South San Francisco Celebrates Oyster Point Ribbon Cutting & Fun Run
On Saturday, November 18, the City of South San Francisco (City) celebrated two milestones: the ribbon cutting of Oyster Point Marina Park and the 50th annual 5K Thanksgiving Fun Run.
Fun In The Rain
The weather was cloudy and rainy, but that didn’t bring down the energetic crowd. Groups of families, friends, and local residents (some in costumes) gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting and recognition of the beautiful Oyster Point Marina Park. City Mayor Flor Nicholas and various City Representatives recalled the beginning of the redevelopment project and its many challenges, including working with three different developers, numerous design changes, and an extensive list of environmental regulations to name a few. But after years of continuous work and close to 400 change orders, the park is finally ready to be open.
After the ribbon was cut, participants of the 5K Thanksgiving Fun Run organized behind the starting line. At the sound of the horn… off they go! The path was largely along the coastline, where runners were treated to a marvelous view of the Bay at various elevations, a steady flow of incoming flights to San Francisco International Airport, and wildlife enjoying their homes.
Project Details
Some of the unique features at the site include use of Cell-crete under the marina parking lot, as compared to previously specified geofoam with four feet of cover soil, and Swinerton-recommended and subsequently approved pre-fabricated pier ramps leading from the newly constructed Bay Trail down to existing marina dock entrances. Given that the Bay Trail and marina parking lot are underlain by a significant thickness of compressible refuse and Bay Mud, the extended project team re-evaluated fill loads and groundwater issues to be encountered during construction and determined that Cell-crete would be a better option for the area. Cell-crete resulted in a cost savings of approximately $954,000. The pre-fab pier ramps, manufactured by Hallston in the Bay Area, were a slight added cost to the project but allow for adjustment in the future to accommodate future marina rehabilitation changes. The pre-fab ramps replace previously designed cast-in-place concrete ramps, which likely would have been destroyed during a future marina rehabilitation project.
The challenges on this project have stemmed largely from the fact that the previous developer had not developed the joint trench or landscaping plan sets prior to construction start in 2018. This had a ripple effect on the schedule and cost increases throughout the project and is something to take into consideration on future projects of this scale.
Awards And Recognition
The Oyster Point Marina Park was recognized with two industry awards in the Summer. California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS), District Four presented the City with an “Award of Excellence” for the Park’s outstanding contributions to the local community. Additionally, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Region Nine selected the park for the award of “Outstanding Construction Project in the State of California.”
Swinerton And The Project Team
The City brought on Swinerton Management & Consulting (SMC) to provide project management services in 2016. SMC has processed close to 400 change orders on this project, assisted in at least two multi-million dollars settlements between Agency and Developer and then between both owners and contractor, assisted the City with complex state budget requests for additional funding, and has guided the City through numerous difficult decisions on materials, design changes, and budgeting over its five-year duration. The project has been managed by a four-person construction and cost management team, and a two-person SMC team: Project Executive Dennis Wong (retired) and Senior Project Manager Lisa Romanoski.