Outstanding Small Public Project 2002

Ogden Public Works Center R&O Construction

Ogden City and R&O Construction have worked together to build a number of public facilities that have revitalized and improved the aging downtown. This year, another important facility became a cornerstone for a major entrance to downtown Ogden. R&O Construction completed Ogden City's Public Works Center in January 2002.

The project included construction of the new complex that covered four blocks of a formerly blighted area in downtown Ogden. This simple, efficient and unassuming building stands at the 30th Street gateway to Ogden. The project makes a welcome and needed improvement to the area of the city where the industrialized section joins commercial and residential areas.

The Ogden Public Works Center was more than just a project. The Public Works Departments had waited many years for the new facilities they now occupy at 133 West 29th Street in Ogden. The facility has made it possible for all the Ogden City Public Works agencies to function together from one site, improving customer service and interdepartmental communication.

Work on the Center began in April 2001. New construction, building renovation and additions were all part of the project. A total of five elements of construction were used on the project: masonry block, metal, concrete tilt-up, EIFS and sprung structures. The main building of the Ogden Public Works Center is a masonry building, which has office space in the center and maintenance, storage or repair space out on either wing. The site houses the public works operations for city streets, sewer and refuge with a new customer service office, maintenance shops and vehicle storage. A larger part of the project includes the remodel of an existing pre-engineered metal building and the construction of six new outbuildings using Star metal building systems.

"The building we remodeled was essentially the mechanics' shop where all of the city vehicles from police cars and garbage haulers to utility vehicles are repaired," Project Manager Rick Zampedri said. The new outbuildings are specialized: one is a car wash and two are sprung structures that hold all the sand and salt for road safety in the winter.

Bringing together all the utility and operation divisions made a more efficient use of city services possible. Additionally, the facility will be the essential use facility of the community in the event of a disaster.

Coordination and scheduling were the biggest challenges of the project, Zampedri said. Each building was being constructed individually and was in different stages of construction. It was the job of Superintendent Matt Perkins to keep the project on track and coordinate all of the various stages of each building.
Because the engineering element for a metal building was so difficult and time-consuming to track, R&O performed its own concrete work. The company kept the same mechanical and electrical contractor throughout the project, but otherwise the buildings were divided up for subcontracts. The project schedule was just 10 months.

Project Team

Owner: Ogden City, Ogden, Utah
General Contractor: R&O Construction, Ogden, Utah
Architect: Salerno Bertoldi Architects, Ogden, Utah
Civil Engineer: CRS Consulting Engineers, Ogden, Utah
Structural Engineer: ARW Engineers, Ogden, Utah
Mechanical Engineer: Davis Engineering, Ogden, Utah
Electrical Engineer: Spectrum Professional Services, Salt Lake City
Landscape Architect: MGB&A, Salt Lake City