Project Spotlight - Well Closure in New Mexico

HICAPS provided general construction services for the removal of all surface equipment, plugging and capping of one abandoned 997 foot production water well and four contaminant monitoring wells. Closure of the water well required the removal and reinstallation of an existing removable roof and wall to access the well water equipment and turbine pump. The well decommissioning was done in accordance with all applicable state and federal requirements.  Our teaming partner, Richardson and Richardson assisted us greatly on this project by providing quality control and directing the well house up-fit. 
HICAPS provided overall project management as well as on-site field supervision, quality control and enforced OSHA safety standards. HICAPS also coordinated all material delivery, ensured all personnel were prepared, scheduled and provided communication with the VA Contracting Officer Representative and other VA facility staff ensuring they were continuously aware of our plans and progress.
All New Mexico state water well compliance regulations and the ones from the VA campus that superseded them were met and provided unique aspects to this project. We faced the challenge of abandoning wells in high traffic / patient parking areas, which is uncommon and required extensive coordination efforts to ensure minimal impact to the Air Force dental patients and staff. Furthermore, two of the observation wells were beneath solar roof canopies. It was contingent upon HICAPS and our subcontractors to present a method of abandonment to the VA and US Air Force (USAF, the end-user) that would mitigate any impact to the photovoltaic panels and their supporting canopy structure. HICAPS performed extensive planning and logistics coordination to minimize the traffic impact of observation well abandonment in the USAF parking lot, and performed two of the abandonments during weekends. HICAPS developed expertise in VA hot work requirements as a result of the decommissioning of the production well and observation wells.  On several occasions HICAPS and Richardson and Richardson provided a finished well house and cleaned site with additional gravel that exceeded the contract requirements.  We were able to complete the project within 4 months after receiving notice to proceed, which was 2 months less than the project required.  This allowed us to save time and money in addition to further mitigating the inconvenience of occupying VA property near critical campus water infrastructure. 

Employee Spotlight: Ronnie L. Overton, PE, CEM

Ronnie Overton recently joined the HICAPS team as a Senior Project Engineer to expand their Commissioning services within the Building Diagnostics division.  Ronnie has over twenty seven years engineering experience as a project manager, project engineer, and maintenance engineer for both the private and public sectors.  Ronnie graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina, and also a Certified Energy Manager and a Certified Plant Engineer.  Ronnie and his wife of twenty seven years, Michelle, enjoy spending time with their family and attending Wolf Pack athletic events.

Employee Spotlight

Tim Spangler, PE, CPC, Director of Building Diagnostics, recently earned the Certified Professional Constructor administered by the American Institute of Constructors (AIC).  Final certification followed an eight-hour written examination based on construction knowledge recall and demonstration of ability to quickly locate key information from representative construction documents.  This certification recognizes the skills and knowledge acquired by education and experience to manage the execution of all or a substantial portion of construction works. HICAPS has long supported the education and certification efforts of AIC and is pleased to add Tim to our list of employees with the CPC designation.

ABC Triad Social

Please note the new location and event information.  Join us at Logan's Roadhouse!

Step Award

At the December monthly meeting of the ABCC (Associated Builders and Contractors of the
Carolinas) Triad Chapter HICAPS recently received the STEP Gold Level award. The STEP (Safety Training and Evaluation Process) Award was established in1989 by the ABC National Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) Committee, the STEP program was developed and written by contractors, for contractors. Through the STEP award ABCC is able to recognize companies who strive to maintain outstanding safety programs, policies, and procedures. HICAPS has an excellent safety record was proud to receive this award.

HICAPS Continues to Grow!

Don Thackston brings over 26 years of construction professional experience to the HICAPS team.  Mr. Thackston has worked in various aspects of construction from design, construction engineering, to project controls and project management for constructors and owners. His primary objective for HICAPS is project controls, including cost and time performance measurement and forecasting, as well as risk and claims mitigation.  We’re happy to have Don as a new addition to our team!