by Annie Sauser, LEED AP, of John Milner Associates, Inc.
Like any people, the identity of the Haitian people is strongly tied to the visible symbols of their history. Such symbols give them roots, regardless of the ups and downs of their past. Their desire to retain and restore these symbols was very strongly articulated to us on our recent trip to Port-au-Prince. This trip came together through the efforts of DRC Haiti, S.A., a consortium of The DRC Group (www.drcusa.com) of Mobile, Alabama and V&F Construction, a Haitian civil engineering and construction firm. Their role in Haiti is to assist with recovery efforts working under contract to the U.S. Navy, the French government and others. After assessing the situation in Haiti The DRC Group determined that survey work on historic buildings required preservation specialists. So the CEO of The DRC Group called a colleague in Mobile, Jerry Lathan, whose company has a large portfolio of historic preservation work (www.lathancompany.com) to put together a team of experts in the fields of historic preservation and seismic engineering.
THE TEAM WHICH WENT TO HAITI TO ASSESS THE PALACE INCLUDED:
- The Lathan Company, Inc. (www.lathancompany.com): Jerry Lathan, CEO
- John Milner Associates, Inc. (www.johnmilnerassociattes.com): Annie Sauser LEED AP and Alfonso Narvaez
- Risha Engineering Group, Inc. (www.risha.com ): Janah Risha, SE
- With Mel Green of Melvyn Green and Associates, Inc. (www.mgreenassoc.com) as a consultant