News of Members

What have our members been doing during the pandemic? Read on to find out!

TheNews of Members portion of the NE/AIPG Newsletter was a vibrant (and, often, extensive) part of each newsletter from the early 1980's, onward. The News of Members column allows Section Members to update fellow geologists on their activities and experiences (both professional and personal). Given the expansive, 8-state area covered by the Northeast Section, and the limited opportunities to get together in person, the News of Members column fills a void and helps to maintain relationships.

Sadly, the News of Members column had languished over the last decade, given the many work/time constraints and pressures on Members. The good news is, with the Indian Summer 2020 Newsletter, we are re-invigorating the News of Members column! Read about some of the happenings of our ExCom members during this new age of quarantine and working from home.

As always, we encourage you to send YOUR activities, experiences, and news to our Editor for our next issue.

Dick Young ryoungnj@aol.com Kim Burger kburger@rouxinc.com Brandon Tufano btufano@integral-corp.co

(News of Members continued on page 63 )

Jessica McEachern (CPG-11869)

I continue to work as an associate geologist for JR Holzmacher, P.E., LLC. Work has been very light/almost nonexistent recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main project with which I was involved seemed to be nearing completion, but it was far from a sure thing. My contribution to this project mainly involved performing SWPPP (Storm Water Pollution Protection Plan) inspections at a construction site. This had obviously been placed on hold once New York began lockdowns in mid-March. Although the state’s reopening phase allowing outdoor construction had been reached some time ago, the status of this project is still up in the air thanks to the many different parts involved. To pass the time, I have been signing up for geology-related online webinars, which have been rewarding in more ways than one. This unexpected availability of free time has also given me an opportunity to spend more time on my new firm, Arc Geoscience Consulting, PLLC. After earning my license to practice geology in New York State in October of 2018, I began the process of converting my firm (at the time an LLC) into a professional corporation, which was finalized in March of 2019. As I’m sure most people know, a lot goes into setting up a new business, but I now have the beginnings of a website set up, as well as a prospective project or two. For more information, please visit: https://arc-geo.com.

Kelly Weyer (CPG-11826)

Kelly is in her second year working with Clean Globe Environmental LLC (CGE), a multi-service environmental contracting company located in New York. Her expertise brings CGE the ability to offer geophysical services, which is a good fit for the company that also provides Geoprobe, soil/water sampling, in-situ injections, remedial system construction, and O&M services. Typical CGE geophysical projects utilize electromagnetics (EM) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) to locate buried utilities and features, such as underground storage tanks (USTs) and septic/drainage system features, in support of environmental assessments, engineering and construction projects, and property transfers. In contrast to previously working at a geophysical company where the investigative work was completed before the project really started, Kelly enjoys being involved in many steps of the environmental assessment and remediation process with CGE, which allows her to apply a larger scope of her geology background. Since certain remediation and construction projects remain on the essential business list, CGE continues to provide services through the

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pandemic restrictions and shutdowns. Additional Health & Safety precautions are followed to keep field crews safe and healthy. Kelly can relate to the discomforts of working outside in the heat of a humid northeast summer wearing a face mask and also finding most public bathrooms closed and not available near jobsites (a personal note, but one that everyone is likely to experience at some point), but she does not mind the decrease in traffic around NYC (although not necessarily a “good” thing, since it means there are less people and commerce moving around the city). She hopes everyone out and about, whether it’s for work, education, essential activities, or enjoying a leisure activity, is staying as safe and healthy as possible! She looks forward to when the NE-AIPG section can meet in person for a geology focused outing.

Michael Grifasi (CPG-11489)

Nearly five months into the pandemic, I’m managing to remain unusually busy managing projects, and occasionally doing technical work, at FPM Remediations. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do every bit of that work from my home office, which has the dual benefit of allowing me (and my wife) to attend to our children. Being that most of FPM’s work is with the DoD, a majority of our projects are located throughout the country. Additionally, because we work with the DoD, most of our projects are considered “essential,” so the show goes on. Travel during the pandemic has been tough but we’ve been gifted with some great field staff willing to make those trips and keep the forward momentum. I’m also fortunate to have a fantastic subcontractor (GrayMar Environmental Services) making sure things keep running smoothly at our groundwater treatment system in Washington State. The DOH travel advisory in New York has created some fun challenges for staffing projects, especially when the quarantine list really began expanding. From a personal perspective, my family and I are doing the best that we can. Like many others, we’ve looked for the silver lining in this slowdown and really tried to take advantage of our extra time together. This has lead to more home-cooked meals together, family movie nights, long hikes in the Adirondacks, and a lot of good reading. I play in two bands and, as NYS has moved through our reopening phases, we’ve taken to backyard practices in the open air. It’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing. All of this has certainly helped me/us all deal with the passing of my father, Michael D. Grifasi, in April. He had been admitted to an ICU in Rome, New York, diagnosed with

COVID on Easter Sunday, and ultimately succumbed to the disease nine days later. A bit of a dark cloud over an already dark time, and a daily reminder that everything in this life is impermanent. So, we continue to wear our masks, keep our hands clean, socially distance –basically do everything in our power to make sure our story doesn’t become everyone else’s story by the time this pandemic comes to an end.

Dennis McGrath (CPG-08578)

Taking an idea about what members have been doing during the pandemic, I have been doing a lot of walking. The most interesting place I have walked by far has been on the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Path, located between Rockland and Westchester counties, less than 20 miles north of New York City (it replaced the old Tappan Zee Bridge). While the new bridge has been open to vehicular traffic since 2018, the Bridge Path just recently opened on June 15, 2020. During the pandemic, if you are looking for something to do one day, I highly recommend it for walkers and for cyclers. The bridge path is a 12-foot wide combination pedestrian and cycling path across the Hudson River. Itspans 3.6 miles from shoreline to shoreline and is accessible from either the Westchester County side (in Tarrytown, NY) or the Rockland County side (in South Nyack, NY). (News of Members continued on page 69)

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(News of Members continued from page 67) There is a welcome center on both sides with parking, rest rooms, and limited concessions. The bridge path is located on the northern side of the westbound bridge span, so you have clear unobstructed views of the Hudson River. The bridge path features six overlooks that are designed to celebrate different aspects of the Hudson Valley history. The overlooks enable walkers and cyclers a place to get off the path, rest, and take some pictures. I have only made it halfway across the bridge so far, but I hope to make it all the way across soon. There is supposed to be a shuttle bus that will take you back to your point of origin, so you do not have to hike both ways. I think the best features of the bridge are the views; the worst feature is probably the traffic noise. I am not a cyclist, so I cannot comment from that perspective, but judging from the number of cyclists I see in the area, I would say it appears to be a very popular destination. If you are interested, check out the article on page 80 of this newsletter or the website at https://mariomcuomobridge.ny.gov/explore-bridge-path for more details.

Kim Burger ( Newsletter Co-Editor)

Kim is a Word Processor at Roux Environmental Engineering and Geology, D.P.C., on Long Island, New York. With the encouragement of Co-Editor Brandon Tufano, Kim started assisting with the NE/AIPG Newsletter a few months ago, and she has grown to love it. As a freelance copy editor and former English teacher, this newsletter brings together some of her passions—the written word and an increase in knowledge! Kim will be the first one to acknowledge her lack of geology experience, yet she has found she “looks at rocks much differently now.” Kim brings a new, vivid perspective to the NE/AIPG Newsletter, which she hopes will inspire other members to contribute with personal and professional geological articles or information. Kim is always open to suggestions for information and encourages members to email her at kburger@rouxinc.com. (End)

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In Memory of Barry A. Schwartz

We are saddened to announce the passing of Barry A. Schwartz (CPG-10421) on August 18, 2020. Barry practiced engineering geology and was a member of the Northeast Section AIPG since 1999. Born in New Hyde Park, New York, and raised in Kew Gardens, New York, Barry was an active member of the Civil Air Patrol for over 20 years. He was also the co-owner of Feathered Friends Parrot Adoption Services, Inc. in Maspeth, New York, for over 15 years. Barry was happily married to his wife, Gayle, for over 16 years. He leaves behind his wife, Gayle; son, Peter; mother, Rochele; and sister, Jodi Engel.