We ’ d process that material and place it in another spot .” Key to the geotechnical design and construction decisions were staff from Brierley Associates and Lithos Engineering – geotechnical engineers of record on the project .
To complicate matters , once construction started , the team noticed groundwater levels coming up as a continuation of the catastrophic 2013 floods the state experienced , which slowed work down and pushed the schedule into winter – requiring crews to work with dirt and water in freezing conditions .
Through all the hiccups , the team functioned collaboratively and cohesively , said Kirsten Starman , project administrator for Pinnacle Consulting Group , which manages the Boxelder Basin Regional Stormwater Authority .
“ There was a tremendous amount of mutual respect and trust that allowed us to get through some fairly difficult situations , and the project really turned out wonderfully ,” Starman said .
She praised Pletcher , in particular , for the “ open dialogue ” they shared as well as his on-site presence , which she said “ was critical to this job .”
“ That let us really work through issues as they happened to keep them from becoming larger issues ,” she said .
When the team encountered site conditions that hadn ’ t been planned – typical to most projects – Starman said Pletcher was responsive , fair , and fast-acting .
“ There was an instance in building the box culvert down on County Road 50 where initial borings were showing bedrock at 11 feet and they ended up hitting it at 4 feet in some places , so we were looking at a lot of unplanned rock excavation ,” Starman said . “ What I really appreciated about Ayres was they vetted this and every single change order . I did not see a change order until it was thoroughly vetted and negotiated with the contractor . That was amazing because usually I get the change order , and I have to beg the engineer to validate it for me .”
Stan Myers , Authority manager , said he also appreciated Ayres ’ forward-looking approach .
“ I can think of many times through the design and construction process where Andrea or Chris would think of an issue before it came up ,” Myers said . “ They ’ d
CUTTING COSTS
Throughout the course of the Boxelder Basin
Regional Stormwater Authority projects , Ayres Associates worked with contractor Dietzler Construction on value engineering processes designed to reduce costs . One success story involved the decision to be more selective in material choices for the embankment . Using the best material for the core and a lower quality material , which is available in more abundance , for the outside of the embankment provided a significant cost savings . It also allowed the team to take the embankment from 4:1 slopes on the outside to 3:1 – therefore using less materials . The more technical embankment allowed the contractor to move less material , which saved them time and ultimately saved the Boxelder Basin Regional Stormwater Authority several hundred thousand dollars .
Dietzler Construction continued to bring forth value engineering suggestions reaching a gross savings of just over $ 300,000 , which was split equally between the Authority and the contractor to incentivize their participation in the value engineering process .
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