At a Glance
This update covers June 2026 for the RESCO project.
All four project sites now have 10% conceptual site plans developed and reviewed, moving the project from field assessment into design. With preliminary system concepts refined and site-specific budget estimates prepared, we now hold everything needed to weigh implementation alternatives and settle the final project scope for each location.
- Developed and reviewed 10% conceptual site plans for all four project sites, grounded in the engineering site assessments and field findings
- Refined preliminary system concepts for each location
- Prepared site-specific budget estimates to support evaluation of implementation alternatives and determination of final project scope
What’s Happened
The month’s central work was turning what we learned in the field into design. The engineering site assessments and field findings from earlier in the project were translated into 10% conceptual site plans, the first drawings of what each of the four sites could become. The 10% stage is deliberately early in the design process.
It is the point where layout, siting, and system-type decisions are still inexpensive to change, so reviewing these concepts carefully now prevents costly rework once engineering deepens.
Alongside the plans, we refined the preliminary system concepts for each location and prepared site-specific budget estimates. Together, these give every site an apples-to-apples comparison of what each implementation alternative would deliver and what it would cost. That pairing of concept and estimate, repeated site by site, is what allows the final project scope to be determined on evidence rather than assumption.
“Four sites, four sets of field findings, and now four concepts we can actually put numbers against. This is the month the project became designable.” said Keith Graepler, Chief Technology Officer
Where This Puts Us
The project is exactly where an early-stage, multi-site effort should be, which is the phase where flexibility is highest and decisions matter most. Grant expenditure stands at 3%, which is consistent with concept-stage work. The spending curve is intentionally back-loaded, with the significant dollars reserved for the scopes we are now shaping.
The net effect of June’s work is that scope decisions for all four locations can now be made deliberately and on a common footing.
Next, attention turns to evaluation. We will use the budget estimates and refined system concepts to compare implementation alternatives for each site, and from that comparison we will determine the final project scope for each location. Once scope is set, the conceptual plans advance toward preliminary design, and the engineering sequence for each site can be laid out in earnest.
The order matters more than the calendar at this stage. We decide scope first and then design to it, so that every subsequent dollar and engineering hour goes toward configurations the sites have already committed to.
“The estimates give us honest choices to work with. Now we pick the right scope for each site and build toward it.” said Mary Pierce, PMP, Program Manager and Lead Project Manager
