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City of Ozark Honored with 2025 MML Innovation Award

The City of Ozark’s Garrison Springs Community Forest, which opened last summer, was honored by the Missouri Municipal League (MML) with the 2025 Innovation Award for large cities (population between 15,000 and 30,000). The Innovation Awards showcase municipal programs or projects that have been successfully implemented and demonstrate new approaches for solving municipal challenges. They also may serve as models for other communities.

Garrison Springs was recognized by MML for its “bold approach to environmental conservation, sustainable land management, and public recreation.”

When the City of Ozark purchased the property that would become Garrison Springs Community Forest, the goal was to develop a park that offered visitors an up-close experience with the native ecosystems and geologic features of the Ozarks. Phase 1 includes a walking trail, a bird-watching area, a viewing area and outdoor green space for families to enjoy.

Cochran is proud to have been a part of this project, providing engineering design and survey services for critical improvements to Phase 1 of property, including a lookout platform, 10-foot-wide trails, retaining walls and stormwater improvements, as well as a 4’x8’ concrete box culvert.

Route 66 Museum Shares History of The Mother Road

With the centennial celebration of Route 66 kicking off in just over a year, businesses and organizations along the iconic Mother Road are already planning for the influx of tourism and travelers from around the world. Our long-time client Larry West is among them.

Larry, who had purchased a large collection of restored antique gas station items and Route 66 memorabilia from Duane Campbell of Union, MO, had a vision to convert an old 2,400 SF church located along the “Main Street of America” in Pacific, MO, and next door to his contracting business, NB West, into a museum where the collection could be shared with other Route 66 aficionados, like himself. Cochran’s architecture department helped him make that vision a reality.

Many of the exterior windows were replaced with overhead garage doors. The flooring throughout was removed down to the concrete slab. An old stage area and some partition walls were taken down, and outside, a canopy was added to complete the historic gas station image. The result is a building designed to invoke a classic service station from the 1950s.

Campbell’s Service Station at 18625 Historic Route 66 in Pacific, MO is now open for visitors, although currently by appointment only. However, if you drive by and see the gate open, Larry invites you to pull over and come inside! The space, which can hold up to 65 people and includes a kitchenette, also is available to rent as an event venue.

For more information on the museum, the collection and Larry, go to https://tourroute66.com.

Farmington WWTP Project Wins National Award

Cochran is proud to be recognized for our engineering design on improvements to the City of Farmington’s Northeast Wastewater Treatment Facility, which was named a Top Project for 2023 by Wastewater Digest Magazine. The project, which included aeration improvements, was completed in Spring 2023. You can read more about the project and watch a short video about it here. Bob Crossen, who wrote the article, noted that what made this project stand out to Wastewater Digest was the cost efficiencies – the City spent $500,000 on the improvements, but the solution is expected to save the City $80,000 annually in energy costs. We are most excited about the overall improved functionality of the plant and the improved quality of effluent being discharged. Credit goes to Cochran’s own Brian Gentges, designer; Bill Giessing of Brockmiller Construction, contractor; and Jaeger Aeration, manufacturers; and Larry Lacy, City of Farmington Public Works Director.

Club Car Wash

Cochran serves as the primary engineering firm for Club Car Wash, providing survey, civil engineering, and material testing services for 100+ locations throughout the mid-west (Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Oklahoma).

From inception to completion, our services include full civil design, due diligence, conceptual planning, preliminary site planning, zoning, attendance at public meetings, and preparation of construction documents through permitting for construction.

Oasis at Lakeport

The Oasis at Lakeport is making headlines across the country (from California to Florida), and Cochran is proud to be part of the world-class design team creating this new $300M family resort and entertainment district in Osage Beach, MO. Located at Highway 54 and Jeffries Road adjacent to the Grand Glaize Bridge, development plans call for amusement rides, hotels, restaurants, a marina and boardwalk. Cochran is pleased to be providing site design, including roadways, utilities and grading.

When it opens next year, this exciting development from SkyView Partners and Tegethoff Development will be a premier Midwest tourist destination and a game changer for the City of Osage Beach. Estimates are that Oasis at Lakeport will generate 500 jobs and bring an additional 500,000 visitors to Missouri.

Read more about it here: