835CM3037 Chattanooga Columbarium Exp Construction SOW 22 September 2020.pdf

Chattanooga National Cemetery Phase 2 Development

Design Narrative 22 September 2020

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

National Cemetery Administration VA Project No: 835CM3037 Contract No: 36C78618D0144 Delivery Order No: 36C78620N0347

CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL

CEMETERY

Chattanooga, TN

Gravesite Expansion and Cemetery

Improvements

PROJECT 861CM3037

Design Narrative

22 September 2020

PREPARED BY:

LEAD DESIGN CONSULTANT/ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:

JG&A

3225 SHALLOWFORD RD., NE., SUITE 830 MARIETTA, GA 30062

FACILITY DESIGN /CIVIL ENGINEER:

ATRIAX GROUP

102 3rd AVENUE NE., HICKORY, NC 28601

IRRIGATION DESIGNER:

AQUA ENGINEERING, INC.

375 EAST HORSETOOTH RD BUILDING 2202, FORT COLLINS, CO 8052

Chattanooga National Cemetery - Columbarium Expansion Project No. 835CM3037

Design Development Narrative Prepared by JG&A , Atriax Group and Aqua Engineering.

Program

The goal of this project is to increase the burial capacity at Chattanooga National Cemetery (CNC), consisting of constructing 2,024 Columbarium niches, associated walks, landscaping, drainage, irrigation, site signage, site furnishings, and other infrastructure as necessary for the proposed expansion.

Site Description

The City of Chattanooga, located in southeast Tennessee, is positioned along the Tennessee River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Chattanooga sits approximately 680 feet above sea level and experiences a humid sub-tropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. CNC is located approximately two miles southeast of Downtown Chattanooga.

The cemetery is bordered by a residential neighborhood to the east and a railroad to the west. The area surrounding the northern and southern borders of the cemetery is primarily industrial with some residential.

CNC encompasses approximately 120 acres and hosts approximately 56,000 interments.

CNC was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1996 and is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (P.L. 89-665, as amended). Historic protection of the cemetery stipulates no new development will be allowed to take place within the “Inner Loop” road.

The site consists of the following soils per NRCS Web Soil Survey:

• Fullerton Urban Land Complex (FwD), 3 to 40 percent slopes, HSG B.

• Urban Land (Ur) ,HSG B.

• In accordance with FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map Number 47065C0341G, effective

February 03, 2016, the site falls within Zone X, areas determined to be outside the 0.2% annual chance flood plain.

The project expands the existing columbarium plaza and is accessed through the existing plaza from Eisenhower Boulevard. Existing pull off parking along the Eisenhower entrance will be expanded by four

(4) 8’x 20 pull off spaces in the direction of the memorial arch. The expansion design and layout follows the design of the existing plaza which focuses views to the existing pond and minimizes the visual and sound impact of the adjacent spoils area.

The spoils area is mitigated through the placement of 5 niche high single sided units to form a perimeter wall. Interior units will consist of double 4niche high units. The design elements of the columbarium expansion will follow closely those of the existing columbarium plaza. Detailing of the Niches will copy the same design features of natural stone veneer for the pilasters and incised lettering for rows, columns, and units. One variation from the existing columbarium is the treatment of the backside of the niche units.

On the existing columbarium the backside has been treated with a limestone veneer that is visible from Eisenhower Drive. In the proposed columbarium the back side of the niches will receive a smooth stucco finish. Columbarium Niche cap stones will be Indiana Limestone instead of the cast stone used for caps in the existing plaza. End cap stones on the double niche units will have a 3” reveal on the three exposed sides to help eliminate the staining problem experienced in the existing Plaza flush cap stones. As an alternate bid item, at the existing columbarium the cast stone caps on the columns and niches will be replaced with Indiana Limestone.

Site furnishings include, a flower watering station centrally located between the existing plaza and new construction. Site wayfinding signage will be included in the project and will be as per VA Design standards. Extended planting areas will be provided in the central walkway in the new plaza that will provide a favorable condition for selected plants to thrive and also to provide shade and cooling to the plaza in the summer months. Existing planting areas in the existing plaza will be enlarged and irrigated as well to help mitigate the heat island problems experienced at this time. Shade trees will be planted around the new plaza to enhance and focus favorable views to the pond area. Species selected are native to Tennessee and match existing plant material within the vicinity of the project.

Alternate 1- Replace existing Columbarium cast stone caps with Indiana Limestone .

Alternate 2 - Columbarium, Committal Shelter, Gates, Walls- Upgrades, repairs and improvements.

Committal Shelter A - Building 48TI, Memorial Arch - Building HA-1, Bailey Entrance Gate – Building HA2, Spoils Gate – Building HA-43, Back Gate – Building HA-35, Main Gate (Holtzclaw Avenue – Building HA- 36, Fencing/Perimeter Wall – Building HA-4, VA Seal (Entry Gate) – Building HA-48, Armed Forces Pavilion

– Building S-001, and Columbarium – Building 4651

Architectural

• Committal Shelter A - Building 48TI

The existing wood ceiling is in poor condition and will be replaced with new composite material.

The existing ceiling fan will be replaced with an upgraded model, rusting door hinges on storage room doors will be replaced, damaged fascia will be repaired or replaced. Leaking roof gutters are in poor shape and will be removed and replaced. A new ridge vent will be installed to provide better airflow to vent space between wood ceiling and metal roof and existing incandescent lighting will be replaced with energy efficient LED fixtures. Site improvements will include concrete sidewalk repairs along with repainting of doors frames and all exposed surfaces.

• Main Gate (Holtzclaw Avenue – Building HA-36 The main entrance gate brick piers are in poor condition. Remove loose grout and repoint stone masonry and precast caps as required. Clean effervescence leaching through existing brick masonry veneer. Clean, prep and repaint approximately 98 existing letters to prevent further corrosion.

• Fencing / Perimeter Wall-Baily and Holtzclaw Avenue – Building HA-4 Remove and replace approximately five 10-foot sections (50 linear feet total) of heaved and broken concrete foundation for existing chain link fence along railroad tracks. Metal picket fence along Holtzclaw Avenue – replace damaged metal at base of posts where required. Repaint posts to ensure protection against corrosion (approximately 350 posts).

• VA Seal (Entry Gate) – Building HA-48 Existing brick masonry piers at Holtzclaw Avenue entrance in poor condition. Clean efflorescence on joints and cracks. Repair damaged masonry veneer. Repoint existing masonry veneer using mortar that does not contain masonry cement. Repair joints at pier caps to eliminate water intrusion into pier cavity.

• Armed Forces Pavilion – Building S-001 Complete repair of existing precast structural members as related to crack in precast concrete structure at roof apex. Existing crack in concrete structure is recommended to receive an epoxy crack joint repair to stabile existing concrete structure.

Civil

• Memorial Entrance Arch – Building HA-1

In the concrete near the Memorial Entrance Arch sidewalk, there is PVC conduit protruding from the concrete. Grind down the PVC conduit flush with concrete.

• Entrance Gate – Building HA-2 The entrance gate to the site at Bailey Avenue is the historic entrance to the CNC and is not currently in use. Algae growth is currently on the gates, hinges and latches. Remove algae, scrape, prep and repaint the gates, hinges, and latches.

• Fencing and Perimeter Walls – Building HA-4 The chain link fence along the western property boundary is set on top of a 12” concrete wall.

There has been a train derailment and trees removed that have caused the concrete wall to buckle, in turn damaging the chain link fence. The length of concrete wall and fencing to be replaced is 50’. The new fence shall match the existing fence height. Given the proximity of a large stump and roots, the fence should be shifted slightly farther onto Cemetery property to avoid having to make improvements on railroad property. Remove and replace 300 ft. of barbed wire on the top of the fence section that is being replaced.

The entrance at Holtzclaw Avenue is the main entrance to the cemetery. The fence along Holtzclaw Avenue is a metal fence, painted black, mounted onto a concrete footing. The fence is experiencing flaking of paint and mildew. Scrape, clean and repaint the entire fence.

The fence along Bailey Avenue consists of a rock wall with columns that is approximately 8 ft high. The rock wall is topped with a concrete cap with wrought iron fencing on top. Overall the wall is in good condition. The Facility Condition Assessment report notes that 30% of the mortar joints in the rock wall need to be raked and repointed, approximately 6,000 linear feet (lf). The contractor shall provide unit prices for repointing the masonry. The FCA also notes efflorescence is apparent and to clean away deposits when repointing (1000 lf). The stone wall is in good condition and does not show any signs of settling or shifting. We do not recommend any improvements be made to the stone perimeter wall. The iron picket fence on top of the stone wall is to be cleaned, scraped, and repainted.

At the corner of Bailey Ave. & Holtzclaw Ave, the wall is tilting due to a vehicle strike. The section of wall, approximately 20ft, shall be reconstructed.

• Spoils Yard Gate – Building HA-34 There are two entrances to the Spoils Yard. One is an exterior entrance; the other is an access point to CNC. The gates of the Spoils Yard are to be removed and replaced with either a new swing gate or sliding gate. The posts that the gates are currently mounted to are to be reused for the new gates if possible. The swing gates should open outward, out of the spoils yard so as to not limit access to different parts of the spoils yard. Both gates are to be wrapped in a camouflaging fabric equivalent to the kind currently in use at the site to conceal the gates and the maintenance yard from sight within the cemetery and from passersby.

The asphalt and paved access to the spoils yard needs to be replaced. Remove the asphalt and regrade the site. Repave the spoils yard with a new, 8” reinforced concrete slab and 2” asphalt entrance. Regrade such that the spoils yard drains appropriately.

Mud racks at the accesses to the spoils yard are full of dirt preventing them from functioning.

Remove grates and thoroughly clean the racks and the drainage trenches adjacent to them. Replace grates when done so they function and drain appropriately. Drainage trenches will need to be maintained periodically to avoid future clogging. Permanent erosion control filter has been added to the existing inlet.

• Holtzclaw Avenue Main Gate – Building HA-36 The brick paver driveway segment at the front gate are to be removed and replaced with asphalt.

Supply appropriate subgrade and asphalt when repaving the front entrance area. The asphalt driveway apron access to Holtzclaw Avenue is also to be repaved. This may necessitate state approval for work and a lane closure along Holtzclaw Avenue at the main entrance. The knuckles embedded into the driveway pose a hazard to vehicles entering the site. These are to be removed before paving the entrance.

Columbarium : The Facility Condition Assessment reports a drainage issue around the exterior of the Columbarium foundation, causing staining. The staining appears to be coming from the mulch that is placed up against the foundation. Water is dropping from the Columbarium cap and causing splatter on the walls. A rock drainage bed with an underdrain will be installed around the exterior foundation of the Columbarium to prevent further staining of the wall. Washed decorative rock will be installed that is large enough to not be blown by a leaf blower or be a source of perpetual maintenance. Existing red/brown staining on the outside walls of the Columbarium wall will be cleaned.

Pond Bank: Facility Condition Assessment report recommends providing a rip rap edge around the entire pond. Additional inspection and onsite discussion with VA Staff has determined using a geocell would be a more attractive alternative than rip rap.

Roadways: Asphalt pavement throughout the site is in poor condition and needs to be replaced.

All areas of asphalt pavement on the CNC site are to be milled and repaved. This includes all asphalt roads, driveways, and parking areas. All paving work should conform to the City of Chattanooga and TDOT paving standards.

A paving plan was developed, that divides the Cemetery into sections to maintain maximum access to the site while work is underway.

Two gravel pull-off parking areas near Andrews Raiders will be replaced with asphalt.

Restripe all parking spaces and road markings as directed in the plans.

Irrigation System A new automated irrigation system will be provided to irrigate the area adjacent to the columbarium and new tree plantings. Irrigation components will be specified to match and be compatible with those installed in the previous expansion phase. HDPE mainline will be connected to the existing 4-inch HDPE mainline. The existing controller has capacity for the zones installed in this phase and will be used. New two-wire decoder cable will be routed from the existing controller to the new remote-control valves.

HDPE SDR11 pipe is used for mainline and CL 200 PVC is used for lateral pipe. A hydraulic model will be used to size the mainline pipe. Design velocity will be less than 4.5 feet per second. Other mainline components include isolation valves, quick coupling valves, air-vacuum relief valves and flower water stations.

A block style system using solenoid activated remote control valves (RCV) and PVC lateral piping is used. RCVs are plastic valves, rated at 200 PSI having flow control and pressure regulation capabilities. RCVs are typically sized 2-inch. The RCV valves will be installed in a plastic valve box with the lid branded to identify the station and station number of the valve and tagged/labeled with the station and station number in the box as well. Non-constant pressure lateral pipe downstream remote-control valves to the sprinklers is sized such that there is less than a 10% of available pressure friction loss between the remote control valve and the most distant sprinkler per Irrigation Association Best Management Practices. Burial depth is 18-inches.

Rotary sprinklers are stainless steel risers with check valves and are installed along the edge of the columbarium. Pop-up bubbler sprinklers will be used to irrigate tree in the columbarium planting beds. All sprinklers will be installed on swing joints.

Sprinkler spacing is selected to provide the most efficient water application. Computer software is used to select the most efficient pressure, sprinkler, nozzle combination. The efficiency metrics used for selection are the Distribution Uniformity (DU) and Scheduling Coefficient (SC). The higher the DU percentage, the greater the application efficiency. The closer the SC is to 1.0, the higher the application efficiency. Spacing for rotary sprinklers will be selected to achieve a minimum DU of 80% and a SC of less than 1.2. A rotary sprinkler spacing between 55- to 60-feet is anticipated.

Storm Water Management The stormwater runoff from the proposed Columbarium Expansion will be directed to inlets located within the plaza area, and routed to a new manhole, and ultimately into the pond. Drains will be located in the gravel strips, in front of the niches, and routed to the drainage inlets. An area inlet will be located on the southeast side of the proposed Columbarium Expansion to prevent standing water on the exterior of the Columbarium.

The existing 15” RCP, that collects runoff from the spoils yard, will need to be relocated to the south of the Columbarium Expansion. A section of 15” pipe will be removed to allow for the current expansion, as well as any future expansion. Rerouting the 15” pipe to the south will decrease the slope within the pipe due to the greater distance. Due to the depth of the pipe, and elevation of the pond, the existing pipe is partially or completely full. When the pipe is rerouted, the same conditions will exist. The new area inlet will be at an elevation higher than the pond to prevent standing water in an open grate. The manholes/junction boxes being used to reroute the pipe will have a closed lid.

Erosion and Sedimentation Control

Erosion control measures have been included in the design. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to maintain these during construction and add additional measures as the site conditions change during construction. Silt fence is shown around the entire disturbed area. A turbidity curtain will be in the pond as an extra precaution to prevent sediment from migrating into the pond. Additional E&SC Measures (concrete washout, inlet protection, construction entrance) are located on C-102.

Code Analysis

• VA Directives, Design Manuals, Master Specifications, VA National CAD Standard Application Guide, and other Guidance on the Technical Information Library (TIL) (http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/).

• International Building Code (IBC) (Only when specifically referenced in VA Design Documents, see VHA Program Guide Pg-18-3)

• NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (see VHA Program Guide Pg-18-3)

• NFPA National Fire Codes with the exception of NFPA 5000 and NFPA 900

• Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standards.

• VA Seismic Design Requirements, H-18-8

• National Electrical Code (NEC)

• International Plumbing Code (IPC)

• Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards (ABAAS) including VA supplement, Barrier

Free Design Guide (PG-18-13)

• Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete, American Concrete Institute and

Commentary (ACI 318)

• Manual of Steel Construction, Load and Resistance Factor Design Specifications for Structural

Steel Buildings, American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)

• Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct)

• Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings: Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU)

• Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation

Management.

• The Provisions for Construction and Safety Signs. Stated in the General Requirements Section

01010 of the VA Master Construction Specification.

• Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 Section 438

• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/)

3225 Shallowford Rd NE, Suite 830, Marietta, GA 30062

770.321.4040 | www.johngallup.com

In partnership with:

Contract No: 36C78618D0144 Obligation No: 835Z00000