[President Perspective] [Meet The Member] [Monthly Meeting] [Special Award]
First of all I hope all of our members and their families had a good holiday season, and I would like to wish all of the San Luis Obispo Branch members a very happy and prosperous New Year in 2003. I look forward to the coming year being another great year for all of us.
I find myself at this time of year reflecting back and taking stock of what is going on in my life and acknowledging the importance of family and friends, and the many blessings in my life. After recently traveling to the Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and then with my kids to visit family in the Northwest, it always hits me how truly fortunate we are to live here on the Central Coast. It is that appreciation of the quality of life here on the Central Coast that makes the current housing crisis really hit home with me as a father, employer and resident of this area. I want to see my children go to college and then be able to afford to stay or come back here to raise their families. As an employer, I want to see young engineers and their families not be forced to move away from the area in order to afford a home. Something has to change.
As civil engineers in this area we are all in some way involved in the issues affecting home prices. We can be a part of actively shaping the political process and providing the innovation needed to provide home builders and housing agencies the ability to deliver much needed reasonably priced housing, while maintaining the open space we all enjoy. We need the cities and county to step up and give builders real incentives to deliver affordable homes. It's all about time and density. Let's find ways to provide a real "fast track" throughout the process for projects, and real density bonuses on infill development. These are the most direct ways to offset high land cost and reduce the pressure on developing the open space perimeters of our communities.
This may sound like an oversimplification of complex issues, but too often agencies require, and builders and engineers acquiesce to complicating the process with repetitive and time consuming analyses which add little or no real value to a project or the environment, thereby delaying a project and adding needless cost. A more proactive approach is needed to help speed the process.
The coming year hopefully will see a real commitment from all involved with solving this problem while maintaining this area as the special place it is.
by Russ Thompson
No, that's not Mario Andretti in the accompanying photo; it's Steve Sylvester, owner of North Coast Engineering in Paso Robles, the subject of this month's meet-the-member column.
Steve was born in Berwyn Illinois, a small town near Chicago. Steve's dad worked for Mack Trucks. Transfers and promotions at Mack required Steve and his family to relocate from Illinois to Michigan and finally to San Ramon, Ca. Steve lived with his family in San Ramon until he completed high school at San Ramon High in Danville.
Steve began his engineering career at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. He enrolled in the Aeronautical Engineering program but by his junior year the airline industry had few jobs to offer. While at Cal Poly Steve became a DJ at the Cal Poly radio station, KCPR. He was soon promoted to Program Director. His success in radio and the lack of employment opportunities in the aerospace industry nearly caused him to leave engineering for a career in radio. He made the right choice, however, and graduated with a major in Transportation Engineering.
Steve's first job was with Factory Mutual Engineering in San Rafael. Factory Mutual specializes in fire protection and loss prevention. Steve traveled throughout the West Coast visiting large manufacturing and storage facilities to test and analyze their water supply and distribution systems. The large amount of travel and his love for the Central Coast soon brought him back to San Luis Obispo.
In 1977, Steve answered an advertisement for a Civil Engineering position with the County of San Luis Obispo. He worked for the County in development review and hydraulics until 1979 when he started Sylvester Engineering in Cambria. He started with just one client, the Cambria Community Services District. He incorporated as North Coast Engineering in 1983. At one time, Steve was City Engineer for Morro Bay and Atascadero, District Engineer for the Cambria CSD, and acting City Engineer for Paso Robles. Even a fast-paced guy like Steve had to admit that he is relieved he no longer has all of these duties at once. Since 1979, North Coast Engineering has grown to twenty-five full-time employees.
Steve's most memorable engineering project was the Twin Bridges replacement project near Morro Bay. The complex regulatory environment, environmental issues and lack of funding made this both a challenging and rewarding project. The project included construction of a new bridge and widening of South Bay Boulevard. The total project cost was approximately $6,000,000.
During an interview with Steve I soon found out that Engineering isn't his only passion. Topping the list is his wife of twenty-two years, Dyana. Steve and Dyana have two children, a daughter Jenna who is a senior at UCSD and a son John who is currently attending Paso Robles High School. Steve also enjoys golf, snow skiing, electronics and riding his Harley Davidson. And then there's his other interest. A few years ago, Steve spent a day at a racing school. He enjoyed it so much that he enrolled in the next class. Before he knew it he was hooked. He went on to compete in the Skip Barber Race Series five years ago and would have taken first in his division except for a spinout in the last lap of the last race. After a one-year hiatus, he is now back on track and holds the lead in the masters division after six races. The twelve-race series uses open-wheel Indy-style cars that travel road courses at speeds up to 130 miles per hour. Races are held at Willow Springs, Laguna Seca, California Speedway and Sebring.
by Greg Ray
For our first meeting of 2003, our San Luis Obispo Branch is sponsoring a special afternoon workshop conducted by the Rubberized Asphalt Concrete Technology Center (RACTC). The RACTC was established in July, 1997, as a cooperative effort between the Counties of Los Angeles and Sacramento and the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). Their mission is to reduce waste tire disposal by promoting the use of crumb rubber from scrap tires in roadway rehabilitation projects. Use of this material has the immediate advantage of recycling waste tires, which helps reduce the stockpile of waste tires and preserve landfill space. But there are many other advantages to using crumb rubber in asphalt concrete resurfacing. These will be discussed during the workshop.
Representatives from RACTC will conduct the workshop in conjunction with our regular January branch meeting. Our meeting will begin as usual with lunch at noon, followed by a short non-technical program on the use of rubberized asphalt. This portion of the meeting will end around 1:20 p.m. This will be followed by a 10-minute break and, after the break, the more technical portion of the workshop will be presented. The technical portion of the workshop will last 1½ to 2 hours.
The accommodations at the Gardens of Avila are limited, so sign up early.
by Jeff van den Eikhof
Our Branch officers proved they are trickier than they might appear by springing a surprise award upon David Beard during the December meeting. The special recognition award was presented to David to acknowledge his numerous outstanding contributions to the San Luis Obispo Branch, including his inspired and tireless efforts spearheading the recent 150th anniversary celebration. The (rather wordy but) attractive plaque, here shown being presented by President Russ Thompson, also notes David's service as past Branch President and long-term role as Branch liaison to the Cal Poly SCE student club.