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Small Stream, Big Challenges

Josh Burch
District Department of Energy & Environment
Washington, DC

The District Department of Energy & Environment executed an award-winning design-build stream restoration in SE Washington, DC that involved community planning, conflict, compromise, and collaboration. This 500ft stream restoration project transformed the stream and surrounding park to a vibrant urban space that was previously unused and unknown to much of the surrounding neighborhood. This presentation will examine three key areas of the project: 1) Site selection and the factors that made this project a priority and the funding sources utilized; 2) the solicitation package’s evaluation criteria and design-build structure to keep the same qualified contractor on board from designs through construction and maintenance; and 3) An exploration of community relations and negotiations for a project with supporters and detractors.

The presentation will first cover the site-specific factors that moved this project up on DOEE’s priority list for implementation. Then DOEE will discuss the contract structure (design-build-maintenance), the evaluation criteria, and the reasoning behind ranking factors which led to the selection of the best qualified design-build team for this site and project. The presentation will then close with a discussion of the good, the bad, and the quite interesting components of community relations related to the project. DOEE will discuss strategies for managing community expectations throughout the design, build, and maintenance process.