Projects Archives - Page 8 of 12

Planning for Sustainable Communities in Georgia, Eurasia

Transforming communities to position them for prosperous futures is not a simple undertaking and is work that requires extensive public interaction and masterful planning. Doing such work on a regional level, in a foreign country, brings a completely different level of challenges and complexity. But when a plan comes together and an area has a new direction and hope, the personal and professional satisfaction is immeasurable.

This was the case when Otak took on the role of lead consultant for technical assistance in preparing integrated urban action plans (IAUP) for four separate areas of Georgia in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. With the plans in place, Otak is now working as a sub-consultant to the Danish firm COWI and is undertaking the preparation work for a $160 million Livable Cities Investment Project loan for work based on the IUAPs.

Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the original goal of the work was to develop ten-year investment plans for three urban region clusters, and a fourth for an area surrounding a busy metro station in the Georgia capital of Tbilisi. Otak’s Niels van Dijk, led a team of international development specialists, along with other urban design professionals from Otak, to create Integrated urban and regional plans that considered urban-rural linkages, economic activities, and competitive advantages of Zugdidi, Mestia, Northern Kakheti, and Akhmeteli. Work began in August 2017 and early planning was completed in May 2019.

Plans call for upgrading the busy transit center in Tibilisi.

Community leaders in Georgia identified the need to balance regional development in areas outside the urban core of Tbilisi—areas that are predominantly rural with economies based on agriculture and, to some extent, tourism. Populations in these towns have been shrinking as younger residents seek work elsewhere, so Georgia wanted a plan to create jobs and improve the quality of life–and ultimately attract its young people back.

Otak and its team developed strategies with supporting initiatives and actions over a 5-year scope. Looking across what each municipality had in place that could be transformed to reach its higher potential, the team looked at existing agriculture, heritage sites, public parks, trails, roads, and general infrastructure for water and energy. Public input was also a large part of this effort with findings that the communities in all areas expressed a keen interest in more kindergartens and sports facilities. Each area plan included elements to address multiple aspects of community quality.

First, the town centers will be spruced-up with elements to include paving, landscaping, sidewalks, street lights (solar), parking, visitor information-comfort stations, and bicycle lanes linked to recreational trails. As Tbilisi will be the jumping-off point for many visitors, the plan supports the rehabilitation of a large public park and the main river flowing through the city, along with an upgrade of the area surrounding Tbilisi’s busiest metro station to create better and safer accessibility. To further connectivity, plans identify a full network of hike/bike/pedestrian trails to be developed to link communities with points of interest stretching from the mountains to the sea.

Otak’s team looked to improve the connectivity and pedestrian accessibility within the communities.

Cultural heritage sites are to be rehabilitated to better accommodate and attract tourists. Ideas for new ventures such as agritourism are also being explored to benefit existing farmers and attract visitors. To accommodate a growing tourism base, grant programs would also be implemented for residents to use to renovate properties into bed and breakfasts and create camping or glamping facilities.

Residents’ desire for more active recreational opportunities led to plans for six new sports complexes, constructed in coordination with existing community buildings to create centers for organized sports as well as dance, weight lifting, judo, and similar recreational pastimes. And finally, plans also include the construction of 25 new kindergarten schools over the five-year horizon to accommodate the expected return of young families to each region.

Planning projects of this size and scope require the expertise and dedication of personnel across a wide swath of specialties. Fortunately, Otak has a large and growing talent base with the specialized skills needed to accomplish challenging projects.

Otak’s project team included Don Hanson, Planner, and Nate Erwin, Project Architect with support from Gabe Kruse, Landscape Architect/Urban Designer, who provided urban design concepts for the Akhmeteli Theatre Metro Station in Tbilisi. Nathan Jones, Planner, developed Story Maps presenting the four IUAPs. The LCIP project preparation work is being supported by Ann Nguyen, Landscape Architect (public parks and other public realms) while Ron Dean, Architect, reviewed architectural designs for sample kindergartens and sports facilities. Niels van Dijk is acting as an institutional and governance specialist.

DAY CPM Tackles Once in 100-Year School Addition and Renovation

Schools are the center of communities for the students who attend, the parents who rely on a safe place for education, and for others who simply want to see their tax dollars put to good use. With such high visibility and expectation of excellence, any project involving a school brings a special set of challenges.

DAY CPM has developed a recipe for success in working with school districts throughout Oregon to complete projects for K-12 schools. Reflective of this is its current role as Bond Program Manager for the Nestucca Valley School District’s 2018 Bond Program.

DAY CPM had a previous working relationship with the school district. The manager of the District’s last bond project, more than 10 years ago, is now a DAY CPM employee. The company also has a strong connection with the DLR Group which was chosen as the architect and design firm for the Nestucca project. To cement the award of the contract, Brian Hardebeck, senior project manager, shared during the Board interview, how his rural, farm background could bring a keener understanding of the needs of a rural community. “You don’t get opportunities if you don’t ask. We made our points, showing we had the right team, the level of services, and the personnel to kick us over the top, and asked them for the job” he said. The board agreed and appreciated that DAY CPM was the only company to ask directly to do the work.

The scope of the job is wide from design through construction, budget, and procurement, to quality control, and has included numerous obstacles that come from working in a normal rural location. Before considering the 1953 era school building itself, the team first had to address the need to improve utilities on the site. The only public utilities serving the school are electricity and broadband cable internet. There is no natural gas service leaving propane tanks as the fuel of choice, and with no public sewer, on-site septic and leach fields had to be expanded significantly to handle wastewater.

The potable water system is from on-site wells with high mineral content. Water coming from the old pipes met EPA drinkable water standards but was orange and was distasteful to drink—facts that proved to be the deciding factor for public approval of the bond. A new well was added along with new piping. Advanced filtration and treatment were necessitated requiring extensive work with the DEQ and the OHA to gain approvals.

In addition, a 60,000 gallon underground firewater storage facility had to be incorporated to cover the fire-fighting needs for the expanded facility. This system is also available for the Fire Department to draft from to fill tanker trucks with water to fight local community fires. Stormwater management will be controlled through the installation of management ponds covering nearly one acre.

The last infrastructure hurdle is to provide stable, affordable, internet service to residents for distance learning. Nearly 40% of students in the district did not have broadband connectivity. DAY CPM assisted the District in integrating its grassroots, non-bond funded, Tillamook County network of towers, repeaters, and in-home hot spots into the new systems at the K-8 school. The new infrastructure will deliver expanded internet service at a significantly lower cost to rural homesites. The end result is that 99.8% of students will have access when completed.

“This was a once in a 100-year new build project for the district. They have been through so much this year that we are happy our services could relieve them from having to do the heavy lifting of construction management too. We allowed them to concentrate on what they do best— educate—while we managed the improvements with our CM/GC Contractor, O’Brien Construction,” Brian said.

The new facility will add 38,000 gsf to the existing 33,000 gsf allowing the school to expand from K-5 to K-8 and serve 380 students. Filling that space will be a double gymnasium, library and media center, music space, administration areas, and a redesign and expansion of both the commons/cafeteria and classroom areas. The plans are for an open flexible design to foster community use and accessibility. The building is above the tsunami impact zone and meets seismic code so it will also serve as an emergency center for the community.

The project includes planned phased occupancies which started in June 2019. The project team has been able to take advantage of the forced closing of the school, due to COVID-19 protocols, to accelerate the start of the building renovations. The Certificate of Occupancy has been issued and administrators are expected to move back into the school in mid-December. The new addition is tracking for an April 2021 completion.

Overall, the project is four and a half months ahead of the original schedule. The re-sequenced schedule has saved the District money enabling it to expand the scope of the bond projects to replace an aging Career Technical Education (CTE) center at the high school campus among other options. The new CTE center will be housed in a pre-engineered metal building that meets code and will allow for expanded offerings for the community.

“This project will create a facility that is the heart of the Nestucca Valley community. As the largest and safest structure in south Tillamook Couty our community will use this facility not only as an educational building but a community event resource. I am very proud of how this project is turning out and confident that it will serve the community well for the next 70 years,” said Misty Wharton, Nestucca Valley School District Superintendent.

Otak Survey Team Helps Deliver Better Bus Service from Portland to Gresham

Since 2017, Otak has been working with TriMet on the Division Street Transit Project that, when completed, will bring the first high-capacity bus service to the metro area. Replacing and enhancing one of the region’s most popular transit lines, the Line 2-Division, the new bus line will improve service along Division Street from Downtown Portland to the City of Gresham, help keep traffic moving, and support an increasing ridership into the future.

TriMet originally contracted with Otak in 2017 to determine pre-design mapping and right of way needs. Then in January 2019, Trimet issued a formal RFP for right-of-way surveying, which Otak competed for and won. Otak and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) partner, 1-Alliance, performed a right of way and centerline resolution survey for 14 miles of the corridor, from inner SE Portland to Gresham. This involved the review of hundreds of deeds, surveys, and plats to resolve the location of the centerline of SE Division and the abutting plats and right of way lines. It also included the establishment of more than 100 survey control points and the recovery of more than 400 centerline monuments and right of way corners.

Under the leadership of Project Manager Jon Yamashita, the survey team has been working with the project’s design team to create right-of-way and temporary easement acquisition documents. “We stake out many of the acquisition areas so the landowners can see the impact of these on their property. Ultimately, we will set new property corners at the right of way acquisition locations, replace any property corners destroyed by the construction if they still represent a property corner, and prepare and file a pre-construction record of survey.”

Work on the transit line began in March of 2019 and has continued steadily since. In 2020, TriMet awarded the project’s general contractor contract to Raimore Construction, a certified DBE with a 20-year work history with TriMet.

The current Line 2-Division accounts for more than 10,000 daily rides between Downtown Portland and Gresham. As population and businesses along SE Division Street have grown, impacts on traffic, including public transit, have also increased. The new high-capacity bus line will deliver faster, easier and more reliable service, resolving high-ridership challenges such as crowded buses, full buses passing riders waiting at stops, and traffic congestion behind buses making frequent stops to pick up riders.

When completed, the 15-mile Division Transit Project will provide:

longer, three-door buses with room for 60% more riders
bus stops that may include amenities such as weather protection
multiple-door boarding for quicker stops
transit signal priority to get riders to their destinations faster
stations placed to meet the greatest rider demand
improved travel times and transit connections

Together, these improvements will reduce travel times up to 20%, with buses running every 12 minutes and even more often during rush hour.

The Division Street Transit Project, which is on track to begin delivering service in 2022, will also create new jobs and bring economic benefits to the region. The project is expected to create more than 1,400 jobs, including 650 construction jobs, and more than 780 indirect and induced jobs. Additionally, more than $137.7 million in added economic value is estimated to be created in the corridor. As Jon Yamashita attests, “it is exciting and gratifying to have the opportunity to work on a project of this significance for the region.”

DAY CPM Hired As Owner’s Representative for Multiple School District Projects

DAY CPM, a division of Otak, has established an ongoing working relationship with school districts throughout Oregon and a strong track record of completed projects for K-12 schools. The past two years, in particular, have included a number of schools projects of note including:

The Judson Middle School remodel and expansion for the Salem Keizer School District
Construction of a new Seaside High and Middle School, renovations and seismic upgrades to Seaside Elementary School.
Nestucca Valley School District K-8 conversion
Renovations and safety improvements for the eight schools in the Central Point School District
Technology, seismic, security and safety upgrades, repairs, and expansions throughout the Tigard-Tualatin School District
Conversions, renovations, expansions, and new construction within the North Clackamas School District

These projects are in large part due to the passage of various bond measures within the districts in 2016, 2018, and 2019. DAY CPM, acting as the owner’s representative on behalf of the respective districts is helping to guide these projects through to successful completion. While some projects will be ongoing, others are on track to be completed ahead of schedule this year, or in early 2021. The Nestucca Valley School District project, for example, was started in June of 2019 and, despite COVID challenges, is 4.5 months ahead of the original project schedule, according to senior project manager, Brian Hardebeck.

DAY CPM’s experience with coastal projects has been another key factor in their work with the Seaside School District, which is committed to the safety of school children and moving the schools out of the Tsunami zone. Jim Henry, senior project manager, has been actively involved in various projects for the district, drawing on the DAY CPM team’s experience in wetland mitigation and working with the Army Corp of Engineers and Oregon Division of State Lands Cooperative. “One of the advantages of being a multidisciplinary firm is the breadth of knowledge and expertise we can offer to help guide projects through well-informed decision making,” Jim asserts.

The firm has also provided project management and owner’s representative services on several campus projects for some of Oregon’s colleges and universities including Portland Community College, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Oregon Coast Community College. Henry Alaman, Sr. VP at DAY CPM states, “we are proud to partner with our clients in support of projects that serve our community.”

Animas River Trail Extension Connects Durango Residents to New Park and River

A newly completed section of the Animas River Trail (ART), a project more than ten years in the making, has recently opened, extending the ART to Oxbow Park and Preserve in Durango, Colorado. The trail provides connectivity between downtown, parks, and the library, to miles of other trail systems, and now to Oxbow Park and the Animas River itself.

Oxbow Park and Preserve is a 44-acre area along the Animas River in north Durango with about 38 acres dedicated as a natural preserve for wildlife habitat. The newly completed North Extension of the Animas River Trail is part of the City’s multi-million dollar plan to extend the trail to a new river access point at the park. With the completion of the extension, Durango residents and visitors are now able to safely access the river and enjoy the expanded amenities at Oxbow Park and Preserve.

Initially hired by the City of Durango in 2008 to complete the planning and alignment alternative analysis for the North Extension, Otak has been the lead design firm on all aspects of the trail. At that time, the project extended from Memorial Park to the Iron Horse (2 miles north). Under the leadership of project engineer and trail design manager, Scott Belonger, an alignment study and final construction documents were provided for the segment through Animas City Park in 2011. The project was then put on hold until property ownership and right of way issues were resolved. Because much of the trail work has been within the narrow Durango and Silverton railroad right of way, extensive structures were required as was broad public outreach.

In 2017, Otak was hired to also complete the design for the southern half of the original alignment study (from Memorial Park to Oxbow Park). Scott and his team have completed the final design/construction documents, which were divided into three subsegments. While Segments 2 and 3 have already been built, the redesign of Segment 1, which was pending the resolution of property issues, is now underway. The redesign is slated to be completed in early 2021, with the goal to construct Segment 1 later in 2021.

As a major city artery and asset for the City of Durango, the North Extension of the Animas River Trail presented a unique set of challenges. For instance, one mile of the North Extension shares a narrow corridor with the tracks of the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, used daily by dozens of trains. Extensive retaining walls were needed to fit the trail between the railroad tracks, adjacent homes, and the Animas River. The design took into consideration a number of issues including safety, privacy concerns, impacts to adjacent properties, and aesthetics.

Otak has been instrumental throughout the project’s more than ten-year span, providing project management, trail-design, and civil and structural engineering. The Otak Team included Scott Belonger, PE, Scott Kallase, EIT, Dan Beltzer, PE, David Graff, PE, Steve Florian, Senior Designer, Peter Loris, PE SE, and engineering designer Michael Cunningham.

A Holistic Approach to Transportation and Community Design

Posted on October 27, 2020August 31, 2023 by OTAK Team

The cool thing about Otak—the reason we love working here—is our complete focus on making the places we live, work, and play even better than they are today. We do that through our work and through our community activities. The services we provide as transportation engineers and planners are one of the ways we help implement a community’s vision.

Few elements shape a community and how it functions more than transportation. From roads to trails to transit systems, how and how far we travel has a direct impact on the economic and environmental sustainability of a region and ultimately its livability.

For the past thirty years, Otak has been working with city planners, municipal leaders, and developers to design new urban centers, plan transit systems, and restore and protect natural spaces. The hallmark of our work is an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to each project and to community development. We think about the community as a whole and all the implications of a project—a process we believe is critical when it comes to transportation planning.

Transportation engineering planning as a whole.

When we look at the transportation needs of a city or region, we look beyond the immediate problem to gain a broader perspective of priorities and possible solutions. We start by listening to the people who live and work in the community, as well as city leaders. We seek to understand the desires and needs of the community as a whole—residents, businesses, and commuters. We bring into focus the long-term goals, looking years into the future, exploring growth challenges, and possible solutions.

Otak’s continuing work with Community Transit (CT), Snohomish County’s transit provider, is a case in point. We have led the final design work on each of CT’s three BRT lines. Each of these lines is intimately connected with the cities and neighborhoods they serve. A value we provide is that we know those communities and have the experience to use our design talent to improve mobility and make them even better places to live—all while avoiding unwelcome impacts.

Leveraging limited resources.

By looking at transportation projects as part of a whole, we not only find practical solutions that will not have to be replaced in a few years, we often learn of other pressing needs and projects, and ways to leverage resources and budgets for greater outcomes. What may seem like competing priorities can often work together.

A problem facing many cities today is a backlog of infrastructure repair and maintenance projects, as well as an equally pressing need for infrastructure expansion. The challenge is addressing both with limited funding resources and strict regulatory mandates. Finding workable solutions requires some creativity, but it all comes down to understanding the full range of community needs, current and proposed projects, as well as the regulatory process and the different funding sources available. One of the strengths of our team is we have experienced engineers, designers, and planners who are knowledgeable about both current regulatory guidelines and compliance, and funding and funding streams.

An integrated approach to solving problems.

At Otak, we are very intentional about how we bring various disciplines together—water resources, landscape architecture, civil engineering—enabling our teams to take an integrated approach to planning, design, and construction. It is what sets Otak apart from larger and less experienced firms and has led to exciting opportunities and work we can be proud of.

One such example is the work we are doing in Colorado. On behalf of the City of Manitou Springs, Colorado, an integrated Otak team of structural, civil, and water resource engineers are collaborating with our landscape architects to replace an aging bridge with an aesthetically pleasing, functional, and resilient structure. The new bridge will improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike, while also incorporating public art and low-maintenance contextual landscaping into the solution. Working together, in partnership with the client and the local community, the Otak team is creating a unique multimodal solution and a beautiful gateway to the Garden of the Gods.

Our planning, engineering, and construction services teams work on a full range of transportation projects throughout the Pacific Northwest and Colorado that are making a difference in how communities remain connected. From community transit projects crossing multiple jurisdictions, and first- and last-mile solutions, to culvert design for improved fish passages, and pedestrian and bike trails, we are solving complex transportation challenges and offering multimodal ways of commuting that present a sustainable model for a resilient future.

ENR Recognizes Pringle Creek with a 2020 Regional Award of Merit

Otak has been selected by the Engineering News-Record as an Award of Merit winner for the Pringle Creek Demolition and Stream Restoration project. A virtual ceremony will be held Thursday, December 10 to recognize project winners.

This project was performed for the City of Salem and involved removing a vacant concrete structure and opening a 600-foot linear stream corridor which was designed to appear as if it had always been there. The work improved the aesthetics of the area and added a natural area for nearby residents and future park and trail users. It also improved water quality and increased fish passage.

The size and scope of the project necessitated coordination among several firms including Pacific Habitat Services who was key in obtaining environmental permits, and Geo Design Inc. who assisted with the management of contaminated soils. The prime contractor relied on two key subcontractors; Cascade Shoring and Abiqua Landscape.

Phase 1 of Beaverton Underground Water Treatment Facilities Completed

The City of Beaverton foresees a revitalization of its downtown area and is taking a proactive role to provide stormwater treatment within drainage areas that could experience redevelopment activity in the near future. The City is currently investing in regional underground public stormwater facilities at two locations as part of this project.

Construction of one of the two facilities was completed in August, which included two large vaults – one to facilitate sedimentation and one to provide enhanced water quality treatment. The construction site was situated near the Beaverton Round on Watson Avenue, just south of the Watson and Hall Blvd. couplet split. This location is near the downstream end of a large tributary area (mostly untreated under pre-project conditions) that could see multiple redevelopment projects in the future. The project was constructed with the goal to provide regional treatment, thus allowing lots within the tributary area to be redeveloped without having to provide individual on-site treatment.

Ashley Cantlon, Senior Water Resources Engineer and Project Manager, has been leading the Otak team that is providing engineering design and support services from preliminary concept through to final construction. The range of services includes hydraulic and hydrologic analysis, survey, design, and visual mitigation (planning/architect), as well as construction management and construction support services. Sub-consultants included 3D Infusion for drafting services and GRI for geotechnical exploration and analysis. The contractor on the project was MEI.

Working within the existing infrastructure in and around the area presented a unique set of challenges. For example, the need to fit the water collection and treatment system into the existing roadway and pipe infrastructure required using flow splitters and as little relocation of utilities as possible. Feasibility studies were conducted at the outset to gain a more complete picture of conflicts and constraints. These studies exposed potential problems which could then be mitigated, but also revealed opportunities to complete a portion of the project in conjunction with other concurrent city-led projects, including replacement of a water line, which will increase efficiencies and cause fewer interruptions to the public.

Flow split structures and other conveyance infrastructure associated with completing the connections to the Watson vaults will be completed in conjunction with other city projects in the nearby area to minimize road closures and traffic disruptions and keep costs down.

This first phase of the water treatment facilities project (installation of the sedimentation and treatment vaults), which broke ground on June 3, 2020, was completed on August 5, within a critical 58-day construction window. Phase 2 (flow split and conveyance infrastructure) is being coordinated and integrated into the other city-led projects and is slated for construction during the summer of 2021, at which point the treatment vaults will be brought online.

Otak came to the project with experience and knowledge of the area from previous work completed under multiple contracts with the City of Beaverton. “We have developed a good working relationship with the City and really enjoy working with their team,” Ashley said. Other stakeholders involved in the project include Clean Water Services, TriMet, and private property owners.

Water and Natural Resources Team Wraps Up Derry Dell Creek Restoration

Otak recently completed its work on the rehabilitation of the East Fork Derry Dell Creek in Tigard, Oregon. The City of Tigard hired Otak under its on-call contract.

Project manager and principal in charge Kevin Timmins, was joined by Scott Banker who is certified in erosion and sediment control, and Nick Cook, PhD, who provided engineering design for the project.

The creek, on private property, suffered from increased urban runoff that incised the channel and was causing severe erosion along the creek banks and scour around an existing stormwater outfall, so much so that the trunkline sanitary sewer and several laterals had been exposed. Otak was hired to reconstruct about 900 feet of the stream channel, rebury the sewer line, and restore the floodplain connectivity.

Design and permitting for the project started in April 2018 and permits were received in October 2019. To protect fish species construction had to wait for the next state-approved in-water work window of Summer 2020. Construction began mid-summer and was completed in just four weeks.

The old stream channel had reached depths up to six feet due to the excessive erosion so it was filled in and a gravel streambed was built at the upstream end. The stream channel was relocated at the downstream end to what the engineers believe was the original location of the stream. A mix of rock was used in the new channel to resist erosion and the channel was built with variations to mimic a real streambed and create different habitat conditions. Three trees that had fallen across the creek were cut and reused in the floodplain and stream to provide additional habitat enhancements and channel stability.

The team specified the use of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDA), designed under the same concept as naturally occurring beaver dams, as a cost-effective and efficient means to slow the water and collect sediment to build back the stream bed elevation so it can better access the floodplain.

Otak’s expert water and natural resources team left the stream in a healthier condition while stabilizing the adjacent slopes and protecting the sanitary sewer.

With the stream completed, the City of Tigard is moving forward this coming fall with revegetation of the adjacent stream corridor and wetland areas.