A Struggle by the Shore

Seaside Site Tested Contractors in Newport Beach

Contractors for the renovation and construction of three buildings battled huge chunks of buried concrete and installed underpinning piles before completing a
$5.3 million aquatics training center for the Boy Scouts. .

By Paul Napolitano

Irvine-based Snyder Langston has completed the renovation and expansion of the Newport Sea Base for the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America, in Newport Beach.

Located on Coast Highway at the water's edge, the new Sea Base was constructed by Snyder Langston's institutional building group at a cost of $5.3 million.

Snyder Langston provided general contracting and preconstruction services, value engineering, design management and logistics planning. Myles W. Glynn & Associates Inc. provided project management services for the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America.

The beautiful and sturdy Newport Sea Base complex for the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America (photo by Greg Aragon).

Since 1937, Sea Base has provided educational maritime-based programs to youth from all over the country. Today, the aquatics facility provides year-round training and instruction in oceanography, marine biology, environmental science, boating safety, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, dinghy and keelboat sailing, motor boating and other marine-related topics. It is also home port for the Sea Scout's fleet of seven vessels.

The project consisted of renovating an existing two-story, 7,320-sq.-ft. building and constructing two two-story buildings. The seaside site required special shoring with the installation of underpinning piles and repairs and modifications to an adjacent seawall. Gerald Lehmer and Associates designed the shoring system.

"Our team's skill and ingenuity were demonstrated when we encountered some existing unforeseen problems," said Greg Holcomb, project executive for Snyder Langston.

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"The new buildings were constructed at a lower grade, which required the addition of concrete and steel underpinning to shore up an existing structure," he added. "Over a five-week period, we removed truckloads of buried concrete debris that affected our ability to place precast piles in their designated locations. Our team worked with Hill Partnership and RGF Engineering to identify each condition and assist with relocation, which affected the overall foundation design."

The west portion of the seawall required modification that included excavating the land side of the wall and installing reinforcing supports tied with rebar and concrete buttress panels.

"We had to remove some pieces of buried concrete that were the size of F-150 trucks," said Karla Wynia, project manager for Snyder Langston. "At first glance, it may have looked like an easy 24,000-sq.-ft. project, but it was far from it."

The Snyder Langston project team included, from left, Craig Heising (superintendent), Karla Wynia (manager), Justin Livingston (engineer), Eric Cronin (engineer) and Linda Martin (accountant). Greg Holcomb (project executive) is not pictured. (Photo by Greg Aragon.)

Subcontractor John F. Meeks was in charge of driving about 125 piles to depths between 20 ft. and 30 ft. "We frequently hit bedrock at various depths," said Wynia, a 17-year Synder Langston employee who is now in charge of The Strand, a $25 million mixed-use project in Huntington Beach.

Designed by the Hill Partnership, the buildings' exterior at the maritime complex feature metal roofing, lap siding and galvanized steel railings.

The new 7,900-sq.-ft. sailing building is supported by canted concrete columns and has a decorative steel canopy. The structure provides a computer lab, classroom and office space.

The second new building is 7,625 sq. ft. and serves as Chapman University's Collegiate Rowing Center. It includes dry mooring storage for crew boats, an exercise room and a residence apartment.