Environmental Services is constructing a new LEED-certified, sustainable, energy-efficient office and meeting space for Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant engineering staff.

Treatment plant engineering staff worked in four mobile modular units. The project includes new construction, removing the modulars, reconfiguring a parking lot, adding landscaping and installing security fencing. The project will also create a new front entry for the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

The 11,500 square foot facility will provide space for 38 staff and will have several meeting spaces, including a large meeting space for up to 100 people.

Construction Schedule

The city has contracted with the construction firm Skanska to build the facility. Skanska started work on the $6.7-million project in summer 2012.

The project construction is currently ahead of the planned June 2013 completion schedule, and is expected to be complete in May 2013.

The contractor has re-lined the existing headworks pond near the new building and has placed new stones on the bottom of the pond. The courtyard site work and almost all underground utility work is complete. The foundations and ground floor slab are in place for the new facility.

The next step is to complete erecting the roof beams and deck, the masonry walls, and the steel columns along the north wall.

Site Design

The project includes:

• A new landscaped common area for plant staff
• A new entrance road to replace the current road that leads to the administration building
• A reconfigured staff parking area
• Formal landscaping in the common area
• Other landscaped areas that will reflect the native Columbia Slough landscape.

Sustainability

The City of Portland's Green Building Policy requires this project to incorporate sustainable design practices and to be certified at the LEED Gold level. The new office and meeting facility will include a distinctive ecoroof and stormwater management facilities. 

Master Plan

All improvements to facilities at the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant are reviewed through a conditional use master plan. The review process grants land use approval for the projects included in the master plan for up to 10 years. The 2011 master plan update will be in effect until 2020. The most significant improvement in the updated master plan is the new office building and landscape improvements.