The Riverside Community Park Project was an endeavor to create a 140-acre community recreation park alongside the White River. The project, led by Thomas Stanford and assisted by Jan Steinberg, included many deliverables for the community, including:
• Picnic areas
• Children’s playgrounds
• An indoor family swimming facility
• Parking areas
Examining the Project Deliverables
The first phase the project moved through was in-depth planning and development.
The project scope was broken down into four major categories:
• River-related deliverables, such as docks and fishing areas
• Structural-related deliverables, such as the indoor swimming facility
• Environment-related deliverables, such as the hiking trails
• Common areas, such as the picnic and parking areas
Each of these deliverables was broken down into components that could, in turn, be broken down into exact deliverables for the project. For example, the indoor swimming facility included the excavation of the grounds for the building, the construction of the building, and the indoor swimming pool.
Each deliverable was broken down to ensure that all of the required components were included in the project plan. Each category of deliverables went through a similar process to ensure that all of the deliverables were accounted for and that the project plans were complete. Stanford and Steinberg worked with a large project team that specialized in different disciplines within the project work.
For example, Holly Johnson of EQHN Engineering served as team lead for the river related deliverables. Johnson has years of experience in construction projects dealing with lakes, rivers, and manufactured waterways. Her expert judgment contributed to the development of the plan and the breaking down of the work.
Don Streeping of RHD Architecture and Construction helped Stanford develop the requirements, features, and components of the indoor swimming facility. RHD Architects designed the building and swimming facilities for the project and helped map out the timeline for a feasible completion and successful opening day. Grey Jansen with the Department of Natural Resources and Marci Koening with the Department of Urban Planning worked with Stanford to create several different hiking trails and a pedway along the riverfront. The elaborate trail system offers challenging hikes to pleasant strolls. In addition, the pedway allows visitors to walk through more than 50 acres along the river and to visit restaurants, shopping centers, and other commercial ventures within the park. Without Jansen’s and Koening’s expertise, the project would not have been a success.
Finally, John Anderson led the team responsible for the common areas. The children’s playgrounds are top-notch, and there is ample parking and access to the park. In addition, Anderson’s team created soccer fields and two baseball diamonds for Little League usage.
Examining the Project Phases
When the project was launched, the 140-acre tract was a marshy, brush-filled plot of land that was mostly inaccessible to the general public. In order for this undertaking to be successful, the project had to move through several phases. Many of the deliverables, such as the parking areas and maintenance roads, had to be created first in order to allow the equipment and workers to access the sites throughout the park.
Phase One
The first phase of the project was in-depth planning. Stanford and Steinberg worked with each of the team leaders and other experts to coordinate the activities to create the deliverables in a timely fashion. In order to maximize the return on investment, the project’s plan called for immediate deliverables for the public.
The planning phase of the project resulted in:
• The project plan and subsidiary plans, such as cost, risk, and scope management plans
• Design specifications for each of the major deliverables
• A schedule that allows for the deliverables to work in tandem and for them to support one another throughout the project plan
• The creation of a work authorization system
• Continued community buy-in for the project
PART I
Phase Two
Once the project’s plan and coordination between teams was realized, John Anderson’s crew went to work on Phase Two of the project: creating accessibility. This phase of the project became known as the “Rough-In” phase because roads, parking, and preparation of the park were needed immediately. This phase resulted in:
• Access roads throughout the park
• Entry roads to the park at several points throughout the city
• Junction roads that allowed easy access for construction equipment to be stored on-site for the project’s duration
Phase Three
Phase Three of the project allowed each team to begin its work independently, with an eye towards common delivery dates. For example, Johnson and Jansen had expertise in separate deliverables: the water access points and the trails throughout the park. The project plan called for trails along the river and through the woods, which would be built by Johnson’s crew. In tandem with the hiking trails, Johnson’s team went to work on the river pedway. At several points along the river pedway, trails from the woods would connect to the paved surface. These two deliverables were timed so that both teams would work together on connecting the nature trails with the river pedway. In addition, caution had to be taken to preserve the environment in the woods and in the water. Streeping’s primary responsibility was the creation of the indoor swimming facility.
This deliverable required excavation, the digging and creation of the indoor swimming pool, and the construction of the facility to house the indoor swimming pool. Streeping had to coordinate the construction with Anderson, as the swimming pool needed the largest parking area in the compound. Stanford and Steinberg worked with each team leader to facilitate a common schedule for each of the deliverables.
This phase saw its first completed deliverable for the project: A children’s playground was opened near the park entrance that the public could begin using immediately. The playground can easily host up to 75 children at once and has parking for up to 50 cars. In addition, a picnic shelter was opened adjacent to the playground. Because of the proximity of the park and playground to nearby shops and restaurants, this deliverable was well-received from the community, and the public began enjoying the facilities immediately.
Other deliverables in the phase included:
• Restroom facilities installed at several points throughout the park
• Excavation of several water access points
• Excavation for the swimming facility
• Clearing and leveling for the soccer and baseball fields
Phase Four
Phase Four of the project focused on creating more usable deliverables for the general public. The focus was on the hiking trails throughout the park and partial completion of the river pedway. The hiking trails required brush to be removed, some trees to be removed, and the land to be graded for passable hiking. The pedway was initially formed as a cement path that will be blacktopped once it is connected throughout the park. Like the hiking trails, the pedway required the removal of brush and trees while considering the environmental preservation of the river. Jansen’s and Anderson’s teams worked together to clear the pedway, remove the brush along the riverbank, and preserve the older trees to create a stunning walk along the river. To create maximum deliverables, the pedway was implemented at opposite ends of the 50-acre trail, with plans to be connected at acre 25. This allows the public to enjoy the deliverables in increments from either end of the park.
This phase created these deliverables:
• Seven of the ten hiking trails in the system were cleared and opened for public usage.
• A total of 30 acres of the river pedway were completed (15 acres on both ends of the pedway).
• The swimming pool was excavated and the cement body of the pool was installed.
Phase Five
Phase Five of the project was perhaps the most exciting, as it completed several deliverables:
• The remaining three of the hiking trails were completed. These trails included bridges over small creeks that feed into the White River.
• The remaining 20 acres of the river pedway were excavated and completed with the cement pour. Citizens can now walk or ride their bikes the entire 50-acre length alongside the river.
• The soccer and baseball facilities were installed, which included restrooms, concession stands, bleachers, fences, and dugouts. The fields were also seeded and fertilized, and will be officially open for public use next spring when the grass is healthy.
Phase Six
Phase Six of the project was the longest, but most satisfying. This phase focused on the completion of the indoor swimming facility. The structure includes two Olympic-sized swimming pools, diving boards, locker rooms, sauna and steam facilities, and a restaurant. The building is situated on a hill that overlooks the river pedway—it is the crown jewel of the park. The facility was completed as planned and was opened to the public.
This phase also included:
• The completion of blacktopping the 50-acre pedway along the river
• Closing and sodding of the temporary construction equipment corral
• Installing the remaining playgrounds and picnic areas throughout the park
• Opening the water access points, including a commercial dock for fishermen and boaters
• The official opening of the soccer and baseball fields
PART I
Controlling Project Changes
Throughout the project, the public had many requests for changes to the project scope.
The project scope was quite large, and the project budget had limited room for additional changes without requesting additional funds.
When changes were proposed, such as the addition of tennis courts to the common areas, they were considered for validity, cost, risk, and the impact on the project scope.
A Change Control Board, which Stanford initiated, considered the proposed changes and then approved or declined the changes based on predetermined metrics, such as time, cost, and overall change on the original project scope.
When the project was initiated, a public meeting was held to gather input from the community on the deliverables they would most like to see in the park. At this point of the project, the stakeholders—the community at large—had a great opportunity to voice their opinions on what the park should and should not include. Once a consensus was created for the park deliverables and a scope was created, it became challenging for anyone to add to it.
Some changes, however, proved valuable and were added to project deliverables.
For example, the commercial fishing and boating dock within the park was a viable opportunity for a local businessman to provide a service for boaters and the community at no cost to the project. Koening and Johnson worked with the business to ensure that it met the city codes, safety regulations, and fit within the scheme and overall effect of the project.
Other changes, such as the tennis courts, were declined. While there very well may be many tennis players in the community, this request was denied for several reasons:
• The city already supports many tennis courts in the community.
• A private tennis club is in the vicinity of the park, and they protested the addition of the tennis courts, as this would have an economical blow to their business.
• No tennis players requested the courts at any of the public meetings discussing the creation of the park.
Changes, especially in a project of this size, had to be tracked and documented. Any changes that were approved or declined were cataloged for reference against future change requests that may have entered the project.
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CaseStudyTheRiversideCommunityParkProject.docx
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