The City of Green Bay received a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant from the EPA to install permeable pavement and bio-retention ponds to provide treatment of storm water prior to discharging to the Bay of Green Bay. Robert E. Lee & Associates worked with the City to design a parking lot for Bay Beach Amusement Park that utilized “green” storm water features. The final project consisted of a 5-acre parking lot that was treated by permeable pavement, with a walking trail connecting the parking lot to the park, which is treated by a series of bio-retention ponds to provide storm water storage and pollutant removal. For the permeable pavement, the final design utilized permeable asphalt pavement, which was found at the time to be the most cost-effective option compared to permeable concrete and permeable pavers.

Advantages of using permeable pavement in this situation included that no additional area outside of the footprint of the parking lot was needed for storm water management. This saved the City roughly 0.25 acres of space that did not need to be allocated to a more traditional storm water management Best Management Practice (BMP) such as a wet detention pond. The perceived safety hazards associated with wet detention ponds near a park and small children were also completely avoided. Permeable pavement was the perfect storm water solution to be used at the amusement park, balancing cost with safety considerations.

Robert E. Lee & Associates collaborated with the Baird Creek Preservation Foundation and the City of Green Bay to design a storm water feature to reduce storm water flows, prevent erosion of the downstream Baird Creek, and remove pollutants. The final pond design featured an artificial wetland pond with small permanent water pools and a variety of native wetland plants. The pond effectively reduces peak flows and removes pollutants from a 100-acre drainage basin within the City. The project, minimizing permanent water surface, benefited the adjacent park space from a safety perspective, and helped reduce the thermal impact created by the permanent water pool of a wet pond. Close coordination was required with the City, foundation, and neighborhood association to create a Best Management Practice that has minimal impact on the surrounding area.

Robert E. Lee & Associates worked with the City of De Pere to analyze storm water needs in their East Industrial Park. In order to prepare for new growth, existing detention pond FE260B was evaluated to improve the storm water quality discharged and a new pond, FE270A, was created to treat runoff from approximately 23 acres. The drainage basins analyzed included areas of existing development and redevelopment.

Development of Centennial Centre at Hobart began with an ambitious plan to begin planning and construction of the cornerstone development for the Village of Hobart. With a motivated staff, the Village, along with Robert E. Lee & Associates, worked with varying other parties to develop a master plan and begin construction on the 600-acre development. This project was first of its kind for the Village of Hobart, that required coordination and communication between multiple agencies, including WisDOT, WPS, and other utility companies, local property owners, developers, and other concerned stakeholders.

Eight major phases have occurred since the initial bid was solicited in April 2009. Major phases included construction of sanitary sewer and water main transmission lines from off-site areas to the project beginning. Additional phases included the construction of the underground utilities for the new roadway network, as well as 250 residential lots in neighborhood communities known as Cobblestone at Centennial Centre, Fieldstone Estates, and Woodfield Prairie. Storm sewer and a complex series of detention ponds and infiltration basins are located throughout the development. Major road construction included the bidding and construction of a four-lane boulevard, multi-use trail, two roundabouts, and concrete streets. Additional details such as landscaping, colored and stamped concrete, and decorative lights were added to help identify this signature development. 4,000 lineal feet of multi-use trail is currently under construction that will help loop the development and make it a true live/work environment.