PROSPECTUS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF
ACCESSIBLE DISTRICT OFFICE FACILITIES

FENN RANGER STATION
NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST

Prepared By: Kathleen P. Snodgrass
Facilities Architect
Date: 11/09/2000

Approved By: Joe Hudson
District Ranger
Date: 11/13/2000

Approved By: Michael J. Cook
Forest Engineer
Date: 11/14/2000

Approved By: Bruce E. Bernhardt
Forest Supervisor
Date: 11/14/2000

Project Proposal

The proposed work consists of providing a 1700 to 1800 square foot accessible reception/conference/visitor information/restroom/office facility for the combined Selway and Moose Creek Ranger Districts on or near the existing Fenn Ranger Station compound, which is listed in the National Register for Historic Places.

Existing Situation

Existing Conference Facilities

Presently, the former Fenn Cookhouse is used for all meetings or conferences involving more than half a dozen people at the Fenn Ranger Station. This is a circa 1937 building with four steps between the front door and the meeting space (formerly the dining room), which makes it inaccessible for people with mobility impairments. The slope of the site and the historic character of the building would make it extremely difficult to provide mobility accessibility to the meeting room. Further, there are three steps down between the meeting room and the only restroom in the building, which is located in what was originally the cook's sleeping quarters. The bathroom is small and could not be made accessible without very major structural changes to the building. Adding a new accessible bathroom elsewhere in the building would likewise severely affect the building's historic character. The building currently is virtually intact, few of the materials have been changed, and no structural changes have been made since the building was constructed, making it a truly valuable historic resource.

Other available options for meeting areas include the Cedar Flats Dormitory, and the Cedar Flats Carpenter Shop. Both buildings are about half a mile from the main ranger station offices, so holding meetings there would likely involve vehicular travel, which is not desirable or convenient. Both the Dormitory and the Carpenter Shop would require substantial renovation to accommodate use as accessible meeting space, though not nearly as extensive as any of the historic buildings on the main Ranger Station site. In addition, the displaced crew quarters and storage/shop functions of the two buildings would need to be accommodated in new structures elsewhere, so there is little financial savings involved in converting these existing buildings for accessible office and meeting room use.

Existing Restrooms

Currently, there are no accessible restrooms on the Fenn Ranger Station Compound. The restroom in the main office, both subsidiary offices (originally warehouses), and the Fenn bunkhouse are all in basements. Stairs are narrow and there are no elevators, except ancient freight elevators no longer operable in the two subsidiary offices. Bathrooms in the two shop/warehouses and the bunkhouse at Cedar Flats are all on main floors and could be made accessible relatively easily, but they are nearly half a mile from the offices and visitor reception/information area. There is currently an accessible, concrete vault toilet at the accessible fishing pond near the river across the road below the main office.

Existing Reception/Visitor Information

The existing reception/visitor information area consists of a 5 foot by 8 foot area just inside the front door of the main office. This area also serves as the airlock entry for the building, although the interior door normally is open to relieve some of the crowded feeling in the reception/info area. There are pass-through counters from the visitor area to offices on each side. Especially during the recreation season (May through October), this area frequently becomes congested and visitors spill out into the offices as others try to enter the building. The Fenn Ranger Station is the portal for the Selway River and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (Moose Creek portion), so it receives a lot of visitor traffic. There is currently no interpretive space available at this important historical ranger station and wilderness and river portal site.

The building is not accessible. The front entry is 4 steps up from the parking area, with the path of travel being entirely over historic rockwork steps and sidewalk. The back entry is 4 steps down from the parking area, and the reception area is another 8 steps down from the back entry, all over original rockwork steps and landing, and original varnished wood flooring and steps. Bathrooms are one floor down from the entry, in the basement. It would be impossible to make the present reception/visitor information area accessible without seriously compromising the historic integrity of the building. Other buildings on the compound might be modified to contain accessible visitor accommodations, but are not easily recognized as an important building, so extensive signing would have to be employed to direct visitors to the appropriate building. Parking would have to be constructed at any of the other existing buildings, and they are otherwise inconvenient or unsuitable for reasons stated in other sections.

Existing Offices

There are presently no accessible office spaces at the Fenn Ranger Station. In the main District Office, there are 4 offices on the front entry level, but all other offices are one or two stair flights up. Bathrooms are in the basement, and there is no place to install an elevator without seriously compromising the historic integrity of the building.

Offices in the two former Fenn warehouses are elevated from ground level. The front doors are two original stonework steps up, plus 4 interior steps above the entry. The back doors are 5 steps above the parking area. It would be practical to install a ramp to the back door of the warehouse offices, although it would not be desirable from a heritage resource standpoint. We could probably get SHPO concurrence to do so, however, because the back porches were constructed at least 10 years after construction of the buildings. Since the current restrooms are in the basements, accessible restrooms would also have to be constructed on the main floors of these buildings, further compromising the buildings' historic integrity. The long term site development plans for the Ranger Station include modifying these two buildings to provide accessible office space as funding permits.

It would be possible to subdivide part of one of the existing shop/warehouses at Cedar Flat into accessible office space, and modify the restrooms to accommodate people with mobility impairments. That would have the effect of segregating people with disabilities, however, since Cedar Flats is about half a mile from the main office area. It would also reduce the available warehouse space in the building, which would have to be replaced at another location, probably with a new building.

Options Considered During Preliminary Project Analysis

Renovate Existing Main Office and Cookhouse

This option was discarded because it would not be possible to accomplish the necessary renovations without destroying the historic character of the buildings.

Renovate Existing Subsidiary Fenn Office(s)

This option is not desirable due to the difficulty of directing visitors away from the current main building to these obscure locations.

Renovate Existing Shop/Warehouses or Bunkhouse at Cedar Flats

This option is not desirable due to the nearly half mile distance between the current offices and the Cedar Flats site, and the difficulty of directing visitors away from the current main building to Cedar Flats.

Lease or Purchase Space Off-Site

This option was discarded because no office/reception space is available within 30 miles of this site, which is a remote location surrounded by National Forest land.

Construct New Building On-Site

This option is the most advantageous. However, it will require relocation of the current pack stock feeding and holding corral.

Site Conditions

The Fenn Ranger Station is approximately 1530 feet above sea level. The climate is temperate. Summer high temperatures are in the high 90s (only infrequently past 100), with nighttime temperatures 30 degrees cooler. Winter lows may be 20 below zero, with lows of 10 below expected each year. Average annual precipitation is about 37 inches, mostly in the form of rain and snow falling between mid November and late June. Winter snow accumulations seldom exceed 36", and don't exceed 16" most years. Spring tends to be rather wet, as evidenced by the cedar trees and sword ferns abundant on the site, although weather varies substantially from year to year. Summer precipitation is generally light and usually accompanied by thunderstorms.

The Fenn Ranger Station is sited on a moderately steep hill that has been heavily modified to accommodate the buildings, lawns, and parking areas of the Ranger Station. The station, and especially the Ranger's Office, overlooks a vast lawn that slopes down to the County Road and Selway River beyond. The siting of the Station has been determined to contribute significantly to the historic character that prompted its listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The area proposed for the new building is currently used as a pack stock holding and feeding corral. It is just upstream (southeast) from the main office, between an existing barn and the county road, and just outside the area considered to be the main portion of the historic compound. The soil on the compound is generally granular, with a layer of sandy loam topsoil over sand and gravel subsoils. Bedrock in the area is generally more than 10 feet below the natural ground, but it is difficult to determine natural ground lines in the area, since it has been so extensively modified. Bedrock is well below all current office basements.

The new building will be served by the existing Forest Service water and sewer systems (although it will require a new sewer lift station), and commercial electric power and telephone, all via underground lines. The new building will also need to be served by computer cabling connecting it to the Station system.

Site Accessibility Considerations

The site development plan for the Fenn Ranger Station includes renovations to the east and west offices, the Cedar Flats Dorm, and the Cedar Flats Residence to improve accessibility. As funding permits, the back porches of the two offices (which are not original to the buildings) will each be provided with a ramp and an accessible restroom will be installed on the main floor of each building. Plans are on file for renovating both the Cedar Flat Dorm and the Cedar Flat Residence for full mobility accessibility. This work will also be accomplished as funding permits or as need for accessible space requires.

Stock Facility Considerations

The site development plan for the Fenn Ranger Station includes construction of an armored pack stock holding and feeding corral and a post and pole hay storage barn between the existing barn and the mobile home area. The armored corral, at least, will have to be constructed before construction of the new office can begin, as it will be needed to replace the current corral, which is the site for the new building. The existing corral is also a significant contributor to pollution of the adjacent creek and the accessible public fishing pond it feeds, as well as, ultimately, the Selway River. The Selway River is a stronghold sub-basin for the threatened steelhead trout. The corral project will be submitted for consideration in the Nez Perce NF 2001 Program of Work. The planned 800 s.f. hay barn is needed because there is currently inadequate covered hay storage on the site to support the wilderness stock requirements. Currently, hay is stored in various remote locations or stacked outside and subject to spoilage.

Financial Considerations

Planned Funding
This project is planned for complete funding by the Region's Capital Investment program. Budget cost estimates for the renovation and addition are as follows:

Preconstruction Engineering

Some preconstruction work has already been completed. Conceptual building and site work for a smaller facility (prior to the administrative combination of the two Districts) was completed in 1992 by Mr. John Mack Roberts of Washington State University. The District prefers that the new building be designed with a site plan similar to Mr. Roberts' Concept "E", building plan similar to Concept "D" but with conference and office space added, and exterior appearance of the building similar to Concept "H", with dormers used to provide natural lighting to the building interior. These concept drawings are included as Appendix "A".

In 1996, Mr. Jack Jackson, AIA, Eastsound, WA, spent two weeks as a volunteer at the Ranger Station and completed a preliminary building design with which the District was very pleased. Some reconciliations and adjustments still need to be made in the site layout. These drawings are included as Appendix "B".

Planning and design for this project will necessarily involve extensive coordination with the Moose Creek Ranger District staff, and may involve significant coordination with the Idaho SHPO, as well. Design of all phases of this project is the responsibility of the Regional Office. It is not yet clear whether they will be able to utilize Mr. Jackson to do the contract drawings and specifications, do the design in-house, hire a consultant or consultants to do all or part of the design, and/or fund and utilize design personnel available at the Nez Perce Supervisor's Office.

Construction

Construction engineering and contract administration will be handled by the Nez Perce National Forest Engineering and Contracting Section.

Design Requirements

General Requirements

It is the desire of the District to obtain an accessible facility that is cost effective, convenient, and attractive, but that does not detract from the historic character of the existing Fenn Ranger Station. The exterior of the new facility should blend with the existing buildings, but be clearly distinguishable from them. Materials, massing, and roof pitch should be similar to those of existing buildings. The new facility should be easily distinguishable as the portal building, by use of vehicular access that leads visitors to the new building, parking, signing, flagpole, and/or other distinguishing characteristics.

The new building should be energy efficient. Heating and cooling should both be provided. Emerging building methods or materials such as structural insulated panels (SIPs) or stay-in-place polystyrene concrete forms that would increase energy efficiency should be considered. As a minimum, the building should meet ASHRAE Standard 90 and be certified by the Architect/Engineer to comply with 10 CFR Part 435. The view to the south over the river is outstanding. Windows that take advantage of the view should be provided. At least two frost-resistant exterior hose bibs and two GFCI exterior duplex outlets with weather-resistant covers should be provided as part of the project; one outlet and one hose bib each on opposite sides.

Conference Room

The conference area should consist of about 750 to 800 square feet of meeting space that is accessible from the office/reception area via an interior door. The access to the conference space from the reception area should be inviting, as the conference rooms will likely be used for additional interpretive display when meetings are not in progress. The meeting space should be divisible via a folding partition into two spaces containing approximately 300 S.F. and 450 to 500 S.F. of floor space. If the entire meeting area is served by only one interior door, it should open into the smaller sub-space.

The conference area should have one accessible exterior door for emergency use, and so the conference room can be used for evening meetings while still providing security for the office area. The exterior door should have a porch light and should be located so that a pick-up can back to within a few feet of the door to load materials and supplies. Each sub-space should have electrical outlets and telephone and computer jacks, preferably two of each per sub-space in the floor. Other electrical outlets should be located along the walls. One wall phone jack should be located near the interior door.

Flooring should be durable carpeting that minimizes visibility of tracked-in soil. Walls and ceiling should be off-white painted drywall. Except behind the coffee bar or where windows or doors are located, a tackable surface should be provided around the entire perimeter of the conference area. It should be four feet high, with the bottom about three feet above the floor. It should have a textured vinyl surface laminated to 1/4 inch thick dense cork, similar to Claridge's "Fabricork Bulletin Board 1500", Carolina's "Plasti-cork Tackboard 1900", Greensteel's "Vinyl Tac-Tex Type 5", or Lemco's "Vinyl Covered Cork No.330".

Fluorescent lighting providing at least 50 foot candles of illumination 2.5 feet above the floor is preferred. Lighting should be switched separately for each of the two sub-spaces, with a 3-way switch for each by the interior entrance and by the exterior door. Natural illumination should be provided in each sub area but views to the exterior are not necessary. Glazing should be sufficient to provide at least 10 footcandles of general illumination on a cloudy day to all parts of each sub space. Windows or skylight dormers should have coverings that can be closed to block exterior illumination sufficiently that projection equipment can be used effectively.

A storage closet for folding chairs and audio-visual equipment should be provided. The interior dimensions of the closet should be 8 feet long x 2 feet deep. A shelf at least 18" deep should be provided 4'6" above the floor for the full length of the closet to hold projectors and other relatively heavy AV equipment. Folding doors should be provided to allow full access to the space. 5 folding tables 8' long by 30" wide will be used in the conference room part of the time. A section of wall with no heaters or other obstructions at least 9' in length and 3' high should be provided so that the tables can be stacked on their sides against the wall when not in use. A table rail or wainscot in that section would be desirable to limit marring of the wall.

A coffee bar should be provided in the smaller sub-space. It should have a single basin sink with a light above it, about eight feet of base cabinet and counter space, and at least five feet of wall cabinet space. If located more than 30 feet from the restroom water heater, it should be served by its own small water heater. The light above the sink should be switched within 2 feet of the sink. Two electrical GFCI outlets should be located in the wall above the counter top. Knee space should be provided under the sink so the sink is accessible to seated people. The switch for the sink light and at least one of the outlets should be located where they can be reached by a seated person. Two switched outlets for commercial beverage or snack dispensing machines should be provided adjacent to the coffee bar. The switches should be located where they will be convenient to turn the dispensing machines off during meetings. Separate circuits should be provided for each dispensing machine and for the microwave outlet.

HVAC and Electrical System

Heating and cooling must both be provided for the new building. A system that would permit air conditioning and heating to run concurrently in the same room is not desirable. No piped gas is available at the site. Electricity or propane are the preferred energy sources. Electric power failures are frequent at the site.

Rest Rooms

Two accessible restrooms must be provided, one for women and one for men. Each should have a water closet, lavatory, towel dispenser, mirror above the lavatory, a GFCI outlet near the lavatory, and storage for towels, soap, toilet paper and miscellaneous supplies. Each must meet Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines and Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards, including those for door signage. Light fixtures above the sink that provide at least 30 footcandles of general illumination in a spectrum similar to natural daylight are preferred. The most desirable location for the restrooms is adjacent to the main entrance and conference room, in a location that would permit their use after normal office hours by people using the conference room, interpretive displays, or accessible fishing area, without compromising security for the rest of the office. A deep sink for janitorial use should be provided in a janitor/mechanical room.

The sewage lift station should incorporate enough storage capacity that the toilets in the building can continue in use should there be a power outage lasting up to eight hours.

Accessible Entryway and Reception/Interpretive Area

The main entry to the office/conference building must be accessible to everybody. The preferred location for the main entry is central to the conference room, reception/interpretive area, and restrooms.

The entry should meet ADAAG and UFAS standards, be energy efficient, and be designed so that people looking at the outside of the building can tell it is the main entry.

The reception area for the office/conference building must be designed to serve all visitors and employees. It should include at least eight linear feet of reception/storage counter no more than 40 inches high. At least three linear feet of counter should be lower to accommodate seated visitors and employees. The counter should incorporate desk space approximately 4 feet wide by 2 feet deep for a part time receptionist. The rest of the area under the counter should be configured for storage. The counter should have about 100 footcandles of illumination at its surface. The reception area must be visible from and adjacent to the main building entry. It is desirable that people working in the reception area be able to observe the inside entry to the conference room. The reception area should include about 60 square feet of office area behind the reception counter. The preferred illumination for the office area is fluorescent lighting providing 30 footcandles of general illumination 32 inches above the floor and 100 footcandles of illumination on the surface of each desk. A waiting area of about 60 square feet should be provided near the reception counter. It must accommodate two chairs, a small table, space for interaction with visitors, and a built-in literature display area about 5' high by 4' wide by 18" deep with adjustable display brackets (similar to the display brackets on the rack in the Nez Perce Supervisor's Office). Minimum illumination of the waiting area at about three feet above the floor should be 30 footcandles. Minimum illumination of the literature display area should be 70 footcandles on the surface. An accessible water fountain should be provided near the waiting area.

An interpretive display area with storage of about 200 S.F. must be provided near the reception area. It is desirable that visitor information and interpretive displays be available to the public regardless of whether the reception desk is staffed, so the office and reception area must be securable separately from this area. Consider storage cases recessed into the wall and incorporating display space.

In addition, exterior interpretive space of around 500 s.f. should be provided. Consider a large, covered front porch to provide at least part of this space.

Offices

Accessible room(s) of approximately 500 S.F. must be provided for general office purposes. No individual room should be less than 120 S.F. A single open office area is acceptable, but it must be separated from all other building functions by walls/doors. Substantial space for filing cabinets will be necessary. Minimum natural illumination of 10 footcandles of general illumination on a cloudy day should be provided to the entire office(s). Operable windows or skylights are preferable. The preferred illumination for the office area is fluorescent lighting providing 30 footcandles of general illumination 32 inches above the floor and 100 footcandles of illumination on the surface of each desk. Four each computer and telephone jacks should be provided for the office space, along with duplex outlets along the walls maximum 6' apart. Flooring should be durable carpeting that minimizes visibility of tracked-in soil. Walls and ceiling should be off-white painted drywall.

Landscaping and Site Work

Accessible parking conforming to ADAAG and UFAS standards for at least two vehicles must be provided as part of this project, as well as parking for 6 other standard size vehicles and two oversize vehicle combinations up to 45 feet long. Accessible parking should be as near the entry as practical. A pedestrian way must be provided from all parking spaces to the main entry. That portion of the pedestrian way serving the accessible parking spaces must be an accessible route meeting ADAAG and UFAS standards. The effect of winter weather on the route's accessibility must be considered.

Appropriate landscaping should be included as part of this project, including relocation of the flagpole and district office sign, if need be. The site plan concept "E" included as part of Appendix "A" illustrates the approximate extent of existing asphalt drive removal, new paved access drive construction, pedestrian access ways, and site earthwork contemplated as part of this project. It is intended that all disturbed areas be replanted either with lawn, shrubs, or trees. Removal of existing asphalt drives could be accomplished with Forest Service personnel.

There must be convenient pedestrian access from the new building to the existing offices and to the "talking wall" interpretive area within the present historic ranger station compound. The existing helispot on the historic compound front lawn should be removed as part of this project.

The attached site development plan shows the proposed building location, other proposed site modifications, existing utilities, ground contours, structures, and vegetation.