RTP Final Report for Lake Boardwalk Installation 1
Recreational Trails Program - Massachusetts
Final Report Form
Report Period: July 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017
Date Submitted: May 31, 2017
Project Name: Bridge, Boardwalk & Dock Rehabilitation at the Fitzgerald Lake
Conservation Area
Organization: Broad Brook Coalition
Contact Person and Title: Robert Zimmermann, President, Broad Brook Coalition
Address: 549 North Farms Road, Florence, MA 01062-1043
Telephone: 413-585-0405 Email: raz@umass.edu
Effective Date of Contract: October 30, 2015
End Date of Contract: December 31, 2017
Project Completion Date: April 30, 2017
Total Project Cost/Value: $88,500 Federal Share $50,000 Match $38,500
Value of contributed volunteer time: 582 hours @ $29.88/hr (independent Sector) $ 17,390
Narrative (Please provide a complete and detailed narrative final report on the project, limited in
length to three pages, not including supporting materials. Include all progress made, problems
encountered, resolution to those problems, changes in expenditures or project scope, and the
final status of the project. Attach additional sheets as necessary. Attach any relevant
photographs, expenditure spreadsheets or other documentation that helps demonstrate the final
status of the project and its impact on the Massachusetts trail system as a whole, from the
community/local level to the statewide level. (If your grant involved the purchase of large
equipment and requires equipment reporting as stipulated in your grant agreement, see page 2):
BRIDGE, BOARDWALK & DOCK REHABILITATION AT THE
FITZGERALD LAKE CONSERVATION AREA
FINAL REPORT TO THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS PROGRAM, MA DCR
MAY 2017
The Recreational Trails Program of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and
Recreation 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 in Northampton, Massachusetts. The budget for the entire undertaking was
$88,500. In fall 2015, the Recreational Trails Program awarded Broad Brook Coalition $50,000
toward the project, while matching funds were provided by a $30,000 grant from the Northampton
Community Preservation Committee, a $7,500 contribution from Broad Brook Coalition (BBC), and
a $1,000 gift from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation. BBC volunteers also contributed 582 hours of
work to the project, a value of $17,390 according to the volunteer equivalency rate of $29.88/hr in
Massachusetts (see http://Independentsector.org, 2016 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 funds from the three main grants. Dick O'Brien, 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. RTP funds were used in all phases of the work, which is now complete. Photos
illustrating various stages of the project are included at the end of this report.
Phase 1. Bridge components were made of precast, fiber-reinforced polymer members
manufactured in Pennsylvania and trucked to the site early in July 2016. 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 (SCA) on July 18. The
SCA crew was mainly responsible for assembling the 30-foot 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 pedestrian 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 was added by Douglas Thayer Woodworking and
Design in November 2016. Here again, pairs of 4" x 4" posts were driven into solid ground at 10-
foot intervals, and two 2" x 6" cross beams attached to each pair. Frames for the boardwalk were
then constructed and attached to the cross beams, and the decking was installed. Stabilizing cross
pieces were added to the posts and frames as necessary. The boardwalk terminates in a 10- by
20-foot viewing platform and boat launching dock. Finally, 5" curbing was installed along the newly
constructed section of boardwalk and platform. This phase of the work was completed on
November 28. In April, 2017, two 8-foot benches with mahogany seats and back rests were
installed on the dock by Thayer Woodworking, funded in part by a generous donation from the
Norcross Wildlife Foundation.
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.
Completion of the rehabilitated bridge, boardwalk and dock was celebrated by a reception at the
site on April 23, 2017, attended by BBC members, friends and volunteers; Dick O'Brien; Douglas
Thayer; Kevin Lake, chair of the Northampton Conservation Commission; and Representative
Peter Kocot.
We are very pleased to have been able to enhance the environment of the Fitzgerald Lake
Conservation Area for the many visitors from the community and elsewhere who use the bridge,
boardwalk and dock throughout the year. The new dock, with its comfortable benches, has proven
particularly popular as it offers an opportunity to sit "in" the lake with a 360-degree view of the
terrestrial and aquatic surroundings. We are most grateful to the Recreational Trails Program,
along with our other supporters, for making this project possible.
Robert A. Zimmermann
President
Broad Brook Coalition
May 31, 2017
BUDGET SUMMARY
RTP AWARD
RTP Contract $ 50,000.00
RTP EXPENDITURES
Vendor Purpose Amount
Kelcom Storage trailer rental $ 475.00
Starlift Equipment Forklift rental 665.05
Northampton DPW, etc. Tipping fees for debris 514.89
SCA Massachusetts Student volunteer stipends 7,400.00
E. T. Techtonics FRP bridge (in part) 1,377.96
Conservation Works Lumber, hardware, supplies 9,157.91
equipment rental for bridge
and boardwalk rehabilitation
(reimbursement)
Terramor LLC Raising and resetting boardwalk 9,932.50
Douglas Thayer Woodworking Raising and resetting boardwalk 8,300.00
Cowls Building Supplies Lumber, hardware, supplies, 2,964.67
equipment rental for boardwalk
extension
Douglas Thayer Woodworking Construction of boardwalk 5,900.21
extension (in part)
Conservation Works Clerk of Works 3,311.81
__________
RTP Total $ 50,000.00
MATCHES
Northampton Community Preservation Act Funds $ 30,000.00
Broad Brook Coalition 7,700.00
Norcross Wildlife Foundation 1,000.00
VALUE OF VOLUNTEER TIME CONTRIBUTED TO PROJECT
Volunteer time: 582 hours @ $29.88/hr (independent Sector) $ 17,390.00
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
Positioning Frames for Extension Decking Boardwalk Extension
Installing Frames for Dock Putting Finishing Touches on Dock
Measuring Up for Bench Backrests Benches: Final Stages
New Boardwalk Extension in Use New Bench on the Dock
New Bridge and its Setting