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PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA BEHNER, DAVID EVANS AND ASSOCIATES

EYESORES NO MORE. Employees at David Evans and Associates werenâ??t afraid to get their hands dirty in an effort to beautify their community. David Evans and Associates helped the city of Fife and city of Tacoma replace two asphalt traffic islands with more aesthetically pleasing islands filled with plants on Pacific Highway East.

Local business helps beautify community

By Jamie Forsythe

The staff at David Evans and Associates Inc. (DEA) has been working diligently the last four years to give much-needed facelifts to two traffic islands located between Fife and Tacoma near the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Pacific Highway East.

â??The intersection was ripe for an improvement,â?? according to Mike Clark, office manager at DEAâ??s Tacoma office.

He noted once the area that needed improvement was identified, DEA went to work brainstorming ideas of what might work in the space.

â??It was an opportunity for us to play around,â?? Clark said, â??and figure out what we can do to help.â??

Civil engineer Gordon Nelson noted having an impact locally is an important value of DEA. â??This project was something that enabled us to get out into the city and be visible to the community and help to beautify it,â?? he remarked.

â??Weâ??re interested internally to get involved in both of our communities,â?? Tacoma and Fife, Clark said. â??Weâ??re happy to volunteer our expertise in an effort to improve our community.â??

DEA, which is headquartered in Portland, is a professional consulting firm that specializes in transportation infrastructure improvement, according to Clark. DEA has five offices in the Puget Sound region and employs approximately 1,000 people.

The traffic island project was a joint effort between DEA and the two municipalities. The city of Fife performed the demolition, constructed new curbing and sidewalks, and provided irrigation to the site, according to Fife Public Works Director Russ Blount.

â??Weâ??re very grateful to DEA for taking the leadership role and getting the project through both Fife and Tacoma,â?? Blount remarked.

He noted the city of Fifeâ??s total investment to the project was approximately $12,000.

City of Fife Project Engineer Ken Gill worked closely with DEA on the project. He said the members of the organization have proved themselves as good neighbors, as they continue to collaborate on several city projects.

The city of Tacoma installed the signs, relocated adjacent signage, installed lighting and provided power, according to Jennifer Kammerzell, an associate engineer with the city of Tacomaâ??s Public Works Department. In all, she noted the city of Tacoma spent approximately $5,600 on the project.

DEA purchased new signs and plants, and DEA volunteers held a planting party and put in more than 1,000 plants. Clark estimated DEAâ??s contribution to be around $25,000.

Nelson described the project as a â??nice team effort.â??

â??Everyone involved invested their time, energy and money into the project,â?? Clark stated.

Where two large traffic islands paved with asphalt once were, there are now grassy islands filled with plants and a welcome sign with fresh paint. â??Aesthetic improvements are so important for a community,â?? Clark commented. â??It was just ugly before.

â??We helped improve its look, feel and visibility,â?? he continued. â??It was a welcome change.â??

After four years of work, Clark and his staff are pleased to see the final product. â??Itâ??s nice to see an accomplishment that is meaningful to the community,â?? Clark remarked.

â??Itâ??s been a long time coming,â?? Nelson said, but â??weâ??re very happy and pleased with how the project came together.â??

 â??Once everything fell into place, as an office we came together and spent a day out there planting plants and digging holes,â?? Nelson explained. â??It was a wonderful experience for all of our employees.â??

The traffic islands will be an ongoing project for DEAâ??s 35 employees at the Tacoma office, who will provide future maintenance. â??DEA will continue to do the ongoing cleanup and maintenance,â?? Clark noted. â??Various employees are interested in still being involved and driving by and stopping to pick up litter.

â??We take pride in our community,â?? he added.

Kammerzell said local businesses only approach the city of Tacoma two or three times a year about doing a beautification project such as this one, and the projects usually arenâ??t on such a large scale.

She noted a project like this â??really gives a sense of community for everyone involved.â??

â??We were pleased to be a part of it,â?? Nelson said, â??and look forward to any opportunities that might come up to help beautify the community.â??

With additional information contributed by Natasha Jaksich.

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