The Cable House is situated on the Sitka Sound waterfront and sits right next door to a fuel depot. Changes to local building codes required the station to add a proper parking area for its thirteen parking spaces. 

"We had been parking cars on more or less unmaintained gravel with pot holes that filled with water and mud in the rainy season," said Ken Fate, general manager, Raven Radio. "The Cable House is next to the fuel depot, and the property slopes down to the ocean. We found out that stormwater management would be challenging."

In addition, a garage that was added in the late 1940s has been converted into an artist studio and gallery. As part of the renovation of the garage, a patio was planned for a 400 square-foot area under a new pavilion structure extending from its roof.

The aesthetics of the project were important to the radio station. The Cable House is historic and a prominent architectural landmark on the Sitka waterfront. As custodians of the property on behalf of the community, Raven Radio wanted the paving project to enhance its appearance. Strength to hold up under truck traffic, durability and maintenance were key considerations as well. The project required a material that can withstand repeated freeze-thaw cycles without cracking. The radio station also wanted a low-maintenance alternative.

For the driveway and parking area, two alternatives were considered: poured concrete and asphalt. Concrete pavers and clay brick are generally not considered for large paving projects in Alaska since their heavy weight makes them expensive to ship up to the state.

Asphalt would have cost less than a concrete slab but would need annual sealing. Concrete would last longer than asphalt, but cracking was a concern. Neither would have been especially visually appealing. 

But those considerations were pushed to the side when the stormwater impact of an impervious surface became evident.  Runoff over a solid asphalt or concrete surface would tax the capacity of the next-door fuel depot's containment system and oil/water separator.

"The problem of grit, sand and debris carried along by stormwater was as much a concern as the amount and speed of runoff. The fuel depot advised that their system could get clogged up," said Fate. 

Marcel LaPerriere, owner of Southeast Cedar Homes, is a local contractor in Sitka. He presented a solution to Raven Radio: VAST Composite Permeable Pavers.

Read more

Joel Scanlon, "VAST Introduces Composite Pavers to Cut Down on Carbon Dioxide Emissions," The A to Z of Building (April 26, 2011)

"Between a Rock and a Wet Place: Composite permeable pavers, made of recycled materials, help filter runoff and are doubly green,"Commercial Building Products (April 2011)

Builder's Products Editor Picks His Favorite Products, Builder (April 2011)

"VAST Enterprises, By the Yard capitalize on turning refuse into reusable products," Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal (April 8, 2011)

"The 'Innovatives': 15 leaders achieving through innovation," Twin Cities Business (April 2011)

Nick Halter, "Stepping up efforts to grow green collar jobs,"Downtown Journal (March 23, 2011)

Sincerely,

Scott Sester
VP Sales
VAST