Date of Defense

4-18-2023

Date of Graduation

4-2023

Department

Civil and Construction Engineering

First Advisor

Decker Hains

Second Advisor

Osama Abudayyeh

Abstract

Located in St. Joseph County, MI, the Village of Colon offers a charming small-town feel and a close connection with nature. For this project, our team will be working to create a new design for a small community park located in the downtown area of Colon along the shores of Palmer Lake. The American Legion is seeking to re-imagine the park into a Veterans memorial to celebrate the service of village residents who have served in the armed forces. Elements requested to be incorporated into the memorial include granite stonework with etched displays, flags for each branch of the military, a battlefield cross, and statuary. In addition to the memorial area, a new playground and picnic area will be created. Although it is outside of the current scope of the client, a pavilion design and a parking lot design for the picnic area have also been created as additional add-ons, should the client receive the funding required.

For this project, a complete site design including a memorial area, playground, picnic area, and a parking lot has been created. Within this site design, all required concrete slabs-on-grade have been designed, as well as a structural design and analysis of a pavilion. A plan set, created in AutoCAD Civil3D, includes a removal plan, site layout plan, grading plan, and SESC (soil erosion and sediment control) plan. The park is expected to be funded by grants, so available grant options have been researched. Three different cost estimates have been created, each depending on how much grant money the client is awarded. A construction schedule has also been created. To assist the American Legion with their fundraising efforts, we have created advertising material such as flyers and 3D site renderings. Throughout the whole project, special attention has been placed to make the design and construction process of the project sustainable.

Currently, there is no financial restraint of the design for this project. The allowable price for this project will be based primarily on the amount of governmental funding and public donations that can be acquired. To accommodate for the budget uncertainties of this project, various cost alternatives will be generated based on different amounts of funding gathered.

There is strong community support for the creation of this memorial park from many of the members of the community of Colon, MI. Their goal for this memorial is for it to be a beautiful and inspiring community space that brings in visitors from all over Michigan. The Village of Colon is a small community of only about 1,500 residents, so bringing in visitors from surrounding communities would help add to the local economy.

Comments

Co-authored with:

Sarah Johnson

Victoria Powe

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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