Clients value Ayres’ assistance with permitting process
By Wendy Kinderman
W
ithout permits, projects don’t
happen. Whether you want to
fix a road or build a new office,
fly a drone or dredge a lake, you’ll need
permission from some regulatory agency
– local, state, or federal – and often all
three. But for years, the site was a fenced-off
grassy field. When a developer backed
off on planned improvements, the City
of Tampa took over and brought in Ayres
Associates to handle civil engineering and
scientific and environmental permitting
for the project.
This isn’t a bad thing. Permits guide – and
sometimes change – project designs,
making sure they’re a good fit with the
environment, surrounding infrastructure,
and community. It’s not always easy,
though. Here’s how regulators, clients,
and Ayres Associates’ staff have worked
together to meet permitting challenges. “Water Works Park was the most
challenging environmental project
I’ve ever permitted in my 30 years
of engineering,” said Jan Ash, Ayres
Associates’ project manager. Challenges
ranged from contaminated soil to
protected manatees and – the most
unusual of all – a suspected shipwreck.
The Shipwreck That Wasn’t A shipwreck discovered on the river
bottom in 2009 was presumed to be
the Scottish Chief, a Civil War blockade
runner that sank in 1863. Preservationists
worried additional boat traffic generated
by the park’s dock and boat slips would
damage the historic shipwreck.
Water Works Park in Tampa, Florida, is the
northern anchor of the City’s Riverwalk
along the Hillsborough River. It boasts
a splashpad, playgrounds, gardens,
shoreline enhancements, a public docking
facility, and more.
2│ TRENDS