Highland Parks Department Gazebo Facility - Highland, IN

NIES Engineering, Inc. provided design and services during construction for improvements to Highland's Main Square Park with subconsultant Carras, Szany, Kuhn & Associates providing architectural services.

The project involved doubling the size of the existing Gazebo, constructing a new toilet/concession stand building, providing new lighting around the entire park, and developing serpentine walkways and a new park entrance. The existing Gazebo concrete basement substructure was retained and expanded and a new Gazebo facility constructed in the same location. Enhanced Gazebo features included completely upgraded electrical service for stage performances, a built-in sound system, doubling the size of the stage platform, new water and sanitary sewer services, restroom upgrades, cedar shake shingles, a rebuilt cupola, and composite wood stairs and railings to reduce future maintenance painting.

The gazebo is now fully ADA compliant with wheelchair ramps for easy access. These improvements were very popular with the Highland Parks Performing Arts Group as they entered their thirtieth year of performances at the gazebo.

The new Restroom / Concession Stand Building featured split face block construction and stainless steel, auto flushing restroom fixtures for men and women. The Project was completed in 2007 at a cost of $950,000.

Key Points

• Improved Facilities
• ADA Compliant
• Reduced Maintenance Costs

Sanitary Lift Station - Town of Highland, IN

To accommodate new development in an 80 acre area near the south end of town, the Highland Sanitary Board of Commissioners retained NIES Engineering, Inc., to provide design engineering services and services during construction for a new sanitary lift station and 575 lineal feet of 6-inch force main.

The design included jacking and boring a 12-inch casing pipe under adjacent railroad tracks and several petroleum pipelines running parallel to the tracks in order to install the 6-inch force main. Two, 280gpm submersible sewage lift pumps were installed in a precast concrete wet well which was provided with guide rails and a portable lifting hoist to remove the pumps for maintenance. The precast valve vault incorporated piping provisions for emergency bypass pumping. Electrical equipment and controls were located in an above ground building with an exterior plug-in socket provided to accommodate connection of a portable engine-generator. The 45th Street Lift Station and Force Main project was completed in 1997 at a cost of $199,000.

NIES also provided design and construction monitoring services for the 1996 rehabilitation of Highland's aging, 41st Street Sanitary Lift Station. Rehabilitation work included reviewing alternative improvements; coordinating electrical, mechanical and structural inspection work; replacing complete rotating assemblies on two, vertical dry pit pumps (each rated at 1000gpm); and rehabilitating electrical systems by replacing primary electrical feed cable, key electrical breakers and pump controller equipment. Final rehabilitation cost was $40,000.

Key Points

• Flexibility
• Increased Capacity

Cline Avenue Water Main Lining Project - Highland, IN

The Town of Highland experienced a significant number of water main breaks on a 1400 foot long section of 8-inch cast iron main located below the 10-inch thick concrete pavement of State Road 2 (Cline Avenue). Seven breaks in the 1980's and 1990's were all circumferential cracks (indicating settlement as a primary cause) and were also difficult and costly to repair.

After a 1998 break resulted in $11,000 worth of damage to a nearby home, NIES Engineering, Inc. was retained to evaluate alternatives for repair or replacement. Based on site-specific considerations such as concrete pavement and curb replacement costs, limited available right-of-way, and location of nearby utilities, a trenchless pipe lining system was recommended.

The liner system is supplied by Insituform Technologies, Inc., and is known as Thermopipe. The product is a woven polyester tube jacket that is factory impregnated with polyethylene, formed into a C shape, pulled into the water main to be lined and re-rounded with air and steam to provide a close fit to the host pipe. The primary advantages of Thermopipe are:

• Does not bond chemically to the host pipe, providing greater resistance to settlement cracking and reducing host pipe cleaning requirements.
• Presents a thin, smooth tube liner that typically does not reduce the hydraulic carrying capacity of the water main
• Is structurally non-dependent on the host pipe, having a predicted long term burst strength of 328psi and a continuous working pressure rating of 150psi. 

The lining system, installed in the summer of 1999, has not had a water main break since installation.

Key Points

• Diagnose Problems
• Cost-Effective Solution
• Efficient Improvements

Pedestrian Bridge - Town of Highland, IN

In the Town of Highland, Indiana, a major walkway to the high school and middle school crosses over the Cady Marsh Ditch. This walkway is important to many area school-children, since the closest available crossing of the ditch is shared with a busy arterial street. In 1995, the existing structure was over 60 years old, and was showing signs of disrepair.

The Town of Highland hired NIES Engineering, Inc. to help replace the existing structure with a new six-foot-wide pedestrian bridge. The existing bridge was skewed at an angle to the footpath on both sides, and its deck was below the top of the banks of the ditch.

The new structure was designed for a new alignment that would raise the walking surface to the top of the bank and would provide a straighter path of travel. Made from a self-oxidizing steel, the new bridge is designed to acquire an exterior oxidized coating over time, which eliminates the need for painting and creates a dark brown surface that blends well with the surrounding area.

The new bridge was fabricated off-site and set in place using a 90-ton crane. The project also included extensive site rehabilitation to beautify the area north of the bridge. The structure is at the end of a dead end street, and NIES designed a transition area between the pavement and the new bridge. This transition area includes sidewalks, curb, gutter, and landscaping to provide a pleasant buffer between the walkway and the neighboring residences.

Today the bridge provides a safe crossing for hundreds of students and other area pedestrians.

Key Points

• Versatility
• Long-Term Planning