Project Details
Client: Fresno County Office of Education
Location: Fresno County, California
Type: Premier outdoor learning center
Size: Approximately 82 acres
Estimated Completion Date: 2004
Construction Cost: $4 million
Interesting Fact: Scout Island includes an accessible beach and safe boat dock that provides opportunities for students to explore the adjacent San Joaquin River. The project was an American Council of Engineering Companies Excellence 2005 Engineering Excellence State Honor Award Winner.
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As more and more open space is blanketed by urban development across the Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area, the Fresno County Office of Education (FCOE) recognized the need for a resource where children could go beyond textbooks and classrooms to experience nature. Their goal was to create a facility, accessible to every student, which would provide a place where the intricacies and wonders of the natural environment could actually been seen, studied, understood and appreciated.
Inspired by such an ambitious vision in an era where the education system is beleaguered by less money, less resources and less opportunities for teaching children, Blair, Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers (BCF) couldn't wait to help breathe life into Scout Island. Located on 82 abandoned acres in the San Joaquin River bottom, Scout Island was a tangled web of conflicting authority between local, state, and federal agencies. In total more than 15 agencies participated in the project, including The Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Department of Water Resources. By the end of the project, Scout Island required 17 separate building permits and a wide variety of final approvals from every agency involved.
Managing the number of regulatory agencies made for a quite a challenge - and that was in addition to the sizeable scope of new features BCF would need to design to create the type of premier outdoor learning center that FCOE dreamed of building. To create a safe, accessible and beautiful environment, BCF designed electrical, irrigation and water infrastructure; stabilized and improved the safety of the one-lane access road; created a comprehensive system of ADA accessible pathways and trails; networked 18 outdoor learning stations with two amphitheaters; added over 30 acres of landscaping, an acre of wetlands and 40 acres of protected wildlife corridor; reestablished a historical creek complete with two bridge crossings; and expanded vehicle and bus parking lots all within a rugged, undeveloped and environmentally sensitive river bottom setting.
The design team successfully delivered a project that maximized project funding by keeping economics in perspective and embracing creativity. Remaining true to the original charge, Scout Island is ADA accessible so that every child served by FCOE can participate in an outdoor learning experience. The design team stayed front and center throughout the project to represent FCOE through a sea of regulators, red tape and construction to deliver a completed project on-time and $700,000 under-budget.