Basis of Design Book 2 - City of St. Petersburg

Meeting with City Engineers 6/28
A meeting was held at the Municipal Services Building with City Personnel and Moffatt
& Nichol to discuss the project. In attendance were:
City of St. Petersburg Engineering Department
Moffatt & Nichol
Michael Connors
Thomas Gibson
Raul Quintana
Fred Dargahi
Richard Herrmann
Jeffrey Malyszek
Mike Herrman
The City Expressed concerns about the following aspects of the design of the new
"Lens" Pier:
1. Navigational Access: The City is interested in increasing regional boat traffic to the
facility by enhancing and making safer the mooring provisions of the new Pier. The City
requested a Team visit to the "Bay Borough Marina" where they had observed efficient
structural construction and a wave dissipater.
2. Pier Structure: The deck must be durable and be able to carry the loads required
by emergency and maintenance vehicles. The City suggested that an AASHTO H-20
load be applied to Pier structures, but Buro Happold stated that such load criteria could
lead to a very expensive structure, and recommend that a conversation be initiated with
emergency responders and maintenance personnel to define the access parameters
needed.
3. Canopy Structure: The canopy structure must be durable as well, and resist uplift
due to wind, wave forces at the base, the saline environment of the bay, and the intense
UV exposure at this location. Such details as reinforcing bar cover and cathodic
protection must be thoroughly vetted. Algae infestation and other weathering factors
may change the "look" of the structure over time.
4. Elevations: Various criteria will affect the finished elevations of Pier elements.
These include FEMA 100-year flood plains, and a local ordinance that lowest horizontal
members must be at least 1.0' above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). The City will
provide that elevation. The City also stated that the project shall be progressed in St.
Petersburg City Datum, where elevation 97.0' is mean sea level.
5. Geotechnical Information: The City had replaced 120' of the old Pier about 10
years ago, using 16" diameter piles driven 60' into sandy soils. They did state that it
took a few days for piles to achieve maximum capacity since, they said, they were
friction piles and the soil needed to settle around the piles to achieve the required
friction. Buro Happold requested that any existing boring or pile driving records be
forwarded to the design team.
Buro Happold stated that since the new structure will be narrower than the existing, that
batter piles might be needed to resist lateral forces, since we will not have a multiplicity
of vertical piles to generate lateral resistance.