CECorps volunteers support development of New Hampshire veterans community

A Woodstock, New Hampshire, nonprofit that supports military veterans is one step closer to opening a tiny home community and community center, thanks to expertise provided by volunteers from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) USA.

The volunteers were recruited through Community Engineering Corps (CECorps) in 2021 to help nonprofit Vet’s Rest Stop (VRS) design a septic system to treat wastewater for the tiny homes (pictured right) and central common house. 

VRS was founded by Jeffrey Ingalls, a U.S. Navy veteran who died in 2020. In 1985, after completing a sanitation project in Greece, Ingalls and his underwater construction team were aboard a commercial flight from Athens to Los Angeles that was hijacked by Hezbollah terrorists. He was taken hostage for 17 days and later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as well as a traumatic brain injury.

When he retired from military service and returned to New Hampshire in 2000, Ingalls founded an excavation and site work service. He also pursued his dream of providing veterans a place to find support and community by establishing VRS as a 501(c)(3) in 2016. 

Jack Daly, a VRS board advisor, said local organizations have donated equipment and material and volunteered their time to help construct the community. The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP Solutions Northeast) put VRS in touch with CECorps to provide technical assistance with wastewater treatment. 

Several VRS board members are U.S. military veterans, including Kelly Philbrick (Air Force), the board president; Ken Mack (Marines); Mark Evans (Army); and Norm Belanger (Navy). Also serving on the board is Cindy Simmons.

Between April 2021 and September 2022, CECorps volunteers scoped the project with VRS, conducted initial assessment trips to collect site data and developed several iterations of septic system designs – all on a pro-bono basis. The team developed the preliminary designs and an engineering report required to obtain New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services construction approval for an individual sewage and disposal system to service five tiny homes and the community center.

Sienna Roberge, a civil engineer at Haley Ward, served as Project Lead, and Dan Flores, senior civil engineer at SFC Engineering Partnership Inc., was the engineer of record and Responsible Engineer in Charge. They collaborated with other volunteers and community members to secure the proper permitting for the project. During the project, the team developed a rapport with the VRS community, and they remain in contact.

“Jack (Daly) and I are in regular communication, talking about project updates and progress,” said Roberge, who enjoyed connecting with other water and wastewater engineers in the region. “It’s really great to have this connection and positive partnership.”

CECorps was founded in 2014 by AWWA, Engineers Without Borders USA and the American Society of Civil Engineers. The organization assists U.S. communities that have been historically underserved with engineering services to solve infrastructure challenges inhibiting their quality of life.