Engineering and Landscape Architectural Design Services for Skatepark

Grindline Skateparks, Inc. & Reading Area Skatepark Association

Reading, Pennsylvania

SSM worked with Grindline Skateparks, Inc. of Seattle Washington and the Reading Area Skatepark Association for the planning and design including landscape architectural and engineering services, of a new 22,000-square-foot concrete skatepark to be constructed on a 1.8-acre vacant lot located on Canal Street in the City of Reading.  The property once contained residential homes prior to hurricane Agnes flooding the area in the summer of 1972.  The project involved preliminary and final land development plans showing a parking area located off of Canal Street, a variety of bowls, ramps and multiple skating surfaces to be constructed of concrete.  The project also included engineering services for stormwater management design, NPDES permitting and erosion control plans, electrical lighting design, and geotechnical engineering to accurately determine the contents of the existing fill material on site.  Development and permit approvals were required from The City of Reading, PADEP and the Berks County Conservation District. 

Multi-Disciplined, Indefinite Delivery Contract

WASHINGTON CROSSING | PA HISTORICAL MUSEUM COMMISSION

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionWashington Crossing Historic Park

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Pidcock Creek Stone Bridge | prepared design plans and technical specifications for the construction requirements, including site excavation and backfill, grading, gabion installation, bridge deck repairs and paving, stormwater conveyance, and significant amount of masonry repairs.  

Repairs to Dam #1 | Prepared drawings and specifications. Repairs included the rebuilding of sections of the stone and concrete dam crest, the replacement of the valve on the outlet pipe, the removal of sediment deposited in the vicinity of the inlet gate; and stream bank stabilization.

Repairs to Canal Bridge | Prepared and submitted a Pa DEP General Permit #11, including the permit application and meetings with Pa DEP. Prepared design plans for the re-construction of the roadway and bridge including plan and profile designs and grading.

Heritage Trail | Coordinated with the Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor and the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve to replace a stone trail to connect the Delaware Canal to the Thomson Neely Grist Mill. Conducted a topographical survey of the area and designed a conceptual alignment of the redesigned trail to meet ADA/ABA accessibility standards. The alignment of the revised design, situation behind the mill, also provided a lower impact on the historic significance on the site.

Wastewater Treatment, Collection and Management | Obtained the PA DEP NPDES permit renewal and provided recommendations for equipment/process rehabilitation and/or replacement required to resume operations and discharge at the Lower Park Wastewater Treatment Plant. Provided recommendations and cost estimates for repairs, replacement, and improvements.

Lumber Museum, Galeton PA | Sewage System Evaluation and Design | Evaluated alternative methods of wastewater disposal. The methods were (1) to collect the wastewater and treat on-site by equalization storage, septic tanks with effluent filter, followed by a drip irrigation method of soil absorption, including further filtration and distribution to woodland soils, and (2) collect the wastewater, and pump it to the Denton Hill facility located across U.S. Route 6, and Nine-Mile Run stream. SSM subsequently designed a drip irrigation wastewater system as an alternative to the inadequate system. The process involved land surveying, preparing drawings and specifications for the preliminary and final designs, securing permits, providing bidding assistance, and overseeing construction services.

Valley of Concentration | Well Replacement | SSM located well site located, coordinated well drilling activities with Upper Makefield Township Department of Code Enforcement and the well driller, collected hydrogeologic data during drilling, and collection and reporting of water level data collection for PA DEP permit application.

Site Engineering and Survey

READING HEALTH SYSTEM | SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Reading Health System

Reading, Pennsylvania

Parking Garage | Freestanding, four-level parking garage for 875 vehicles. Performed traffic analyses and administered the municipal review and approval process.

Healing Garden | Provided all site survey and civil/site design for the construction of a “healing garden”. The site design included grading, landscape geometry, stormwater management and erosion control. The presence of several interfering buried utilities required SSM's ability to develop the project's form and function while maintaining public safety as the first priority.

Parking Garage | Four-level addition to an existing parking garage designed to accommodate 426 vehicles. This project required a high level of coordination with the other design professionals working on the project as it included the relocation of critical elements of the Hospital's mechanical services infrastructure, thereby requiring rigorous attention to scheduling and to meeting established deadlines.

School of Health Sciences | Provided land development and site design services for the proposed School of Allied Health Services, a 60,000-square-foot nursing school building and an associated dormitory. Prepared plans for site development, site grading, stormwater management, sanitary sewer and water system designs, erosion and sediment pollution control, utilities, and site improvement details.

Meyer Lane Park

MEYER LANE PARK

Bethlehem Township

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

SSM provided master planning, construction documentation, bid administration and construction phase services for a 4-acre park. The park design emphasized primarily passive recreation such as: walking trails and picnic pavilions, with horseshoe pits and volleyball courts nearby. The park design highlighted environmentally sustainable native wildflower meadow plantings throughout, thus reducing stormwater run-off volumes through decreased velocity and increased infiltration. At the same time, the planting approach decreased maintenance requirements such as mowing and irrigation, therefore reducing associated costs.

Stormwater Design to Relieve Flooding

Tredyffrin Township

Tredyffrin Township

Chester County, Pennsylvania

• Pugh and Old Eagle School Roads - Designed 900 lineal feet of storm sewer to relieve backyard flooding by rerouting the storm sewer through backyards and reconnecting into the PADOT storm sewer system at a downstream location. The project included negotiation with property owners for easements and obtaining necessary Highway Occupancy Permits from PADOT, preparation of design drawings, technical specifications, and bid documents. SSM provided assistance to Township staff during construction phases, including review of shop drawings and observation of the work.
• Vincent, Maude, and Lisa Streets - Designed 1,200 lineal feet of storm sewer and two infiltration beds to relieve flooding issues within an established residential community. SSM engineers balanced the constraints of the available property area, steep slopes and an Exceptional Value watershed to retrofit existing storm sewers to increase their capacity,  steep slopes and working within an Exceptional Value watershed.  The infiltration beds were placed within a cul-de-sac on an adjacent Conservation property. SSM provided assistance to the Township staff during construction phases, including review of shop drawings and observation of the work.

Stormwater Management Study

Honesdale Borough

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Conducted a stormwater management study of three tributaries to the Lacawaxen River. Analysis of capacity was performed on data captured for each of the tributaries. Concepts and recommendations for improvements to the stormwater management system were identified to alleviate existing storm drainage problems. Meetings with the project stakeholders including the Borough Zoning Officer, the Borough Council, residents and the School District were conducted throughout the project.