Final ReportREHABILITATION OF BRIDGE, BOARDWALK & DOCK AT THE
FITZGERALD LAKE CONSERVATION AREA (CONTRACT 230-16)
FINAL REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 2016
Contract 230-16 provided funds for the replacement of the bridge-over-the-brook, rehabilitation
of the boardwalk, and construction of a boardwalk extension with a new dock at the Fitzgerald
Lake Conservation Area. The budget for the entire undertaking is $87,500. Earlier this year, the
Community Preservation Committee awarded Broad Brook Coalition $30,000 toward the project
while the remaining funds were provided by a $50,000 grant from the Recreational Trails
Program of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and a $7,500
donation from Broad Brook Coalition. BBC volunteers also contributed 557 hours of work to the
project, a value of $16,153 according to the volunteer equivalency rate of $29/hr in
Massachusetts (see http://Independentsector.org; 2015 data). To accommodate the financial
regulations and procedures of the City of Northampton, Wayne Feiden, Director of the Office of
Planning and Sustainability, generously agreed to serve as fiscal agent for the management and
disbursement of the funds from all three sources. Dick O'Brien, of Conservation Works LLC,
provided day-to-day supervision of the work on site.
The project unfolded in three separate, more or less sequential phases. The first phase entailed
demolition of the old bridge and construction of the new bridge and its approach ramps. The
second was the rehabilitation of the boardwalk and the third, extension of the boardwalk with a
new dock at the end. Phases 1 and 2 are complete as of this writing, and we expect the third
phase to be completed by mid-November. CPA funds were used primarily for the construction of
the new bridge and approaches, as well as for lumber for the new boardwalk support system
(see budget). Photos illustrating various stages of the project are at the end of this document.
Phase 1. Bridge components were made of precast fiber-reinforced polymer members
manufactured in Pennsylvania and trucked to the site early in July. The existing bridge was
demolished by a crew of volunteers on July 15 and 16 in preparation for the arrival of a five-
person crew from the Student Conservation Association Massachusetts Americorps on July 18.
The SCA crew was mainly responsible for assembling the 30-fot bridge and building the two
~40-foot approach ramps. After the SCA crew had pitched their tents and settled in, the first
order of business was to lay the foundations for the bridge and ramps, which consisted of
Diamond Piers, and erect the posts that support the superstructure. The bridge was then
assembled from its components and, by the end of the week, placed on its supports.
Construction of frames for the approach ramps on each side of the bridge was started and
decking was installed on the bridge prior to the departure of the SCA crew on July 27. In the
ensuing weeks, the ramp frames were completed and decked, and equipped with sturdy
handrails, all by volunteers. The final step was to attach stiff wire netting to the handrails to
eliminate the possibility of falls from the ramp in conformity with standards prescribed by the
federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The bridge was officially opened for traffic on
August 24.
Phase 2. On July 8 and 9, volunteers cleared brush and grass from the sides of the boardwalk
in order to allow access to the horizontal sleepers on which the boardwalk frames were laid. On
August 8-10, Terramor LLC winched sections of the existing boardwalk to level height, roughly
18" above ground, and installed new supports that consisted of pairs of 4" x 4"posts driven into
the ground at 10-foot intervals onto which two 2" x 6" cross beams were bolted. Raising and
leveling the boardwalk was finished on September 12-14 by Douglas Thayer Woodworking and
Design who found it more efficient to jack rather than winch the boardwalk to level height.
Between September 15 and 23, 5" curbing was installed by volunteers along the entire length of
the boardwalk to comply with ADA standards for wheelchair use. Phase 2 was completed on
September 26.
Phase 3. A 100-foot extension of the boardwalk will be added by Douglas Thayer Woodworking
and Design in early November. Here again, pairs of 4" x 4" posts will be driven into solid ground
at 10-foot intervals, and two 2" x 6" cross beams will be attached to each pair. Frames for the
boardwalk will then be constructed and attached to the cross beams, and the decking will be
installed. Stabilizing cross pieces will be added to the posts and frames if necessary. The
boardwalk will terminate in a 10- by 20-foot viewing platform and boat launching deck. Finally,
5" curbing will be installed along the newly constructed section of boardwalk and platform. We
expect this work to be completed by mid-November.
The structures described above have been designed to provide safe passage to all visitors to
the FLCA and have been built to the specifications of the Americans With Disabilities Act. We
believe that these structures will require only minimal maintenance over the next 15-20 years
but, when necessary, upkeep will be provided or organized by Broad Brook Coalition volunteers.
Robert A. Zimmermann
President
Broad Brook Coalition
BUDGET SUMMARY
AWARD
CPA Contract 230-16 $ 30,000.00
EXPENDITURES
Vendor Purpose Amount
United States Post Office Notice to wetland abutters $ 90.48
Registry of Deeds Recording wetlands permit 75.00
E. T. Techtonics FRP bridge 18,022.04
Conservation Works Diamond piers for bridge 1,517.12
Lashway Lumber Hemlock bridge decking 660.00
Cowls Building Supplies Lumber, hardware, supplies, 9,635.36
equipment rental for bridge
and boardwalk rehabilitation
__________
Total $ 30,000.00
VOLUNTEER EFFORT CONTRIBUTED
Value of volunteer time: 557 hours @ $29/hr (independent Sector) $ 16,153.00
Opening the NFR Entrance for Deliveries The Bridge Arrives, in Pieces
Demolition of the Old Bridge SCA Crew Settles in
Putting in Diamond Piers Preparing the Decking
Assembling the Bridge Erecting Support Posts on Piers
Setting Assembled Bridge on Sleepers Placing Beams for Approach Ramp
Building Frames for Approach Ramp SCA & BBC Crews: Almost Done
A-Frame for Winching up Boardwalk Pounding in New Boardwalk Supports
Using Jack to Raise Boardwalk New Boardwalk Support System
Installing New Boardwalk Curbing Dick O'Brien at Rest, at Last