Hillsborough Street Renewal Project manager talks work, timetable

Richard Dickie sifted through a thick stack of wrinkled blueprints, shifting from one idea to the next, as he outlined the intricate steps in the Hillsborough Street Renewal Project.

In the simplicity of his army green button-down shirt and faded jeans, he carried himself in a way that humbly evoked respect. Dickie’s frequent chuckles and playful remarks revealed that, in spite of his responsibilities, he tries to keep the mood light.

The NC State alumnus and project manager of the initiative shares his infectious enthusiasm for Hillsborough Street’s plans with anyone willing to listen.

Dickie came to work for the city of Raleigh in January of 2015 with 22 years of experience at a private engineering firm secured. From tackling an assortment of design and construction-related jobs, such as the first North Hills project, he was hired by the previous director of the Hillsborough project to oversee the remaining stages.

“This is a big time project; a big change to a vital part of the city,” Dickie said.

The needs of the general contractor, Pipeline Utilities; subcontractors; private utilities, such as Duke Energy and PSNC Energy; and telecommunication companies, like Spectrum, must be accounted for — needless to say, it’s a massive amount of coordination from all parties.

Any successes of the project are merely tasks that go as planned, but one major setback for the Hillsborough construction was the unforeseen extent of gas leaks below the surface.

Dickie said the environmental study his team performed identified four properties that were previously gas stations. Each location had soil contaminated with petroleum residual due to old, underground storage tanks.

Dickie scurried to get a geotechnical engineer on board while trying to preserve the progress of the contractors. Despite the headache of allocating extra funds to solve this “schedule-killer,” Dickie showed his concern for the Hillsborough businesses enduring the delay and his action to stay in the loop with their thoughts.

“A lot of time that means going up and down the street, sticking my head in the door and asking: ‘How are things going; is there anything on your mind?’” Dickie said.

Dickie’s efforts to keep healthy community relations are far from unnoticed by his colleagues.

“He genuinely cares about the businesses along the corridor and has developed relationships with a good number of the property owners,” said Tiffanie Mazanek, a communication analyst for the City of Raleigh. “He is very good at explaining things to non-engineers like myself but can go a bit more into the ‘weeds’ than need be.”

Dickie’s passion for engineering and design stemmed from his studies in earth science at UNC-Wilmington, which happened to include land surveying. After joining the workforce, he quickly realized how limited he would feel only as a technician compared to an engineer. This sparked his interest to enroll in NC State and pursue a second bachelor’s degree at the age of 29.

Although the Hillsborough Street Renewal Project has required a fair amount of Dickie’s energy, forcing his outside interests to take a back seat, he enjoys staying active. He plays softball to this day three tournament weekends a year and used to cycle frequently. He even played indoor and outdoor soccer until he was 54, but a knee and shoulder surgery finally persuaded him to step away.

Dickie and his wife keep busy with their two horses, four cats and one dog, and he maintains a vegetable garden no matter where he lives. 

 “There are two things money can’t buy: true love and home-grown tomatoes,” Dickie said.

The Wilmington native credits his parents for instilling the value of being a good person. He looks up to his father who he described as “a very humble fellow, but with a sense of humor.”

It’s no surprise Dickie has experienced backlash from community members on such a substantial project; however, his faith and excitement for the end product, which is scheduled for May of 2018, is unwavering.

“My number one goal is to see the ‘nay-sayers’ proved wrong,” Dickie said. “I want the businesses who have been inconvenienced to the extreme to flourish.”