Williamsburg Road Commercial Corridor Revitalization Plan

Sandston is the second oldest established neighborhood in the County of Henrico, and the commercial corridor found along Williamsburg Road has served this community for over a century. This corridor developed during a time when Williamsburg Road, or Route 60, was the primary roadway between the City of Richmond and Williamsburg. As seen with other American corridors that emerged before the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the Sandston corridor has experienced a halt in the economic development and decrease in the vitality of the economic base in recent decades. The Williamsburg Road Commercial Corridor Revitalization Plan strives to identify key issues that are stagnating the corridors growth and development and recommend solutions to assist Sandston in achieving a stable, healthy economic status once more. This plan focuses on three key areas that influence historic commercial concentrations: infrastructure and design, professional networks and support systems, and gaps in the market for businesses and expanded consumer base

Food Eating, Entertainment and Distribution Kitchen

The goal of this Interactive Qualifying Project is to design a food truck that is able to provide food for 500 people per day. It has to present an aspect of entertainment, and be aesthetically pleasing. Food truck operators are forced to work in a cramped environment throughout their working day. Most food trucks today do not provide any level of entertainment and are not aesthetically pleasing. For a better working environment for operators, an expanding mechanism is incorporated into the food truck, in which the passenger side of the food truck expands outward when it is in the operating condition. A higher profile mobile kitchen is more likely to become noticed by pedestrians walking by. This food truck design will be the next step in the evolution of mobile kitchens

Pedestrian Bridge Design in Lancaster, MA

Recreation areas improve community members\u27 physical and psychological health, increase property values, and provide a host of ecological services that benefit the environment. This project, sponsored by the Lancaster Friends of the Nashua River, explored ways of improving public access to the Cook Conservation Area in Lancaster, Massachusetts. As a result of our investigation into soil conditions, aesthetic choices, and structural stability, we recommend the construction of new pedestrian bridges. Results of our work include cost estimates, permitting forms, and models of the proposed bridges. These materials will help improve trail user satisfaction and contribute to the success of the Cook Conservation Area as an important community resource for the town of Lancaster

An Evaluation of Nantucket\u27s Town Facilities

The Town of Nantucket is confronted with the issue of maintaining and improving its municipal facilities in the face of growing demands, limited budgets, and a lack of centralized information. Per request of the Assistant Town Manager and Town Facilities Manager, we completed a baseline facilities assessment and compiled the information into a database. This entailed conducting site visits, stakeholder interviews, and community-wide surveys. We discovered that many facilities were not efficiently fulfilling their intended purposes, and thus we recommended structural repairs, the consolidation and relocation of several departments, and the continued use and development of the database to improve facility maintenance and management

Laying the Groundwork for a Trail at Breton Preserve with Androscoggin Land Trust

Public access to the coastal, mountainous and historic hotspots is one of the reasons Maine’s population is increasing. These natural areas are threatened by land turnover and human development, forcing government funded conservation programs, local land trusts, and nationwide privately held conservation groups to take action. Throughout cities in Maine, there is a push for more public outdoor areas providing further recreational opportunities to facilitate holistic and educated relationships with the land. For these reasons, the Androscoggin Land Trust (ALT) has identified a need for a multi-use trail along the Androscoggin River at the Breton Preserve in Lisbon, Maine. To accomplish this goal, the ALT is hoping to apply for grant funding from the Recreational Trail Program (RTP). In this report, we include a proposed trail route in the form of a GIS map, a budget spreadsheet with infrastructure and construction costs, answers to grant application questions regarding the importance and feasibility of the trail route, and research on the indigenous, colonial and land ownership history of the property In order to propose a trail, four trail determinants were established to meet ALT’s goals: the desired trail aspects, points of interest, identifying route based on paths of least resistance, and indicating infrastructure required based on the paths chosen. Based on these determinants, two potential trail routes were proposed: the optimal route that portrays a greater variety of ecological features on the property, and the secondary route that is shorter in length and follows existing logging roads. While we propose the primary trail to the ALT, the secondary option would be more cost efficient. Both options include an ADA accessible portion of the trail with access to the Androscoggin River. We created a virtual Story Map of both route options, including a map tour of the infrastructure and points of interest along with a portion of our historical research meant for the Informational Kiosk at the entrance of the trail. The intention for the Story Map is to help promote the trail, help visualize both route options and provide a virtual experience of the property. The budget spreadsheet, containing the costs of infrastructure, construction, design, and labor, emphasizes the cost differences between the two proposed trails based on the length, additional infrastructure and construction. With the GIS maps, budget spreadsheet, application questions, and research for the kiosk provided, we hope to position the Androscoggin Land Trust with the framework to apply for RTP grant fundin

Construction of an Apartment Building and Parking Garage

Construction projects are known far and wide to all people. Buildings we need for daily survival would not exist if it were not for the construction industry. Our homes, healthcare facilities, groceries, and other necessary amenities would be gone if it were not for the structures they are housed in. This project aims to simulate the lifespan of a construction job from the design phase to the preconstruction phase and stops at the final presentation before an agreement to start construction. To create the simulation for the students, a fake RFP, or request for proposal, was created and given to the assigned groups for the project. In this RFP were the guidelines and requirements of the project. It listed what kind of project this was, what was necessary in the project, and the timeline given to complete it. The project was to be a living area for students on Murray State’s campus. Guidelines were given for the number of apartments and parking spaces needed for the building. The building also needed to be ADA compliant and LEED Silver certified or better. Progress meetings were scheduled to create a real environment, as progress meetings are typically held in a real construction project to keep the owner updated and keep communication between all members of the project team. The results of this project gave students a real-world type of work experience before getting into the field for themselves. Students were put in the mind of a worker in the industry, given their time frame and assigned partners, and expected to perform and present a full project at the end of the semester

Bridge and Intersection Design at Louisiana State University

The purpose of this project was to provide an intersection design and a structural bridge design for Louisiana State University to achieve the mobility goals of the LSU Master Plan. The team determined technical bridge and intersection design components and created three preliminary intersection and bridge designs. The final recommendation was to build a Warren Truss bridge and an intersection that encourages walking and biking with design features including a shared space for pedestrians and cyclists, bike crossings, and crosswalks

Trinity Restoration Inc.: Southside Cultural Center Economic Impact Study

Economic development has shifted from location-oriented business models towards a more all-encompassing model that recognizes the advancement of human capital or intellectual property as continuously increasing in value. This microcosmic characteristic of development extends to aid in the growth of society as a whole. The Arts and Culture attract a demographic of inspired and motivated people to the area. It results in the development of the society surrounding art venues. The general population will always seek out entertainment, by installing a venue of artistic expression in South Providence that will motivate the community and propel development. This phenomena has been proven, as denoted through the historical evaluation of artistic venues across America that have generated economic growth in their respective communities

Moodle as an online learning solution for a theological educational program

The purpose of this project was to redesign one theological educational program\u27s face-to-face course sessions for delivery in an online learning environment. This project focused on developing the Moodle online learning environment as well as the learning resources needed for one complete session to be delivered online

Sustainable Southbridge

This Interactive Qualifying Project, prepared for the community of Southbridge, Massachusetts, in coordination with Ms. Margaret Morrissey and Mr. Gabriel McCarthy, is an effort to establish a Sustainable Southbridge Initiative. This plan is a proposal to promote urban development, maintain natural resources, and fulfill the community\u27s needs by enforcing an inclusive community and creating new economic opportunities