APWA Names Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex Project of the Year
August, 2020
The Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC), an ambitious 53-acre outdoor facility for sports, recreation, and education has received the APWA-Washington Chapter Project of the Year Award. Hired as the Construction Manager and Owner’s Rep for the City of Ridgefield and the Ridgefield School District, Otak guided the $22M project to successful completion in the Spring of 2019.
Jointly owned by the City and the School District, the RORC was built in conjunction with a new Intermediate and Middle School campus. The partnership between the city and the school district offered a tremendous opportunity for the community to develop a new recreation complex while also saving millions of dollars on land acquisition, road improvements, and recreational and community space infrastructure.
The RORC features an innovative two-floor Community Building with concessions, kitchen, and meeting facilities; six multipurpose sports fields; a playground and trails; and a large plaza with connections for food and concessions carts and trucks. The RORC project is the first installation of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in Clark County. From supporting beams to the roof structure itself, the Community Building is an architect’s and structural engineer’s dream, showcasing the strength, durability, and architectural look and feel of CLT from both inside and outside of the Community Building.
Continuous and comprehensive communication and cooperation were key to completing the project. In addition to the complex design, concurrent construction, utility projects, frontage improvements, site work, and community-building efforts, all required continuous coordination between a multitude of contractors, community schedules, and events—over the past two years the site hosted the annual Ridgefield Oktoberfest and Experience Ridgefield, together, attracting as many as 10,000 visitors! The complex is also home to the Ridgefield Raptors, a West Coast League baseball team. During construction, project partners decided they wanted to add something else to set the RORC apart from others: a rollup door on the second floor overlooking Field 1, so Raptor fans would be able to “hear the crack of the bat” during baseball games.
Consideration was also given to protecting and preserving the surrounding natural wetlands. Measures were taken to protect the environment, as well as private property, property access, and utility service. As the construction manager and owner’s rep, Otak’s team was in continuous contact with utilities, contractors, and property owners when sensitive and potentially disruptive construction phases were underway, including utility cutovers, paving, and restoration.
Under the leadership of Tim Leavitt, PE, CESCL; and Chuck Green, PE, Otak guided the project through to completion on time and on budget providing construction engineering expertise, as well as construction management, inspections, and design review and support. Additional Otak team members included Mike Hale, Nick Redinger, Kyle Farnsworth, and Robert Dethlefs, PE.
Projects like the Ridgefield Complex are not only representative of Otak’s expertise in multi-disciplinary work, but also represent the community and environmental stewardship that have become Otak hallmarks. The RORC is a prime example of a project that promotes outdoor recreation, community cohesion through events, healthier lifestyles, and improved quality of life.
To read more about this project, click here.
Photos Courtesy: Jason Rayne, Rayne Studios