President's Message - Infrastructure Reinvestment Creates Opportunity

The nation’s reinvestment in infrastructure is quickly proving to be the economic jumpstart it was intended to be. The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will go a long way toward rebuilding the public works we rely upon as a nation.

The economic stimulus bill, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 15, 2009, includes $50.8 billion for energy and water projects. The funding is expected to fast-track about $6 billion in wastewater and water projects. Another $30 billion is targeted for federal building infrastructure.

In addition to the water and wastewater funding under the stimulus bill, Congress approved House Resolution 1262, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009, in March, but the bill has stalled in committee in the U.S. Senate. If passed, it will appropriate $13.8 billion over five years for water pollution control projects, in addition to the billions of dollars funded by the stimulus legislation.

With 20 percent of the nation’s 16,000-plus municipal wastewater treatment plants suffering from deferred maintenance, Fru-Con has many opportunities to be of exceptional service during this period of intense infrastructure reinvestment. We are already seeing some “shovel ready” projects advertised in anticipation of prompt funding distribution. I am confident in our team’s ability to deliver based on the excellence of our collective work today and in the past.

I recently returned from Bilfinger Berger’s worldwide Oehringen Executive Conference, at which I was pleased to showcase our team’s excellence with a report on Arlington 7A and the video of our Broad Run project for Loudoun County, Virginia. The presentation was well-received by the Bilfinger Berger Executive Board.

I returned to find a heartwarming letter of commendation from our design partner, a portion of which is featured on page 4. It takes the dedication of our entire team to win high praise from fellow team members and from our clients. I am grateful to each of you who make the effort daily to achieve excellence on behalf of those we serve.