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2023 ECI Employee Giving
We are proud to announce that during our 2023 Holiday Giving Campaign our employees collectively donated $27,018.
ECI also made a corporate contribution to bring the total up to an even $30,000 for this year which was evenly divided between the following local charities:
- UVM Medical Cancer Foundation https://www.uvmhealth.org/medcenter/about-uvm-medical-center/foundation
- Vermont Make-A-Wish https://vermont.wish.org/
- Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-National-Guard-Charitable-Foundation-185255287247/
- Mike Loyer Foundation https://www.theclassicmikeloyer.org/about-us/
ECI employees have a history of making charitable contributions during the holiday season and this is the largest contribution by its employees to date – exceeding last year’s contribution of $21,483
In addition to the holiday giving, employees have purchased ECI sweatshirts and T-shirts throughout the year as part of other fundraising efforts. Our October Pink T-shirt and Cancer Sweatshirt sales totaled $1,140 and were donated to the UVM Medical Center Cancer Foundation – Cancer Center Patient Support. The rest of our apparel sales raised $10,377.50 for The Classic Mike Loyer Foundation.
2022 ECI Employee Holiday Giving
We are proud to announce that our employees have collectively donated $21,483 which was divided between the following local charities:
- UVM Medical Cancer Foundation https://www.uvmhealth.org/medcenter/about-uvm-medical-center/foundation
- Vermont Make-A-Wish https://vermont.wish.org/
- Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-National-Guard-Charitable-Foundation-185255287247/
- Mike Loyer Foundation https://www.theclassicmikeloyer.org/about-us/
ECI also made a corporate contribution to the funds to bring the total up to an even $25,000 for this year.
ECI employees have a history of making charitable contributions during the holiday season and this is the largest contribution by its employees to date – exceeding last years contribution of $20,158.
In addition to the holiday giving, employees have purchased ECI sweatshirts and T-shirts throughout the year as part of another fundraising effort. The program raised $8,956 and all proceeds were donated to the UVM Cancer Foundation.
ECI Co-Authors Technical Paper at DFI 2022 Annual Meeting
The paper entitled “Anchored Hollow Bar Tangent Pile System for Underpinning” was authored by Ken Pidgeon (ECI), Ben MacKinney (ECI), Ken Allard (ECI), Marco Boscardin, and Adrianne Boscardin. The paper presents a case history of our unique application of a system of vertical micropiles with horizontal soil nail bracing and shotcrete facing for underpinning at the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Marco and Adrianne are from Boscardin Consulting Engineers which provided engineering services for the project.
The underpinning system was used to support and protect an existing 2-story hospital building during demolition and renovation. The goal was to limit building movements and have the building remain in use during construction of an abutting addition. Excavation depths were up to 15 feet (4.6 m) below the existing footings.
Marco presented the paper at the DFI event at the Gaylord Hotel & Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Ken Pidgeon attended the conference with Marco.
ECI Relocates Vermont National Guard Fallen Heroes Memorial
ECI was the prime contractor to the Vermont Military Department to relocate the existing Fallen Heroes Memorial from inside of the Camp Johnson compound to outside of the security fencing at the Route 15 entrance in Colchester, VT. ECI was awarded the contract late in 2020 and our crews worked hard to accomplish an aggressive construction schedule to allow the Rededication and Memorial Day Observance on May 27, 2021. The project included removing the existing sculptures, benches, personalized pavers, plaques, and other memorial features and then relocating them to their new home. The new location included significant site infrastructure improvements such as site grading, fencing, lighting, paving, sidewalks, landscaping, and concrete foundations for the monument.
Several ECI workers from the project attended the Rededication – Memorial Day Observance ceremony and are photographed below with Heather Sheehan (holding yellow rose). Heather’s husband Kevin was killed in Iraq in 2004 and was an ECI employee at the time of his deployment. We are forever grateful for Kevin’s sacrifice to our country and still grieve the loss of Kevin. This upcoming Memorial Day weekend, we encourage everyone to pause and reflect upon the great sacrifices that our fallen heroes and their families have made. It’s up to us as survivor’s and beneficiaries of their sacrifices to move the world forward with dignity and respect.
ECI Employees Contribute $19,672 to Local Charities for 2020
We are proud to announce that our employees have collectively donated $19,672 which was divided between the following local charities:
- American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org/about-us/local/vermont.html
- Vermont Make-A-Wish https://vermont.wish.org/
- Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-National-Guard-Charitable-Foundation-185255287247/
- Mike Loyer Foundation https://www.theclassicmikeloyer.org/about-us/
ECI employees have a history of making charitable contributions during the holiday season and this is the largest contribution by its employees to date – exceeding last years contribution of $17,340.
ECI Employees Contribute $17,340 to Local Charities
We are proud to announce that our employees have collectively donated $17,340 which was divided evenly between the following local charities:
- Vermont Make-A-Wish https://vermont.wish.org/
- Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-National-Guard-Charitable-Foundation-185255287247/
- Mike Loyer Foundation https://www.theclassicmikeloyer.org/about-us/
ECI employees have a history of making charitable contributions during the holiday season and this is the largest contribution by its employees to date – exceeding last years contribution of $12.150.
ECI Recognized by Trenchless Technology Magazine for Middlebury Tunnel Project
ECI’s Middlebury Tunnel Project was highlighted in the May 2018 edition of Trenchless Technology. This early work package contract included construction of the deep stormwater conveyance tunnels for the upcoming railroad tunnel project. The three 60-inch-diameter tunnels in rock conditions were launched from a 40-ft-dia by 35-ft-deep launch shaft constructed in the heart of busy downtown Middlebury. The drives ranged from 140 to 152 feet long. The rock consisted of marble with an unconfined compressive strength of up to 20,000 psi. The third drive extended through the hard rock and into a mixed face and then a soft clay over the last 20 feet. ECI used a Robbins Motorized Small Boring Unit (SBU) tunneling machine with hard-rock disc-cutter tooling. The SBU is mounted at the front of steel casings which are jacked forward with an auger boring machine from inside the launch pit. The electrically motorized SBU head rotates as the steel casing transfers the applied jacking force from the auger boring machine system. The operator is inside the SBU-M and uses a laser-guided target to stay on line and grade. Steering is achieved by slight adjustments to the articulated forward shield. The tunnel is permanently lined by the trailing steel casing connected with permalok snap-on joints. This project used a 42-in-dia polypropylene corrugated steel pipe as the main carrier with annular grout fill.
Trenchless Technology Magazine: https://trenchlesstechnology.com/eci-robbins-sbu-m-three-hard-rock-crossings-vermont/prettyPhoto/0/
ECI’s involvement in the project will continue into the next phase of the railroad tunnel construction anticipated to start up this summer and completion in 2020.
VTrans Project Website: https://vtrans.vermont.gov/projects/middlebury
Robbins Company SBU-M Bochure: https://www.therobbinscompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/SBU-M-spec-sheet-2009_metric.pdf
ECI Presents Paper and Recognized at No-Dig 2019
ECI recently presented a technical paper at the No-Dig 2019 yearly conference for the North American Society of Trenchless Technology in Chicago.
In addition, the project presented by ECI was used as the cover article in the Spring 2019 edition of “Trenchless International,” a publication of the International Society of Trenchless Technology.
Mr. Tom Loyer of ECI co-authored and presented the case history technical paper on a Vermont Agency of Transportation project involving three culvert replacements below the Vermont Railway in Ferrisburg and New Haven, Vermont. The culverts were installed by pneumatic driving of 72-in-dia steel casings aligned by guided bore technology. The casings were subsequently lined with corrugated polymer coated pipes. The work was completed on schedule without any delays to the operating railroad above.
ECI Employees Donate $12,150 to Local Charities
We are proud to announce that our employees have collectively donated $12,150 which was divided evenly between the following local charities:
- Camp Ta Kump Ta http://www.takumta.org/
- Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-National-Guard-Charitable-Foundation-185255287247/
- Mike Loyer Foundation https://www.theclassicmikeloyer.org/about-us/
ECI employees have a history of making charitable contributions during the holiday season and this is the largest contribution by its employees to date – exceeding last years contribution of $11,400.
All three charities attended our Christmas barbecue at ECI’s shop to receive their donation.
ECI Completes Drive #3 for Middlebury Tunnel Project
Engineers Construction recently completed the 3rd and final drive for the drainage tunnels on the Middlebury Railroad Tunnel Project. The three drives were each 60-in-diameter cased bores in mixed-face and mostly rock conditions using a motorized small boring unit system provided by Robbins. The drive lengths were 135, 152, and 137 feet each with a cut opening of 62.5 inches. ECI used PermaLok steel casing for an outer liner and an American Augers 60-1200 for a jacking system and spoil removal. The steerable and manned tunnel boring machine used a laser grade system to maintain line and grade. Each drive was installed to within tolerances and within 1 inch of line and grade.
The rock consisted of limestone with a maximum unconfined compressive strength of around 19,000 psi.
The remaining work on this early work package contract is to finish contact grouting (outside casing grout fill), install the final carrier pipe inside of the casings, install the new precast concrete storm drain manholes, and backfill the launch and receiving shafts. Once this drainage work is complete, the main railroad tunnel work will commence.
The launch shaft consisted of a 40-ft-diameter shaft excavated to a depth of 38 feet. The launch and the receiving shafts were all located immediately adjacent to the tracks of the Vermont Railway.
ECI is a subcontractor to Kubricky Construction (Wilton, NY). The Owner is the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The project is located in Middlebury, Vermont. More information on the Middlebury Tunnel is available on the VTrans project website: https://vtrans.vermont.gov/projects/middlebury/about. And, the weekly blog by Mr. Jim Gish (Middlebury Tunnel Public Liason): https://www.middleburybridges.org/single-post/2018/11/15/2018-Update-57?utm_campaign=de0383ab-4151-4c4a-ab64-3c08df5fb02f&utm_source=so.
VTrans has also posted a youtube drone video: