Permit

2010-10-18T09:13:00.005-04:00

EPA administrator recommends veto of existing Corps of Engineers Mountaintop Mining Permit

EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin has recommended that his boss, Administrator Lisa Jackson, veto a Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Spruce Mine No. 1 in West Virginia.

If allowed to go forward as currently envisioned, the Spruce Mine would be “one of the largest mountaintop mining projects ever authorized in West Virginia. If it is fully constructed, it will disturb approximately 2,278 acres and bury approximately 7.48 miles of streams,” the recommendation, dated Sept. 24 but released today, said.

The region had asked for public comment in April on a proposed determination “to prohibit,

restrict or deny” authorization for Mingo Logan Coal Company to discharge mining waste in the Seng Camp Creek watershed.

“Region III took this step because it believed, despite the regulatory review intended to protect the

environment, that discharges authorized by [the permit] could destroy wildlife habitat and cause significant degradation of downstream aquatic ecosystems and therefore could have unacceptable adverse effects on wildlife,” the region’s recommendation document said.

Link to article

Storm Water Permitting Changes

2010-10-13T11:31:00.003-04:00

It seems like new regulations, policies, mandates and guidelines are coming at us from all sides.

Here is the latest in the line of:

1. Chesapeake Bay TMDL

2. State Watershed Implementation Plans

3. State Sediment and Storm Water Regulation Updates

4. Post Construction Storm Water Rulemaking

5. Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Numerical Standards for run-off

6. Zero Discharge, Zero Net Effective Impervious, Low Impact Development

http://nahbenews.com/nahbehs/issues/2010-10-01/3.html

Jim McCulley serves on the NAHB Environmental Issues Committee and is following all of these developments. Contact him for more information.

Maryland Brownfield Breakfast a Success

2010-10-13T10:08:00.004-04:00

LandmarkJCM hosted a Brownfield Breakfast yesterday at the Vandiver Inn in Havre de Grace Maryland (just down the street from our office on Congress Street).

Speakers included Priscilla Carroll of Bowie and Jensen, Jim Carroll (no relation) from MDE, Doug Seavey and John Gonzalez from LandmarkJCM. The event was moderated by Mark Parker of LandmarkJCM.

All of the builders, developers and government officials in attendance learned a little more about the opportunities available through the development of brownfield properties.

For more information, please contact Mark Parker at LandmarkJCM.

Nutrient Trading is the Answer to Clean Up the Bay

2010-10-06T08:33:00.003-04:00

Reposted:

Nutrient trading to clean up the bay

August 31, 2010, The Baltimore Sun

The "waterkeeper" and "riverkeeper" who argue against the use of nutrient trading are missing the point and misleading Baltimore Sun readers ("Cardin bill undermines Clean Water Act," Commentary, Aug. 25).

Both the science and economics of cleaning the Chesapeake Bay make it clear that using nutrient trading programs will be necessary to prioritize pollution reduction measures that match high environmental benefits and lower costs of compliance.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the final months of setting binding caps on the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment that can enter the Chesapeake Bay. In the years to come, Maryland and the other bay states will be required to identify and implement all manner of actions that will permanently reduce these pollutants and improve bay water quality.

In May, Maryland implemented the next generation of storm water management regulations on new land developments that require the permanent post-development storm water runoff to have the same characteristics as the runoff from a healthy forest. This means that new development will always maintain existing conditions or, when building on grassland, agriculture or existing urbanized lands, new developments will permanently improve the existing environmental conditions.

How the rest of the mandated pollutant reductions will be achieved is a difficult problem that is being worked out now in Annapolis and other state capitals. It is easy to write that "polluters" should be accountable, but we all are polluters. When we drive our cars, flush our toilets, wash clothes, buy local sweet corn, or fertilize our lawns, we all contribute to bay pollution. Most Marylanders live in a county or town that must make changes that further reduce storm water and wastewater pollutants as dictated by EPA.

The science of bay pollution argues strongly that nutrient trading programs be part of the clean-up strategy. Take nitrogen as an example. One pound of nitrogen that runs off your yard does not always stay in your local creek or river, it migrates downstream until it reaches the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay where it is concentrated with nitrogen from as far away as Cooperstown, N.Y., creating the oxygen-starved "dead zone" that has come to symbolize the decline of the bay.

What most people find surprising is that a pound of nutrients from, say, the Susquehanna, Potomac or James Rivers, the three largest sources of bay pollutants, impacts the bay differently. For example, every pound of nitrogen that leaves the Susquehanna has three times the impact on deep water oxygen concentrations in the middle bay than does a pound of nitrogen originating from many parts of central Maryland located much closer to the bay. Because of differences in geographic impact, it makes sense to concentrate pollution control efforts in areas of Maryland's Eastern Shore, as well as northeast and southern Pennsylvania, where controls will have the greatest effect and achieve the most rapid improvement to bay water quality. One of best ways to do this is through nutrient trading programs.

Economics also argues for nutrient trading. In the 2003 report, "The Cost of a Clean Bay: Assessing Funding Needs Throughout the Watershed," the Chesapeake Bay Commission (CBC) projected that meeting the less rigorous 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement goals would cost governments $18.7 billion across the three Bay Commission states (Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania). But much of bay cleanup will be achieved by pollution control regulations that impart enforceable obligations on private interests. The costs of these measures are not borne by government but by individuals and entities in the watershed, making the total cost to the public many billions more than the CBC's $18.7 billion estimate of direct government costs.

The CBC encourages the application of strategic spending in order to reduce bay pollution in the most cost-effective manner. The five most cost-effective ways to reduce nitrogen pollution are agricultural practices that range in cost from $1.57 to $4.41 per pound of nitrogen removed. In contrast, the six most commonly applied urban nitrogen reduction practices carry a direct cost of $280 to $2,698 per pound of nitrogen removed.

Nutrient trading does not allow more pollution than the EPA limits, but it does present the potential for cities, counties, individuals and wastewater treatment plants to be matched with low cost water quality improvements in other locations and do their part for bay clean-up by providing more environmentally beneficial mitigation at far lower cost. Without nutrient trading, most Marylanders will have only the most prohibitively expensive options available when deciding how to comply with EPA's bay cleanup mandates.

Tom Ballentine

The writer is vice president for policy and government relations at the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties in Baltimore.

Tour of the NAHB Research Center

2010-10-04T07:02:00.004-04:00

Friday the Home Builder’s Green Building Council was treated to a tour of the NAHB Research Center in Maryland. Nearly 30 members - builders, associates, and Kent County inspectors attended the tour. The first part, conducted by President Mike Luzier and Green Director Michelle Desiderio was to learn about the numerous services the Research Center provides besides green home certifications, including state of the art market research and focus groups for housing and housing product clients. We learned that the Research Center’s independence from NAHB and non-biased results are without dispute as they hold many accreditations from independent national testing certification bodies.

Then Bob Hill, Director of Laboratory Services, hosted our tour of the 45,000 square foot, 4-story indoor testing facility which can evaluate all parts of housing product components - weatherization of walls, materials, and insulation, osb strength, thermal characteristics, plumbing fixtures, etc.

The Research Center congratulated our HBADE with implementing the Green for Green homebuyer rebate program which rewards new home buyers of certified green homes with cash rebates. Mike cited it as an example of a win-win partnership in Delaware between the State DNREC and SEU and HBADE. He commented that other States are looking to implement the program nationally.

Chesapeake Bay WIP Update - FAIL

2010-09-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

The six (6) states and District of Columbia have submitted their Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) to EPA as required to show how they will reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

EPA has reviewed the plans and failed all of the reports as being insufficient.

See this link:

http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/tmdl/ChesapeakeBay/drafttmdldocs.html.

This also details the Draft TMDL for the Chesapeake Bay.

For more information, please contact Jim McCulley at LandmarkJCM at (302) 323-9377

Green for Green Success !

2010-09-14T16:49:00.005-04:00

Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. Fritts received their ceremonial $3,000 rebate as the first recipients of the new DNREC/SEU Green for Green program! Because Silverstock Builders delivered the home in Ocean View Delaware that earned Silver Certification from the National Green Building Certification Program, Mr and Mrs Fritz were the first to receive a rebate, actually issued a couple weeks ago.

Reybold Development delivered the second rebate check, also Silver, to their buyer at Meridian Crossing in Bear a couple days later. Buyers are seeing the benefit of Certified Green homes!

Pictured from left includes Howard Fortunato representing the Green Accredited Verifiers at LandmarkJCM; Mr & Mrs. Fritts; Homebuilder Bob Thornton; sales rep Mary Cerami; DNREC Energy and Policy Director Carolyn Snyder; and Jen Casey, EVP of Home Builders Assn of De.

We hope more buyers continue to buy homes and obtain their energy efficient, certified green homes - plus a rebate! Info at http://www.degreen4green.com/

Silver Woods Green Event Sept 11, 2010

2010-09-10T09:27:00.003-04:00

Congrats to our good friend and client Bob Thornton of Silverstock Builders. He scored another green "first" and delivered the first NGBS Silver Certified home in Delaware last month under the new State Green for Green Rebate program for homebuyers.

To celebrate, we are helping Bob at his Green Event held onsite Sat 9/11/10 from 11am-4pm. In addition to display of our native Delaware critters by our Senior Biologist Mick McLaughlin, we will be on hand to explain green homes to prospective buyers and the rebates available to buyers. More importantly we will explain why Certified Green homes is so important to new homebuyers.

There will be music and food and goodies. Further info is available from Silver Woods Mary Cerami at 302-745-7004.

Look to see you there!

Labor Day Thoughts

2010-09-07T08:21:00.002-04:00

From Seth Godin:

Whatever happened to labor?

Not Labor with a capital L, as in organized labor unions. I mean labor as in skilled workers solving interesting problems. I mean craftspeople who use their hands, their backs and their heads to do important work.

Labor was a key part of the manufacturing revolution. Industrlalists needed smart, dedicated, trained laborers to solve interesting problems. Putting things together took more than pressing a few buttons, it took initiative and skill and care. Labor improvised.

It took thirteen years to build the Brooklyn Bridge and more than twenty-five laborers died during its construction. There was not a systematic manual to follow. The people who built it largely figured it out as they went.

The Singer sewing machine, one of the most complex devices of its century, had each piece fitted by hand by skilled laborers.

Sometime after this, once Henry Ford ironed out that whole assembly line thing, things changed. Factories got far more complex and there was less room for improvisation as things scaled.

The boss said, "do what I say. Exactly what I say."

Amazingly, labor said something similar. They said to the boss, "tell us exactly what to do." In many cases, work rules were instituted, flexibility went away and labor insisted on doing exactly what they had agreed to do, no more, no less. At the time, this probably felt like power. Now we know what a mistake it was.

In a world where labor does exactly what it's told to do, it will be devalued. Obedience is easily replaced, and thus one worker is as good as another. And devalued labor will be replaced by machines or cheaper alternatives. We say we want insightful and brilliant teachers, but then we insist they do their labor precisely according to a manual invented by a committee...

Companies that race to the bottom in terms of the skill or cost of their labor end up with nothing but low margins. The few companies that are able to race to the top, that can challenge workers to bring their whole selves--their human selves--to work, on the other hand, can earn stability and growth and margins. Improvisation still matters if you set out to solve interesting problems.

The future of labor isn't in less education, less OSHA and more power to the boss. The future of labor belongs to enlightened, passionate people on both sides of the plant, people who want to do work that matters.

That's what Labor Day is about, not the end of a month on the beach.

Congrats to Craftsmen Developers for Site Certification

2010-08-25T10:31:00.003-04:00

Our best goes out to Craftsmen Developers, on earning the first 4-Star Site Certification in Delaware under the National Green Building Certification Program. Our own Joe Gordon (one of the top 5 Verifiers in the Country) was happy to provide the Accredited Verifier services needed in order for Craftsmen to achieve this pinnacle of honor.

If you want to learn more about obtaining certification for your residential site or new homes, please contact Howard Fortunato at 302-323-9377.

Here is Craftsmen's article: http://craftsmendevelopers.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/wharton%E2%80%99s-bluff-in-delaware-is-first-site-on-east-coast-to-earn-nahb-research-centers-4-star-green-land-development-certification-2/

Environmental Data from Outer Space!

2010-08-24T15:56:00.002-04:00

Pretty soon we will be able to get environmental data from satellites orbiting the earth.

Check this article out at UDaily: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2011/aug/satellite081710.html

For more information about environmental conditions, you can contact one of our Environmental Scientsists or Specialists: www.landmarkjcm.com

On Yesterdays Theme of Low Bidders

2010-08-24T10:07:00.003-04:00

From: BUILDER August 2010
Posted on: August 10, 2010

50 Ways for Home Builders to Waste Money

Little things have a way of adding up. In the current economy, they could kill your business. Or they could save it.

By:: Builder Staff

3 | Switch subs and suppliers for the lowest bid.

Do you like it when home buyers shop around for the lowest price, regardless of quality or service? Work with your top subs and suppliers to negotiate better (yet still fair) prices that help keep everyone working above the break-even line. Let them know you aren’t shopping their bids, and they might sharpen their pencils in return for your loyalty and steady work.

Number 3 out of 50!!

Look for Value not the lowest price, it always pays off in the end.

Contact LandmarkJCM for all of your Engineering and Environmental needs.

Think Twice When You Consider Hiring the Low Bidder

2010-08-23T13:32:00.005-04:00

Price is not always the best way to choose a contractor or service professional for your important project. See this article by Green Building Elements:

Does Salem's Building Disaster Give LEED a Bad Name?

by Dawn Killough

By Green Building Elements at Green Building Elements

Salem, Oregon is a-buzz with the news that its LEED Certified Courthouse Square building and transit mall have been declared structurally unsound. The ten year old home of Cherriots bus service and hub for local government is being evacuated as we speak. City departments are scrambling to lease office space in other buildings, and quickly move before catastrophic failure of the building threatens them.

Sounds like the introduction to some horror movie, but it is true. The Courthouse Square Building in Salem has been declared structurally unsound and tenants have been given 30 days to move out so the building can be closed. The LEED Certified building has been the crown jewel of the city, until recently when major structural problems were found.

No one knows, or is saying at least, what is causing all the structural issues. Cracked walls and ceilings are the hallmark of what appears to be a buckling post-tensioned concrete slab. The concrete was recently tested and found to not meet the specified strength. Garbage was found in the slab when samples were taken. Claims against the architect and the general contractor have already been settled, but the amounts do not come near the $30 million price tag for the building.

What bothers me most about this situation is that projects like this can give LEED a bad name. Energy efficiency, recycled materials, and green roofs don't do anyone any good unless the building is sound. LEED projects get a lot of press these days, although they are becoming more commonplace, and projects like this can leave the public wondering what designers were thinking. Are they focusing too much attention on being green and not enough on good design?

I've heard it said that green design is good design. It takes an integrated team approach to design a high-efficiency building. Systems have to meld seamlessly together, working with each other, as opposed to jockeying for position and space in the complicated web that is a building. Extreme high-efficiency buildings, such as those attempting LEED Platinum, require a more symbiotic relationship between the building systems, even using each other to further their efficiency.

Unfortunately, this rarely happens in the world of municipal "lowest bid wins" design. Owners want, or require, a high-efficiency building, but are unwilling or unable to pay for the work that is required to design one. I am not saying it is not possible to design a green building in this realm, just that it can be more difficult. We have to learn to look beyond the immediate cost of a design or building, to the life cycle costs of the building system as a whole. Ten years is not a long life for a commercial building, certainly not one that claims to be environmentally friendly.

ELG - Effluent Limitation Guidelines Back to Drawing Board

2010-08-16T07:27:00.002-04:00

Citing Flawed Analysis,

Feds Send EPA Storm

Water Rules Back

to the Drawing Board

August 13, 2010 - In a major victory for affordable housing, sound science and more sensible regulations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been forced to withdraw a key portion of new storm water management regulations for builders and developers and devise new ones based on better research.

The move is the result of a lawsuit filed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and petitions filed by both NAHB and the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy asking the agency to revise its new Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) for the construction and development industry.

"After a big rainstorm, it's typical to see some storm water drain from a construction site. In these new regulations, EPA set a numeric limit on the amount of sediment that can cloud the water that both NAHB and SBA claimed was arbitrary and based on flawed analyses," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

"In addition, NAHB was able to show that trying to achieve these limits would have cost not $953 million – which the agency had estimated – but up to $10 billion annually, hurting small businesses and housing affordability, with little additional environmental benefit: EPA itself admits the ELG would control less than one quarter of one percent of all total sediment runoff," Jones said. "By forcing EPA to take a hard look at the facts and admit its error, NAHB scored a major victory for home builders and home buyers nationwide."

After reading NAHB's brief, the Justice Department asked EPA to defend the numeric limit. EPA was forced to admit several flaws in the final rule and that it had improperly interpreted the data. As a result, the Justice Department filed a motion with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to vacate the numeric limit and place a hold on the litigation until February 2012—while EPA goes back and develops a numeric limit that builders can actually comply with.

Published in December 2009, the ELG imposed a nationally applicable—and potentially impossible-to-meet—limit of 280 "turbidity units" on storm water discharges from construction sites disturbing 10 or more acres of land at one time.

While today's ruling removes the numeric limit, the other requirements of the ELG remain in place. EPA is expected to issue interim storm water management guidance for construction site operators as the agency works to refine the rule.

"NAHB supports responsible development and the goals of the Clean Water Act. The association will continue to work with state and federal regulators to keep our waterways clean," Jones

New Ocean Policy Announced (Includes Coasts)

2010-08-09T09:00:00.003-04:00

The final recommendations from the Ocean Policy Task Force are out and adopted through Executive Order.

From the press release (emphasis added):

Establishes a new regional approach to how we use and protect the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes to decrease user conflicts, improve planning and regulatory efficiencies and decrease costs and delays, and preserve critical ecosystem services.
Creates a comprehensive alternative to sector-by-sector and statute-by-statute decision-making.
Establishes regional planning bodies, bringing Federal, state, and tribal partners together in an unprecedented manner to jointly plan for the future of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes.
Ensures science-based information is at the heart of decision-making.
Emphasizes stakeholder and public participation.

Find more information here:

http://nahbenews.com/nahbehs/issues/2010-08-06/2.html

EPA Enforcement in Chesapeake Bay Watershed

2010-08-04T09:40:00.004-04:00

The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports:

Since 2009, the Agency has entered into 10 civil judicial settlements and issued 36 administrative orders to sources contributing to the Bay’s impairment.

These enforcement actions:

Cover 248 facilities in nine states and the District of Columbia
will reduce approximately 2100 pounds of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and 82 million pounds of sediment to the Bay watershed, along with 16 million pounds of nitrogen oxides to the Bay airshed annually once all required controls are fully implemented

Additionally, settling companies have agreed to:

invest more than an estimated $731 million in actions and equipment to reduce pollution to the Bay and to pay civil penalties of $7.2 million

Of the 28 sites in the Bay watershed where actions were taken under Superfund to clean contamination of hazardous substances:

actions at 18 sites ensured that cleanups are conducted by the entities responsible for the toxic contamination at the facility, 11 of which are federal facilities
the Agency funded the initial assessment, removal, or remedial work for the remaining ten sites and will seek to recover cleanup costs from the liable parties responsible for the toxic contamination at these sites.

For a map and list of facilities, see the web site:

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/initiatives/progress-chesapeakebay.html

Another Successful Program by Mick

2010-08-03T16:41:00.005-04:00

Dear Mick,
Thank you so much for coming out and presenting to EcoQuest.

This program
is amazing. I loved the fact that you had an overwhelming majority of almost all of the reptiles and amphibians found in Delaware. The kids really loved it and I greatly appreciate you doing this. I have enclosed some pictures of the program for your enjoyment. Please feel free to use them for marketing purposes as well.

Once again Thank you!

Brianna Barkus

Sustainability Coordinator

St. Andrew's School

(302)285-4418

GIS Services Help Make Important Decisions

2010-07-27T09:25:00.003-04:00

The LandmarkJCM GIS department can be extremely helpful when developing property.

Wouldn't it be nice to know if a particular use is underrepresented in an area, say a 10 minute drive from your site. It would be even nicer to know if the population within that ten minute drive spend more or less than the average consumer on the particular product or service you are selling.

What user should you be marketing for the vacant store in your shopping center?

Contact Jim McCulley at LandmarkJCM to learn more about this valuable service.

Chesapeake Bay Update - Farmers Viewpoint

2010-07-14T10:26:00.004-04:00

Chesapeake Bay TMDL Allocations Pose Big Task

Submitted by Editor on Fri, 07/09/2010, Lancaster Farming

Chris Torres
Staff Writer

The extent of agriculture’s role in the development of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay remains unclear.

But it appears likely that farmers will have to do more than what they are currently doing to get the nation’s largest fresh water estuary cleaned up.

According to draft allocations released last week by the Environmental Protection Agency, nitrogen and phosphorus levels across the bay will have to be reduced to 187.4 million pounds and 12.5 million pounds a year, respectively, to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

That’s more than a 24 percent reduction from the approximately 247.5 million pounds of nitrogen and 16.62 million pounds of phosphorus that currently enter the bay each year.

Sediment allocations will be released in August.

According to the EPA’s news release, the “loadings were determined using the best peer-reviewed science and through extensive collaboration with the states and the District of Columbia.”

The allocations will be used as the basis for developing watershed implementation plans, which each state must complete, detailing what they will do to achieve their respective nutrient reductions.

The plans are due to the EPA by Sept. 1. A draft TMDL will be released Sept. 24, followed by a 45-day public comment period. Final watershed implementation plans are due Nov. 29 and the final TMDL, barring any setbacks, will be released Dec. 31.

Pennsylvania, in particular the Susquehanna River basin, is the largest contributor to nitrogen runoff in the bay as well as the second largest contributor to phosphorus runoff.

The Keystone State will have to reduce its share of nitrogen by another 38 million pounds per year to 76.77 million pounds and phosphorus by a little more than 1 million pounds to 2.74 million pounds.

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus feed algae blooms in the bay, which in turn take oxygen away from fish and other wildlife that need it to survive.

The ag sector, while it has reduced its share of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment going into the bay by roughly 50 percent in 25 years, is still the biggest source of nutrient pollution in the waterway.

When it comes to farms, Harry Campbell, science advocate for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said the focus will not necessarily be on developing new conservation practices or technologies, but on getting those farms without conservation or nutrient management plans to their legal baseline first.

“Quite frankly, I think we’re going to be talking about getting at some of these smaller farms,” he said. “These are farms that have small acreage, that may have been skipped when the focus was on larger farms. We need to reach out and work with those folks.”

Getting to smaller farms is proving to be a challenge in some areas, especially Lancaster County, where many small farms are owned by Plain Sect farmers who do not take government assistance on religious grounds and often farm within a few feet of a small stream or tributary.

The EPA has made it known that the county, with its large number of dairy farms, is an area of focus for reducing nutrient runoff.

This week, meetings were held between the agency and the county’s conservation district staff and others to discuss farms in the Watson Run and Muddy Run areas.

A Wednesday night meeting at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center set deadlines for 88 farmers in the Muddy Run area of the county to get their required conservation and manure management plans up to snuff.

Farmers will have until Sept. 3 to let the district know whether or not they have the plans up to date.

Don McNutt, administrator of the Lancaster County Conservation District, said farmers that respond by that date will be placed on a low priority list for EPA on-farm evaluations.

Farmers who do not respond will be placed on a high priority list for inspection.

All farmers in the Muddy Run area have until Dec. 3 to get their plans together.

Failure to do so could result in some farms being designated as a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), which would require more permitting by the federal government.

Based on visits the conservation district staff has done over the years, McNutt estimates around one in three farmers in the entire county does not have either a conservation or manure management plan or both.

State law, according to McNutt, requires all farmers to have a plan detailing how they handle soil and water movement on the farm (conservation plan) and if they handle manure, a manure management plan.

McNutt said the overall plan, while doable, will be challenging because his staff as well as staff at the county’s private consulting firms are overbooked as it is.

EPA conducted a series of inspections last September of farms in the Watson Run area, mostly Plain Sect, where they found most of the farmers lacked either plan.

McNutt said that while many farmers are doing a lot of good work in terms of farming practices, there are many barnyard issues that need to be addressed, along with solving the issue of getting livestock out of streams when there is already little acreage for them to graze on.

Persuading farmers to develop plans that detail how they are addressing their soil and water as well as how they are handling manure, he said, will be crucial to show that farmers are at least doing something about their issues.

“As little as five to 10 years ago, there were farmers saying some farms need to be regulated and some do not. That’s why there is sort of a re-education out there,” he said. “It’s sad that nobody was posting any environmental speed limit signs when they were put in place. Then, all of a sudden the signs went up and people were asking, ‘when did that go up?’ ”

John Hines, deputy secretary for water management at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said the allocations are slightly more stringent than what the state developed as part of its Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy in the mid-2000s.

Hines said he is happy to get the allocations because it presents a clearer picture for how the state will develop its watershed implementation plan, which is due to the EPA by Sept. 1.

Three work groups are developing the implementation plan, including an ag work group. Hines said the ag group is coming up with ideas for better accounting of current conservation practices, how to use federal dollars to put in more practices, and how to better utilize nutrient trading as an incentive.

The watershed implementation plan will subdivide Pennsylvania’s overall nutrient allocation between the smaller watersheds as well as point-source polluters (wastewater treatment plants) and nonpoint-source polluters (farmers).

Hines said ag’s role will be key in getting best management practices (BMPs) on the ground.

“I think ag is going to play a key role in this process. I think ag is going to play a key role in the development of BMPs,” Hines said. “There is going to be expectations coming out of this process for all of us to do more.”

Green for Green, More Press

2010-07-13T09:49:00.002-04:00

The Nations Building News features an article about the Delaware Green for Green Program. Howard Fortunato, Green Building Professional with LandmarkJCM and President of the Green Building Council is quoted.

This is a great program for Delaware and will help stimulate new home sales in the absence of the Federal Tax Credit.

See the article here: http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2010-07-12/Green+Building/index.html

Money Available to Pennsylvania Landowners!!

2010-07-12T08:55:00.003-04:00

From Amy N at LandmarkJCM:

Last week Mick and I attended a meeting hosted by the NRCS and USFWS regarding the new PA Bog Turtle Initiative associated with their existing “Wetlands Reserve Program”.

The PA Wetlands Reserve Program is a 15-year old program which receives its annual funding as part of the Farm Bill. The WRP is a landowner incentive program which places privately owned low-quality or degraded wetlands in a Conservation Easement that are then subject to wetland restoration and/or enhancement activities. The NRCS pays 100% for all restoration/enhancement activities, (as well as 100% of all closing costs/fees associated with placing the wetland under a CEA), and the landowner is also paid according to the attached payment schedule based on the type of activity and the type of easement; (There are 3 enrollment options: Permanent Easements, 30-year Easements, and “Restoration Only”; see attached sheets).

In order for a landowner to be eligible for enrollment into the program, they must have owned the property for at least 7 years. In order for a wetland to be eligible for enrollment, it must be “restorable” such as former or degraded wetlands, farmed wetlands, prior converted cropland, etc., and it must be a minimum of 10 acres in size.

The significance of the new PA Bog Turtle Initiative is that all of the above eligibility requirements for enrollment into the program are waived if the wetland contains Bog Turtles, or if the wetland is high quality potential Bog Turtle habitat within close proximity to a known Bog Turtle colony. In other words, landowners can now enroll wetlands into this “restoration” program if they have Bog Turtles, no matter how large it is and even if the wetland is already a high functioning wetland needing no restoration. PA is placing a high priority on enrolling privately owned wetlands that have Bog Turtles into the program and landowners will receive $3,900-$12,000/acre to enroll Bog Turtle wetlands, depending on which county they are in. The NRCS will monitor and maintain the wetland for Bog Turtles into the future, although it did not seem like at the meeting they had all of the details regarding monitoring and future funding for habitat maintence quite worked out yet.

PA has secured approximately 3.3 million dollars for 2010 for this program. However, PA’s fiscal year ends September 30^th and they do not anticipate receiving this much funding for the program in 2011 unless they can demonstrate that the program can be successful. So, their goal is to enroll as many private landowners with Bog Turtle wetlands as possible by September 1^st so that they can receive comparable funding for the program in 2011. We were invited to this meeting yesterday, along with a number of other consultants and PA Bog Turtle Surveyors, so that we will be able to spread the word to anyone we may know that has Bog Turtles in Southeast PA, and so we can speak knowledgably about the program to the public and to our clients.

If we know of anyone who may be interested in receiving money for placing their Bog Turtle wetlands into a Conservation Easement, we should have them contact Bonnie Dershem directly, immediately. I also have a packet with additional information about the program, including enrollment applications. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

LandmarkJCM Boasts one of the Top 5 Green Building Verifiers in the Country

2010-07-08T13:17:00.005-04:00

Reprint from recent NAHBRC Verifier Update Report:

Celebrating Our Verifiers Extraordinaire

As the National Green Building Certification Program celebrates moving past its 1,000th certification, we wanted to take an opportunity to thank all of our Accredited Verifiers for serving as in-field ambassadors for the program and the National Green Building Standard.
In particular, we also want to give a special shout out to our highest-volume verifiers. These individuals have distinguished themselves by providing verification services for 25 homes or more since they received their accreditation.

As of June 8, 2010, Joe Gordon has the fourth -highest volume of Verifiers in the Nation. Moved from 5th place to 4th!

Joe Gordon is an Environmental Scientist and Green Building Verifier working out of our Georgetown, Delaware Office. As one of the most experienced Green Building Verifiers in the country, Joe can add real value to your project. For example, he recently alerted a builder about a faulty insulation installation just before it was covered with drywall. This saved the builder from building a less energy efficient home with unhappy customers.

To learn more about the benefits of Green Building and how LandmarkJCM can help you, contact Howard Fortunato.

Congratulations Joe!

Smart Growth Clashes with Storm Water Regulations

2010-07-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

Everyone says it is a good idea, encourage development where there are opportunities for re-development or where there are already utilities and infrastructure. Stop sprawl by creating urban centers where people can live, work and play.

All of this means higher density development but concentrated in a smaller area allowing the preservation of natural resources.

Many consumers are now deciding that this is how they would like to live. Governments, Environmentalists and others are applauding the idea. So what's the problem?

New, more stringent storm water regulations being implemented by Federal and State governments make smart growth nearly impossible. These rules want to encourage infiltration, reduce impervious surfaces and make storm water BMPs larger. All of these things potentially conflict with "Smart Growth".

NAHB has published an article about this here: http://nahbenews.com/nahbehs/issues/2010-07-02/4.html

For more information on Smart Growth and Storm Water Rule Changes, contact Joe Charma or Keith Rudy at LandmarkJCM.

More on NAHB and Storm Water...ELGs

2010-07-07T06:59:00.000-04:00

The EPA recently set the standard of 280 NTUs as the maximum amount of turbidity allowed to leave a construction site as a daily average in storm water outfalls. The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) along with the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently petitioned EPA to raise the standard because the number was based on faulty data and should be closer to 800 NTUs.

See the NAHB article here:

http://nahbenews.com/nahbehs/issues/2010-07-02/1.html

Jim McCulley, one of the Principals at LandmarkJCM serves on the NAHB Board of Directors as well as the NAHB Environmental Issues Committee (EIC). The EIC is keeping a close watch on this and will take whatever action is necessary to educate EPA and help builders get up to speed on the new rules. Please contact Jim if you have any questions.

Federal Government Refuses to Pay Storm Water Fee

2010-07-06T08:48:00.000-04:00

From the NAHB Environmental Issues Committee Newsletter:

http://nahbenews.com/nahbehs/issues/2010-07-02/3.html

The Federal Government (EPA) has mandated that the District of Columbia, reduce the amount of storm water run-off. In response, DC has mandated a storm water fee to be paid by all property owners. The problem: The Federal Government owns 20% of the land area of DC and refuses to pay the fee.

Jim McCulley of LandmarkJCM serves on the NAHB Environmental Issues Committee which meets again in September in New York City.

Changes to NCC LDIA Requirements

2010-06-22T09:30:00.004-04:00

The New Castle County Department of Land Use has recently revised their bonding requirements for the Land Developers Improvement Agreement (LDIA). These changes can/will save developers money when they are not proposing to start their project immediately upon recordation. The following scenarios explain how the developer can take advantage of the new LDIA bonding/letter of credit requirements.

1. The developer has received the LDIA from NCC for execution and issuance of the Bond/LOC based upon the previous process. How do we go about getting the LDIA using the new bonding requirements?

The Developer should execute and submit the pending LDIA agreement with a performance bond, letter of credit, or certified check for $5,000.00 to the Department of Land Use. Part III of the LDIA will subsequently be revised by Department staff to reflect the accurate surety amount. Please note that the Department has no obligation to notify those individuals regarding the revised bonding requirements.

2. A project has not been recorded, but the LDIA has been recorded with the previous bonding requirements. How does the developer get back the previous bond and provide a new bond based upon the new process.

If construction has not begun, the Owner/Developer may request (by written request to the Land Use General Manager) that the LDIA be amended, whereupon a new bond in the amount of $5,000 in favor of New Castle County must be submitted to the Department. The existing surety instrument will be released upon recordation of the amended LDIA. Again, the Department has no obligation to notify those individuals regarding the revised bonding requirements.

3. A project has been recorded along with the LDIA based upon the previous process. How does the developer get back the previous bond and provide a new bond based upon the new process?

If construction has not begun, the Owner/Developer may request (by written request to the Land Use General Manager) that the LDIA be amended, whereupon a new bond in the amount of $5,000 in favor of New Castle County must be submitted to the Department. The existing surety instrument will be released upon recordation of the amended LDIA. Again, the Department has no obligation to notify those individuals regarding the revised bonding requirements.

Notes:

In the event that construction has commenced for a development project, all parties to the recorded LDIA will be subject to the existing Agreement, laws, and regulations in effect upon submittal of the application.

An annual administrative fee will apply until the full performance guarantee is posted, or until the fee is no longer required by the Department (ie. plan expiration, withdrawal, etc.).

As always, Landmark/JCM continues to work on behalf of our clients through all aspects of their project development. Please contact us so that we can make your next project a success.

Another Successful Pig Roast

2010-06-18T10:19:00.003-04:00

The Green Building Council of the HBADE held their third annual Pig Roast, and it was as popular as ever.

Several speakers promoted green building, discussing pervious pavement and house wrap. DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara, flanked by several aides, offered his comments about our new co-jointly-assembled Green 4 Green new home rebate program. As most are aware, each home must be certified green - by the National Green Building Program, as endorsed by HBADE, or LEED.

Perfect sunny weather combined with the star of the day - the pig. Great food, a little education, a lot of marketing interaction and entertainment combined to make this a successful event.

Congrats to the Green Building Council and the HBADE.

Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-06-16T10:17:00.005-04:00

The image above depicts the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico where nothing can survive. However, if you look at the date, 2008, this is not the result of the recent oil spill.

This 8,000 square mile dead zone in 2008 is one of the largest in all of the earth's waters and it comes back year after year, larger than the year before despite efforts to reduce it.

There is no question that the recent Gulf oil spill is a catastrophe and at about 7,500 square miles, the spill is almost as large as the 2008 dead zone. With good planning, the clean up of the Gulf over the next few decades will also address the ongoing dead zone problem as well as the oil spill.

The only difference between the previous dead zones over the last few decades and the oil spill, is that we have one company to point our finger at and blame for the dead fish, birds, shrimp and crabs. With previous dead zones we would have had to blame the Midwestern farmers, not a particularly popular group to blame since they provide us with food.

In today's world, we all need oil almost as much as we need food and we all should share the blame for the previous dead zones in the Gulf as well as this latest catastrophe. We will all have to make sacrifices to repair the damage to the Gulf, are you ready?

Contact LandmarkJCM for all of your Engineering and Environmental needs.

Marketing Green Homes

2010-06-15T09:19:00.003-04:00

Nations Building News has a great article on marketing of green homes.

Here is a excerpt:

Included in the mix of possible customers are the true environmentalist, who is sophisticated and will give some thought to the products going into the home and wants to know more about the philosophy and operations of the company; the concerned mother who is worried about poisons in the home; the socially conscious hipster who wants to be seen doing the right thing; the patriot who cares about the bearing on the national interest of such global issues as energy consumption; the self-sufficient survivalist family that home-schools its children; and the technology geek, he said.

View the article here.

For more information on building green, contact Howard Fortunato at LandmarkJCM.

We are ruining the earth....right?

2010-06-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a fascinating article that puts the human impact on the earth in perspective.

Click here.

Some of the points:

If we were to feed the current population with the farming methods of the 1960s, we would need to cultivate 82% of the land surface of the earth rather than the current 34%.

If the population of the earth became hunter-gatherers, we would need 54 earths to support them.

Enjoy!

Announcement of Green for Green

2010-06-10T14:25:00.001-04:00

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today congratulated the Home Builders Association of Delaware and state officials on the creation of a program that offers cash incentives for building homes certified by the NAHB Research Center to the National Green Building Standard.

“This is significant news for home buyers in the First State,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “These incentives help bring green homes down to a more competitive price point, and that’s especially important for today’s consumer.”

Delaware Green for Green is a partnership between home builders and the state Department of Natural Resources of Environmental Control. The rebates range from $3,000 for homes built to the Silver level of the standard to $5,000 for Gold and $6,000 for the Emerald level.

The incentives are structured to reflect the progressively more strict requirements of the standard: For example, homes built to the Emerald level are built to be 60 percent more energy efficient than homes built to prevailing building codes.

All homes must be independently verified and then certified by the NAHB Research Center. Additional information and participation requirements are at www.degreen4green.com.

“In partnership with our state’s leaders, Delaware builders continue to lead the nation in using green building technology and building energy-efficient homes,” said HBA president Mark Grahne of Atlantic Homes. “Our members have built more green homes per capita than any other state. Delaware is a small state but we have a big agenda: We want to spur demand for energy-efficient homes, thereby increasing jobs while reducing our carbon footprint. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

NAHB Research Center President Mike Luzier said the Delaware program is another indication of the strength of the National Green Building Standard, the first residential green building rating system to be certified by the American National Standards Institute.

“While Delaware Green for Green applies to new home construction, the standard can also be used to score, verify and certify remodeling projects and residential developments. Because of its flexibility, ease of use, and the strength of the third-party certification, the National Green Building Standard makes sustainable construction accessible to the mainstream home buyer,” Luzier pointed out.

In addition to energy efficiency, the standard scores and rates new homes for resource and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and lot and site development. A homeowner’s manual is also mandatory under the standard to help ensure the home is maintained and operated to best reap the advantages of the home’s green features.

“I’m very encouraged that other states are looking to this new Delaware program as an excellent example of an incentive program with clear environmental and economic outcomes,” Jones said.

“This is also a case study for what makes a successful public-private partnership: In this case, the state’s home builders, environmental officials, and the third-party NAHB Research Center. Delaware Green for Green is poised to be a home run,” Jones said.

For more information on the program and for home verification, contact Howard Fortunato at LandmarkJCM

An Update on Chesapeake Bay Regulatory Activities

2010-06-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

An Update on Chesapeake Bay Regulatory Activities

By Glynn Rountree, NAHB

Staff of the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office have their noses to the grindstone as they feverishly work to complete the computer modeling and the analysis of the modeling results necessary for the proposal of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL this fall.

Last year, the EPA expected that the TMDL would be proposed in May, but that proposal date has now been pushed back until sometime in the fall because of a number of issues cropping up, including working out the kinks in the latest updates to the modeling software. Nevertheless, the EPA is committed to finalizing the Bay TMDL by the end of this year with an expectation that new restrictions on nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment discharges will be reflected in all NPDES permits in the bay watershed in 2011.

While the EPA is concentrating on putting together the TMDL, the states in the bay watershed are busily putting together their Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs), which will contain the details of the actions that each state will take to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment loadings during the period of 2011 through 2017, which runs to the midpoint of the bay restoration program.

By 2017, each state is expected to have achieved 60% of the pollutant reductions necessary to meet their state TMDL water quality goals, and to have completed an outline of how the state will achieve the remaining pollutant reductions by the end of 2025.

Because of the severity of the pollutant reductions needed and the lack of state experience in putting together WIPs, the EPA is not expecting the states to finalize their WIPs until sometime in 2011, after the TMDL has been finalized. In addition, each state must publish its two-year milestones for the 2012-2014 period by January 2012. The two-year milestones consist of short-term actions and goals that the state will use to comply with the new requirements.

Because of the many challenges that the EPA and the states face to complete the TMDL by the end of 2010, only a very short public comment period might be provided for the proposed rule, perhaps as little as 30 days. NAHB has used several forums to voice its opposition to a shortened comment period for the proposed rule, even though the EPA has not sought public comment on the matter.

On May 6, the EPA met with representatives of the “development community” at the NAHB offices in Washington, D.C. Attending the meeting were NAHB staff members, developers, builders and representatives from other trade associations involved in development activities.

Prior to the meeting, the EPA aired a three-hour on Chesapeake Bay issues of interest to the development community. The intent of the morning webinar and the afternoon meeting was two-fold:

For EPA to provide the latest thoughts on potential new Chesapeake Bay TMDL requirements for development and redevelopment
For NAHB to talk to EPA about its concerns, comments and suggestions concerning the potential new Bay requirements. At EPA’s request, other development organizations were invited to listen to the webinar and discussion and participate if they wish. NAHB also provided a conference call number for its members to listen in to the afternoon meeting.

The EPA made plain that the TMDL will be very challenging and that all stakeholders should be working with their particular state to provide their input to the state as it develops its plans for meeting the TMDL requirements.

During the meeting, both NAHB and the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office expressed their desire to establish a long-term relationship to continue the discussion of new requirements affecting development and redevelopment. It was also mentioned that other federal agencies that lend money to developers, and those that have an interest in affordable housing, have been missing — but should be a part of — these storm water discussions about new requirements on development.

For more information, contact Jim McCulley at LandmarkJCM

EPA may VETO existing wetland permit

2010-06-07T10:18:00.002-04:00

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. E.P.A has announced that it may veto a wetlands permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers two years ago for an ongoing mining operation.

See the article here.

Contact LandmarkJCM for all of your wetland permitting needs.

Green Homes Sell Faster!

2010-06-04T10:36:00.004-04:00

A recent article from "Nations Building News"

Click here to learn more about selling green homes

LandmarkJCM has been leading the way on Green Building for several years. Since certifying the first Gold home in the Nation, certifying the most homes in Delaware (by far) and being named as one of the most active verifiers in the country.

LandmarkJCM employee, Howard Fortunato, has been president of the Green Building Council of the Homebuilders Association of Delaware for two years and helped them win a Green Building Award presented by the National Association of Homebuilders last month.

Want to sell more home? Build Green! Contact LandmarkJCM today and we will show you how.

Amphbian and Reptile Lecture with Live Critters

2010-06-02T19:28:00.009-04:00

Mick McLaughlin of LandmarkJCM will be giving a lecture at Prime Hook.

Click here for details

You can contact Mick at mick@jcmenv.com or call the Corporate Office at 302-323-9377 and ask for one of our biologists.

Better Late than Never

2010-06-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I read this article on Earth Day and marked it for blog posting and then forgot about it.

It is easy to forget the progress we have made on the environmental front when we are always confronted with bad news about pollution, global warming and oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.

Just a little something to add some perspective:

Link to Article

Zero Energy Homes First Gold NGBS Standard in DE

2010-06-01T12:28:00.003-04:00

Congrats to Lance Manlove at Zero Energy Homes for completing the first Gold Certified home in Delaware under the National Green Building Standard! This program, unveiled in 2009, promotes greater enhancements in energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality and all the other aspects which are contained in the orignal Green Building Guidelines. While the original Guidelines program brought many green certified homes in Delaware, it has been recently replaced with the Standard program.

This beautiful home in Rehoboth Beach includes many green aspects including geothermal heating and cooling, wide use of local/indigenous materials, low flow plumbing fixtures and loads of other green features. What a truly green home!

Congrats again to Lance Manlove and Zero Energy Homes for achieving this First!

Happy Anniversary LandmarkJCM

2010-05-18T10:59:00.004-04:00

May 18, 2010 is the 23rd Anniversary of the founding of Landmark Engineering (now LandmarkJCM).

A big thanks to all of the founders, our loyal clients, employees, vendors and friends. We couldn't have done it without you.

www.LandmarkJCM.com

Green Building Council Wins Award

2010-05-17T22:27:00.005-04:00

Landmark/JCM's Howard Fortunato and Don Yoos of J.S. Hovnanian & Sons were on hand Monday night in Raleigh, NC to receive the coveted New Program of the Year Award.

Don and Howard attended the NAHB Green Building Conference which began Sunday. The highlight of the conference is the National Green Building Awards which are bestowed for several green building categories. The panel of national judges reviewed entries from across the country and awarded the Green Building Council of the HBADE as the 2010 New Program of the Year.

Big Shoes to fill for a relatively new Council, we were pleased to accept the award on behalf of the entire GBC and the Home Builders Association of Delaware. We' re pleased to show the nation that although Delaware is a small state, that Green building has taken hold here.

LandmarkJCM Captures Two Regals!

2010-05-11T13:17:00.005-04:00

We're proud to join our client's successes, as we received two Regal Awards last Friday night!

Best Color Print Ad for an Associate Member!

Best Special Event or Promotion for an Associate Member!

When JCM Environmental and Landmark Engineering joined forces and merged to create a truly full service engineering and environmental company, we rolled out our Breaking New Ground campaign. It captured and won over the judges!

Check us out at http://www.landmarkjcm.com/ whenever we can be of assistance - engineering, surveying, environmental, pond management, green building, and the list continues on, and on...

CONGRATS REGAL AWARD WINNERS ! ! !

2010-05-10T09:09:00.001-04:00

Congrats to all the winners but especially we would like to congratulate our friends and clients, having won numerous awards Friday night at the Regal Awards presentation, sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Delaware. Each of these firms won at least one award:

Benchmark Builders
Bestfield Homes
Layton Builders
LC Homes
Regal Builders
Reybold Development Corporation

In particular we would like to recognize and congratulate Layton Builders for the Best Green Built Home under 2,500 square feet, and Lance Manlove for Project/Production Manager of the Year for a Custom Builder.

Congrats again to all!

Kevin Kelly Honored by NAHB for Commitment to Affordable Workforce Housing

2010-05-06T11:11:00.002-04:00

Kevin was recently honored by NAHB as the 2010 Daniel M. Grady Memorial Award, which honors and recognizes work and advocacy for the casue of affordable and workforce housing.

The complete story by RealEsate Rama, can be viewed here:

http://www.realestaterama.com/2010/05/05/nahb-honors-delaware-builder-for-committment-to-affordable-and-workforce-housing-ID07086.html

LandmarkJCM commends and applauds Kevin as he continues this cause at his firm Leon N. Weiner & Associates, and our congratulations on achieving this prestigious recognition.

Bestfield Homes Captures the 1,000th Green Certified Homes Mark

2010-05-03T17:46:00.005-04:00

We are proud to announce that a new Bestfield Homes home in Willowwood, Smyrna has earned the distinction of being the 1,000th new home to be certified green in the Nation under the National Green Building Program!

Congrats to Scott Bradley, Guy Waites, Tony DiEgidio and Dan Martelli and the entire staff for earning this distinction late last week!

Read about it here in Nation's Building News: http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2010-05-03/Green+Building/2.html

We are happy to have helped Bestfield earn this distinction, and proud to partner with them and all our green building clients as we continue to provide new home opportunities for more and more buyers of green homes.

2010-04-28T09:37:00.003-04:00

Jim McCulley was in Washington DC last week for the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), Spring Board Meeting and Legislative Day. Jim is a member of the Board of Directors for NAHB and serves on the Environmental Issues Committee (EIC).

The EIC is working on the following issues, and for more information please contact Jim at jim@jcmenv.com:

Climate Change Initiatives
Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG)
Post Construction Stormwater Management and the new EPA Initiatives
Energy Retrofit Legislation (Home Star and Building Star)
Lead Based Paint Rules
Chesapeake Bay Initiatives

Jim also spent the day on Capitol Hill on Wednesday with a group of Delaware Builders to meet with Senator Kauffman, Senator Carper and Congressman Castle to talk about the issues of:

A.D. & C. Financing
Lead Paint Rules
Home Star and Building Star
Chesapeake Bay Initiatives

For more information, please contact Jim at LandmarkJCM.

Cecil County Government: A Change

2010-04-20T15:47:00.002-04:00

On April 8, 2010, Mark Parker, P.E., Principal and John Gonzalez,P.E., CPSWQ, Havre de Grace, MD Branch Manager attended a Cecil County Chamber of Commerce Luncheon to listen to the proposed changes in Cecil County Government. John attended an event in Perryville today and got another update on the same. The following presents a summary of the updates:

In November, 2010, the citizens of Cecil County will be voting on a proposed change in County government. The issue regarding the proposed change will be whether the County government format should change from the Commissioner form of government to Charter government.

In 2009, the County Commissioners appointed a group of people to work on a committee to research and write a charter. This group of nine people was comprised of community leaders, businesspeople, and citizens. The committee researched charter government, charters of the counties currently operating under charter government, and gathered information from citizens of Cecil County to help structure a charter.

The current form of county government is by elected County Commissioners. There are five Commissioners, each representing a different District.

Under Charter government, there would be five elected County Council Members, and one County Executive elected at large. There is debate about whether the Council Members should be elected by District, or at large.

A question that has arisen is why Cecil County needs a change in County government. The public wants a better, more efficient local government, citizen representation by district, more public control over government functions, accountability from government to the citizens all the time, strategic planning for the County, and responsive elected officials.

Under the current Commissioner form of government, when a bill gets brought up to the Commissioners, the Commissioners take the bill to the State Delegates who represent Cecil County (among other counties). The State Delegates can decide whether the bill should be brought forth to the General Assembly. If the bill is brought before the General Assembly, the General Assembly can decide to act or not to act on the bill during their 90-day legislative session.

Under Charter government, when a bill gets brought up before the County Council, the Council can enact the bill, at which time the bill goes before the County Executive who can then sign the bill into law. If the County Executive vetoes the bill, the bill goes back to the Council, and if enacted by the Council, gets put on a referendum on which the citizens can vote. If the citizens vote on the bill, it becomes law.

In essence, Charter government “brings democracy home” to the citizens. Charter government provides the tools to give the public what the public wants from a government- responsiveness, accountability, and leadership.

The committee researched the costs of Charter government versus the Commissioner form of government. It was determined that Charter government can run at less cost than the Commissioner form of government.

The committee included a provision in the Charter for the Council to set out a strategic plan. The strategic plan will focus on issues the Council deems as priorities for the County, and how the County can work to meet the challenges imposed by these issues. The strategic plan is to be reviewed on an annual basis and updated/revised as necessary.

The outcome in changing from a Commissioner form of government to Charter government should provide the form of government Cecil County needs during these times where the County is experiencing growth and a change in demographics. More flexible government is needed for the County, and the decisions need to remain with the County. The County needs to wean itself off from the State Delegates and the General Assembly with regards to issues more at home. Charter government can do that.

The committee is on a mission to educate the citizens of Cecil County about Charter government. Several meetings have been scheduled, and some have already been held. More information on the Charter government process, along with a draft of the proposed charter, can be found on www.ccgov.org.

As always, Landmark/JCM follows these issues as they affect our clients and the future of development in the counties and states in which we all practice. Please call us so that we can make your next project the huge success you expect.

FIRST ANNUAL GREEN FEST A SUCCESS

2010-04-20T09:10:00.003-04:00

The First Annual Green Fest, put on by the Green Building Council and the Home Builder’s Association of Delaware, was a great success, held this past Sunday.

Held on Legislative Mall in Dover, this was the first time for this green themed earth day event. Despite somewhat cold wind, temps 50’s and sun in and out, everyone seemed to enjoy the beautiful day. There was music all day, storytelling to kids and kids friendly activities, a fashion show, exhibits and more, all taken in by an estimated 1,000 attendees.

The Air Quality Partnership of Delaware participated to educate people about air quality and they held a press conference to announce the start of the air quality monitoring season. The main speakers at the press conference was DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara and Dover Mayor Carleton Carey.

LandmarkJCM was happy to attend and support our green building clients. The NAHB Research Center participated as an exhibitor and explained the benefits of certified green building to many attendees. Of course we brought our collection of wild critters, always a popular draw.

Congrats to all who participated, sponsored, and helped make this a reality. Special congrats to HBADE and their dedicated and tireless staff for creating and holding this exciting event. We’re sure it will become an annual event not to be missed.

National Green Building Program Strengthened

2010-04-06T12:09:00.001-04:00

Recently the NAHB Research Center strengthened the Green Building Program, by taking over a number of program aspects from NAHB, and announcing the retirement of the Green Building Guidelines certification program. The Guidelines was the original program which brought nearly 50 certified green homes to Delaware that would not have otherwise become green.

In contrast, the Standard certification program is a wider based program and bases the energy section on newer energy codes. It is the only residential green building certification program which is ANSI and ICC approved. It can be used to certify single family, multifamily, remodeling projects, and green subdivision sites.

Anyone needing more information can contact Howard Fortunato at howard@jcmenv.com.

First Bog Turtle of the Season

2010-04-05T14:36:00.008-04:00

Amy Nazdrowicz found her first bog turtle ever at a "secret" site in the Brandywine Valley. A DNREC representative accompanied Amy and Mick McLaughlin from LandmarkJCM to this site that had a record of a bog turtle colony.

Although the official Bog Turtle search season begins on April 15th (and ends on June 15th), Amy was still able to find a turtle. The warm weather has probably made these secretive turtles active earlier this year than in "normal" years.

The turtle was a large male (136 grams) that was well hidden under dead vegetation. Mick made the official measurements and the turtle was released back where it was found.

If you find that you need a bog turtle survey this season, please contact Amy at 302-323-9377 X136

Craftsmen Developers, First Certified Green Site in Delaware

2010-04-01T10:23:00.005-04:00

Congrats to our client Craftsmen Developers! Their site Wharton's Bluff, Parcel B in Millsboro, Delaware, received the top-notch designation of 4 Stars Green Subdivision Certification! We are happy to have helped them with this accomplishment, under the National Green Building Standard, as this is the FIRST site certification in Delaware. As their Accredited Verifier, our Joe Gordon worked with their staff members Conor Gilligan and Kris Thompson to ensure that development of the site passed muster for all the green criteria needed for site certification under the NAHB Research Center program. Situated adjacent to Millsboro, the community and future residents will enjoy lovely waterfront views of the Indian River.

Craftsmen is dedicated to responsible green development, as demonstrated by this Certifications. Congratulations again!

Green Tour and More of NAHB Research Center

2010-04-01T09:59:00.003-04:00

Members of our HBA/DE and Green Building Council, including representatives from Kent County Inspections Department, were treated to a presentation, tour and lunch last week at the NAHB Research Center located outside Washington, DC. Mike Luzier, President of the Research Center enlightend us to the extensive scope of services they perform, over and above certification of Green built homes under the National Green Building Standard. They are a widely recognized product research testing facility and they also perform independent market research.

Bob Hill, Director of the Laboratory and Certification Services, guided us thru the myriad of stations of different testing areas with the facility. Here he shows us a Universal Testing Machine which has a 200,000 pound capacity for tension, compression, and flexural testing.

We were all wowed. In fact, the building inspector on our tour commented that more public and building officials in Delaware should make time to take this tour. We'll see what we can do to set this up.

Wilmington Subdivision Ordinance Update

2010-03-30T09:52:00.004-04:00

On Monday March 29th, the City of Wilmington, in coordination with their consultant Duncan Associates, hosted a constituent consultation meeting regarding their Subdivision Ordinance Update. Mark Parker, P.E., Principal of Landmark/JCM was invited to be part of this meeting. The meeting was held at the City County building and included City Officials, other engineers and land use attorneys.

The goal of these ongoing meetings have been to seek input from those using the codes and making land use applications within the city. Duncan Associates is compiling comments and ideas from these meetings and shaping the ordinance update accordingly.

Some of the topics discussed yesterday included green technology practices for stormwater management, new and improved street cross sections and proper implementation, transportation issues including how to get multiple points of access on water-locked lands, pedestrian and bicycle facilities throughout the city, electronic submissions for all final approvals and even bonding or other surety for public improvements.

The meeting was very productive and these consultations continue to lend valuable input to the ongoing update process. To discuss how these changes may impact your current or future projects, contact Landmark/JCM. We will continue to participate in this process and keep our clients updated.

Pollution Control Strategy Lawsuit

2010-03-19T14:40:00.003-04:00

An interesting article appeared in the News Journal this week describing the latest developments relating to the on-going Sussex County lawsuit against DNREC for their promulgation of the Inland Bays Pollution Control Strategies, most notably regarding buffers. While there is still considerable debate on the efficacy of buffers, the article did state that attempts to settle the dispute are ongoing. The implications being that some form of buffer regulation will likely prevail. As the “last word” regarding this subject has yet to be written, it is unclear how the final form of these regulations will affect proposed projects or agricultural land containing wetlands, streams, water bodies, forested areas, on-site treatment and disposal or tax-ditches for lands draining to the Inland Bays.

A link to all DNREC documentation is here: http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/water2000/Sections/Watershed/ws/ib_pcs.htm

A link to DNREC Summary is here: http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/water2000/Sections/Watershed/ws/FactSheet_IBPCS_101408.pdf

Additional regulations relating to water quality and limitations for discharge are currently being proposed at the Federal level that will ultimately be the responsibility for DNREC to regulate and enforce. We believe that the abundance of newly proposed and developing regulations coupled with the internal reorganization of DNREC recently announced will result in a significant departure from today’s status-quo. Landmark/JCM will continue to monitor these issues and how they may affect future development. Please contact us with any questions or to meet with us for your next successful project.

by Keith Rudy, Water Resources Branch Manager

Turbulence Over Storm Water Deal in Maryland

2010-03-18T10:02:00.003-04:00

Reprinted for your information by LandmarkJCM:

March 16, 2010, Baltimore Sun

A deal to give some development projects a break from Maryland's new storm-water pollution regulations may not be settled just yet.

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, presiding chairman of the legislative committee that reviews regulations, has written a letter to state Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson saying the agreement announced last week raises "many questions," and he wants answers. His questions could cause trouble, since the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review has the power to veto emergency regulations, which are key to carrying out the deal.

Builders, local officials and representatives of some environmental groups said last week that they'd reached what they called a compromise on the regulations, which were unveiled last year. The rules, which require developers to do more to control polluted runoff, had riled builders and local officials, who complained they would make some projects too costly to construct. They said they'd have to revamp projects already begun using the current, less stringent requirements. And they warned that redevelopment would be discouraged, undermining the state's Smart Growth anti-sprawl efforts.

The parties agreed to "grandfather" an unknown number of developments already under way or with at least preliminary approval from local governments. They also agreed to ease requirements on some redevelopment projects. The changes would have to be made via emergency regulations to avoid the original rules from taking effect on May 4. Wilson's Department of the Environment sent the emergency rules to Pinsky's committee at the end of last week.

Activist involved in reaching the deal said it was needed to avoid the risk that worse changes might get pushed through the General Assembly this year. But the deal has split environmental activists, with some arguing that it was unwise to give in, considering the growing harm storm-water runoff is causing to streams and the Chesapeake Bay. They also contend that bills granting concessions to builders and local officials would never pass the Senate.
Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat, is one of the legislature's most ardent environmental advocates. He was not party to the negotiations, which were guided by Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore Democrat who is chairwoman of the House Environmental Matters Committee. Pinsky says he's troubled by the changes in the rules.

"I'm not real comfortable with them," Pinsky said. While developers had raised some valid concerns, he said he was concerned that the deal went too far. "As it is now, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night." Though he said he was not prepared to "blow up the agreement," Pinsky said he wants more information and possibly some tweaks to the rule changes. Of particular concern, he said, was how many development projects in the planning pipeline would be allowed to go forward under the deal using less stringent runoff controls, with up to seven years to actually begin construction. "Are there 75 or 7,500?" he asked. "I believe in data-driven decision-making. Here we are making a major change in the regulations and no one has a clue on how it changes things on the ground. It astounds me."

McIntosh, who had pressed for a compromise to avoid a legislative battle over the storm-water rules, said she hoped that Wilson, the environment secretary, would be able to provide Pinsky with satisfactory answers to his questions. She said she hoped that Pinsky would allow the rules to come before the committee. Asked if the deal could be revised without falling apart, she said, "It depends on what he's talking about."

DelDOT Subdivision Manual Changes

2010-03-17T11:07:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, March 16th, ACEC-Kent County met with Marc Cote of DelDOT to discuss some of the recent changes to the Subdivision Manual. Melissa Koenig, P.E., Associate of Landmark/JCM attended the meeting. The following were some of the changes that were discussed:

• Soon, there will be a GIS application available online.

• When calculating site distance, please use the JMT spreadsheet. When showing the site triangles on a plan, the decision point is 18’ from the edge of travel lane (can range from 14.5’ to 18’, but for the most part use the 18’). The spreadsheet can be found under the subdivision section at http://deldot.gov/information/business/

• The Subdivision Plan Review Schedules online are for Record Plans and Construction Plans. The engineer can attend the Plan Review Meeting if it will be helpful. The schedule for offsite improvements has not been determined yet. The plan review schedule is available online at http://deldot.gov/public.ejs?command=PublicPlanReviewSchedule

• Please note on the Site Plan Gate-Keeping Checklist one of the required items is a photo showing the proposed entrance staked. You will also need to provide calculations showing the minimum connectivity ratio of 1.4 is met. Marc said this will be covered in future training sessions by DelDOT. The Gate-Keeping checklist is available online at http://deldot.gov/information/business/subdivisions/Subdivision_Gatekeeping_Checklist.pdf

• The DelDOT ES2M Checklist should be completed for onsite and offsite submittals. (http://www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/manuals/es2m/index.shtml)

• If the total open area of culvert pipes is > 20 S.F., then it is considered a bridge (see Appendix Q). If there are multiple pipes, all the areas must be added together.

• The Pre-Submittal Meeting (required for ADT>200) can be before or after the PLUS process. (http://deldot.gov/information/business/subdivisions/Subdivisions_Pre-submittal_Meeting_Requirements.pdf)

• Please submit the meeting request form when asking to meet with the subdivision section so that they can be prepared for the meeting. The request form can be found under the subdivision section at http://deldot.gov/information/business/