Area Engineering Firm Joins In Post Conflict Re-Building Effort

POWER Engineers, Inc., with offices in Hailey Idaho, Portland, Ore, and Longview, Wash., will assist Perini Corporation, one of three firms awarded contracts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to re-build facilities in the U.S. Central Command's area of operations.

Under a separate Corps contract, POWER will also support Perini Corporation on various design-build facilities for the graduating battalions of the Afghanistan National Army in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Central Command contract is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ)
contract, with a value of up to $100 million during a performance period of one year. The area of operations encompasses 25 nations from the Horn of Africa to central Asia, including the Arabian Peninsula and the northern Red Sea regions. POWER Engineers will provide engineering and design services for power-related projects.

POWER is also teamed with Perini for another contract for the design and construction of facilities to support the First Brigade of the Afghan National Army near the Afghanistan capital city of Kabul. The project consists of barracks, dining facilities, and infrastructure, including a power plant, a water treatment facility and a wastewater treatment plant.

In addition to POWER Engineers, the team includes Tetra Tech, Willbros Group and Najad Rock Group.

Eugene Federal Courthouse Garners GSA Design Award

The Wayne Lyman Morse Federal Courthouse was one of 24 projects (out of 105 entries) to win a General Services Administration award. According to the awards jury, the courthouse offers "a highly rational plan with fluid, sculptural massing." The citation was in the "On The Boards" category.

The project was contracted to the design team of DLR Group and Morphosis under the GSA's Design Excellence program, which stresses creativity in executing Federal building projects.

The courthouse design takes visitors through a classic entry stair and portico, past a waterfall, into a soaring day-lit atrium space and finally, up a formal grand staircase to the courtroom level.

The courtrooms, a series of single day-lit spaces, are arranged in three sculptural forms perched on the raised plane of the two lower office floors. A grand hall serving the courtroom level offers views of the surrounding mountains, rivers, landscape and of the sister courthouse pavilions across the roof.

The 265,000 sq.-ft. facility includes six courtrooms, associated chambers and ancillary spaces. Construction is scheduled for completion in September, 2005.

HDR-Portland Named Lead Designer For Oregon Bridge Replacements

HDR will provide design services for the replacement of both Upper and Lower Quarry Bridges span the Grande Ronde River on I-84 in Eastern Oregon.. Construction Contractor is Max J. Kuney Company, Spokane, Wash.

Construction cost is estimated at $18.9 million and will begin in April 2003 with an estimated completion date of November 2004. The work scope includes reconstructing 0.5 miles of Interstate 84.

The timeline will be facilitated by using design-build delivery methods, as opposed to the traditional design-bid-build in that the designer and contractor work under the same contract. The Quarry bridge projects are part of a $40 million program to replace eight bridges on I-84 between La Grande and Perry, Ore.

HDR is also responsible for the preparation of a Biological Assessment and a wetland report and all environmental permitting including Section 404/Removal Fill Permit. Additionally, HDR
is providing construction quality assurance services that include field inspection, quality acceptance materials testing, quality assurance and verification of monthly progress payments.

Burnside, Morrison Bridges Get Needed Upgrades

Two historic Portland bridges have quietly joined the 21st century. The Morrison and Burnside bridges now feature technology that could eventually make the bridge master's primary job of raising and lowering the bridges obsolete. For now, it makes everyone's job at Multnomah County's Office of Bridges safer and easier.

Both bridges were in desperate need of repairs to wiring that had deteriorated and caused operational malfunctions. The $1.2 million electrical renovation corrected deficiencies in the existing electrical control, lighting, and power systems.

Portland's Heil Electric, utilizing NECA/IBEW Local 48 licensed electricians, completed work on both bridges this spring. In total, 15,000 feet of fiber optic cable was laid under the Eastside Esplanade to connect the city's bridge office (located under the Hawthorne Bridge) to both bridges.

Electricians removed 7 tons of old equipment, replaced submarine cables and installed touch screen controls on the Burnside Bridge. The new control system is a computerized system similar to and compatible with the new controls installed on the Morrison Bridge. The control systems allow for remote trouble shooting and monitoring of bridge operations from the Multnomah County bridge office.

Lewis Awarded New Work

Lease Crutcher Lewis (Lewis) recently secured two new contracts; to construct Tualatin Valley Water District's operations center expansion and Portland State University's new Student Health Center.

The $4 million expansion of TVWD headquarters will provide needed space for additional staff, allowing the district to service new account development and contracts with other agencies, and a new emergency command center.

The project, including a 7,810 sq.-ft. addition and construction of a new 7,700 sq.-ft freestanding building, is designed for LEED certification. Lewis will also remodel the existing space, modify parking areas, pedestrian circulation, site utilities, security systems and landscaping and perform improvements to SW 170th Avenue and SW Merlo Road. This project, designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects, began in May.

Occupied renovation of PSU's University Center Building will create a new student health center complete with medical examination rooms, psychological testing rooms, physicians' offices and a radiology suite. The $1.8 million 20,000 sq.-ft project, designed by Clark Kjos Architects, began mid-April.