Engineering Resource Associates - Our Blog

ERA Participates in DuPage River Sweep

5/28/2020

ERA is a part of the Adopt-A-Stream program with The Conservation Foundation. Through this program, we adopt a waterway to clean up. Once we have cleaned that waterway at least twice a year for two years, ERA’s name will be added to a sign that is posted on a local roadway. We decided to participate in the DuPage River Sweep this month as one of our cleanups for the year. Our assigned area, Will-O-Way Park in Naperville, most likely had trash swept downstream with the recent flooding. See below for some photos of our recent cleanup!

National Public Works Week 2020

5/21/2020

We always enjoy the release of the National Public Works Week poster and theme each year and this one is more fitting than ever in the current times we are living in. The theme of this year's poster is "The Rhythm of Public Works".

APWA states "the poster challenges our members and their citizens to think about their communities as a symphony of essential services, working in concert to create a great place to live. Every community has a rhythm, a heartbeat that reflects its essence and tempo of life."

Thank you to all of the clients, friends, and colleagues working in PUBLIC WORKS and doing these ESSENTIAL SERVICES that keep our communities going every day!

ERA's Conservation Tips for Earth Day 2020

4/22/2020

In celebration of Earth Day today, ERA’s Erin Pande and Drew Kustusch have prepared some tips on how you can be more environmentally friendly in your daily life. See below for their Food Waste Reduction Tips and Water Conservation Tips. Please feel free to share!

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Growing Season Is Here!

4/10/2020

This week mother nature can't decide if it's winter, spring, or summer—but it's definitely warming up.

The growing season in Illinois typically starts around April 15th. Over the next few weeks we'll be verifying the wetland boundaries that we delineated over the winter for accuracy as well as performing delineations we've been waiting to do for the start of the growing season. If you have a project that requires a delineation, please contact us to schedule it. In the meantime, here are some spring ephemeral woodland wildflowers for your enjoyment.

Weber-Waverly Park Construction in Rolling Meadows

3/31/2020

Construction activities for a water main installation project in Rolling Meadows resumed earlier this month in the Weber-Waverly Park area. Approximately 5,100 feet of water main was installed as part of Phase 1 in 2019 with the remaining 2,700 feet being installed this year. ERA is providing daily field oversight during construction and assisting the City with resident notifications. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2020 in advance of the City’s street resurfacing project within the same area.

COVID-19 Update

3/26/2020

The Gunter’s Chain

3/16/2020

Many property owners, engineers, planners, and developers have probably noticed some commonly odd measurements that often appear when measuring land and may have asked some of the following questions. Why is it common for a street right-of-way to measure 66 feet in width? Why are alleys commonly 16.5 feet wide? Why do we use acres to measure land area?

The Gunter’s Chain is a device that was first introduced in 1620 and was used to survey not only the British Empire, but also the wilderness and early American settlements. The Gunter’s Chain measures 66 feet in length and consists of 100 links usually marked off into groups of 10 by brass rings or tags. Though this device has become obsolete, it’s use has left an imprint on our nation’s history and how property has been measured and divided. The chain, the link, and the rod have all became statutory units of measurement that were made convenient by the Gunter’s Chain.

1 chain = 66 feet
1 link = 0.66 feet or 7.92 inches
1 rod = ¼ chain or 16.5 feet
1 furlong = 10 chains or 660 feet
1 mile = 80 chains or 5,280 feet
1 acre = 10 square chains or 43,560 square feet

Quarterly Leadership Training With True North

3/11/2020

True North Consultants, Inc. and Engineering Resource Associates (ERA) partnered to provide employees with an opportunity to help develop leadership skills. The annual program of quarterly classes allows progressive skill building in communication, giving and receiving feedback, conflict management, and performance management. The goal of these classes is to coach so that the information is passed on to all employees and create a culture of learning and professional development. The first class was on effective communication. The communication process, perception and viewpoints, the difference between hearing and listening, and effective technique in asking questions were the discussion topics.

Harvest Wind Ridge Farm in Douglas County, IL

1/20/2020

ERA provided design assistance and recommendations for the development of the Harvest Wind Ridge Farm in Douglas County, IL. Existing bridge and culvert crossings were analyzed to provide safe routes for hauling the necessary materials and equipment for construction of the 48 wind turbines. The 600’ tall turbines, the largest of their kind in North America, will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 70,000 homes.

ERA Holiday Toy Drive

12/20/2019

In the spirit of the holiday and giving back, ERA employees collected donations for Toys for Tots that were contributed to the APWA Chicago Metro Chapter collection efforts this year!