MAITLAND, Fla. (December 7, 2021) – A new Orange County solid waste transfer station designed by Neel-Schaffer was chosen as an Honor Award winner in the 2022 American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC-FL) Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA).

The $27 million facility on L.B. McLeod Road in Orlando replaced a nearly 60-year-old facility. The Orange County Utilities Solid Waste Division selected Neel-Schaffer in 2015 to plan, design and acquire permits for the demolition of the old facility. In 2018, Neel-Schaffer prepared final construction plans for bidding and construction of the new transfer station, which was completed in January 2021.

Ron Beladi, PE, a Neel-Schaffer Vice President with more than 40 years of civil and environmental engineering experience, was Neel-Schaffer’s Project Manager for the project.

The 2022 winners will be recognized at the 2022 ACEC-FL Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet on February 18, 2022, at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes.
Judges rate the projects based on uniqueness and innovative applications; future value to the engineering profession; perception by the public; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owners’ needs, including schedule and budget.

James Flynt, PE, Chief Engineer for the Orange County Solid Waste Division, praised the project team’s work in guiding the project from inception to completion.

“One of the attributes for the success of this project was the teamwork between the design engineering team, the construction contractor, and the County Solid Waste Division’s engineer and operations staff,” said Flynt. “They worked hand-in-hand throughout the project to successfully design, permit and construct a new state-of-the-art transfer station while minimizing down time of a key component of solid waste management in Orange County.”