Small Projects Award
The Riverside Middle School Athletic Park project provides an underserved school location within the Billings Public School System with a safe and attractive recreational facility. It provides renewed opportunity for school athletes but also provides safe physical fitness facilities for the surrounding community.
Riverside Middle School Athletic Park is the result of commitment from the Billings Public Schools to provide equitable afterschool athletic opportunities to all of the students in the District. After several years of planning and a commitment of funds to purchase a blighted piece of property adjacent to the School, the Riverside leadership and district Board invested in expansion and renovation of existing athletic facilities that were not up to the standard of other school facilities in the District.
The geometrically challenging site had been basically used as a transient encampment and was filled with trash and overgrown weeds and brush. It had become unsafe for area residents to use the area. This project brought new life and many safety improvements to this relatively low-income area of Billings.
The project entailed the design and construction of two ball fields, upgrades to an existing parking lot, improvements to an access road, and renovation of an existing track and field venue. A walking path was designed around the exterior of the facility. Final improvements also included the addition of lighting and fencing in the area, both significant safety items. Stormwater management was an imperative part of the project to address drainage issues.
Challenges associated with the engineering design of the project included the odd shape of the lot and the need to provide appropriate layout of athletic fields and other constraints that included easement issues, an irrigation ditch, stormwater/drainage issues, and a busy residential street. Balancing the desires
of the School District with City of Billings regulations also required creative negotiation involving the engineer and those entities with positive outcomes that saved time and money.
“We really worked hard at making sure all of our schools have equal access and opportunity. I was just over at the site the other day meeting with the school staff and they’re so proud of it.”
SD2 Superintendent Greg Upham
Two separate contracts were awarded for the construction of the project. A landscaping contract was let to provide tree and brush removal, debris cleanup and consult on maintaining as much of the usable landscaping as possible. The second contract provided final construction of improvements.
The end result of this project is a safe, attractive, and valuable asset not only for the Billings Public Schools but for the community surrounding the school.
“It is absolutely amazing. Most of us don’t ever get the opportunity to have available space right next to the school so we’re very thankful and very fortunate to get this ready for the new year.” – Principal Kevin Kirkman
