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Expertise: Project Management, Construction Management, & Project Controls

Building Renovation Will Help DAS Achieve “One State” Vision

In January 2019 the Oregeon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) became aware of a building for sale along the I-5 corridor in Wilsonville that has turned out to be an ideal location and size for the DAS to achieve their vision of bringing multiple state agencies under one roof. Working through existing State contracts, SERA was hired to perform a due diligence study and subsequently building opportunity studies for various tenants. After the purchase of the building, Otak/DAY CPM was brought in as the Owner’s Representative and SERA has been retained to continue design based on the earlier studies.

The 175,000 SF building housed a Microsoft manufacturing facility with an office/warehouse that sat on a 425,146 SF (9.76 acres) lot in a Planned Development Industrial Zone. After performing a due diligence study and building utilization exercise the state purchased the building in December of 2019 with the support of the Legislature and the Capital Projects Advisory Board. 

Since the purchase, the state, working with Otak/DAY CPM and SERA has been focusing on establishing a holistic “One State” vision for the building that would be a collaboration between state agencies that perform regulation and inspection functions and reduce the amount spent on maintenance requirements in having offices housed in several buildings in and around Portland.  

The project mission driving the design is to: “Enhance the DAS property portfolio with the adaptive reuse of space for the State’s tenants in a “One State” collaborative environment using sustainable construction and operations techniques including provisions to support critical services response”. The intent is to create synergies between tenant needs and shared resources such as laboratories, security systems, and electrical facilities.

Tenants and activities to be included are the:

  • Department of Agriculture for testing animal and plant health including entomology, metrology, and other regulatory services provided by the agency.
  • OSHA
  • Department of Administrative Services Operations and Maintenance
  • Flexible space for Emergency Response.
  • Oregon State Police for long term evidence storage

While early design plans were being formatted, the arrival of COVID gave the building a new temporary function which supported the business case for the building purchase. The facility was converted into a home for Emergency Response Teams and included office space for 400 temporary employees in a call center. Accommodating emergency response efforts and providing temporary workspace is a function that the building will be able to provide in the future as well. This use and the corresponding response is one example of the flexibility that this building/project will provide DAS.

Ogden Middle School Renovation in Oregon City, Oregon

While the return of students to classrooms across the country this fall is in a state of flux due to the pandemic and COVID19, school districts across the region have been moving forward with construction and renovation projects supported by voter-approved bonds. One such project in Oregon City is the Ogden Middle School remodel and expansion which broke ground in March and is slated to be completed in time for the 2021/2022 school year.

DAY CPM has been the owner’s representative for the Oregon City School District, providing bond oversight and guiding the 34 million dollar renovation of Ogden Middle School. DAY CPM’s Stephen Wasserberger, bond manager and senior project manager, and Tracy Goodman, PM CM, have been working with district leaders, including Superintendent Larry Didway, project architects and general contractors since early 2019 to ensure the newly envisioned middle schools will satisfy the vision set forth by the district and the community.

The passage of the bond at the end of 2018 “presented a generational opportunity for the district to invest in the future and to reimagine the way middle school students are taught,” Stephen stated, adding that “it has been exciting to be a part of such a significant project in our community.” The DAY CPM team is providing budget oversight, managing the scope of the project and the schedule, acting as a liaison between the design team and the owner, and orchestrating the complex logistics inherent with moving classrooms. They have been involved every step of the way, initially advising the district with pre-bond services to both meet the vision and allow for contingencies.

During the design phase, in January of 2019, Stephen and Tracy, along with the team of designers, Superintendent Didway, and other school officials and teachers visited six schools in San Diego. The targeted schools are on the cutting edge of public education and are setting the example for the rest of the country with their successful implementation of design-thinking method, which is student-centered, project-based learning. The new Ogden Middle School design will incorporate much of what these leading schools have set as the new standard and it will become an example for other schools in the region to follow.

Oregon City Middle School students also participated in the design phase and were able to share their own needs and goals, as well as their anxieties and concerns. “Involving the kids was a crucial decision and instrumental to the overall design,” Stephen said. For example, “we learned how important a connection to the outside and nature is to their positive school experience.” The newly renovated school will include ample natural light and connections to the outdoors.

The Bond project includes two middle schools. In addition to the remodel of Ogden Middle School, the project is replacing Gardiner Middle School with a new state of the art 78 million dollar facility. Originally the two projects were going to be staggered, but to keep costs down, minimize disruption to the teachers and students, and better meets the goals of the District, the two projects have moved forward in tandem. This is also allowing the district to address concerns of equity and parity. DAY CPM is also involved with move-management – taking everything out of the classrooms to a staging area in the gym, then moving everything into modular units, and finally back to the new classrooms.

The team at DAY CPM is also overseeing the procurement of all the furniture, fixtures and equipment for both schools, based on the architect’s specs and a “furniture fair” the team held to get feedback from teachers and students. As Stephen points out, “the district is really making an effort to support the teachers and help them be successful in the new schools.” To that end, a life-size, 3-D mock-up of a learning neighborhood was built in the old high school gym. The furniture fair was held in the model neighborhood, where teachers and students were able to try out the furniture and also become more accustomed to the new classroom setting.

Both schools are projected to be completed in time for the fall of 2021, and teachers will be able to move into their new classrooms in August 2021. They will have a full month to get set-up,  acclimate to the new space, and learn how to function and teach in the new classrooms.

Renderings courtesy BRIC Architecture

Oregon City School District

An Oregon City School District $158 million school bond aims to improve schools in 3 key areas by reducing overcrowding, enhancing learning spaces, and improving safety. Together, the projects provide the opportunity to change curriculum by designing schools for a new cutting-edge way of teaching that enhances student-centered and project-based learning.

Prioritizing School Improvements Through Bond Management

Management of the school bond allowed the district address priorities. Those aimed to reduce overcrowding by replacing Gardiner Middle School and enhancing learning spaces with an extensive remodel of Ogden Middle School improving safety and security throughout the district, and updating school facilities by replacing HVAC systems, plumbing, roofs and electrical systems, and by installing LED lighting. Services also include lighting and energy upgrades through the Energy Trust of Oregon and SB1149 grants. As owner’s representative, Otak is provided services to the Oregon City School District as the Bond Manager for the Bond Program.

ENR Names Otak To Top 100 Construction Management/Program Management for Fee List

Otak has been named a Top 100 Construction Management/Program Management for Fee company by the Engineering News-Record. Otak ranked 85th this year, a jump from last year when the company was unranked.

ENR ranks companies based on total 2019 revenue in $ millions for both domestic and international project/program management services performed as a professional service for a fee.

Otak has seen, as referenced in an article by ENR, that the use of professional services firms to plan and deliver projects is increasing. Complex planning, financing, and cost estimating is becoming the norm and necessitates more efficient and cost-effective delivery. The use of professional service firms is seen by owners as the best solution. Firms like Otak can provide additional expertise that may not be found among owners’ available resources. 

The rise in use of professional service firms is reflected in this year’s ENR Top 100 Construction Management-for-Fee and Top 50 Program Management Firms list. Revenue for the CM-PM group in 2019 was up 2.7%, to $24.43 billion in 2019 from $23.78 billion in 2018. Domestic revenue from their work was stronger, rising 3.8%, to $18.88 billion. The gains were, however, not seen in foreign projects and programs that fell 0.6%, to $5.54 billion in 2019.

Looking ahead to next year, there is uncertainty due to the impacts from COVID-19, however, Otak’s work has remained steady as we have benefitted from our strong reputation and from being located in states that deemed construction essential. We anticipate being listed among the Top 100 again in 2020. 

Otak Partners with Earth Day Oregon to Support Nonprofit Depave

Times are challenging as we all face the impacts of COVID-19. But as our day to day lives have been disrupted, mother nature continues on unabated. Flowers have come up, migrating birds have returned, and temperatures are rising. 

In recognition of all that nature provides, Earth Day is celebrated throughout April. While this year there won’t be group events as we practice social distancing, Otak is still taking this time to celebrate the great outdoors. 

Otak has again signed on as a business partner for Earth Day Oregon to recognize, support and celebrate our planet and those organizations that work hard every day for our natural world.  Through Earth Day Oregon, Otak donated to Depave, a nonprofit that works to turn paved spaces into greenspaces to create more livable cities. We understand the environmental and social benefits greenspace can have and gladly stand behind and have volunteered for the many projects Depave has undertaken to green the landscape of Portland. We look forward to working together with Depave on its next project. 

On the homefront, Otak’s GO Committee and Operations Team remind us that Earth Day is really every day and there are things we can do in our daily lives to get back to nature. 

    1. Start a small garden. You can build raised beds in your yard, or simply pot some herbs and veggies to grow on your porch.
    2. Bike and walk more. Do you live near your local grocery store? Consider if it is possible to walk or bike for your next trip to the store (while following proper PPE and social distancing guidelines). A win-win for getting outside and getting your essential errands done.
    3. At Home CompostStart a home compost. Many of us are already doing this. Check-in with your local trash service to see if they offer compost pick up. If not and if space allows, you can start composting in your backyard by purchasing something like a “Bio Monster” or “Worm Factory” bin and use the compost for your garden.
    4. Shop locally, eat seasonally. With stay-at-home orders in place during the opening weeks for farmers’ markets, your local market or farm might be offering pick-up or delivery!
    5. Play Earth Day Bingo! Get the family involved in this great activity from the City of Kirkland.

Getting outside is one of the recommendations for keeping COVID-19 at bay, as well as a way to maintain your mental health. We want our employees to stay healthy so we encourage you to get out and show your love for the planet, on earth day and every day!

 

 

Bybee Lakes Hope Center, Wapato Property Immediate Renovation To Accomodate COVID-19 Patients

Jordan Schnitzer, President of Harsch Investment Properties, and Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers announced that they are working with the Oregon Health Authority to expedite the renovation of the Wapato property, also known as the Bybee Lakes Hope Center, in anticipation of high community need for bed spaces for patients to safely isolate and recover from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

According to state officials, it is likely that there will be a major shortage of medical bed space in the coming weeks. The Bybee Lakes Hope Center team believes this vacant property will be an asset to the regional community and the State of Oregon in response to the unprecedented public health crisis. “There will be a huge need for medical quarantine and transitional housing for those impacted by COVID-19,” said Oregon State Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, a family physician on faculty at OHSU and advisory board member for the Bybee Lakes Hope Center. “Helping Hands’ Bybee Lakes building and their skilled team are a perfect fit for responding to this community crisis.”

Oregon State Senator Betsy Johnson, board member of Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers and advisory board member for Bybee Lakes Hope Center, underscored the sense of urgency in identifying a comprehensive response to the novel coronavirus. “This is a serious situation, and it’s time to act,” Senator Johnson said. “We have to think outside the box to develop a multi-pronged plan to increase capacity to treat the sick in our community, and the Bybee Lakes property can provide hundreds of much-needed beds.”

Jordan Schnitzer, the current owner, purchased the property in 2018 and has been working with Helping Hands to raise over $4 million dollars in private donations to renovate the site into a valuable resource for the homeless population.  “COVID-19 is a crisis impacting every citizen in our state. Working with Helping Hands and the state of Oregon, I am pleased that Wapato could be used as a facility to help Oregonians survive this health emergency,” Schnitzer said.

DAY CPM was hired by Helping Hands as the Bybee Lakes Hope Center construction project management firm in February 2020. Terry Shanley, Principal at DAY CPM, and his team are working to quickly identify necessary building improvements for COVID-19 patients, including an upgraded ventilation system, utilities and equipment, and ensuring the rest of the facility can be operational as soon as possible. “It’s times like these that call for collaboration and pursuing new ideas and different solutions,” Shanley said. “DAY CPM is proud to be on this team cooperating with public and private entities to build a viable solution to this crisis.”

COVID-19 has impacted the short-term plans for Helping Hands with postponement of several community awareness and fundraising events. However, the Helping Hands team remains steadfastly committed to opening the Bybee Lakes Hope Center to serve community members experiencing homelessness as soon as it’s appropriate to do so. “Responding to the crisis is what Helping Hands does best,” said Helping Hands founder and CEO, Alan Evans. “We will open Bybee Lakes when the time is right, but for now, availability of medical beds has to be a higher priority so we’re working on a crisis response plan using this facility for the community good.”

Harsch Investment Properties and the Helping Hands team will have a timeline for expedited renovation of the facility before the end of the month and will update the community as information becomes available.

For additional information: Raven Russell, r.brown@helpinghandsreentry.org,503-298-9104 or Terry Shanley, terry.shanley@otak.com, 503-816-1718.

Construction of the North Clackamas School District’s Adrienne C. Nelson High School

We are thrilled to be a part of the new construction of North Clackamas School District’s Adrienne C. Nelson High School.

Otak is providing full project management services from our K-12 capital management and bond program specialists at Day CPM.  The Day/Otak team is leading the project with budget, scope and schedule oversight; consultant coordination; construction administration; facilities staff integration; and furniture and equipment ordering, delivery, and logistics management. 

This $100 million project has been a huge undertaking for the school district, however, DAY CPM’s expertise in managing school bond programs has ensured the district’s needs and expectations are being achieved in a cost effective and timely manner. 

We hope that this new high school will be a wonderful place of learning and relationship building that will provide the students with many of the tools they will need going forward.

Otak also provides professional expertise in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning and management of construction projects.

The project scope includes significant additions to the facility as well as relocating and expanding the existing Health Center, Counseling and Career Center areas, kitchen improvements and other minor changes. 

Significant additions to the facility include:

  • 2-story classroom wing at the northeast end of the building;
  • Second-floor classrooms over the existing first floor;
  • Performing arts wing with a full-size auditorium and black box theater; band, orchestral and choir teaching and practice rooms, offices, restrooms, and storage spaces;
  • A new gym facility that incorporates competition and practice basketball courts, bleachers, weight room, wrestling room, hydrotherapy facilities, lockers/showers, training rooms, coaches’ offices, restrooms, and storage;
  • New athletic complex complete with football field; track and field venues; partially covered stadium with home and guest bleachers, press box, ticket and concession spaces; updated varsity softball and baseball fields and a new batting facility at Hood View Park; restrooms and storage.

For more information, check out North Clackamas Schools’ video tour of this project.

 

Tillamook Street Improvements

A large-scale traffic redesign of the downtown core of Tillamook also adds a new connection for the community to enjoy pedestrian access to natural areas. Including the complete replacement of the Hoquarten Slough bridge and realignment of the couplet where the area’s main highways meet, the roadway design increases capacity and efficiency while reducing the threat of flooding.

Efficient Roadway Design and Construction

In partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Quincy Engineering, this $25 million roadway design in downtown Tillamook makes significant improvements to both US101 and OR6. Along with the intersection between the two highways, reconstruction of the US101 bridge over Hoquarten Slough. Road redevelopment that daylighted storm drains and decreased run off, reduces potential flooding. The project also adds a new parklet and an extension of a pedestrian pathway across a reused rail bridge, connecting two natural areas on either side of Highway 6. Otak designed these improvements while managing construction through completion as part of the broader revitalization of downtown Tillamook.

Tigard-Tualatin School District School Bond Program

The Tigard-Tualatin School District’s $350 million bond focuses on facility technology improvements as well as seismic and security upgrades to ensure these schools remain safe and functional for the community. Otak is providing school bond program and project management while overseeing the expansion of new elementary and middle schools, major renovations at each high school, and many other comprehensive and sustainable updates to most of the schools within the district.

Managing a School Bond for District-Wide Technology Upgrades and New Sustainable Facilities

Improvements across the district focus on HVAC updates, roof repairs, and outfitting classrooms and schools with new technology to enhance the creative thinking in the STEM classrooms. As part of expanding their facilities, construction of the new, award-winning Art Rutkin Elementary School adds 75,000 square-feet of space for students. Work at district high schools include Creekside Community High School, becoming one of the first net-zero education buildings in the state. The mass timber building is intentionally designed with a sloped, south-facing roofline to support solar opportunities on the way to pursuing net-zero energy. Altogether, these upgrades and renovations are designed to create an environment that promotes forward thinking, innovation and encourages an education system that serves the community for years to come.

The Portland Building

The Portland Building is a 15-story high-rise occupied by City of Portland bureaus. As an internationally renowned architectural example of Post-Modernism designed by Michael Graves, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Constructed in 1982 as a design-bid-build project, the building had developed problems with its structure, exterior, and operational systems that repairs alone could not address.

A First of its Kind, Progressive Design Build

The City of Portland initiated a $195 million project to reconstruct the building, making it the city’s largest capital project and an unprecedented use of a progressive design build as a delivery method. As part of the city project management team, Otak worked directly with the designer (DLR Group) and contractor (Howard S. Wright), who were hired as a team, to develop the award-winning project along established requirements that covered budget, schedule, structural upgrades, MEP system replacement, equity criteria and resolving water infiltration issues.

The project addressed the building envelope issues by covering the concrete façade with a unitized curtain wall and terracotta rain screen tiles that eliminated leaking while preserving its historic status and appearance. The restored façade also greatly improved the poor natural lighting which, combined with a full interior remodel, drastically transformed the building’s working environment. The team also organized the temporary relocation of all city staff – more than 1200 people – to ensure that the city maintained normal operations throughout the project. To prepare the staff to return to the building, employees were engaged in a comprehensive change management process, including virtual reality simulations, extensive mock-ups and providing 3D walkthroughs of the new workspace before construction.

As the first major northwest project to mandate disaggregated equity goals, The Portland Building project exceeded its 22% MWESB contracting target by achieving 33% participation. Along with seismic upgrades and system replacements, the building also exceeded its original sustainability goal of LEED Gold standards and achieve LEED Platinum Certification. In addition, the Portland Building is targeting WELL certification, a first in the Pacific Northwest. The progressive design build delivery method for The Portland Building resulted in the project being completed significantly under budget and one year ahead of schedule.

Project photography credit: James Ewing / JBSA.