Recreation Facilities Design
Resource Concepts, Inc. has designed a variety of public facilities. Several recent projects are described below.
Morgan Mill Road River Access Project – Carson City, Nevada
Resource Concepts was contracted by Carson City to implement design and permitting for a boat ramp and parking area on the Carson River. The project’s conceptual design included extensive coordination with river stakeholders. The design includes riverbank grading for a concrete boat ramp and boulders placed in the river to create a backwater eddy for boats. The riverbank will also be stabilized and revegetated. The re-contoured bank will allow for easier, safe access to the waters edge. The project area is within Carson River Mercury Superfund Site, which is associated with the dozens of mills located along the Carson River to process gold ore from the Comstock Lode in the late 1800s. RCI obtained permits from the Army Corps of Engineers for impacts to waters of the United States (Section 404 of the Clean Water Act); the State of Nevada for use of State Lands; the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for water quality certification (Section 401 of the Clean Water Act); and the State Historic Preservation Office. These permits included reviews by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Truckee River Before
Truckee River After
Martin Slough Wetland
Creation Project during
initial planting, 2007.
Nevada Commission on Tourism / Truckee River Recreation Plan and Whitewater Park at Wingfield Park – Reno, Nevada
Resource Concepts was contracted to prepare a recreation plan along 20 miles of the Truckee River through the Truckee Meadows. This project demonstrates the skills of RCI for initiating and obtaining multi-jurisdictional and multi-party collaboration to create a common vision for the Truckee River from Verdi to Vista. This plan is available for review on CD-ROM upon request and is also available to see on our web site at www.rci-nv.com/reports/truckee.
In addition to creating the recreation plan, RCI had lead engineering and permitting responsibilities for the Whitewater Park at Wingfield Park. As a result of the project, a low-head dam was removed and replaced by several recreational rock drops to create “play waves”. Boulders replaced the concrete vertical walls, so that the river is more easily accessible to boaters and swimmers. The annual Reno River Festival, which attracts more than 30,000 people to the area, is gaining more and more popularity every year. This project is an excellent example of coordination and cooperation to implement a shared vision for improvement and enhancement of a valued community resource.
Town of Minden/Martin Slough Wetlands Creation, Enhancement, and Water Quality Project
The Martin Slough is part of an extensive ditch system that delivers irrigation water from the Carson River to agricultural areas in Carson Valley. Plans for moving a portion of the Martin Slough and constructing a small detention basin between Lucerne Street and Monte Vista Avenue in the Town of Minden were included with approval of the Monte Vista Subdivision.
Resource, Concepts, Inc. conducted the initial site planning and resource analyses that led to the wetland/pond creation alternative that replaced the ditch and detention basin concept. RCI was retained by the Town of Minden to design plans for a natural-functioning pond and wetland ecosystem to meet the storm water and runoff needs from the Monte Vista Subdivision and create a natural riparian environment. The subdivision developer donated approximately eight acres to the Town of Minden for the wetland creation project.
Additional goals for the created wetlands and ponds included expanded stormwater storage, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds, and local passive recreation for nearby residents. Distinct emergent, wetland, shorezone, and upland grading and planting plans were developed to create habitat diversity. Plant material selections included native plants that would provide structural diversity, nesting cover, and forage.
Special design features of the project were added to accommodate the urban neighborhood setting of the project area. The design included a meandering footpath with low impact lighting, wildlife viewing areas, and an overflow structure to control the depth of water in the pond. Select focal points along the streets and both temporary and permanent irrigation systems were designed by landscape architect Sandra Wendell to supplement precipitation during unpredictable drought periods and to expand the planting pallet for a blended transition between formal landscapes and natural areas. The next phase of the project will include the construction of an outdoor educational kiosk and a footbridge. Supplemental seedings and weed control will be based on site-specific monitoring during the plant establishment period.
RCI conducted survey mapping, complete project design and permitting including revegetation plans, hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, 404, and 401 permitting, construction staking, and construction management.
Project funding was provided from the Town of Minden and a 50/50 matching grant from the State of Nevada Question 1.