Ridgefield STEM students visit engineering site at high school

Ridgefield — A geological engineering team from Columbia West Engineering, Inc., was at Ridgefield High School recently to acquire soil samples for lab analysis to determine the soil composition at the site of a proposed high school expansion. Engineers will use the data to design the foundation for the new structure. Some of the high school’s science, engineering, math and science students were invited to observe the field workers. Lance Lehto, president of Columbia West Engineering, reached out to school administrators and project managers to set up the visit. Lehto visited engineering classes in Ridgefield to give presentations on the soil study from a geologic field engineering perspective while the field work was taking place outside the classroom. Preparation for the soil study included heavy equipment being maneuvered onto the school’s courtyard and closing off the area to students. The field crew drilled down 75 feet to acquire samples of clay, silt, sand and gravel that make up the soil on the site. The high school expansion project is currently in its design phase, with construction scheduled to begin in the summer and wrap up in time for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.