HICAPS - Lighting the Way

 Creatures of habit are we.  The first one in the office flips the light switch, and we see well enough to avoid the furniture, and make our way to our desk.  At the end of the day, the last one to leave turns off the lights and locks the door.  What a difference a new light bulb or even new fixtures can make in our office!  HICAPS recently updated our office lights, replacing old fixtures with energy inefficient bulbs with new fixtures, bulbs and ballasts.  The results in the central portion of the office are striking.  Gone are the shadows on the ceiling, and dark areas on the work surfaces.  Individual offices had motion sensors that light the office as soon as the occupant arrives, and turn off 10 minutes after the occupant leaves (or falls asleep—image, we don’t even have to turn off the light switch when we fall asleep at our desk!)
In addition to providing a pleasing and more productive work environment, the new fixtures, bulbs, and automatic switches save energy every day which make them cost efficient and the upgrade will qualify for a federal tax deduction capped at between $0.30 and $0.60/sq ft on a sliding scale based on a 25-40% reduction below the maximum allowable lighting power density W/sq/ft. ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2001. Duke Energy is offering rebates under their Prescriptive Incentive program making upgrading lights a smart idea.

Salisbury LTC Renovation and Addition

The Salisbury Long Term Care Renovation and Addition Project is progressing on schedule.  The new Hospice building is dried-in, sheet rock will be completely hung by the end of the first week in October.  All low voltage wiring, including fire alarm, nurse call, security, intercom and phone and data is being installed, and ceiling grid is scheduled to start November 1st.   Power to the Hospice Building is scheduled to be connected and turned on November 6th.  The masonry veneer is complete and the siding and exterior trim is progressing.
The interior renovation on the Second Floor  of the Long Term Care Building is complete and occupied by the VA.  The 1st Floor renovation is in progress and scheduled to be completed by December 1st.  The Ground Floor renovation will begin once the VA has relocated their offices from the Ground Floor to the newly renovated 1st Floor offices.

HICAPS is on the GSA Schedule

HICAPS is excited to announce that we are now a GSA Schedule contract holder for the following schedules:

Professional Engineering Services (PES)

• 871-7 Construction Management

https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advantage/contractor/contractor_detail.do?mapName=/s/search/&contractNumber=GS-10F-0308X

Mission Oriented Integrated Services (MOBIS)

• 874-1 Consultling
• 874-7 Project/Program Management

https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advantage/contractor/contractor_detail.do?mapName=/s/search/&contractNumber=GS-10F-0382X

It will now be easier for our federal clients to procure our services. HICAPS has made great strides in the federal market and becoming a GSA Schedule contract holder is a significant step in that process. We look forward to the new opportunities that this achievement will provide.

- Award Notice -

HICAPS has been awarded a Design/Build contract at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem Virginia for the renovation of a portion of Building 76 on their campus. The first floor renovation of the historic South Wing is the first construction project that HICAPS will complete for the VA in Salem. HICAPS will team with Lionberger Construction to provide professional project management and local knowledge of the subcontractor market. Our association with Lionberger Construction goes back many years, when Lionberger first turned to HICAPS for assistance in construction scheduling. The project will start in September 2011 with a completion in early 2012.

LEED Volume Program: Cost Effective Method for Certifying a Large Number of LEED Buildings

USGBC came up with a smart solution for large volume organizations and companies that are large users of LEED. The LEED Volume Program was developed to offer a cost effective method that leverages uniformity in design and maintains the integrity of LEED standards. In lieu of certifying per building, LEED Volume Program offers organizations the option to create a prototype design that is then pre-certified and can be applied to certify like buildings and spaces throughout their building portfolios. Since the program is based on design uniformity, buildings in any geographical area are eligible for certification.

The LEED Volume Program was conceptualized in 2006 and officially launched at the Greenbuild 2010 Conference & Expo in Chicago. The process begins with interested companies applying to USGBC to use the LEED Volume Program. Once in the program, companies have access to services and online tools that help facilitate prototype development. The next step is creation of a prototype which is basically the design and plan for future volume projects to adhere to, providing sustainable design features and protocol. Once the prototype is approved, work can begin on all volume projects. Needless to say, this drastically reduces per building certification costs as the quantity of projects increases. To ensure these projects maintain the LEED standards, Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) will conduct random audits of a percentage of projects. This phase is referred to as "ongoing certification".

The LEED Volume Program reinforces USGBC's commitment to provide smart and cost effective solutions to large users of LEED. The benefits of sustainable construction have a huge impact that includes better performing buildings that save energy and reduce operating costs as well as reduce harmful environmental impact. Using the LEED Volume Program's streamlined certification process companies can take advantage of lower cost for LEED while still reaping the advantages that come with building sustainable buildings.

Gabriele Medley-Harry

Director of Sustainable Construction

HICAPS, Inc.

HICAPS Continues to Grow!

Tim Spangler, PE

Tim Spangler recently joined the HICAPS Team as Director of Building Diagnostics and Senior Project Manager in Federal Contracting. For over 20 years, Tim was a partner in a general construction company in Greensboro, specializing in manufacturing, water and wastewater treatment plant construction.

Tim graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy with a degree in civil engineering and served ten years active duty in the Coast Guard, in civil engineering assignments on both coasts. He completed his Coast Guard career in the reserves, retiring a captain in 2004. He plans to increase the marketing outreach for our building diagnostics services as we grow that area of HICAPS’ expertise.

The father of three grown children, Tim enjoys relaxing at the beach with his wife, Susan, or fixing up his 1910-era farmhouse in the mountains.