CH2M HILL and Fayetteville, Ark., collaboration earns public-private partnership award

 DENVER — The National Council for Public-Private Partnerships is recognizing the city of Fayetteville, Ark., and CH2M HILL with one of its 2011 Public-Private Partnership Awards for their work in sustainability. City and CH2M HILL staff will accept the award at NCPPP’s annual conference in October in Tampa.

“CH2M HILL is a long-term committed partner in the Fayetteville community’s sustainability efforts,” said David Jurgens, Fayetteville’s director of public utilities. “They have consistently strived to be a leader in sharing and achieving our vision for the community, and have gone above and beyond protecting water sources, reducing waste, and volunteering to beautify and restore the environment both where they work and elsewhere in the region.”

The application, “Creating a Sustainable Partnership Program,” focused on how the city and CH2M HILL have worked together to increase sustainability at the wastewater treatment plants and throughout the city. The company has partnered with Fayetteville on community outreach programs, supported green education conferences, and taken a lead in showing how to implement sustainable practices.

Some of the steps taken include planting a xeriscape garden on the grounds of one treatment plant; removing invasive species and replanting an eight-acre watershed with native trees, shrubs, and plants; using a tricycle and bicycles rather than trucks on plant grounds; and hosting regular meetings to look for new ideas from all members of the staff.

“It’s truly an honor to once again be recognized by the experts in the field of public-private partnerships,” says Elisa M. Speranza, president of CH2M HILL’s Operations & Maintenance Business Group. “Our Fayetteville team is continually seeking and applying new technologies and innovative ideas that improve work processes, enhance the beauty of the environment and significantly reduce operating costs for our client. The NCPPP award is fitting recognition for all their efforts and a tribute to the partnership we enjoy with the city of Fayetteville, a national leader in municipal sustainability.”

The Fayetteville-CH2M HILL application was the only winner of an NCPPP Service Award. Five other awards were given in two additional categories.

The NCPPP awards identify projects that provide outstanding examples of the best use of public-private partnerships. The partnership award winners have effectively combined the strengths of each sector for the most cost-effective delivery of services and infrastructure, while maintaining an appropriate level of public control. This is the seventh Public-Private Partnership Award shared by CH2M HILL and its clients since 2002.