Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2008 - (Page 20) PROJECT PROFILE A Transition from NIMBY to Community Amenity Creative sustainable approach to Connecticut public works project wins over neighbors and captures 2007 Visionary Project Award Wendi Goldsmith, president of Some residents of a comfortable subBioengineering Group. urban community in Connecticut Her Salem, Massachusetts-based firm weren’t pleased when they first heard served as the sustainability consultant on that their historic neighborhood had the design team that progressively chalbeen selected as the site of a major public lenged itself and the collaborating projworks facility. ect team memThe upscale bers to raise the quarter is on bar on the projland originally ect as it unfoldpurchased in ed. 1798 by famed The end American result is the inventor Eli Connecticut Whitney—most Water noted for his Purification invention of the Facility and cotton gin—and Park which is surrounded won the 2007 by grand old Visionary homes inhabitProject Award ed for genera- Paths provide access to park and trellis screens public views of truck lot at the Land tions by promiDevelopment Breakthroughs Best nent local citizens. Practices Conference in Phoenix, “When the engineering consultants Arizona, in November of 2007. pointed out that this was a very costPerhaps more importantly, the project effective site for a necessary Regional is a winner at home. Water Authority (RWA) facility, people Beyond fulfilling its stated goal of just said, ‘Not in my backyard,” said providing clean water to the local citizenry, the development’s innovative design has created a vibrant ecosystem and The Sustainable Land Development healthy watershed, which includes a International Visionary award program public park and educational facility and recognizes the creativity, vision, and the provides a diverse habitat and sanctuary implementation of best practices in land for migrating species of birds. development. It recognizes not only the The project incorporates state-of-theplanning and design of projects, but also art watershed management practices focuses on the complete development that maintains natural hydrology, manprocess. Criteria for consideration: ages water runoff and educates the pub• Effective leadership lic regarding sustainable watershed • Team building stewardship, low-impact site design and • Public relations successes protection of riparian resources. • Sustainable principles “The neighborhood is satisfied, it’s a • Contribution to the community point of pride for the Regional Water • Innovative application of solutions Authority, and the design team is bask• Financial success • The uniqueness and beauty of the project 20 January 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today By Rob Kundert ing in the glow of much media attention,” Goldsmith said. Early Challenges In need of a new water purification facility, the RWA searched for potential sites and saw this location as its best option. It already had a century-old connection to the local water system. “The site was first use in the Victorian era to provide what was then state-ofthe-art water treatment,” Goldsmith said. The original slow-sand-filter plant was put into service in 1906. Progressively higher water-quality standards made it obsolete. It was closed in 1991 and demolished in 2001. Already near a reservoir of fresh water, its location would also allow gravity to move water through the new purification process which meant a significant reduction in operation and maintenance costs. The location was the optimal choice. “This site would cost about $35 million less to develop than any other option for the RWA,” Goldsmith said. “You could also theoretically store water right on site and pump it out for distribution.” The reception from the neighbors was chilly at first. The perception of sheetmetal buildings or Quonset-style huts with trucks full of chemicals moving in and out was not their idea of maintaining the local ambience. Then a member of the community spoke up and suggested a different approach, according to Goldsmith. What if the facility was made to be visually pleasing and publicly accessible? It could be a plus for the entire community. “That idea was well received by even some of the more contentious community members, and it was embraced by the RWA” she said. “That’s how the process went forward.” The grounds and roof of the facility can be viewed from the nearby clifftop City park.
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