Highlighter Summer2016

10 Pond | www.pondco.com U rban hubs across the country have proudly proclaimed their allegiance to “Complete S t r e e t s , ” s u p p o s e d metaphorical honey for young, affluent millennials as they flock to downtowns nationwide. In contrast to traditional streets and roadways, which are predominantly designed for the safe and efficient movement of cars and trucks, a “Complete Street” is a roadway that has been designed to accommodate travel for everyone who would use it, including people traveling by car, on foot, by bike, on buses and trains, etc. Over the last 10 years there has been a heightened awareness of complete streets in urban planning circles and in-town business networks, but – like many young couples who reach that pivotal point in life – it’s time for these innovations to migrate to the suburbs as well. Over the last 50 years, an incredible number of people have made their homes in the suburbs. Many of them go for a greater sense of community and a slower pace of life. Other prized qualities of suburban living include good schools and safe neighborhoods, parks and recreation, historic districts, and civic spaces. All of these existing amenities can be enhanced by creating roadways that make walking and biking to them possible, but commonly these kinds of streets don’t exist in all suburban areas. A 2013 survey indicated that when deciding where to live 1 , finding somewhere with sidewalks and places to take walks was the second most important criteria for movers. Even though people consider this an important criterion when choosing a home, many don ’t l i ve i n a reas wi t h t hese conveniences. In a separate 2013 survey, 4 out of 10 respondents said that their neighborhood was not very walkable or not walkable at all 2 . That latter survey also found that 8 out of 10 respondents wanted streets that make walking safer, even if it meant driving slower. Complete streets would greatly benefit residents of suburban areas, providing enhancements and alternatives to safety, lifestyle and commute. Connections for pedes t r i ans and cyc l i s t s f rom neighborhoods to public spaces could provide residents an alternative to driving when walking might be preferable. In many cases, a family might prefer to take a stroll from their home to a local festival or performance as opposed to loading kids into the car, sitting in traffic, and struggling to find a parking spot. Nav i ga t i ng ne i ghborhoods and surrounding areas by foot also allows residents to build familiarity and a sense of community with one another. Like many young couples who reach that pivotal point in life – it’s time for these innovations to migrate to the suburbs Enhancing Suburban Life STREETS The Pond Fuels Maintenance Team (Expeditionary Maintenance Support-EXMS) is very excited for the coming year with plans to expand and add several new locations as new bases are added to the Maintenance and Repair program. Currently, EXMS performs work at 13 bases mainly in the Central region of the US. There will be several opportunities to expand our program as new RFPs are released with additional fuel facilities throughout the US. In addition to expanding our DoD locations, we are actively pursuing opportunities for our Maintenance and Repair business into the commercial airline fuel facility arena. Gary Leach, Senior Project Manager