Company News Archives - Page 7 of 9

Pacific Highway Emergency Culvert Replacement Project Wins APWA Project of the Year Award

We are excited to announce another Otak project—the Pacific Highway Emergency Culvert Replacement in Clark County—has been awarded Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Washington Chapter. The Clark County Public Works project was recognized for excellence in the Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair Category for projects under $5 million.

Following a heavy snow and rain event in February 2019, the existing culvert under Pacific Highway (northwest of La Center, Washington) was obstructed by debris and impounded water on the upstream end. The roadway base was also severely undermined, resulting in a deep scour hole beneath the road, and failure of the reinforced concrete panels of the old highway. The Clark County Council passed a Declaration of Emergency to expedite environmental approvals and contracting for the roadway repairs, and to reopen the highway as soon as possible. As the engineering consultant on-call, Otak was hired to quickly design a new crossing for the unnamed tributary.

In addition to re-opening the roadway, the County had specific goals beyond the typical temporary emergency culvert replacement:

Design a permanent solution to avoid future disruptions, costs, and road closures.
Ensure safe fish passage to the area’s Chinook, chum, coho, and steelhead.
Provide a cost-effective solution.
Avoid utility shutdowns.

The project design team consisted of Otak as the prime consultant, Zucker Engineering for additional engineering capacity, and Hart Crowser for geotechnical evaluations. Together with contractor Thompson Bros. Excavating, the team worked to design and construct a 13-foot span culvert, embedded with a natural stream bottom to repair the road and provide new fish passage. The road was reopened on March 29, 2019, just 45 days after the failure.

Congratulations to Nathan Dasler, PE, CFM, CWRE, and the rest of the team for successfully guiding this critical emergency project and quickly delivering an effective long-term solution to ensure public safety and restore critical fish passage.

To read more about this project click here.

APWA Names Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex Project of the Year

The Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC), an ambitious 53-acre outdoor facility for sports, recreation, and education has received the APWA-Washington Chapter Project of the Year Award. Hired as the Construction Manager and Owner’s Rep for the City of Ridgefield and the Ridgefield School District, Otak guided the $22M project to successful completion in the Spring of 2019.

Jointly owned by the City and the School District, the RORC was built in conjunction with a new Intermediate and Middle School campus. The partnership between the city and the school district offered a tremendous opportunity for the community to develop a new recreation complex while also saving millions of dollars on land acquisition, road improvements, and recreational and community space infrastructure.

The RORC features an innovative two-floor Community Building with concessions, kitchen, and meeting facilities; six multipurpose sports fields; a playground and trails; and a large plaza with connections for food and concessions carts and trucks. The RORC project is the first installation of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in Clark County. From supporting beams to the roof structure itself, the Community Building is an architect’s and structural engineer’s dream, showcasing the strength, durability, and architectural look and feel of CLT from both inside and outside of the Community Building.

Continuous and comprehensive communication and cooperation were key to completing the project. In addition to the complex design, concurrent construction, utility projects, frontage improvements, site work, and community-building efforts, all required continuous coordination between a multitude of contractors, community schedules, and events—over the past two years the site hosted the annual Ridgefield Oktoberfest and Experience Ridgefield, together, attracting as many as 10,000 visitors! The complex is also home to the Ridgefield Raptors, a West Coast League baseball team. During construction, project partners decided they wanted to add something else to set the RORC apart from others: a rollup door on the second floor overlooking Field 1, so Raptor fans would be able to “hear the crack of the bat” during baseball games.

Consideration was also given to protecting and preserving the surrounding natural wetlands. Measures were taken to protect the environment, as well as private property, property access, and utility service. As the construction manager and owner’s rep, Otak’s team was in continuous contact with utilities, contractors, and property owners when sensitive and potentially disruptive construction phases were underway, including utility cutovers, paving, and restoration.

Under the leadership of Tim Leavitt, PE, CESCL; and Chuck Green, PE, Otak guided the project through to completion on time and on budget providing construction engineering expertise, as well as construction management, inspections, and design review and support. Additional Otak team members included Mike Hale, Nick Redinger, Kyle Farnsworth, and Robert Dethlefs, PE.

Projects like the Ridgefield Complex are not only representative of Otak’s expertise in multi-disciplinary work, but also represent the community and environmental stewardship that have become Otak hallmarks. The RORC is a prime example of a project that promotes outdoor recreation, community cohesion through events, healthier lifestyles, and improved quality of life.

To read more about this project, click here.

Photos Courtesy: Jason Rayne, Rayne Studios

Otak Offsetting Carbon Emissions; Moving Toward Carbon-Neutral Status

Otak’s commitment to sustainability includes efforts to offset carbon emissions and move toward becoming a carbon-neutral company. Achieving carbon neutrality will be a two-step process and we are nearing completion on the first step, which involved quantifying our carbon emissions from 2019 and purchasing carbon offsets. We have partnered with a local organization, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), in this regard.

Carbon Offsets provide businesses with a verified method to balance their unavoidable carbon footprint by directly supporting projects that are proven to reduce carbon emissions. Purchasing offsets provides funding for projects that reduce greenhouse gas pollution and helps to ensure continued innovation and development of carbon reduction projects and technology. We recognize that while purchasing carbon offsets won’t eliminate the carbon that we create, it will help mitigate the greenhouse gases that are an unavoidable part of doing business.

To offset our emissions from the 2019 year, we compiled data for our airline miles, office operations, employee commutes, and work-related trips. The GO Operations Committee worked with BEF to select offset projects that were local to our bioregion in the Pacific Northwest, to keep our impact local since most of our emissions were created locally. Otak will be supporting three projects that include: avoided deforestation in Washington State, stream restoration that will benefit local orca populations through the PTP (Promise to the Pod Campaign), and a clean energy futures program aimed at providing equal education access to students in the clean energy field.

The second step, a carbon-neutral certification, will involve a third-party review of our offset purchases from BEF, methods of calculation to verify the data, and reduction plans. The third-party review will also help us to understand where we can make further reductions and minimize the need for offsets. Offsetting should be the final piece after reducing our total emissions. Look for more communication about our certification progress throughout the coming year.

We want to thank the GO Operations Committee for spearheading this effort that is setting Otak apart and making headway toward our commitments to sustainability and resiliency in our communities.

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.

Today is Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth, which celebrates the freeing of enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. This happened almost two and a half years after the signing of the emancipation proclamation and is a part of our United States history that is not commonly taught. Many of us are learning about Juneteenth for the first time. Today I encourage everyone to reflect on the untaught histories that you have learned over the last few weeks from the perspective of those who have fought to tell their stories, and to continue seeking new perspectives. This history is part of our shared culture and society and can guide us in understanding the present while building a better future.

Otak is about people. Being about people means helping people, and helping people means recognizing and acknowledging why they hurt while asking them how we can do better. Because we each have lived vastly different experiences, we don’t always know the best way to enact change, but we are committed to try. The pain and suffering inflicted on Black Americans by structural injustice and inequality must be at the forefront of our awareness and conversations. It is causing us to reflect on our values and how we can change and act to stay true to those values.

At Otak we stay true to our values by recognizing that the places we plan, design, and build must be places where everyone can live, work, and play. We stay true to our values by understanding that it is not enough to simply invite people in. We need to help those in need by ensuring our community is truly inclusive, and that diverse experiences and perspectives are valued.

Every day we’re fortunate to have opportunities to expand our understanding and gain new perspectives of cultures outside our own. Let’s learn from the past as we move forward so we can lift each other up.

Jim Hamann |CEO

Happy 39th Anniversary Otak

Thirty-nine years ago, an Alaskan missionary made the first successful ascent of Denali (formerly Mt. Mckinley), the Post-It was launched, and the first test-tube baby was born. It was a year of firsts, but the most noteworthy for those now in the Otak family, it was also the year Otak began.

In 1981 a team of urban designers, architects, engineers, planners, landscape architects, surveyors, and project managers joined under the Otak umbrella to lead the development of vibrant communities, sustainable places, and thriving places to work and play.

Otak may have started with lofty goals, but it was launched during a recession, that at the time was considered the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. In spite of the bleak economy, Otak dug in for the long haul, and as it has done time and time again, proved the company is resilient and can come through hard times with renewed strength from the challenges it has overcome. Otak, like the Post-It, has stuck around.

Help us celebrate 39 years because Otak would not be here without all of you.

Team Otak Joins The Bike More Challenge

UPDATE

October 5, 2020–The Otak team participating in the 2020 Bike More Challenge, sponsored by The Street Trust, won 3rd place for mid-sized companies. Placing 3rd shattered Otak’s 25th ranking last year! The award is determined by points earned for days of participation, combined miles covered on a bicycle, and the encouragement given to others to ride bikes. Captained by Rose Horton, and led by the GO Committee, Otak had 17 people on its team with participants from all Otak office locations (Portland, Washington, and Colorado).

June 11, 2020–Otak has again put forward a team for the Bike More Challenge sponsored by The Street Trust. Held throughout the month of June, the event is designed to encourage biking as a safe commuting alternative, as well as a means to increase personal health and the health of the planet. Riders sign up, log their rides in an easy app, and compete with teams and individuals across the state to win prizes.

The 2020 Bike More Challenge marks the fifth year that Otak has participated, but new this year, employees from all Otak locations in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado can participate and log their miles as part of the Otak Team. “This is a great way to build camaraderie and show that our people are dedicated to sustainability not just in their work but also in their personal lives,” says Rose Horton, 2020 Team Captain. What better way to enjoy the spring weather, get some exercise, and still comply with social distancing guidelines? Even if biking is done on an indoor exercycle, those miles still count. Last year Otak was ranked 25th for miles logged and the goal is to exceed that number this year.

Prizes for the challenge are available in the following categories: Most Miles Female, Most Miles New Female, Most Miles Male, Most Miles New Male, Most Miles Non-Binary, Most Miles New Non-Binary, Top Encourager, Top Overall Rider and Team Captain of the Year Award!

Registration is completely FREE. Visit https://bikemorechallenge.com for details on how to sign up and download the mobile app. Be sure to sign up to the Otak team! All miles logged through the end of June need to be entered by July 15th.

The GO Committee is heading up this event – feel free to contact Rose Horton or Li Alligood in Portland and Madeline Woods in Louisville with questions.

A Message from Our CEO

We are all saddened to witness the violence and destruction of recent days even as we acknowledge it stems from deep wounds from decades of injustice and inequality. Yet there is hope in the many more peaceful protests that continue. Now is the time for all of us to come together to ensure we embrace different perspectives and treat everyone with respect and equality.

As peaceful protests continue across the country, people are demanding equal rights and justice for everyone – a cause we all can understand and support. It’s a good time to reflect on ourselves and our values. At Otak, we strive to foster an inclusive workplace that enables diverse thought, values everyone’s voice and encourages everyone to be their best. We have Zero Tolerance for discrimination of any kind.

To help support the goal of equality and justice for everyone, Otak will be making a donation to the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund. LDEF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.

Let’s all work together to support the change that’s needed in our country. At Otak, we’ll continue to make every effort to ensure Otak continues to be an inclusive and welcoming place for all.

Jim Hamann | CEO

Smith Island Estuary Restoration Project Wins APWA Project of the Year

Otak is pleased to announce the Smith Island Estuary Restoration Project won both the American Public Works Association (APWA) National and Washington State Chapter, 2020 Project of the Year Award in the category of Environment: $25 million to $75 million. Entered projects are judged on construction management, environmental protection, safety performance, and community relations.

Otak’s Redmond and Everett team provided support to the Snohomish County Public Works Department who managed construction for the project that reestablished tidal marsh conditions to more than 330 acres of the Snohomish River estuary. Work was completed in November 2018.

The project included breaching 4,510 feet of dike to restore tidal flow to the estuary, reconnecting 18,480 feet of tidal channels, and creating 10,994 feet of new channel habitat, and a 1.2-mile new setback dike to protect public and private infrastructure including agriculture and highway. Funding came, in part, through $20.8 million in state and federal grants.

Over the last century, the Snohomish River Estuary had become disconnected from tidal influence due to the installation of 40 dikes, years of deforestation, and urbanization. This altered the functioning of the landscape and caused a tremendous loss of juvenile salmon production. In 1999, Puget Sound Chinook was listed as an endangered species, sparking Snohomish County to acquire 415 acres on Smith Island for habitat restoration. Those efforts took five years. Over the next eight years, the design, permitting, and securing of funds commenced allowing construction to begin in 2015.

The work was done in two phases to accommodate two years of consolidation settlement and subsequent placement of drain pipes in the levee, and to account for tidal fluctuations, weather delays, winter construction suspensions, and work-date restrictions to protect aquatic life.

In Phase 1, Scarsella Brothers constructed the infrastructure to protect surrounding public and private development and initiated restoration of the marsh. For Phase 2, Orion Marine Contractors connected 3.5 miles of tidal channels and installed 42 engineered wood structures to facilitate channel formation and provide cover for juvenile salmon.

Otak is proud to have been involved in the Smith Island Estuary Restoration Project. The benefits from this restoration effort will help bring back several endangered species of salmon contributing more than 30 percent of the Snohomish estuary acreage restoration target that was established in the federally-adopted Chinook salmon recovery plan for the Snohomish Basin. Smith Island now can support up to 250,000 juvenile salmon each year and provides public access to water recreation, walking trails, and wildlife viewing areas, as well as enhanced aquatic habitat and water quality. In addition, Smith Island is an important stopover on the regional flight corridor for migratory birds flying between Alaska, Mexico, and South America.

Otak‌ ‌Donates‌ ‌To‌ ‌University of W‌ashington’s ‌Equity‌ ‌Scholarship‌ ‌Fund‌

With an eye towards supporting urban planners and the role they play in creating diverse and inclusive communities, at the start of the new year, Otak donated to the University of Washington’s Urban Design and Planning Professionals Council Equity Fund. Money from this fund supports scholarships for urban planning students that come from diverse backgrounds and have a desire to bring their experience to their careers.

The scholarship is awarded by the Urban Design and Planning Professionals Council which is a volunteer group of planners from the greater Seattle region who mentor urban design and planning students. Mentors help students network, find internships, and provide career advice, while the full council offers events and activities to the students to showcase the careers of urban planners. The program boasts a 90% success rate in its alumni, securing planning-related jobs within one year of graduation.

Urban planners are in the unique position of helping to guide how we live, work, and play in our communities. Through their designs and ingenuity, planners can reflect the people who live in the communities and support their culture and very way of life. As the world continues to become more and more diverse, having cityscapes, parks and public places reflect that diversity is critical to creating more equitable societies.

UW, through this scholarship fund, is playing its part in ensuring a future generation of planners who can accept the challenge of creating spaces and places that welcome everyone. Otak is proud to support the University in this mission.