Challenge
When Yamhill County discovered that their circa 1941 public works building was structurally unstable and operationally deficient, they realized this caused obstacles to properly service their community by jeopardizing their ability to respond during emergencies. Because the County understood the importance of having a functional and safe public works facility, they began the work to replace the outdated building and improve on-site circulation of the public works yard.
Solution
Yamhill County partnered with Kittelson, George Fox University (GFU), and Native Plant Society of Oregon (NPSO) Cheahill Chapter to design a new public works facility that included a combined shop and office building, and associated improvements to on-site parking, circulation, and stormwater management. GFU students, led by Caleb Cox and Fred Wismer (adjunct professor at GFU and Kittelson engineer), gathered suggestions and feedback from public works staff to ensure that their needs were incorporated into the new space.
One significant improvement in the facility’s new design was improvements to parking and traffic circulation. GFU students were able to optimize parking efficiency, resulting in 35 additional spaces (77 to 102), providing ADA spaces, parking islands, rain gardens, and charging stations for a future electric fleet.
The Outcome
The Yamhill County Public Works Facility
The new Yamhill County Public Works building is a modern, up-to-date work facility that will proudly serve the community of Yamhill County for decades to come. This project was also recognized by the Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association and was awarded “2020 Project of the Year.”
Interested in learning more? Click here to read about our collaboration with George Fox University.
