Community Opens for Retired Military

Retired military personnel from all uniformed services are being offered one more assignment; the opportunity to live in a $35 million senior community dedicated to people sharing the same professional experience of service to their country.

Unique in the United States, Patriots Landing provides retired military seniors with an opportunity to live in comfortable, high-end housing without a buy-in fee. Throughout development and construction, feedback has been gathered from an advisory board comprised of retired military career veterans and their spouses.

Patriots Landing is situated on a sprawling 16-acre site with a 150 unit, 150,000- sq.-ft. main building, complimented by 25 freestanding 1,600-sq.-ft. cottages with adjoining garages. The 3-story main structure is divided into 85 independent apartments, 50 assisted living apartments, and a 15-unit wing dedicated to individuals with memory disorders. Future plans include the addition of an 80 bed skilled nursing facility to complete the continuum of care. Although marketed primarily to military retirees, all seniors are welcome at Patriots Landing. The complex opens in June.

The concept of a retirement campus for retired military personnel has long been a dream of CAREAGE. Founded in 1962, the nationally known company based in Gig Harbor, Wash., specializes in senior housing and healthcare development, construction, and management and has built over 400 senior living and healthcare facilities.

Spokane Airport Awards Contract

Spokane - A construction contract was awarded for the Taxiway C Extension project at Spokane International Airport in March. Acme Concrete Paving, Inc., of Spokane, Wash. was awarded the project with the low bid of $8,156,769. Work is expected to begin in early April and be completed within 90 working days, approximately late August. The 75-foot wide by 8,100-ft. long and 17-in. thick taxiway is integral to the safe and efficient development of the airfield's corporate and general aviation facilities as well as improving commercial aircrafts' access to the alternate runway. Funding for this project is derived from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The AIP is an 8% ticket fee collected on each airline ticket. These funds are held in the Aviation Trust Fund and dispensed by the FAA through grants appropriated by Congress.

In addition, the Board awarded construction management services to Taylor Engineering, Inc., of Spokane in the not-to-exceed amount of $511,939 based on time and materials. Taylor had previously been awarded the civil engineering design services for the Taxiway C Extension Project in the contract amount of $463,364 in October 2003.

Luxury Apartments Under Way

Mercer Island, - Express Construction has broken ground on the much-anticipated $48 million project. Owned by Mercer Landmark LLC and managing member James Cassan of Dollar Development, the new complex will be built in the heart of the downtown core.

MVE & Partners of Irvine, Calif., designed the building to embody significant elements from the community-approved Mercer Island's Town Center Plan, including street level landscaping. It will feature 18,000-sq.-ft. of street-level retail with ample opportunities for outdoor seating to increase the sense of pedestrian activity. The four-story cast-in-place concrete building will incorporate a variety of layering and building setbacks to create an interesting visual appearance. It will sit atop two levels of parking and be built around a central courtyard with amenities such as a swimming pool, spa and fitness facility.

The residential units will range from studios, one and two bedroom single level units and townhomes, including eight live/work units. Each unit will contain custom amenities such as air conditioning, individual washers and dryers, hardwood floors, wood cabinets with granite countertops and custom fixtures.

Excavation, shoring and geo-pier installation was completed in late March. The first phase of the project, 159 apartments, is scheduled for completion in May 2006.

Credit Union Completed

SEATTLE - Emick Howard & Seibert, Inc. (EH&S) announced the completion and opening of a new branch building of Simpson Community Federal Credit Union (Simpson FCU) in Shelton. The Mountain View Branch was designed by the architecture and design firm and is the South Puget Sound-based credit union's second branch in the city.

The 16,000-sq.-ft. facility is a full-service branch with four drive-through lanes, walk-up ATM, and night drop. The facility houses a call center, training offices, and investment and mortgage center. The branch is located to serve the growing north end of the city, and was designed for future expansion. Design features include large windows, use of quality, easy-to-maintain materials, and full-integration with outside landscaping and systems, including underground storm water management. The external brick and metal siding and the size and scale of the building reflect the "long-term commitment" of the credit union to the community and the South Puget Sound region. The contractor for the project is Orca Construction, Olympia.

KPFF opens In North End

Everett - Structural and civil engineering firm, KPFF Consulting Engineers, has opened an office in Everett. The Everett office joins KPFF offices in Seattle and Tacoma.

Founded in 1960 in Seattle, the firm has grown to 15 offices and 650 employees nationwide, with the largest concentration of work in the Pacific Northwest.

KPFF assisted the City of Everett in developing the design-build RFP for civil and structural engineering for the new Special Events Center, and provided design services for many of the facilities at Naval Station Everett. The firm is currently providing drainage design on 112th Street SW for Snohomish County, and engineering services for an art installation in downtown Everett by local artist Joe Rossano.

Heading KPFF's Everett office is Joe Zlab.

KPFF Consulting Engineers are also located in Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Ft. Bragg, San Francisco, Sacramento, Irvine, Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, and St. Louis.

Mitigation Efforts Announced

Chehalis - Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) signed documents certifying the largest mitigation bank ever federally authorized in Washington state.

The 230-acre North Fork Newaukum mitigation bank project is located adjacent to the North and Middle Forks of the Newaukum River, east of the city of Chehalis in Lewis County. It will address impacts to wetlands and other aquatic resources resulting from WSDOT's planned I-5 widening projects within the Upper Chehalis River Watershed in portions of Lewis and Thurston counties. Certification of the bank represents the culmination of six years of work by WSDOT and many other federal and state agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and Lewis County.

Construction of the North Fork Newaukum mitigation bank involved restoring water flow patterns and elevations, planting trees and other work to replicate the forest and wetlands that occurred historically at this site.

This work resulted in restoration and enhancement of degraded wetland and streamside habitat adjacent to both forks of the Newaukum River. In addition to enhancing the habitat for fish and wildlife, these restoration efforts will help improve many stream functions including water quality, bank stability and shading of the river's surface. The work also targets salmon recovery goals identified for this area.

Worker's Safety Memorial Visited

Friends, family and co-workers were able to reflect on their loved ones who lost their lives on the road at the Washington State Department of Transportation Work Zone Memorial, in April.

Fifty-six sets of cones, hard hats and boots were assembled in the lobby of the transportation building to represent the WSDOT employees who have been killed in work zones since 1950. A display of photos and articles allowed a glimpse into the life of those who perished.

"It was as if each and every one that has been lost were standing there," said Isabelle Williams, whose husband, Sam Williams, was killed 5 years ago. "It's difficult to do memorials and have them 'stand out', but you (WSDOT) did it."

The event was an open-house affair, permitting personal reflection for those who wished to pay tribute at their own leisure. Single white roses were available for visitors to pay their respects.

Uniformed troopers from the Washington State Patrol walked side-by-side along the "path of honor" and placed a bouquet of flowers at the foot of the display.

The memorial, which was open to the public, was aligned with "National Work Zone Awareness Week."

DBM Finishes Retaining Wall

DBM Contactors Inc. recently completed a sculpted retaining wall between the railroad tracks and the Tacoma waterfront on Ruston Way. The 8000-sq.-ft. retaining wall required drilling 30-in. diameter shafts and installing 139 steel soldier piles. The reinforced shotcrete wall was sculpted and stained to resemble natural rock formations.

The work, completed safely, was done in close proximity to two live tracks with up to 40 freight and eight-passenger trains daily, running at speeds of up to 64 mph. Staging was done in the parking lots of the nearby waterfront restaurants and needed to accommodate significant pedestrian traffic along the scenic waterfront.

DBM's subcontractors included Air Placed Concrete Specialists of Bothell, Wash., for the shotcrete facing and Turnstone of Seattle, for the architectural sculpting and painting. In 2002, DBM earned the "Utah's Contractor of the Year" award for sculpting retaining walls in Provo Canyon.

Parsons Buys Out RCI

Parsons, a leader in construction management and technical solutions, announced that it has acquired RCI Construction Group (RCI). RCI is a Sumner, Washington-based firm with over $300 million in contracts that specializes in transportation, infrastructure, civil and industrial construction, environmental site remediation, and residential and commercial development projects. The all-cash sale includes both Robison Construction, Inc., and RCI Environmental, Inc.; two separate operating companies, and over 400 pieces of heavy construction equipment in Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii.

"Parsons saw an opportunity to bring its vast experience and design/build capabilities to RCI and provide a new avenue for the RCI team to grow and progress," remarked Andy Albrecht, RCI's CEO and President. "This acquisition will propel us to world-class status, while building on RCI's time-proven construction practices."

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Robison will retain all properties and lease back to Parsons.