Government Construction

Insight performed exterior and interior construction and renovation services to the Hearst Visitor Center, State Park offices, bus loading area, and the main parking lot. This work was designed to provide architectural improvements and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance on the grounds of the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument (SHM) Park.

Exterior - demolition and grading work, construction of a new parking area that included asphalt and concrete paving, curbs and gutters, stairs, composite wood decking, ramps & handrails, new concrete benches. Ramps, handrails, curbs, and drinking water fountains were all constructed to achieve compliance for ADA accessibility.

Interior – Carpentry, flooring, doors, wall finishes, plumbing, electrical, lighting, painting, architectural woodwork, cabinetry, ticket counters

Prior to startup, excavation, grading, and repair activities, Insight provided a UXO technician to sweep and clear UXO at the surface of operational grenade ranges no. 109, 202, & 307. Once cleared, we performed demolition and repair, maintenance, and government construction work. All work was performed in close coordination with Range operations personnel. Our government construction work activities included:

• Sampling, removal, and disposal of creosote-treated railroad ties contaminated with grenade fragments


• Designs to repair and correct range deficiencies, including optimized blast wall functionality at each range


• At Range 109, identified impact pad drainage problems and devised a French drain system


• At Range 202, observed center wall deficiencies; designed and installed steel plates and an elevated footing to correct deficiencies


• At Range 307, designed several options to repair inadequate block wall; installed steel plates


• At each range, identified previous design deficiencies in tire walls that caused gaps that allowed grenades to pass through and down sloped areas. Designed and constructed staggered tire walls to eliminate these problems.


• Maintained impact area drainage and reinforced drainage channels

Insight performed Design-Build (D-B) engineering and government construction services for this environmental compliance project. A functional riparian habitat for three endangered species that had been inadvertently over-cleared, so we designed a restoration and enhancement program to restore the habitat.

Our D-B engineering services included re-designing a portion of the existing Drainage Master Plan to improve storm drainage by reducing peak flows and quantity, which would increase water quality downstream of the base. Our stormwater management system work tasks included utility relocations, open cut drainage channels, reinforced concrete pipe burial, a desiltation basin, and road realignment. Insight self-performed both the design and construction phases of the project in coordination with the Resident Officer in charge of Construction (ROICC) and base customer using a team of specialists proficient in both stormwater conveyance systems and habitat restoration. We also designed and constructed a flood control levee on the Santa Margarita River that runs adjacent to MCAS Camp Pendleton.

As part of this government construction project, Insight designed an effective desiltation basin by proposing retaining walls on the existing building side and along a major street, and we shortened the length of the basin by building baffle walls and rock gabion mattresses which created sufficient energy dissipation of storm runoff during any rain event. This mitigated the logistical field concerns with respect to space constraints. This innovative design improved water quality with respect to turbidity and discharge of clean water to the habitat, saving over $150,000 in construction costs.

Insight was the first SB EMAC firm to implement an innovative “Partnering” program to create an owner-contractor relationship that promoted achievement of mutually beneficial goals on this complex long term government construction project.