Mike Thomas, the City of Revelstoke's director of engineering and development, has become the first municipal employee in British Columbia to receive an infrastructure sustainability accreditation.
Thomas is qualified to rate civil engineering projects using the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure's Envision rating system, which provides an industry-recognized framework to evaluate and rate the social, environmental and economic benefits of all types of infrastructure.
“The City of Revelstoke can benefit from the Envision rating system by providing stakeholders and decision-makers with a standardized sustainability framework that can be applied to a wide range of projects, such as roadworks, pump stations, water and sewer pipelines, bridges, and cycleways,” said Thomas in a news release. “The Envision rating system provides a sound means of measuring the benefits of innovative, sustainable infrastructure projects.”
Thomas was hired as Revelstoke's director of engineering in late 2012. Six months later, he had the development portfolio added to his role after planning director John Guenther resigned.
Thomas' new accreditation will help as the city looks to achieve it's sustainability goals that are outlined in the Official Community Plan, the city said in a news release. The OCP's vision statement calls for Revelstoke “be a leader in achieving a sustainable community by balancing environmental, social and economic values within a local, regional and global context”
“Mr. Thomas’s achievement as an accredited sustainability professional helps Revelstoke to continue to be the standard of excellence for other British Columbia municipalities," said chief administrative officer Tim Palmer. "We are privileged to have him on our leadership team.”
Mayor David Raven also congratulated Thomas for receiving his sustainability accreditation, saying it puts Revelstoke at the forefront of sustainable infrastructure decision making.
“With aging infrastructure and climate risks, the City of Revelstoke is continually seeking to improve the design and delivery of infrastructure projects to protect social, economic and environmental values," said Raven.
The city plans to use the Envision rating system for guidance and self-assessment on most civil projects.
The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure was founded by the world’s leading public works, engineering, and infrastructure organizations: the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).