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For Immediate Release, 9 April 2008
For More Information, Contact:
Karen Wiesneski
262-317-3292
R.A. Smith National Provides Site Design Services for Mayeux Ranch -- a 3,000-Acre, Mixed-Use Development in Louisiana
BROOKFIELD, WIS. – R.A.Smith National (formerly R.A. Smith & Associates and its National Survey & Engineering Division) — civil engineering, planning, surveying, landscape architecture, GIS and 3D visualization consultants — Brookfield, Wis., is providing site design coordination and sitework engineering for Mayeux Ranch – a 3,000-acre highly-urbanized, mixed-use development located just south of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Mayeux Ranch mixed-use development is located on a major peninsula in the Mississippi River, approximately one hour northwest of New Orleans. The project’s location is ideal because of its close proximity to the businesses and unique culture of New Orleans, yet a safe distance north of the area known as the “wind zone,” measured by the blue tarps placed on homes and businesses destroyed by the catastrophic winds of Hurricane Katrina. The large displacement of population as a result of Hurricane Katrina has pushed this development ahead 20 years. It is especially attractive to those seeking a new place to live, work, shop, and attend school not far from New Orleans.
The project will be constructed in several phases during the next 10 to 20 years. Proposed land uses include lifestyle/retail, office, industrial, residential, civic and educational. Plans include approximately 30,000 residential units to house approximately 100,000 people.
R.A. Smith National is working with the internationally-renowned Massachusetts planning firm of Sasaki Associates, Inc. to transform this rural property into its own self-sustaining community.
R.A. Smith National is working closely with local firms in Louisiana to coordinate all aspects of the site design including land and topographical surveys, geotechnical and environmental engineering. R.A.Smith National’s services further include conducting stormwater and flood plain studies that will result in the construction of 325 surface acres of new lakes and ponds; preparing site grading plans; completing tree surveys; and working to maximize the site’s natural and recreational amenities and preserve vital wetlands and flood plains.
Other unique aspects of the project include the construction of canals for stormwater conveyance and aesthetic enhancement; bridges over the canals; two, 750,000-gallon elevated water storage tanks; a water treatment plant; and an onsite sewage treatment plant.
Site’s History
The Mayeux Ranch property holds a rich ecological and cultural history. Previously dominated by Bottomland Forests, the Mayeux Ranch property was later cleared for sugar cane plantations in the mid-1800’s with only about half of the forests remaining. Today the land is a Mayeux family-owned working ranch/farm and is used to graze approximately 1,000 cattle. Bayou Manchac at the northeastern boundary of the site was an important waterway that once served as a shortcut for Native Americans, French Explorers, 19th Century steamboat captains and 20th Century loggers and fishermen between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The Mayeux Ranch master plan seeks to preserve this rich ecological corridor for recreational activities, stormwater mitigation and wildlife habitat.
About R.A. Smith National, Inc.
R.A. Smith National, Inc., www.rasmithnational.com, is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm. It is one of Wisconsin’s largest civil engineering, planning, surveying, landscape architecture, geographic information system (GIS) and 3D visualization consulting firms with 200 total employees. The company is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis. with offices in Appleton, Oshkosh and Madison, Wis. and Tarentum (Pittsburgh), Pa. R.A. Smith National serves state and local government and the land development industry.
Established in 1978 as R.A. Smith & Associates, Inc., the firm acquired National Survey & Engineering in 1994. National Survey & Engineering, founded in 1929, operated as a division of R.A. Smith & Associates, Inc. until the R.A. Smith National brand was created in March 2008.
The company has been the recipient of several awards, the most recent of which include Milwaukee Magazine’s Best Employers to Work For in Southeastern Wisconsin in 2008, ranked No. 11 in the medium-size company category (101 to 499 employees). The firm previously was recognized for the same award in 2001, 2003 and 2005. The firm received The Business Journal’s Beyond the Paycheck award in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and its Top Milwaukee Workplaces 2007 award. Nationally, the firm was recognized by CE News’ Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For, for the last four consecutive years, in 2007 ranked No. 7 among medium-sized civil engineering firms nationwide.
R.A. Smith National’s mission is to design with vision, deliver excellence, and provide the most responsive service to our clients. The company is driven by core values that include accountability, client satisfaction, innovation, positive work environment, ethics and integrity, and community and professional involvement.
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