By Katie Zemtseff, Daily Journal of Commerce

The LOTT Clean Water Alliance is seeking bids to construct a 1.7-acre public plaza designed to be the center of a new, urban district in Olympia.

Construction is estimated to cost about $3.8 million.

Lisa Dennis-Perez, public communications manager for LOTT, said the plaza will weave the area together. “Really, the idea behind the plaza is that it will serve as the core for this East Bay revitalization to create a place for the public to gather and to take advantage of these new facilities.”

The city of Olympia is contributing $500,000 for the plaza, and LOTT is paying for the rest. The Port of Olympia owns the land. LOTT, the city, the port and the Hands on Children's Museum all participated in conceptual design.

The plaza was designed by Robert W. Droll Landscape Architect.

The plaza will be the center of a 13-acre, pedestrian-oriented district. The port had planned to develop most of the site as a mixed-use center between downtown and the port's marine terminal. That development stalled with the economy.

LOTT Clean Water Alliance's Regional Services Center opened in August and has been certified LEED platinum. The Hands On Children's Museum should open next spring. Both were designed by The Miller Hull Partnership. LOTT is across the street from the plaza, and the museum will be directly north. Undeveloped land is on the south.

The museum is designed for children under age 10, while the Water Education and Technology Center or WET in the LOTT building next door is designed for people over 10.

Dennis-Perez said LOTT is excited about the stream-like water feature that will be in the plaza. It will provide a place for the public to interact with reclaimed water and understand its value. “It's an opportunity for us to showcase the high quality of reclaimed water that we produce and for the public to learn about that.”

The plaza will have other interpretive elements including bronze sculptures of wildlife that depend on water and graphics in the pavement to educate people about water. A metal gateway by public artist Brandon Zebold will mark the plaza's southeast entrance.

The project is aiming for Sustainable Sites certification, which involves land design, construction and maintenance practices. As part of the effort, a 960-square-foot restroom will have a 1,670-squre-foot green roof.

The port is responsible for cleanup of the former brownfield site. Dennis-Perez said the project is under a voluntary cleanup plan with the Washington State Department of Ecology, which will help guide the plaza project. She said she hopes the port can move ahead with its plans to develop the rest of the site in the near future.

Other construction elements include soil remediation, erosion control, water service, storm pipe, concrete pavement, electrical, earthwork and landscaping.

Bids for the plaza are due June 2. For more information, see the May 10 request for bids in the DJC.