Shivers to Participate in Fort Anderson Archaeological Forum

On February 6, 2012, HIGHFILL’s Paul Shivers will be participating in a forum and panel discussion called Look Toward the Earth: The Archaeology of Fort Anderson. The event, sponsored by Friends of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, will focus on recent developments in the archaeological exploration of Fort Anderson, an important piece of Wilmington’s coastal defense during the Civil War. Also attending will be John Mintz and Dr. Mark Wilde-Ramsing, two prominent North Carolina state archaeologists, and Dr. Chris Fonvielle, author of one of the preeminent books about the campaign for Wilmington during the Civil War. This event will be held at Trinity Methodist Church in Southport, NC, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site by phone at 910-371-6613 or by email at brunswick@ncdcr.org.

Mr. Shivers is currently designing an emplacement for a fully functional (firing) re-creation of a Pattern 1846 Navy 32-pounder, a Civil-War-era coastal gun originally used to defend Wilmington by barring the passage of warships up the Cape Fear River. The gun emplacement will be installed on the original earthworks at Fort Anderson and includes the design of the foundation supporting the gun, a wooden-decked gun platform, and wood reveted traverses and parapet. The design will also include measures to minimize impact and erosion to the existing earthworks.

Howard Kimbrell Recognized at WEFTEC Annual Conference

Howard Kimbrell was honored with a special award acknowledging his extensive participation and commitment to serving as Chair of the WEF Membership Committee from 2008 through 2011. The award was presented by WEF President Matt Bond and Bart Jones, Committee Leadership Council Chair, during the Committee Chairs’ Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon held on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at the 84th Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC).

Howard’s term as Chair will end this year, but he still plans to be actively involved in WEF and will continue to volunteer his time and remain committed to the organization and clean water. Howard commented, "It has been an honor to have the opportunity to serve on this committee and among national leaders in the industry. This experience has taught me that clean water is one of the most important legacies that we can leave our children and grandchildren."

Howard is Business Development Manager for Highfill Infrastructure Engineering, PC.

Shivers to Present on Fort Anderson Gun Emplacement Project

Fort Anderson is an American Civil War fortification located on the Brunswick County side of the Cape Fear River. The earthen fort was constructed as part of the Confederate defenses of Wilmington in 1862 and was continuously upgraded up through early 1865. HIEPC is currently working on a project with the North Carolina Historic Sites - Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson location, to provide preliminary engineering services for the installation of a fully functional (firing) 32 lb gun emplacement (cannon) on the existing earthworks of the fortification known as 'Battery B'.

As an active member of the Southeastern Chapter of Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC), Paul Shivers, PE, Project Manager for Highfill Infrastructure Engineering, will give a presentation on the coastal and riverine fortifications of the Cape Fear River before and during the Civil War. The presentation will focus on fortification goals, location selection, design, and construction methods based on the progression of ship versus shore tactics and weaponry during the mid-19th century. Mr. Shivers has been an amateur historian of 19th and 20th century military history since youth and has studied the design and architecture of fortifications in Europe and the United States. He has participated as a reenactor of multiple time periods and given military and living history presentations to multiple groups of various ages and backgrounds.

The presentation will be given during the October PENC Southeastern Chapter meeting and will be held at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson (8884 St. Phillips Road SE, Winnabow, NC) on Tuesday, October 18th at 12:00 p.m. The cost, which includes lunch, is $8 for PENC members and $10 for guests. Please RSVP to Paul Shivers at 910-313-1516.

HIGHFILL Welcomes Glenn Boyette

Highfill Infrastructure Engineering, PC is excited to announce and welcome the newest member to our Highfill team! Glenn Boyette joins us as a Senior Field Technician and has over 30 years of experience in construction observation, coordination, and monitoring activities on numerous water and wastewater infrastructure and telecommunications projects in North Carolina.

HIGHFILL Welcomes Howard Kimbrell

Highfill Infrastructure Engineering, PC is pleased to announce the addition of Howard W. Kimbrell to our growing team. Mr. Kimbrell has more than 30 years of experience in the engineering industry and will be leading HIGHFILL's business development team.

For most of his career, Mr. Kimbrell has been focused on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in the Carolina's and Virginia. He is a past Chair and Board Member of the North Carolina Section of the American Water Works and Water Environment Association and has served as a National Director of the Water Environment Federation. Mr. Kimbrell is currently Chair of the WEF Membership Committee and recently received the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award from WEF in recognition of Organizational Leadership and Service to a Member Association.

Cox & Sasser to Present at 10th Annual NC AWWA-WEA Spring Conference

Ray Cox, PE, Vice President and COO of Highfill Infrastructure, has been selected to present a technical paper at the NC AWWA-WEA 10th Annual Spring Conference. He will discuss "Combining Water Systems in the Cape Fear Region." Eddie Sasser, PE, Project Manager, will also be presenting on "Using a Pump Station to Revive a Hydraulically Locked-Out Tank."

The Conference will be held on March 27-29th at the new Wilmington Convention Center in downtown Wilmington.

HIGHFILL Gives Back

On October 23, Eddie Sasser, Project Manager with HIEPC, participated in the St. Baldrick’s Foundation event to raise money and shave his head in solidarity with children fighting cancer.

"The St. Baldrick’s fundraiser is a great event raising money for a great cause. It brings a lot of people together for the common goal of raising money for childhood cancer research. Every donation counts because who knows which dollar will give a doctor, scientist, or researcher the resources needed to discover the cure for cancer," reflects Eddie.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. It has given $55 million in grants over the past five years and funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government.

On October 27, Ray Cox, Vice President and COO of HIEPC, spent some of the afternoon ‘locked up’ in jail to help raise money in support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)! The MDA is a non-profit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research and providing comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy, and education.

"As blessed as my family is, volunteering some time to help those battling neuromuscular disease is the least I can do," says Ray.