RESPEC Part of Award-Winning Team That Transformed a Public Space

RESPEC is honored to be part of a team that has received two awards for its City of Cherry Hills Village (CHV) Civic Center Campus with the John Meade Park & Alan Hutto Commons project. Today, the Colorado Chapter of the American Public Works Association presented a Project of the Year award to Mundus Bishop, a landscape architecture company that led the team. This award follows an announcement by the American Society of Landscape Architects, Colorado Chapter, that the same project won its President’s Award of Excellence, Design.

RESPEC worked alongside Mundus Bishop, studiotrope Design Collective, AE Design, and JVA Engineers. Together, we transformed 14 acres in the heart of CHV into a much-needed, ecologically sustainable gathering space. Now, the John Meade Park & Alan Hutto Commons draw people to enjoy recreational activities, organized events, and administrative services.

“I never want my clients to spend money they don’t have to,” said Alan Leak, a RESPEC principal on the project. “So I ask: how do we design this space for the long haul? Then we do it right the first time.”

That perspective guided the team. CHV wanted to rebuild the area in a way that balanced floodplain compliance and drainage with a layout that maximized accessibility. RESPEC completed the grading and floodplain permitting and designed the drainage, utilities, parking, and roadway. Our repairs were called a “model for integrating new public facilities within a managed floodplain.” The redesigned area helps a dynamic ecosystem of wetlands, riparian areas, uplands, and bird and wildlife habitats to flourish.

“It’s hard to overstate how much of a positive impact this project has had on the community…” said Emily Black, CHV Parks & Recreation Coordinator. “…the new park has created a true gathering place.”

RESPEC employees like Alan embody the core values of our PACT: Passion, Accountability, Caring, and Teamwork, and apply those values to our projects. When it came to the CHV John Meade Park & Alan Hutto Commons project, that embodiment translated into a team effort to rehabilitate a public space and better a community. We look forward to continuing to help our neighbors and neighborhoods thrive.

For more information, please visit https://www.aslacolorado.org/award/civic-center-campus-with-john-meade-park-alan-hutto-commons and https://www.mundusbishop.com/projects/john-meade-park-and-alan-hutto-commons.