CEE Senior Design 2023

Our project is in Destin, Florida between Sibert and Calhoun Avenue. The total site area is a little more than five acres that are currently undeveloped. Working with our sponsors David Smith, P.E. and Jim Martelli, P.E. at Innerlight Engineering and our clients at Calhoun Estates, our was to develop single family homes on this site. The focus of this project is to provide effective civil engineering designs while being able to maximize our client’s profits. This will be done by ensuring that our design follows local and state regulations for land development and by making the site desirable and safe to potential home buyers. Our plans include a demolition and erosion control plan, grading plan, stormwater management plan, utility plan, roadway corridor design, permitting documentation, project scheduling, as well as a preliminary cost estimate. After choosing a layout design that promotes safe driving for the connection between Sibert and Calhoun Avenue, we were able to produce thirty-seven plots of lands for the construction of residential housing. This layout also calls for two amenity areas and one stormwater pond. Next our focus was in producing a grading design that supports the current natural flow of runoff for the site and minimizes the need for extensive earthwork to the site. Once grading was completed, we developed a stormwater plan that effectively removes water from our lots and roads and funnels the runoff to our stormwater pond located on the southeastern side of our property. Furthermore, we are proposing a potable water and sanitary sewer service for the proposed home locations and a capable fire protection system along the roadway. Thus, this produces a comprehensive design for our clients at Calhoun Estates that achieves their goals.

For years, the City of Tallahassee has regularly dumped demolished asphalt and concrete pieces at its Department of Underground Utilities Public Infrastructure’s (UUPI) sandpit site, located at 4100 West Orange Avenue, just Southwest of Innovation Park. The two stockpiles of asphalt and concrete are mostly from demolished sidewalks, roads and parking lots. Material is constantly being added to these large stockpiles, so the city is worried that the site may run out of space. However, the stockpiled material varies widely in size and shape, which makes it unusable.

The city wants asphalt millings and fine and coarse concrete aggregates. Millings are used to patch and resurface paving, and aggregates can be used as road base or backfill. For current projects, the city outsources millings and aggregates, which can be costly. Our goal was to determine the most sustainable and economical way to recycle the stockpiled materials for use. As a result, we designed an on-site recycling facility that allows the UUPI to process the materials independently. By lessening their dependence on outside sources, it will also save money in the long term.

We analyzed costs, researched equipment and assessed sustainability, as well as the social, economic and environmental effects of this project. Considering these factors, we designed a facility layout with three machines. We also developed a tentative construction schedule with a predicted completion date of January 2024. This allows the city time to apply for all the necessary grants and permits for the project construction.

About two years ago, the Domino’s Pizza located on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee sustained considerable fire damage. The client wanted the location rebuilt. The original site and building were built in the late 1960s. The parcel will be redeveloped using the updated design criteria in Leon County.

The existing site had a large amount of impervious area, the majority used by parking spaces. The building setback was also beyond the current code and included no landscaping buffer. Finally, grading issues at the entrance and exits had eroded the pavement and required drivers to turn at a sharp radius.

Our proposed design brings the 1800 sq. ft. building closer to West Tennessee Street, allowing outdoor seating for pedestrians. The design reduces the parking requirement and includes a pick-up window for carryout orders. The entrance on West Tennessee Street will be converted to one-way traffic with a larger turning radius. A 1200 sq. ft. retail store will be added behind the Domino’s to further enhance the parcel. Proper grading for parking and drive aisle funnels water to the middle of the road and reduces site erosion. Due to large slopes, we included a retaining wall for the southwest end of the building. Across the entire project, landscape buffers filled with native plants reduce water and fertilizer usage over the long run. This project has the potential to revitalize the site, giving the client an updated storefront as well as an additional retail space for lease.

We designed a Dollar General building located at 1527 North Jefferson Street in Monticello, Florida. With a population of roughly 2,500 people, the city of Monticello does not have a large array of commercial grocery, retail or discount department stores. Placing a Dollar General in this region will allow easy access to food, health aids, cleaning supplies, houseware, and various other items in a convenient location.

After analyzing the existing conditions of the undeveloped 2.6-acre site, we discovered a few challenges. The triangular shape of the parcel and small downslope from the south to the north end made making a properly graded site a challenge. We propose placing the Dollar General building in the northern end of the site to fit in the parcel. In addition to this, a parking lot borders the southeastern side of the building with two access points, one to North Jefferson Street and one to Lake Road. Stormwater management is an issue due to the parcel’s steep slope. We designed a stormwater pond in the northernmost section of the site to prevent site runoff.

For the project, we provided plans for demolition and erosion control, traffic, grading, utility, and detailed pond design. Following the grading and site design, we specified a 140'x76'x18' steel building to complete the project.

This Dollar General will be a serviceable addition to the Monticello community. It will create jobs for residents of the city, attract further development nearby and provide residents with easier access to necessary goods. Although the site will require deforestation, the plan includes vegetative replenishment for natural buffering to minimize the environmental impacts of the project.

In 2018, Hurricane Michael damaged the city of Marianna, Florida. The disaster caused polluted stormwater to collect and move into the Chipola River. Most of the water is collected and leaves through two channels: from the city and from the surrounding area. Our goal was to collect the water from the two surrounding channels and clean it before it enters the Chipola River.

Our design calls for the water to be transported by newly-made channels to reroute it into a treatment process. During this process, the water will be cleaned to remove nitrogen and phosphorus using a general treatment system. This treatment train system starts with trash collection using a device called a “baffle box,” which collects any trash that floats in the water before it enters the pond. The next stage involves separating the sand from the water in a small area called a “sediment forebay.” After the trash and sand is removed, the water is ready for cleanup.

We use a “wet retention pond” to filter chemicals from the water via evaporation and sinking into its dirt bottom. Once the water is filtered, it leaves the pond through a device called an “outflow concrete weir.”

By removing the pollutants from the wastewater, the Chipola River will be in less danger of being polluted. The water quality of the river would be improved, and the surrounding wetland environments that were destroyed by the hurricane would thrive once again by a natural system that controls the wastewater treatment.