News and Events

Barge Cauthen’s Nashville Office Has Moved!

May 10 — After sixteen years in business, Barge Cauthen has closed their doors . . . and moved to a new location! The brand new office space is located at 6606 Charlotte Pike on the west side of Nashville.

Little did they know when they scheduled the moving day for Saturday, May 2nd that it would coincide with the Nashville Flood of 2010. The dedicated movers and some of Barge Cauthen's staff teamed together and managed to transfer everything from the old space to the new in about twelve hours. Despite the pouring rain and worrying about loved ones, no one complained and everyone stayed until the job got done. Thanks to everyone for their hard work and perseverance in such challenging conditions!

Barge Cauthen's office is on the second floor of a new 26,000-square foot retail and office building at Hill Center at Nashville West. The 7.6-acre redevelopment also includes a new 45,600 square foot Publix Grocery Store and a Bank of America prototype branch. The 11,000-square foot space for Barge Cauthen features an open and inviting reception area, ample conference and meeting spaces, an employee break room, a team work area, and some room to expand.

Feel free to come by and check out it out! From Interstate 40 West, take exit 201, and head north on Charlotte Pike for approximately 1.2 miles. The office is located on the left, at the intersection of Charlotte Pike and Annex Avenue/ Hillwood Boulevard.

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Piedmont Natural Gas Relocates to Century City

April 28 — Barge Cauthen and Associates is proud to have been a part of a highly skilled team selected to relocate Piedmont Natural Gas from Metro Center to Century City. The new campus, which includes an operations center, training facility, and maintenance building, provides Piedmont the unusual combination of having a centralized location in Davidson County in a distinctive natural setting. The challenging site is home to Sims Branch, an urban wetland, and two other small tributaries.

BCA provided an environmentally friendly design which consists of harvesting and storing rain and spring water in twin 30,000 gallon underground cisterns for irrigation, parking for fuel efficient vehicles, bike racks, a 100-foot multi-plate span bridge, and an abundance of undisturbed open space. The project also includes stream buffer restoration and the preservation of the urban wetland.

Because the wetland is a natural best management practice that improves the overall water quality and attenuates storm flows, BCA paid careful attention to stormwater runoff design during construction activities and in everyday operations. Runoff that is not captured for irrigation enters a stormwater system that utilizes bioretention and detention for stormwater quality and quantity treatment. The wetland will be protected and features a pedestrian trail and bridges, observation decks with informational signs, and a water controlling device to help manage the ecosystem. BCA worked closely with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation to restore and protect this significant natural feature.

An additional significant site element is the inclusion of a modern, small roundabout at the entrance to Piedmont’s new campus. This traffic controlling device allows vehicular traffic to move efficiently and safely throughout the new intersection.

The $16 million project, scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010, is on target to obtain LEED Gold certification and demonstrates Piedmont’s commitment to the Nashville community and sustainable development.

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Nashville Riverfront Concept Planning Continues

April 23 — The Nashville Riverfront Concept Plan provides a long-term vision for the transformation of the downtown riverfront area located along the banks of the Cumberland River. The plan was developed over a period of several years with numerous public meetings and input from dozens of various stakeholders. The plan consists of 19 different projects envisioned over the next 20 years.

Barge Cauthen is pleased to be a part of the first two projects that have been funded and that are progressing through final design and construction. Barge Cauthen is providing civil engineering services including site, grading and drainage and utility design for the Adventure Play Park and the Nabrico building renovation.

The Adventure Play Park is located along the east bank of the river between the Shelby Street Bridge and the Korean Veterans Bridge. The $8.5 million park includes an amphitheatre, scenic overlooks, an esplanade, a splash park area, and large grass turf areas. Low impact development techniques are being incorporated into the design, including the capture of stormwater from the LP Field parking lot, the bridges and all on-site runoff. The captured stormwater will be stored in an open top cistern for re-use as irrigation supply.

The Nabrico building renovation is a sister project to the Adventure Play Park. The building was originally a part of the Nashville Bridge Company facility that was prominent along the east bank of the river until the late 1990s. The building, which is eligible for the National Historic Register, is being re-purposed as restrooms for the park, offices for Metro Parks and Recreation, and other possible uses in the future. Barge Cauthen is providing site and utility design services for this renovation project, which has a total budget of $3.2 million.

The designs for both projects are approximately 50 percent complete, with construction slated to begin in early fall of 2010 and completed by July 4, 2011.

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ARRA Funds Numerous Public Housing Projects

April 22 — In February 2009, over 27 million dollars in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Capital Funds was appropriated to 48 of Barge Cauthen’s public housing authority clients in the states of Tennessee and South Carolina. BC&A assisted many of their clients in applying for these competitive grants. Stipulations in accepting the grant funding included ensuring that the funds were obligated by March of 2010 and promoting the use of American-made products.

Obligating the funds meant having construction contracts executed; consequently, BC&A was responsible for cost estimating, designing, bidding and awarding over 50 design projects for construction in an 11-month period. Some of BC&A's clients desired multiple construction packages smaller in scope and construction costs to support local enterprises, such as:

Oliver Springs Housing Authority — Site Improvements, Handicap Ramps, Lighting, and Bathroom Renovations at Various Locations
Lafayette Housing Authority — Window and Roof Replacements at Various Locations

Other clients desired to combine the ARRA funding with their annual Capital Fund Programs to accomplish major, comprehensive renovations to multiple developments, such as:

Morristown Housing Authority — Miscellaneous Improvements at Four Developments
Murfreesboro Housing Authority — Site Improvements Building Demolition and Building Renovations at Highland Heights
Springfield Housing Authority — Roof Replacements at Three Developments

BC&A's staff worked consistently and diligently to accomplish these tasks to ensure our clients adhered to the federal deadlines and requirements of using the ARRA funds.

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