Business Member Highlight: WSB Engineering

Below is a contribution from GMPT Business Member WSB Engineering. For more information, please visit wsbeng.com.

WSB is a design and consulting firm specializing in engineering, community planning, environmental, and construction services. Our dedicated staff improves the way people engage with communities, transportation, infrastructure, energy, and our environment. We offer services in a wide range of complementary areas that seamlessly integrate planning, design, and implementation. We share a vision to connect your dreams for tomorrow to the needs of today—the future is ours for the making.

WSB’s landscape architecture team has a long history of partnering with communities throughout Minnesota to implement park and trail projects. Our staff are skilled and experienced in orchestrating all project phases including master planning, public engagement, grant writing, final design, estimation, and construction administration. We work on all types of park and trail projects from small pocket parks to community, regional, and state park facilities. Our team recently had the opportunity to partner with the City of Osakis to develop a master plan for improvements to Park Osagi—their premier community park overlooking the shore of Lake Osakis. Our process to develop a distinct vision for the park, gather desires from the public, and create a viable plan will allow the city to pursue funding opportunities and bring the project to fruition.

WSB guided the stakeholders and public through the design process, ensuring that all voices were represented in the development of the master plan. This process allowed the design team to gain further insight into the community members’ needs, desires, and goals of the park and built interest in the project vision. With stakeholder support, the final plan includes improved vehicle and pedestrian circulation, a large open-air shelter with restrooms and a kitchenette for events, a splash pad, an expanded play area, and a lake overlook.

Creating a complete and detailed master plan is a key step in getting the community on board and excited about a project. Master plans are essential in getting funding in place to implement the changes. Obtaining funds through local budgeting, bonding opportunities, generous donors, or securing grant funds is much easier with a clear vision that illustrates the benefits of the improvements. WSB can assist communities in applying for grant funding or other opportunities and has a dedicated team of staff to research grant opportunities, evaluate the chance of success for our clients, and identify conditions or restrictions with grant awards. For parks and trails-related projects, we have had great success with funding through both the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Outdoor Recreation Grants and the Parks and Trails Legacy Fund.

We are familiar and experienced with many other grants as well, including MN DNR Trail Grants, MN Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Local Road Improvement Program, MnDOT Active Transportation Program, MN DNR Local Trails Connections Program, and MN Board of Water and Soil Resources Clean Water Fund Program.

Reach out to Jordan Gedrose at jgedrose@wsbeng.com to learn about landscape architecture services and grant opportunities. Visit wsbeng.com to learn more about the services we provide.