
Located in the 1,400-unit master-planned East Garrison community on the former Fort Ord Army base, this 7-acre regional community park includes play equipment, basketball court, baseball field, barbecue and picnic areas, landscaped open space and trails. The sunken soccer field also serves as a 6.6-acre-foot detention basin that is an integral part of the East Garrison stormwater management system. Our team provided civil engineering and construction staking services.
Popular with campers, cyclists, and race enthusiasts worldwide, the Laguna Seca Recreation Area offers the best in race and community events for its beautiful venue and prime location between the Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula. The recreational area includes the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Trackview Pavilion, Rifle and Pistol Shooting Range and two campgrounds (Chaparral and Can-Am Circle Campground and the Grand Prix Campground). Over the past thirty years, Whitson Engineers design and land survey team have completed numerous campground and facility improvements which include the Pit Row Suites, Trackview Pavilion, Corkscrew View RV parking, track modifications and safety improvements on every major turn of the track, paddock improvements, four pedestrian bridges, utility infrastructure improvements, and event planning and layout maps.
Located in Soquel Village within the Soquel Creek floodway, this redevelopment project included an important stormwater treatment and retention facilities along with a new plaza, parking, traffic circulation and utility improvements. Whitson Engineers provided design engineering and land surveying services that included plans for the water retention facility, grading, drainage, site utilities, hydraulic study and erosion control. Additionally, improvements to the two-acre neighborhood park resulted in better visual, pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular access. Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater elements such as rain gardens and permeable surfaces also were added.
In pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade classes, this highly-selective private school named for author Robert Louis Stevenson supports a child’s innate nature to learn through play. When it came time to expand and upgrade the school’s playing fields, Whitson Engineers provided schematic design alternatives and cost estimates for the new construction of a multi-use artificial turf soccer, field hockey and lacrosse field. Our design team researched alternative to provide a non-crumb rubber infill an alternative, optimize the amount of earthwork on the steep slope, and to reduce the project footprint and height and length of retaining walls. A mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall planted with native grasses and shrubs added a natural aesthetic touch to the Young Athletic Field Complex.
To help provide a safe route from the Carmel River toward Hatton Canyon, our team provided full project management, environmental, civil engineering, and land surveying services for a two-mile-long Class 1 bicycle facility. Our services included preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, type selection for a pedestrian bridge over Carmel River and construction documents for a one-half-mile-long Class 1 multi-use trail and pedestrian undercrossing at Carmel Valley Road. Whitson Engineers worked closely with environmental consultants in developing project alternatives, impact avoidance and mitigation measures as well as habitat restoration, which included one-half acre of new riparian habitat. Along with use by residents, this trail is an integral part of other events, including the Big Sur International Marathon, which was established in 1986 and attracts about 4,500 participants annually.
While exploring options to prevent future erosion and enhance public use of a nearly one-half mile of scenic coastal bluff along East Cliff Drive, community meetings focused efforts that ultimately included the redevelopment of Pleasure Point Park, new restroom facilities, multi-use path, pedestrian walking trails, stormwater quality devices, native landscaping and on-street parking. The Whitson Engineers team prepared final engineering design plans and construction documents for the East Cliff Drive Parkway Improvements which resulted in enhanced pedestrian safety, multi-modal transportation, parkway beautification, landscape restoration and interpretive elements highlighting the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
This multi-use park accommodates the Monterey Amberjacks, city and local high school baseball and softball leagues as well as city youth soccer, lacrosse and ultimate Frisbee disc leagues. To construct an artificial turf outfield for the existing baseball field and bring the ballpark within requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (improve seating, access walkways and restrooms), the design team met with stakeholders and offered design solutions to meet the needs of all users. Whitson Engineers worked closely with the project landscape architects to provide alternative designs and respective cost estimates to help inform the city’s decision making; to meet the deadlines of the aggressive project schedule to avoid expiration of city funding sources; and to complete the project before the high-use season.
Established in 1950 as a regional park with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, the park includes a freshwater lake, barbecue and picnic areas, playground, summer music events and the recent addition of a soccer field. Our team provided development of plans, specifications and estimate for the new synthetic grass soccer field, grading improvements to level the site, drainage improvements and accessibility improvements for circulation and picnic areas.