LAKE WENATCHEE RANGER DISTRICT
Wenatchee National Forest, Washington | USDA Forest Service
Completed: 1992 (Study only)
The Lake Wenatchee Ranger District Operations Center, located at the remote termination of an 8-mile access road in the Wenatchee National Forest, serves as the administrative, operations, and maintenance base for the 600-square-mile ranger district. Since its initial construction in the 1930’s, it has expanded from a collection of small buildings on the lake to a 40-acre site having over two dozen buildings serving administrative, residential, maintenance and storage functions.
For this project, we led a multidisciplinary team in evaluating and planning for needed improvements at the center. Our efforts included evaluating and documenting the existing building and site conditions, identifying the impact of facilities and site deficiencies on operational efficiency, uncovering needed program space and facilities improvements for current and future needs, and developing optional plans for correcting those deficiencies.
Our analysis and evaluation of the existing site identified significant shortfalls in functional areas, major problems with existing buildings, and only three areas where potential development was feasible at the existing location. We also noted that the public and recreational functions were poorly served at the remote site locations, and there was a corresponding 60% loss in productivity.
Our planning efforts included the development of four conceptual plan options ranging from all development occurring at the existing site to complete relocation of all but the residential functions to a new site. From these options a preferred selection was generated as the basis of the approved Master Development Plan. In our evaluation of the options, we conducted life cycle cost analyses, which evaluated investment, energy, productivity, and maintenance and repair costs for each option.