Midwestern Consulting

3D building data collected for a previous project generated accurate elevation drawings for a new project and saved the client time and money.  Scanning data collected during an initial project can be re-visited to create continued value for the client.

In the spring of 2008, Midwestern Consulting was hired by the historic preservation team of JJR, LLC/HopkinsBurns Design Studio to scan the historic buildings of Fishtown, an active commercial fishing port in Leland, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan.  Fishtown is also a popular summer destination for vacationers to the area. 

The 2008 project was to scan the Fishtown buildings and generate a topographic survey of the site and wire-frame drawings of the buildings for the architectural team.  The image below shows the wire-frame drawings on top of the point cloud.  The Fishtown Preservation Society and the architects used the drawings to establish building locations and dimensions.

In February 2010, the Fishtown Preservation Society was awarded funding through the National Trust for Historic Preservation from the Jeffris Heartland Fund to finance a Historic Structure Report for the Fishtown buildings and related structures along the Leland River.  As part of the project, Midwestern Consulting was again hired to generate new drawings of each building including additional dimensions, detailed elevations, geometric locations, and other fine details.  The drawing below shows the north elevation of the Manitou Outfitters building in significant detail.

These tasks were easily accomplished since we already had the data.
Without the initial scan data, we would have had to travel to the site again and do more measurements.  That means more time and money spent on the project.  With the data in hand, Midwestern was able to give the historic preservation team additional accurate details of Fishtown at a fraction of the cost needed to get the new measurements.

What can trades and design professionals learn from college and university building plans?

Each fall, the Michigan Office of the State Budget invites all of Michigan’s 44 publicly funded community colleges and universities to submit a capital outlay request for state cost participation in new building and renovation projects.  Schools submit their list of priority capital outlay projects (often referred to as project “wish lists”) and in December of each year, the Budget Office compiles the projects and sends them to the legislature for debate and possible inclusion in the next fiscal year’s higher education expenditure budget.

Proposed Projects for FY 2011

Listed below are the top priority capital outlay requests for FY 2011 for several SE Michigan schools:

Washtenaw Community College

• Occupational Educational Building Renovations
• Advanced Manufacturing Building

Macomb Community College

• Phase II of Health Science and Technology Building

Oakland Community College

• Orchard Ridge Campus, Building J Upgrades/Renovations

Schoolcraft College

• Simulation Technology Center

Oakland University

• Engineering Center

Eastern Michigan University

• Strong Hall Renovations
• Integrated Arts, Communication and Applied Technology Village

UM – Flint

• Murchie Science Laboratory Renovation

UM – Ann Arbor

• GG Brown Addition and Renovation

UM – Dearborn (from FY 2010 request)

• Science Building renovation and Computer Information Science Building renovation

What’s in it For Us?

These design and construction projects employ many trades and engineering and architecture professionals.  Construction costs for the above projects are estimated to be $439,300,000.  Higher education spending is critical for the continued health of Michigan’s economy.  Clearly state colleges and universities are looking to renovate and design new science and technology buildings.  Higher education appears headed in that direction along with the state of Michigan’s economy.

What this means to trades and professional services providers is that we need to brush up on our qualifications packages for these types of projects.  SOQ’s need to be written or improved showing off science and technology projects.  We need to show these clients how we can best serve their needs in the design and construction of science and technology buildings.

Save Money on Boundary Surveys

Surveyors spend a significant amount of time each day estimating the cost of boundary surveys for prospective clients.  I have many clients call and ask how much I charge for a boundary survey as if they all cost the same standard rate.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  There are several factors that can affect the cost of a boundary survey such as:

            Size and shape of the parcel

            Legal description

            Terrain (hills, wooded, or open)

            Location of the parcel

            History of surveys in the surrounding area

            Boundary evidence available

            Previous surveys preformed by the surveyor in the surrounding area

When preparing an estimate for a boundary survey the surveyor must first obtain a copy of the legal description of the property to be surveyed.  The legal description is usually provided to the surveyor by the prospective client.  The legal description tells the surveyor how to survey the parcel and indicates where to start the survey.  It also establishes the boundary lines from the starting point using bearings and distances or calls to physical monumentation such as roads, rivers, and government section lines. 

Depending on how the legal description is written the surveyor could be required to determine the boundaries of a large tract of land before establishing the boundaries of the clients parcel.  One example of such a legal description is, “The south 5.00 acres of the SE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 15, Ann Arbor Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan”.  In this example the surveyor would be required to survey the limits of the entire section 15 which is approximately 640 acres to determine where the boundaries of the 5.00 acres parcel are!

Next the surveyor would review his survey records of the surrounding area. Information on one of his previous surveys will assist in preparing the new survey which can lower the overall cost of the survey.  Also, other important information can be obtained from the surveyor records like the history of surveying in the area.  Some areas are lacking existing property irons and government section corners and are prone to boundary conflicts.  These sorts of issues can significantly increase the cost of the survey.

The surveyor will look at the location (travel distance), size of the parcel, and the type of terrain on the parcel.  A surveyor needs to be able to see from point to point to do his job.  If the parcel has hills or is covered in trees and brush the surveyor’s job is more difficult.

Cost estimates for boundary surveys can vary greatly due to these factors.  Most surveyors don’t charge a fee for preparing a boundary survey estimate.  They just need the time to do a little research before providing the quote.

By Patrick Hastings, PS, principal, Midwestern Consulting, LLC.  Contact Pat at 734.995.0200.

February 2010 was a really bad month for school bus operators in the Detroit-metro area.

First, on February 17, WDIV-TV reported on air and on their website that the Royal Oak, Michigan school district was considering a plan to eliminate student school bus service for six elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school beginning in Fall 2010.  The same day, The Detroit Free Press reported  that Northville, Michigan school district Superintendent Leonard Rezmierski and the school board there is considering limiting busing services for middle and high school students also beginning in the Fall 2010.   

On February 18, it was reported that the Ann Arbor Public Schools could save up to $2,800,000 per year if they privatize the district’s custodians, maintenance workers and bus drivers.  And on February 23, the Detroit Public Schools announced they would fully outsource all student bus routes beginning in May saving the district $50,500,000 over the next five years.

High Level of Service

In 2009, the Dexter Community Schools (DCS) authorized Midwestern Consulting to evaluate the optimal location for a new transportation center which is associated with an approved bond project.  DCS’s 2010 annual operating budget is $36,000,000 and school busing accounts for $2,200,000 of that. 

In order to determine a preferred location, Midwestern first needed to evaluate current per-pupil transport costs and identify how those would be affected if the existing transportation center was re-located.

DCS’s current dual-tier transportation system provides a very high service level:  one that exceeds the requirements of the State of Michigan for student transport and one that costs more than their neighbors.  For example, school bus stops are designated at each student address even when there are several addresses adjacent to each other along a roadway and only right-side pickups are allowed.

Dexter Will Save Money

Midwestern Consulting utilized an innovative scientific data collection process to gather the student ridership and bus utilization data needed to access DCS’s current route system.  The data collection approach included:

• Combining traffic engineering principals with innovative Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies.
• Processing the GPS data and using a computer application to model DCS’s current operations.
• Creating detailed maps for optimized bus routes.
• Creating new efficiency models reflective of revised system metrics using Geographic Information System technologies.

The data in the chart above clearly shows that DCS will save significantly on an annual basis if bus routes are optimized.  The DCS study indicated that over $1,000,000 could be trimmed from their transportation budget

Less Busing – Better Service – Lower Costs

After a detailed evaluation of existing transport routes, bus fleet components, transportation facility location, and future serviceability, Midwestern Consulting recommended the following cost saving measures:

• DCS could save $332/student with optimized routes.
• DCS should relocate the transportation facility to a new site.
• DCS should consider changing the dual-tier system to a single-tier system.
• DCS should begin purchasing larger bus units to be able to respond to changing student demographics.
• DCS should consider implementation of a no-transport zone primarily within 1-mile of the campus, if safe school routes are available.

Effectively managing school bus transportation costs has never been more complex than today. Many school districts are facing the same challenge – how to provide safe, convenient, school bus services for students while keeping the costs down.  Midwestern Consulting’s unique approach to data collection and analysis showed one school district it is possible to significantly reduce transport costs without privatization or eliminating services.