Four infrastructure projects in San Luis Obispo won awards from the Central Coast Chapter of the American Public Works Association or APWA, an advocacy group for public works professionals, the City announced.
But it was the County that took the top overall prize for finally putting an end to the sewer wars in Los Osos.
Each of the SLO projects won first place in its category, and SLO took top honors in four of the five categories. The projects were:
• Los Osos Valley Road exchange in the Transportation greater than $15 million category;
• The San Luis Obispo Skate Park at Santa Rosa Park, in the Structures between $2 and $5 million category;
• The Jack House elevator removal project in the Historical Project less than $2 million category; and,
• The Toro Street creek bank stabilization in the Environmental Project Less Than $2 million category.
Each project is now eligible for overall, “Project of the Year” honors. The LOVR Interchange project made it to the final selection for Project of the Year but did not advance.
That project widened an overburdened interchange that was originally built in 1962 and had become mired in traffic jams, due to extensive commercial and residential development in the immediate area.
The 15,500 square foot concrete skate park was built after 200 skateboarders descended on City Hall in 2007, advocating that old wooden skate ramps at the park needed to be replaced with a modern venue.
The Jack House project removed a non-historical elevator installed in 1973, restored a bay window and the house’s original historic look.
The Toro Street creek bank restoration stabilized an eroded wall that could have caused the collapse of a creek bank and forced closure of Toro Street.
“The awards result from the efforts of City staff, the Council and the public,” SLO Public Works Director, Daryl Grigsby said in a news release. “And we’d like to congratulate the project managers and construction inspectors who brought these projects from an idea on paper to finished and operational City improvements that benefit everyone in our beautiful City.”
The Los Osos Wastewater Treatment Plant Project won for Environmental Project more than $15 million (it actually came in at $183M), and also took the top honors for the Chapter’s Project of the Year.
“After tallying the vote,” reads an announcement on the APWA website (see: centralcoast.apwa.net), “it was clear that one project is the winner. Congratulations to the County of San Luis Obispo for winning the Overall Project of the Year Award for the Los Osos Wastewater Project.
“A complicated and difficult project, and the award is well deserved. The project will now be submitted to the National APWA for Project of the Year Consideration. Let’s all root that the project wins on the National Level.”
Managing, after more than 30 years of starts and stops, to finally build a sewer in Los Osos, a project that had grown in infamy among public works and engineering professionals worldwide, should have a pretty good chance at the national title, perhaps even be the sentimental favorite going in.
By Neil Farrell
