August 16, 2006

ROMNEY ANNOUNCES ENGINEERING FIRM, BIG DIG ADVISORY PANEL

Governor Mitt Romney today announced the retention of an engineering firm to carry out the “stem to stern” safety review of the Metropolitan Highway System, focused on the Central Artery/Tunnel complex. He also formed a five-member panel of experts on engineering, transportation and construction materials to help guide the effort.

Romney also appointed Stephen Pritchard, a professional engineer, to manage the safety review. Pritchard resigned as secretary of environmental affairs in order to take on the assignment.

The state has retained Wiss, Janney, Elstner (WJE) Associates, headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, to perform a safety review of the Big Dig project. The objective, Romney said, is to “assess the project’s systems in sufficient detail to express a reliable opinion as to their safety.”

Public attention has been focused on safety following the July 10 ceiling collapse in the I-90 Connector that killed 38-year-old Milena Del Valle. Following the accident, the Legislature passed and Governor Romney signed into law a $20 million appropriations bill giving the executive branch the power to review the project’s safety.

The five members of the advisory panel are Andrew J. Whittle, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Robert E. Skinner, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Transportation Research Board; Francis J. Lombardi, chief engineer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Robert B. Pond, Jr., a metallurgist and chairman of the Engineering Science Department at Loyola College; and Charles D. Baker, Sr., a former US Department of Transportation official and management consultant, who will chair the panel.

“We have many challenges ahead, but I’m confident we have the right team in place to conduct a thorough safety review,” said Romney. “Both the firm and the advisory panel are nationally recognized for their experience and background in construction, engineering and transportation, and I look forward to receiving the report and recommendations.”

WJE has significant experience in technical investigations of construction-related problems. They investigated the walkway collapse in the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel in 1981, the collapse of the LA Metro tunnel in 1995 and the September 11, 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center towers. They also were hired by the National Transportation Safety Board to reconstruct the TWA Flight 800 aircraft that crashed off Long Island, New York in 1996.

The firm has budgeted $4.5 million plus expenses and subcontracts to look at all elements of the project using a combination of independent structural analysis, hands-on inspections and field testing, as appropriate.

“We appreciate the opportunity to contribute our extensive experience and capabilities to a thorough review of the structural and life safety systems of the Central Artery/Tunnel project. While we recognize the challenges, we are fully committed to Governor Romney’s objective of ensuring the safety of motorists using the system,” said William Nugent, WJE’s president.

The Governor’s Office released a list of five previous WJE assignments related to the CA/T project, all small. The projects were initiated from 1993 through 2003. All have been completed. Fees on these projects ranged from $330 to $17,949, with total fees of approximately $28,000. WJE has not worked directly for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and while they have taken on assignments over the years for Bechtel and Parsons Brinckerhoff, none were related to the Big Dig.

WJE has one current assignment related to the Big Dig, although work has not yet begun. The client in that case is the Federal Highway Administration, which has asked the company to assess the quality of aggregates used in some of the concrete.

Should any of the small details or materials that were the focus of WJE’s previous jobs become an issue in the safety audit, Governor Romney said he will have a third party review that portion of the work.

The first phase of the review, due within 90 days, will involve items of the highest priority, which includes elements whose failure is likely to result in partial or complete collapse; or which are potentially unstable or vulnerable to buckling; or currently exhibiting signs of failure or distress; or involve unique or unusual conditions; or any problems associated with life safety systems such as ventilation and fire protection.

In the second phase, work plans will be developed and implemented and lower priority items will be reviewed, such as connections and details whose load is shared by adjacent components such that local failure is not likely to result in collapse.

If required, based on the findings of the investigation, the work will also include development of corrective measures to address any critical deficiencies in the structural or life safety systems.

Stephen Pritchard will become a Special Assistant to the Governor to manage the safety review and act as a liaison between the Governor’s office and both the engineering firm and advisory panel. Pritchard is a registered professional engineer in the state of Maryland and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University and a master’s in business administration from Loyola College.

“I am honored to be part of this important public safety initiative. Our goal will be to conduct a thorough, comprehensive and objective assessment of safety and to report those findings to the Governor in a timely manner,” Pritchard said.

August 18, 2006

ROMNEY APPOINTS NEW ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS SECRETARY

MassDEP Commissioner Golledge named to replace Secretary Pritchard

Governor Mitt Romney today announced that Robert W. Golledge Jr. has been named secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), replacing Stephen R. Pritchard, who resigned to assist with the Governor’s safety review of the Big Dig.

For the past three years, Golledge has been the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), which has employed innovative approaches to protect public health and the Commonwealth’s natural resources from pollution and contamination.

“Bob Golledge loves the environment and has dedicated his professional life to the protection of our natural resources,” said Governor Romney. “He will continue to advocate for strong, sensible environmental management in his new post as secretary.”

Under Commissioner Golledge’s leadership, MassDEP has been a national environmental leader that has realized numerous significant achievements, including:

• Becoming the first state in the nation to establish a drinking water standard for the chemical perchlorate in order to protect sensitive populations;
• Setting tough standards requiring significant reductions of mercury emissions from power plants; and
• Increasing enforcement against environmental violators - one such effort was a unique aerial enforcement initiative that detected illegal wetland destruction through the use of computer-mapping technology.

“During my tenure, MassDEP continued its tradition of establishing clear and protective standards and innovative environmental problem-solving,” Golledge said. “The environment matters to all citizens of Massachusetts and to the health of our Commonwealth. As Secretary, I look forward to working with the stakeholders to ensure the safe stewardship of our natural resources and the protection of the public health.”

Golledge has extensive experience in environmental management in both the public and private sectors. Prior to becoming MassDEP commissioner, he was the Massachusetts Director of Environmental Sciences for the national consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

Golledge also spent 13 years with MassDEP prior to his appointment as Commissioner, serving as director of the department’s Central Regional Office in Worcester, MassDEP chief of staff and director of the Division of Wetlands and Waterways. While at MassDEP, he managed the implementation of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, the State Clean Water Act and the Chapter 91 Waterways Program.

Earlier this year, Golledge received the Paul G. Keough Award for Government Service from the Environmental Business Council of New England. He has also received Public Service Awards for his environmental work from the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association.

Golledge holds a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Maine, Orono and served for two years in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. He resides in Canton with his wife, Susan, and their three children.