Page 11 – Otak

DAY CPM Leads Central Point School District Bond Program

With a primary goal of providing students a safe and healthy school environment, DAY CPM has been acting on behalf of the Central Point School District, overseeing the management of a $90M bond program that includes numerous school upgrades and renovations throughout the district. Central Point School District (CPSD) #6 operates schools in the Southern Oregon communities of Central Point, Gold Hill, and Sams Valley, with eight schools serving more than 4,700 students including five elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school complex located at the Crater campus. With the passage of the bond in May of 2019, the district turned to DAY CPM to oversee the bond management as its owner’s representative.

The bond money is meant to accomplish a wide variety of goals. Buildings needed to have their mechanical systems updated and improved for better efficiency and to better protect the health and safety of the occupants. Additional flexible learning space was needed to allow different types of classes, from science labs to study halls—crucial components to allow for future changes and developments in course structure. Finally, more space was needed to reduce overcrowding.

Photo Credit: Molly Bermea – Frizz Studio

DAY CPM recognized that a program this large in scope would require a large, dynamic team with multi-disciplinary skills, and would require boots on the ground in Central Point. The challenge was they did not already have a person on the ground in that part of the state. As happens when this is the case, they scanned their existing contacts to find someone they could trust to lead the work. Medford architect and Southern Oregon resident Steve Ennis was hired by DAY CPM to be the local senior project manager for the duration of the bond program. Project manager Tina Ely supported the CPSD Bond remotely with assistance from project managers Joshua Dodson and Randy Isaac. Additional DAY CPM assistance is being delivered by our local project coordinator Matt Robinson and engineering specialist Les Carmichael.

Joshua Dodson explained that DAY CPM has an advantage as an owner’s representative because the company houses project managers, architects, engineers, designers, and other skilled professionals thereby bringing a strong knowledge of what is possible and what it takes to move a project of this magnitude and complexity along. “This background makes us experts. We’re not the architects or contractor on this project but we know how they should be contracted so the owner’s objectives are fulfilled,” Joshua said.

That knowledge base is critical as more than half of the bond work is dedicated to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) upgrades at the eight schools, which can be more challenging than new building upgrades. As Joshua states, “MEP work is not as flashy so, in some ways, it is also a harder sell to the public who can’t necessarily see the improvements.” In the end, though, the users of the schools will experience the benefits of these critical upgrades on a daily basis.

DAY CPM worked with the district, design team (BBT Architects of Bend) and construction managers/general contractors (S&B James Construction and Vitus Construction) to develop a schedule for the more than twenty projects to ensure the work can be completed by the fall of 2023.

The arrival of the pandemic last year and recent fires has proven to be both detrimental and beneficial to the overall work. On the one hand, schools have been closed which has allowed work to occur inside the buildings throughout the school year when otherwise it would have been consolidated into the summer months. The downside is that some materials are more difficult to come by and shipment times are increased. Altogether, the pluses and minuses have offset each other, the project has remained on schedule, the teams of architects and contractors are in place and construction has begun.

DAY CPM will continue to act as the fiscal stewards of the bond, meshing the budget, project scope, and timelines to make sure the public money is spent wisely, within rules, and to the best benefit for the students, staff, and communities the schools serve.

“Our goal ultimately is to serve the children and make sure they are taught in good facilities where their learning isn’t hampered by outdated or dilapidated buildings,” Joshua said.

Kevin Dooley Turns Transportation into an Art Form

Transportation to many is simply the process of getting from one place to another. However, for the growing transportation team in Otak’s Colorado office, it is much more. Creatively combining the perceptions of “what is known” and “what could be” these engineers and designers turn standard transportation designs into engineering wonders.

One individual bringing exceptional creativity and technical know-how to the transportation group is Kevin Dooley, senior project engineer, and project manager. Kevin has spent about 12 years with Otak, although he took a year away to give life on the east coast a try. Despite his exodus from the west and Otak, he has been welcomed back with open arms.

“Kevin’s choice to return to Otak was hugely beneficial for the company for a number of reasons,” Chris Bisio, regional manager for Otak’s Colorado office explains. “First, as a seasoned Otakian, he was familiar with Otak, our people, clients, and culture, making his return and reintegration into the team seamless. Second, Kevin is an outstanding transportation/civil engineer with an uncanny ability to quickly engage in a project and figure out exactly what needs to be done. Kevin’s departure left a big hole in our Transportation Engineering Group that could only be filled by… Kevin! Otak is stronger with an engineer and person of Kevin’s caliber.”

Kevin breaks the mold of the engineer who carries a slide rule and calculator in his pocket and can’t see beyond the numbers. His co-workers call him a “renaissance man” who fishes and rafts, then turns around and breaks out his guitar or banjo. He can be counted on to know what music event is happening at any given time and if he can’t find music, he plays it.

That artistic aptitude and passion for the outdoors is something Kevin brings to all of his projects and something he says he is free to do in working for Otak. “We don’t work on run-of-the-mill transportation projects,” he asserts, adding that “none of us are typical engineers as we’re thought of. We think outside the box, pay close attention to aesthetics, and come up with cool ideas because we love what we do. We use the trails we design so we’re invested in making sure they come out great.”

A background in construction management where he was in the field daily, seeing firsthand how things were built, has given him a strong understanding of how contractors think and interpret plans. This understanding guides his approach to design and enables him to relate well to the people who put his plans to the pavement.

He’s currently working on two projects that allow him to help beautify areas he frequents. The first is the Paepcke Transit Hub Project in Aspen, CO. that includes an updated bus shelter, more accessibility for pedestrians, and safety and drainage improvements. Otak is the project lead working with a large team in a tight urban corridor with a design and character that is vehemently protected by the community. Extensive public outreach has been required to ensure all opinions were heard and the end result will be a source of community pride. Kevin sees the project as adding beauty to the area and loves that he gets to see Otak’s handiwork when he’s around town.

Kevin is also project manager for the 30th Street and Colorado Avenue Underpass project for the City of Boulder, CO. which has just gone under construction. It’s a double underpass for the nearly 1,500 pedestrians and bicycles that use the intersection daily. The project will provide safety, accessibility, mobility, and drainage improvements to the community of Boulder and students at the University of Colorado. “It’s a once in a lifetime project. There just won’t ever be another project like this,” he commented.

However, with Kevin’s creativity and passion for designing unique, fully functional, and beautiful transportation corridors, he may be wrong that he’s already experienced his “once in a lifetime” project. As Otak continues to grow, Kevin will further cement himself as a foundational building block for the Colorado transportation team.

DAY CPM Creates Community Pride With Seaside School Project

Schools are places where face-to-face communication is essential to foster an environment where students feel safe and comfortable to ask questions and open up to learning. With this atmosphere, there is little wonder that those who work in school districts also support and expect more personal relationships and direct contacts. For this reason, DAY CPM has thrived as the owners’ representative for a spate of recent school projects, recognizing that successful relationships build successful projects.

This was certainly the case for DAY CPM’s work with Seaside School District in Seaside, Oregon. The community supported a $99M bond for the project but had not supported a bond since the 1970s, so ensuring the community’s wishes were heard and met was paramount to success. DAY CPM brought extensive experience of working with schools and bonds to the table making them a perfect choice for the job. “It was important for us to help folks out given the challenges of a school district that didn’t have construction or bond experience. This is the largest and most expensive project in Seaside. The community voted for it and we wanted them to be proud of it,” said Jim Henry, senior project manager. Jim was the liaison between the district, CMGC Hoffman Construction, the design team from BRIC Architects, and a host of city service providers.

Seaside School bond passed in order to move the schools above the tsunami zone for both student safety and to serve as a community safe haven. The existing middle and high schools were replaced with a single building to house both. Pacific Ridge elementary school was renovated and expanded, along with seismic upgrades, allowing it to become the combined home of Seaside Heights and Gearhart elementary schools. Weyerhaeuser provided an 80-acre parcel for the new high and middle school.

The new HS/MS is a modern building, in many ways similar to what’s found on college campuses with advanced technologies and amenities better suited for teaching and learning. A key point for the construction and design team was to ensure everyone would feel part of the school; signage is bilingual, flexible learning spaces serve as teaching spaces and as areas designated for students to congregate during breaks in the school day. The highlighted feature of the new HS/MS is a view of the coast which was factored into the design, so both classrooms and common spaces show off the coastal landscape.

As with any project, there were challenges. The increased size of the school necessitated the construction of a City of Seaside reservoir to compensate for increased water usage and fire protection. The architects and City designed a route for the water services to run through the construction site to the reservoir. The property needed for this had to be annexed into the City of Seaside’s Urban Growth Boundary and the wetlands on site had to be addressed. DAY CPM relied on its prior experience with wetlands mitigation to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Oregon Division of State Lands Cooperative to find a solution to replacing permitted wetlands losses and enhancing what remained.

Construction began in the spring of 2017 and is slated for completion in February 2021. During that time, the schools have become a source of pride. Seaside is a multi-generational community and most residents had attended the schools which date back to 1955. They understood the buildings had reached the end of their life span and needed to transition to the 21st century. What they will have going forward is not just modern schools and community focal point, but a sense of hope for upcoming generations.

Otak Provides Services for Another Project at Columbia Palisades

Otak has been instrumental in another project now under construction at Columbia Palisades in Vancouver, WA.

Romano Development, Vancouver, WA, is developing the Boulder Ridge at Columbia Palisades site. The site is an exclusive river view property with 24 luxury townhomes. These townhomes sit atop a prominent bluff with exquisite views overlooking the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. Otak completed the land use permitting, infrastructure design, and site engineering to support the construction of this project, which is presently under construction.

Otak has also been leading the planning, design, and permitting of The Ledges, a project that includes two distinct towers of luxury apartments and condominiums, also with stunning 180-degree views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. This project sits atop a subsurface parking structure built into the solid rock and includes common space amenities that take advantage of the views such as an outdoor pool.

Columbia Palisades is a master-planned redevelopment of an 84-acre former rock quarry site, located at the interchange of State Route 14 and SE 192nd Ave between Vancouver and Camas, WA. Working closely with the City of Vancouver, Otak designed and permitted a planned development that features a mix of luxury and affordable housing options, office buildings, commercial and retail spaces, a medical clinic, and a hotel. These buildings are surrounded by more than 30 acres of open and park space.

“The Columbia Palisades site offers a thoughtful blend of homes, services and retail, employment, and recreational spaces, all within walking distance. And, the views are stunning. It’s another example of our collaborative team of professionals working successfully to repurpose a mined quarry into an enjoyable place for folks to live, work, and play,” says Tim Leavitt, PE, Otak’s Director of Operations in Southwest Washington.

Otak Completes ODOT Project to Repair and Upgrade Bad Banks Culvert

Lying beneath fifty-feet of fill and one of Oregon’s major recreational highways, was an ailing 75-year old concrete culvert with a history of operation and maintenance problems. The culvert in question funnels the Bad Banks Creek underneath Oregon State Route 22 about four miles east of Gates, Oregon. Working with the Oregon Department of Transportation, Otak’s hydraulics engineering team led a design and construction project to repair damage to the 300 foot-long culvert, improve stream flow and provide safer access for ODOT inspection and maintenance crews and equipment.

The Bad Banks Creek culvert at HWY 22 was subject to abrasion from sediment flowing in the stream channel, which over time, had worn down the concrete culvert and exposed the rebar reinforcement. The culvert also presented various safety issues for ODOT inspection and maintenance crews as it was difficult to access either end of the culvert due to steep slopes and lack of space to operate. While extending the life of the culvert was a priority, the other significant part of the project was to improve access for long-term maintenance.

Otak was hired by ODOT in May of 2019 to provide design services for repairs to the culvert to extend its service life and to modify the culvert entrance to improve access for long-term operation and maintenance of the culvert. Otak was then hired to provide construction administration, engineering, and inspection services during construction, which began in June 2020.

Extending the life of the culvert made sense—the typical life-span of concrete reinforced culverts is 75-100 years and it would have been very expensive to replace. As Otak Project Manager and Principal Kevin Timmins, states, “if the culvert ever does get replaced it will likely be with a bridge.” Rather than a costly bridge project with major disruptions to traffic along HWY 22, ODOT was able to get money and permits to make repairs and modifications and chose to work with Otak on a design to prolong the life of the culvert while also addressing the safety and access issues.

To mitigate the effects of streamflow and sediment abrasion, the culvert was lined with six inches of new concrete. The upstream end of the culvert was also extended, a more gradual transition into the culvert was added for better streamflow, and debris fins were installed at the upstream end to catch large debris so it doesn’t enter the culvert. The modifications had the added benefit of allowing the maintenance access road to come further down. As Kevin explains, “previously the access road just stopped at a steep vertical drop off into the culvert. By extending the culvert we were able to bring the road down and across the top of the culvert to the other side where we were able to create a level area where ODOT will be able to park an excavator and reach upstream of the debris fins in the event they need to be able to clear debris in front of the culvert.”

Ten days before substantial completion in September of 2020, the Beechie Creek fire burned through the construction site, scorching the forest vegetation, melting the stream bypass system, and causing damage to a portion of the freshly poured concrete. Otak has been working with the ODOT to manage the response at this site, including project closeout and plans for additional site stabilization and concrete repairs to be constructed in 2021.

“One of the reasons we were excited to work on this project was the fact that we were already familiar with the site,” Kevin stated, “and that our water resource team has a lot of experience in working in streams. They understand the hydraulic conditions, how to manage streamflow during construction, how to accommodate construction access.” This project was an opportunity for Otak’s hydraulics team, who possess deep knowledge and capacity for hydraulic engineering, to work in tandem with Otak’s structural team. Additionally, Otak has experience working on projects in environmentally sensitive areas, and mitigating the environmental impact during construction was a priority and requirement of the state.

In the end, the culvert repairs have staved off a costly bridge replacement by extending the life of the culvert and ODOT inspection and maintenance staff now have better and safer access to the culvert.

Shawn Klinkner Fosters Trust and Transparency in Teams

Over the past several years, DAY CPM has been working as the owner’s representative overseeing three expansion projects for the Vancouver Clinic in Washington. Leading the charge has been Shawn Klinkner, market sector leader for health care. Shawn’s guidance and care with both his clients and teams have helped to bring the first two of the projects to ribbon-cutting well before the anticipated deadline and under budget.

While Shawn acknowledges that the success of these two projects is a result of the team’s efforts, he is quick to point out that the role of the owner’s representative sets an important tone for the project. Shawn and the DAY CPM team set a precedent for upholding the values of trust, collaboration, and transparency and exercised that amongst team members and the client to achieve these outcomes.

Shawn’s leadership skills were built from his prior experience with non-profit management and healthcare administration. He credits that work with providing him a sense of mission and an understanding of the operations and dynamics that impact healthcare facilities—an understanding that is unique among owners’ representatives who usually come from backgrounds in engineering, design, or construction. Shawn understands the relationship of how the expansion of an organization’s mission in the built environment can create positive change for medical staff, providers, and the patients they serve.

The Vancouver Clinic expansions were a perfect platform for Shawn’s skills. Under his supportive leadership, DAY CPM staff, with the project team, opened the Ridgefield clinic three weeks early and $3M under total project budget. The Camas clinic, the latest expansion of Vancouver Clinic in the Columbia Palisades development, opened in mid-October, five weeks early, and is anticipated to come in $2.3M under total project budget. The Camas expansion was completed under COVID restrictions yet there were no delays, which Shawn credits to the high functioning dynamic of the project team that included DAY CPM, Andersen Construction, ZGF Architects, and Andersen Construction trade partners. Shawn’s role has predominantly been program oversight for the Vancouver Clinic projects and serving in an advisory capacity to the Vancouver Clinic executive team for the delivery of their new expansion sites.

Shawn works intentionally to ensure he builds a positive team culture so that opportunities to bring value to clients are actualized, risks are identified and managed, and project scope is delivered on time and under budget. Achieving these goals requires thoughtful leadership and close coordination with clients to ensure that decision-making is timely, problem-solving is proactive, and barriers to progress are removed so the project team can do its best work.

“A client receives the best engagement from a project team that is collaborating and innovating in service to them. This drives how the day-to-day work happens and I find that project teams operating at that caliber do more and save more, handle risks better, and innovate around challenges more nimbly,” Shawn said.

Shawn’s leadership philosophy has resonated strongly with the values and vision within DAY CPM/Otak, which is utilizing its market sector leaders to launch mentoring, coaching, and development initiatives and programs for role-based competency assessment and training of staff. Shawn has been a key voice in these initiatives as well as leading efforts to improve the recruitment and onboarding process for the division. “Shawn embodies servant leadership: he is respectful, very intentional, present, and is always seeking to support/serve. These qualities inspire stronger relationships and higher levels of service to our clients and within our projects and project teams,” Cathy Kraus, project manager said.

Shawn has also been spearheading the integration of Gallup’s CliftonStrengths program into the DAY CPM culture. The program helps identify a person’s strengths and establishes a medium through which companies can engage their staff around what they do best. Through strengths-based coaching, Shawn provides vision for how staff’s strengths relate to their roles and scope of work and he facilitates an understanding of how their core strengths influence their personal communication and engagement styles. This lays the groundwork for successful team dynamics, and in turn, successful projects.

The healthcare industry is built around the idea of patient care and a positive bedside manner. With Shawn at the helm of construction projects within this sector, that people-first goal starts from the ground up.

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.”