Columbus Park
Columbus Park. Construction completed 2009.
Client Program / Project Description. Located on the undeveloped northern portion of an existing City park, the initial program for this bond-funded project included two Little League baseball fields, a soccer field, restrooms, a maintenance building, parking and a connection to the DeAnza Trail along the Santa Cruz River. Site design was complicated by the presence of two, 100-foot wide electrical easements, flood plain issues and limited archaeological mitigation on an important ancient site.
WSA scope and role. WSA re-interpreted the existing Master Plan several times during the course of this project to reflect updated needs for park operations, the budget realities of a period of rapid inflation for construction costs and thorough understanding of the site conditions. Early in the design process, we recognized the opportunity to realign the entry road to avoid disturbing more than one-tenth acre of Jurisdictionally Delineated wash, thus eliminating the requirement to notify the Army Corps of Engineers and avoiding the complications of the Section 404 Permit process altogether. Given the turmoil in 404 permitting then taking place, this may well have saved the project months if not years in duration.
Columbus Park is also an example of creative site design that actually reduces costs. WSA worked closely with our civil engineering sub-consultant to develop a grading plan that took advantage of an existing ridge line running between the positions of the new little league fields. This had the dual effect of creating dramatic, stadium-like seating areas with bleachers raised above field level, and nearly balancing the earthwork to minimize the need for expensive import or export of soil. WSA offers the commitment and capabilities needed to realize maximum value in construction of parks projects working within the sometimes severe budgetary constraints of public works funded years in advance.
Project Team.
- Owner: City of Tucson Parks and Recreation
- Client: Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation
- Design Team:
- Wheat Scharf Associates (prime), concept design, landscape architecture
- RS Engineering, civil engineering, land survey
- R.A. Alcalá Inc., electrical engineering
- Carl Kominsky, Landscape Architect, irrigation design
- Harris Environmental Group, archaeological assessment
- Turner Structural Engineering, structural design
- Construction Manager at Risk. M. Anderson Construction Corporation
Objective data. 5 acres in size, construction cost $1.7M, CMR Delivery Method
