Owner: DC Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (OPEFM)
Client: R. McGhee, Kimley Horn, Bowie Gridley, Nastos Construction, Franck & Lohsen Architects, CORE Architecture and Design, Torti Gallas, DC Parks and Recreation
Location: Washington, DC
The Challenge
The District of Columbia embarked on a major parks and recreational development, upgrade, and new facilities program. Existing parks and recreational centers were outdated and needed to be upgraded into new, functional facilities to meet the growing needs of DC residents. With over 14 sites to review, the challenge of this contract was the varying degrees of the conditions of each of the sites and performing many of these evaluations simultaneously. Data from each site had to be collected to understand what opportunities existed for upgrades and expansion. If the amount of disturbed area exceeded 5,000 SF, both the sediment control and stormwater management plan would have to be updated. Each park also required a prescreening Environmental Policy Act Regulations (EISF).
The Soltesz Solution
Soltesz’s ability to manage the evaluations of multiple sites was a result of highly organized coordination efforts with the architects for design and delivery within the scheduled phases. The firm provided technical plans and worked with a permit expediter to gain approvals from DC WASA, DDOT, DDOE, and other DC agencies. Design was expedited for various sites due to the desire of DC Parks to meet the Mayor’s schedule of opening renovated facilities throughout the District. These facilities included recreation centers, baseball fields, passive parks, dog parks, and playgrounds. Because conditions varied so widely, Soltesz collaborated with each lead architect to design unique solutions for each park.