The City of Springfield’s Fassnight Creek Stormwater Improvement project at the Springfield Art Museum was recently named the 2022 Project of the Year by the Missouri Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) in the $1 million to $3 million project category.

According to APWA, the Project of the Year award recognizes an individual, team or organization for excellence in management and administration of public works projects and the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant/architect/engineer, and the contractor who, working together as a team, complete public works projects.

Designed by City consultant HDR, Inc. the goal of the project was to provide flood mitigation benefits to the Art Museum and surrounding properties as well as water quality and urban wildlife habitat improvements. General contractor, Hartman & Company, Inc. began construction in spring of 2021 and reached substantial project completion in May, 2022. 

Prior to construction, Fassnight Creek was confined to a narrow concrete channel with insufficient capacity during heavy rain events, causing the Art Museum and surrounding residential properties to be identified with increased flood risk in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2019 revised preliminary floodplain maps.   

In an effort to reduce flood risk, the Fassnight Creek improvement project widened the channel significantly and naturalized approximately 1,000 linear feet of creek, encompassing 1.5 acres of newly re-established riparian area that now serves as an urban wildlife corridor and creates a stronger connection between Museum grounds and Phelps Grove Park. Construction involved excavation of 16,000 cubic yards of soil, installation of over 250 linear feet of 21-inch sanitary sewer main, and the re-alignment of Brookside Drive to provide additional space for stormwater capacity improvements. Native landscaping included the planting of more than 25 native trees and 200 native shrubs which provide additional water quality benefits.

“Stormwater improvements are the first step in the realization of the Art Museum’s Master Plan,” says Art Museum Director Nick Nelson. “The removal of the property from the floodplain will allow us to continue operating as an AAM Accredited art museum and will also help us move forward improving the building and grounds to increase the Museum’s presence and value in the community.”  

“Springfield Public Works would like to acknowledge the many partners involved in seeing this project through to completion,” said project manager Kirkland Preston. “Our design contractors at HDR and our general contractor Hartman and Company worked with us through various design changes and complicated construction issues in the field. The Art Museum, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Springfield Environmental Services and other City agencies were also involved and supportive throughout the impacts to their facilities and infrastructure. And we cannot forget to thank the neighborhoods and area residents for their patience throughout construction and their support in the continued evolution of the Art Museum grounds.”

Total construction costs for the project were approximately $2.3 million, funded through the City’s ¼-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax, a Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Section 319 grant administered by the James River Basin Partnership, and grant funding for native plantings from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The 2022 Project of the Year award will be presented at the APWA Missouri Chapter Fall Conference in St. Louis on Nov. 8.

For more information, contact Public Works Communication Coordinator Kristen Milam at 573-819-3713 or [email protected] or Museum Affairs Officer Joshua Best at 417-874-2859 or [email protected].