Firm selected to complete a number of Whitewater Park projects this year
Lyons, CO-S2o Design and Engineering is moving into its new offices at 429 Main Street in Lyons, CO. “It has been a year of tremendous growth for us”, says founder and lead engineer Scott Shipley, “we have seen growth in all of our focus areas this year.” S2o dramatically expanded its in-stream design focus this year and that emphasis has led to a number of projects including whitewater parks in Ketchum and Boise, ID; Fort Collins and Glenwood Springs, CO.
S2o has also seen growth in other areas of its business including the pumped park facilities. S2o is the lead designer on the multi-million dollar Oklahoma City Whitewater Park which is scheduled to go to bid in April of this year. “This is a park that is a generation ahead of even our most recent work designing the 2012 London Olympic Park”, says Shipley, “We have brought some very new thinking to this park to ensure that it is the most profitable and sustainable whitewater park in the world.” The OKC facility will feature competition, recreation, and big water channels including a section that flows at 1200 cubic feet per second—more than any other pumped facility in the world.
S2o’s has also tackled a number of less traditional projects this year. These projects include the design of an adjustable and removable slalom gate system for the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games as well as master planning a regional whitewater park for St. Lawrence County, New York. The regional park could consist of up to three separate whitewater park locations designed to augment each other.
Additionally, S2o is located in Lyons, CO which recently sustained a greater than 500 year return flood—enough to necessitate the evacuation of the entire town for 60 days. S2o returned to work before gas and power were restored to aid the town in designing emergency flood measures to protect the town from future flooding. Some of this work directly affected S2o’s employees who were allowed to return home sooner as a result of our efforts. Our continuing efforts focus on the master planning and design of the in-stream restoration of the St. Vrain River including the restoration of the Town’s many parks and whitewater parks.
S2o continues to work to complete its existing project load. Construction is now underway on three seperate projects, one in Durango, Colorado, one in Ontario, and another in Lyons, CO. “We are an engineering team that focuses on getting projects built and boats on the water”, says Shipley, “Our belief is that communities are funding these efforts to see results in the real world.” S2o expects to open each of these facilities later this year.
S2o’s increased work load has led to growth in our Staff as well. S2o has sought out industry experts to address specific areas of expertise. Our new staff includes Dan Woolley, who brings ten years experience in whitewater park design, river restoration, permitting and river engineering. Dan is also an avid kayaker. Similarly, extreme boater Nathan Werner, P.E. brings a wealth of experience in the design and construction of in-stream structures. Maria Rocco also joined S2o with a background in Aerospace Engineering and Ecology (an unusual mix). Maria has focused on the creation of physical and computer models which accurately predict river flows. These new staff members join our already capable staff.
Profiles of our new staff, along with our existing employees, can be seen on S2o’s website at https://s2odesign.com/staff/