Portfolios Archive - Page 2 of 4

South Valencia Boulevard Sidewalk Project

The South Valencia project was initiated by the Dolores Huerta Foundation in an effort to construct ADA improvements on the southern portion of the City that would provide a safe pathway for pedestrians, and school children.

QK provided engineering design, utility coordination, land surveying, right of way, construction engineering, CEQA compliance, and biological services for the South Valencia Sidewalk Project along Valencia Boulevard from Bravo Avenue to Deltha Avenue. Street improvements included the design of one half-mile of the curb, gutter, and sidewalk, seven (7) ADA accessible (ADA compliant) pedestrian curb ramps, two cross gutters, asphaltic concrete, 50 drive approaches, and tie-ins to meet ADA standards, new storm drain system, and signing and pavement delineation modifications. Additionally, 22 palm trees lining S. Valencia Boulevard and a small grove of eight eucalyptus trees were removed.

QK biologists conducted bat roosting surveys and eagle/raptor nest surveys of the project site to determine whether any bat species were present within the disturbance area of the trees. A survey was also conducted for the presence of any existing active or inactive raptor nests that may be used during the 2017 nesting season. During construction, QK is providing staking and field observation services for the project.

Services

Markets

Related Project Experience

South Farmersville Boulevard Safe Routes To Schools Project

Glaze Avenue

Hanford General Plan Update, EIR, Zoning Ordinance Update, Subdivision Ordinance Update & Infrastructure Master Plans

Garden In The Sun Park

New Well, Tank, Booster Pump Stations, & Pressure Sustaining Valves

Cameron Creek Colony Emergency Water Supply Project

Garden In The Sun Park

Creating recreational areas in the City of Arvin is essential for the quality of life and promotion of healthy living. In 2010, the City of Arvin was awarded a Proposition 84 Park Grant which provided the means to construct a new park in the center of the City. The 5-acre park is near the City’s proposed civic center and the Jewett Square mixed-use development. The park fronts the newly completed Walnut Street alignment –a big step to improving the traffic and pedestrian circulation within the project vicinity and connecting Arvin High School to the City’s main thoroughfare, Bear Mountain Boulevard.

QK assisted the City of Arvin in developing a comprehensive park project and construction plans incorporating proven sustainable solutions. Conceptual drawings and construction plans and specifications were prepared for the entire project.

The park’s design includes the following features:

Feature fountain at park’s main entry with decorative tile surfacing, seat walls, and planters
Large concrete entry plaza
Tot Lot (engineered wood fiber play surface and concrete curbs)
Splash pad (proposed for a later phase of development)
Restrooms building
Storage and equipment building
Gazebo with game tables and large concrete surface chessboard
Picnic arbors
Monument sign
Grass volleyball court
Loop trail, concrete walks, and nearby planter areas
Benches, picnic tables, drinking fountains, bike racks, and trash receptacles

Loop trail, concrete walks, and nearby planter areas
Benches, picnic tables, drinking fountains, bike racks, and trash receptacles
Drought tolerant plantings in the botanical garden
Mural walls at the west perimeter block wall
Exercise stations with DG (decomposed granite) surfacing
Site lighting
Safety bollards at park entry drop-off
Bio-Retention Cell for drainage
New water-efficient irrigation system for the entire park

The park’s ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on September 22, 2017, with a marching band, cultural dancing, and numerous food and specialty booths tucked between the stately palms on Walnut Avenue. Walnut Avenue was designed to be an extension of the park with community celebrations, farmers’ markets, art fairs, and other special events located on the newly opened street.

Services

Markets

Related Project Experience

South Farmersville Boulevard Safe Routes To Schools Project

Glaze Avenue

Hanford General Plan Update, EIR, Zoning Ordinance Update, Subdivision Ordinance Update & Infrastructure Master Plans

South Valencia Boulevard Sidewalk Project

New Well, Tank, Booster Pump Stations, & Pressure Sustaining Valves

Cameron Creek Colony Emergency Water Supply Project

New Well, Tank, Booster Pump Stations, & Pressure Sustaining Valves

New Well, Tank, Booster Pump Stations & Pressure Sustaining Valves

Due in large part to the success of QK’s APA award-winning Hanford Downtown East Precise Plan and our team’s experience with the preparation of policy documents, the team of QK and Zumwalt-Hansen & Associates was selected to prepare a comprehensive General Plan (GP), Zoning Ordinance (ZO) and subdivision ordinance update, as well as the supporting environmental review/reports for the City of Hanford.

The purpose of a General Plan Update is to serve the City for the next 20 years, comply with state, local, and federal regulations, and provide the community with a vision for the City’s future, as well as guidelines for the way land will be developed and used. QK led the public outreach efforts and guided the discussion with the Citizen’s Advisory Committee and led several key discussions about the Citizens’ wants and needs for the GP. Those discussions led to actual policies in the GP.

Four important and distinctive features included:

Goals, objectives, policies, and programs for elements in land use and community design; transportation and circulation; open space, conservation, and recreation; health and safety; public facilities and services and environmental justice;
An extensive public engagement/outreach program including a city-wide bus tour and 14 meetings with the 20-person Citizen’s Advisory Committee;
Preparation of a program-level Environmental Impact Report (EIR);
A ZO update that reflected the City’s desire for a “Red Carpet, not Red Tape” approach.

Development of the GP and the ZO coincided with the construction phases for the California High-Speed Rail, recent State laws like Senate Bill 375, California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act and regional planning efforts like the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint. The GP and the ZO reflect the new State laws as well as changes in housing preferences. The EIR was certified, and the General Plan and ZO were adopted by the City Council in April 2017.

As an extension of the GP/ZO update process, QK concurrently prepared the Infrastructure Master Plans for sanitary sewer, potable water, and storm drainage. By including these Master Plans into the scope of the overall project, infrastructure planning occurred simultaneously with the GP update process. This proactive strategy eliminated a problem that too often plagues cities; a GP update identifies areas for development, and then later it’s discovered that the City cannot efficiently provide services.

Throughout the project, QK also provided grant writing support in coordination with components of the GP. The grant writing team was successful in procuring nearly a quarter-million dollars of funding early in the process that helped reduce the need for using general funds to finance the GP update.

Services

Markets

Related Project Experience

South Farmersville Boulevard Safe Routes To Schools Project

Glaze Avenue

Hanford General Plan Update, EIR, Zoning Ordinance Update, Subdivision Ordinance Update & Infrastructure Master Plans

South Valencia Boulevard Sidewalk Project

Garden In The Sun Park

Cameron Creek Colony Emergency Water Supply Project

The Cameron Creek Water project involved multiple agencies, groups, and individuals to get the project constructed without undue delay. It was a true team effort of the City of Farmersville, Tulare County Board of Supervisors, Tulare County Resource Management Agency, Tulare County Local Agency Formation Commission, Self Help Enterprises, Quad Knopf, Inc. (QK), and West Valley Construction. California State University Fresno and BSK provided additional support during the outreach and preliminary engineering, respectively.

QK provided the engineering design of 7,262 lineal feet of 8-inch water main, installation of 6 fire hydrants, 10 control valves, and 106 new water services to provide domestic water service to Cameron Creek Colony without an impact on Farmersville’s budget or without incurring a debt service that the severely disadvantaged community could not afford. Construction Management was also provided for the project.

Services

Markets

Related Project Experience

South Farmersville Boulevard Safe Routes To Schools Project

Glaze Avenue

Hanford General Plan Update, EIR, Zoning Ordinance Update, Subdivision Ordinance Update & Infrastructure Master Plans

South Valencia Boulevard Sidewalk Project

Garden In The Sun Park

New Well, Tank, Booster Pump Stations, & Pressure Sustaining Valves

On-Call Environmental Services

San Joaquin kit fox (SJKF) is an endangered fox subspecies native to the San Joaquin Valley region of California, and in the past, has burrowed underneath portable classrooms at district schools. QK works with the school district to obtain coverage under the Metropolitan Bakersfield Habitat Conservation Plan (MBHCP), to find the foxes a safe home. We also provide a districtwide SJKF awareness training program for students and staff and conduct protocol monitoring to identify SJKF activity and exclude kit foxes from atypical dens on school property.

By coordinating our efforts with the City of Bakersfield and associated wildlife agencies, we proactively identify issues as they arise, monitor SJKF activity, and help to create a safe environment for the students and staff, while protecting one of California’s indigenous species.

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All-Weather Track & Field

For the new College of Sequoias all-weather track & field, QK incorporated synthetic materials to create a venue that was not only attractive, safe, and accessible for student-athletes, but long-lasting, and easy to maintain. The running track is made of polyurethane rubber on top of an asphaltic base, while the football/soccer field is made of synthetic turf over cushioned backing for all-weather use and injury prevention. The design features an on-site subsurface drainage system that transports water from the surface of the field to the landscaped adjacent bioswales, with a safe major storm overflow to the municipal drainage system.

Additional services included topographic surveying and base map development, civil engineering, landscape, and irrigation design, bidding assistance, construction staking, environmental compliance processing and approvals, off-site utility coordination, stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), dust control compliance, construction observation, final inspection, and project closeout. The design meets National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) specifications.

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San Joaquin Bridge / State Route 99 BAT Surveys

The bridge crossing the San Joaquin River at Highway 99 needed retrofit. Working in partnership with Caltrans District 6 and MCM Construction, QK provided biological inspection of the bridge for its potential to support individual and maternity colonies of bats. Our work included identification of bat species using the bridge utilizing visual surveys and acoustic monitoring methods, installation of bat exclusion devices under the bridge that spanned approximately 1,000-feet, 150-feet above ground, and monitoring and repair of exclusion devices.

Initial work was conducted during a period when the population of bats was at a seasonal minimum (prior to the return of migratory species), and the timing of the demolition was scheduled to coincide with the lower abundance of bats. Professionally operated boom-lifts were used to mitigate safety risks during the installation of the exclusion devices, and the installed exclusion devices were monitored at night when bats are active.

Additionally, the extended period of noise and vibration from demolition created challenges for maintaining the viability of the exclusion devices, and new designs of exclusion devices were formulated to cope with these unique circumstances. Caltrans was able to complete the demolition and reconstruction of this large bridge within schedule, with a relatively low cost allocated for bat protections, all while meeting the environmental standards for the protection of bats mandated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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Pump Station & Odor Control Facility

Bridge Replacements Environmental Services

T-4 3MG Water Storage Tank & Booster Pump Station

Lerdo Justice Facility, Federal Firing Range & Staff Training Center

San Joaquin Cross Valley Transmission Project

Water Systems Improvements Project

Multi-Phased Downtown Enhancement Project

Student Housing Complex

QK partnered with Steinberg Architects as part of a design/build team to develop plans for the 7.5-acre site which includes two student housing units containing 500 beds and a Commons Building. Our team provided civil engineering and land surveying services for the University’s new housing project, which included topographic survey, base map, grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving plans to support pedestrian and vehicle circulation, and utility plans including company and contractor coordination.

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Mulcahy Park

The Mulcahy Park redesign project required careful planning to create facilities that met the needs of Mulcahy Middle School, neighbors, and the City of Tulare Parks and Recreation Department. QK was involved in the redesign of the existing Mulcahy Park, including civil engineering services, project management, construction administration, utility coordination, and landscape architecture. With a QK-led outreach effort that encouraged the staff and community to take pride in ownership in their park, our team was able to incorporate the public’s ideas into a revitalized park and plaza.

The park now includes four football/soccer fields, two softball/little league diamonds, restroom facilities, two picnic pavilions with Bar-B-Que and event areas, a splash park, tot playground, pre-teen playground, more than half a mile of trails, benches, and shade trees. The park also features multiple sustainable design features, including a new irrigation system connected to the City of Tulare’s central computer and weather station, drought-tolerant landscaping with reduction of the turf area, and high-efficiency restroom features. The space is currently available for school physical education classes and sports, after-school recreation programs, and community events.

Mulcahy Park was awarded the 2014 “Best Recreation Project – Under $5 Million” award by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Cen-Cal Chapter.

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Fallen Heroes Park

Fallen Heroes Park includes youth soccer and softball areas, a pre-teen and tot playground, two picnic shelters with Bar-B-Ques, a lighted basketball half-court, a splash pad, lighted loop walking trail and trailheads to the future Tule River Parkway trail system, a central community plaza, restroom facilities, and parking.

QK’s landscape architecture team reduced the overall turf area by using drought-tolerant planting, and the water-efficient irrigation system is connected to the City’s central computer and weather station. In addition, the site slopes to a north-west corner bio-swale designed to capture run-off and prevent it from entering the Tule River on the north end of the park.

The park has received multiple awards, including the 2015 “Public Works Project of the Year” from the American Public Works Association (APWA) Cen-Cal Chapter as well as the 2015 “Arbor Day Award” from Tree Fresno.