Community Engineering Corps
Leveraging the membership of Community Engineering Corps’ alliance partners – American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Water Works Association, and Engineers Without Borders USA – we bring more than 200,000 technical professionals and students together to serve communities across the United States. These individuals volunteer their time and expertise to assist communities that do not have the resources to access engineering services. With a strong commitment to community-driven projects, our volunteers work alongside community members to design solutions to identified problems.
Grace City Church Project (North Philadelphia)
EWB-Philadelphia has successfully established a local engineering project in partnership with the Grace City Church in the Wissinoming neighborhood of Philadelphia.
The project will include providing the church building with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility. In order to bring the church into ADA compliance, this project will include creating a new entry into the building and the installation of a handicapped ramp. The creation of the entryway will include an assessment of the existing condition of the interior area of the new ADA entrance. Other portions of the proposed project will include the reorganization of the parking lot to introduce traffic design, some green space (e.g. grass planting, small garden space), and inclusion of handicap spaces adjacent to the new ramp. At this time, the parking lot will also be re-paved, re-graded, and re-marked. The decision to use porous pavement will be decided upon depending on the permitting requirements of the City of Philadelphia. The surrounding sidewalks will also be assessed to see if re-pavement or replacement is necessary to improve ease of access and remove any tripping hazards.
All city permits will be followed and the parking lot will become a safe area to traverse during all parts of the day and night. This will require the installation of new signage, lighting, and any other minor items identified through the permitting process
Community-Based Organization Partner
We are working with the Grace City Church of the Wissinoming. The main contact with the community is Richard Pace, Property Manager for the Church.
Project Scope
Work Tasks for Parking Lot:
Property Survey
Sidewalk Assessment
Layout for Permitting inclusive of signage and striping
Landscaping Plan
Lighting Plan (Solar and Motion Activated/Timer; Potentially use a Solar Cell); Run a conduit as a back-up.
Drainage and E&S Plans
Staging Location for Construction Materials and Equipment
Out of service plan for Church during construction
Final Layout inclusive of Permitting Requirements
Work Tasks for ADA Ramp:
Layout of Ramp
Foundation Design for Ramp
Ramp Design
Structural Assessment of Doorway and any required modifications to allow for door installation
Floor Leveling by Entrance
Door Selection (Grace City Church)
Works Tasks for Interior:
Electrical Design for Handicapped Ramp Button
Most other work is cosmetic and architectural in nature (i.e. re-flooring etc.)
Project Schedule
July 15, 2018- 543 Form Submission; Regulatory Requirements Identified
August 15, 2018- 544 Form Submission; 543 Form Review Complete by EWB-USA
September 15, 2018- 544 Form Review Complete by EWB-USA
October 15, 2018- Property Survey Complete
November 15, 2018- Sample Catalog for Doorway/Fence/Rail for Ramp/Lighting/Stamped Concrete Sent to Grace City Church; Construction Estimate Created.
November 15, 2018- Sidewalk Assessment Complete and Doorway/Interior Vestibule Assessment Complete; Determine if Porous Pavement will be used or if other type of green infrastructure will be used (Pending Permit Thresholds).
Late November 2018- Presentation to the Church/Community/Potential Contractors
December 15, 2018- Doorway/Fence/Rail for Ramp/Lighting/Stamped Concrete Selected by Grace City Church
January 15, 2019- Ramp and Parking Lot Layout including Electrical Design for Lighting and Handicapped Buttons Complete; Foundation Design for Ramp Complete
January 15, 2019- Permits Applied for given Layout.
Early January- Second Presentation to the Church/Community
March 31, 2019 (Estimate)- Obtain Permit Approval from the City of Philadelphia.
April 30, 2019 (One Month After Permit Approval)- Design Drawings and Specifications ready for bid and issue for construction.
How to Help
Anyone with a desire to help is always welcome to join our project.
Additional Project Information
For more detailed information regarding this project please contact the project leads or attend a chapter and/or project meeting.