Client: Southside School District, Mason County, WA.
Project Specifications: In conjunction with a major renovation of the Southside Elementary School in Shelton, WA. (about 25 miles northwest of Olympia), Hatton Godat Pantier provided comprehensive civil engineering services, including:
- Site surveying and boundary mapping
- Land use permitting support and troubleshooting
- Stormwater system design
In an interesting wrinkle to the project, Hatton Godat Pantier administered the civil engineering portion of the contract, in conjunction with additional contract professionals. At the same time, Hatton maintained coordination with the architect, while providing engineering services for the overall project.
Key Challenge: As is true of most school projects, it is essential for private sector surveyors and civil engineers to understand how to work closely with both the architect and district officials. Not only are there special safety issues related to the public school environment, but the engineering firm has to be sensitive to the real-world need for district officials to focus project monies on the buildings, rather than parking lots, stormwater systems and other essential support systems.
"Parking lots don't help educate children the way improved classrooms do," said Steve Hatton. "We recognized that and we strived to meet that challenge."
The Point of Difference: As a retrofit, this project was even more challenging than similar projects the firm has tackled, Hatton noted. "A 30-year-old building generally isn't designed to accommodate modern construction techniques," he said. "But we were confident that our experience with, and sensitivity to, the unique aspects of public sector projects would allow us to deliver a value added performance on this school renovation - which we're confident we did."
