Williamsburg was concerned about maintaining the consistent brick theme throughout the city. We not only achieved this in the city of Williamsburg as we redid their entire square with integrated brick themes, but in addition to this, many in the community donated $25 to have their names engraved into the old bricks from demolition that we then embedded into the finished product. This memorial in stone is long lasting and very attractive. In one area, as shown below, the entire strip was dedicated to American veterans and became a permanent reminder for all to see.
We used bricks to continue the theme of the city in both horizontal sidewalk and crosswalk areas and also vertically as a decorative item when a two level sidewalk was needed due to ADA requirements.
In addition to this, we have successfully buried city utilities underneath the brick for easy access so that entire sidewalks do not have to be torn up and so that the bricks can be set right back down again, restoring the look and feel of the downtown with minimal disturbance.
VJ Engineering will work with the City of Williamsburg to create an attractive mailer to everyone in the surrounding areas or create a mailing list to invite them to come and select their brick to help build the city.
These before and after photos show how we solved a complex, non-compliant to ADA standards, variable height sidewalk and curb issue. The finished product, as shown to the right, included decorative bricks from a demolition project in town associated with the sidewalk project.
A creative approach like this resulted in a beautiful finished product. Williamsburg, Iowa had another problem similar to many small towns with the high sidewalk, multiple level door opening. Here is a before and after look at our solution.
Note the brick face, top cap and high quality hand rail which was first galvanized and then painted to avoid rusting. This rail has been in place since 1995.
In Hubbard, Iowa as shown here, lighting features can be attractive and economical. We worked closely with the City during design to maximize the aesthetic appearance of the lights without wasting money on unnecessary fluff.
Lighting attachments at the base can also be attractively done at no extra expense. Conduit running under the ground and curb will feed the power, as needed, to the lights.
This photo demonstrates the challenge of bringing together three different elevations and slopes in Hubbard to allow for lighting, water run off, and ease of access to the intersection. All ADA elements were complied with as required.
