Niagara Power Project FERC No. 2216
RECREATIONAL FACILITY REHABILITATION ASSESSMENT
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Prepared for: New York Power Authority
Prepared by: E/PRO Engineering & Environmental Consulting, LLC.
August 2005
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Copyright © 2005 New York Power Authority
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This assessment was performed to determine the current
physical condition of recreation facilities within the project boundary, and at
project-related Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP)
facilities.
Assessments
at each facility were performed at one of two levels of detail based on circumstances
and need as determined by park management.
The first level of assessment involved inspection; this entailed the
visual assessment of an amenity or an element thereof for the purpose of making
observations and forming opinions on condition.
The second level of assessment involved investigation; this entailed the
provisions of inspection, with additional extensive data collection.
Parks
that were generally subject to investigation include Reservoir, Earle W.
Brydges Artpark, Devil’s Hole, and Whirlpool State Parks. Parks that were generally subject to
inspection include Niagara Falls State Park, Discovery Center, and the Upper
Niagara River Observation Site (NYPA Intake Structures).
Site
assessments and subsequent recommendations were performed by a registered
professional engineer, Pamela Kelley, P.E., and a licensed plumber, Emery
Doughty. The objective of
recommendations is for each subject of assessment to comply with building codes
and ADA regulations, and to achieve a 30-year life.
Investigation
of Reservoir State Park was performed with a group of OPRHP
representatives. Their opinions were
considered when making recommendations for the site. A Redevelopment Plan has been created for the
rehabilitation of this park. It is
recommended within this report that the surface of the main, ballfield, and
soccer/sledding parking lots be removed and replaced. The latter should be expanded and all should
include grading for drainage, striping, ADA parking, and signage. Ditching and culvert repair/installation
along Witmer road is suggested to achieve better site drainage. The walkways should be reconstructed to
achieve ADA compliance. Site lighting
should be installed at parking areas, along walkways, and near some
amenities. Landscaping measures are
recommended to enhance open space throughout the park. Several rehabilitation measures are suggested
to improve the picnic area, basketball/roller-hockey/tennis courts, playground,
softball fields, soccer fields, and sledding hill. Three new restroom installations are
suggested in association with the picnic, softball field and soccer field
areas, respectively; the existing restroom should be reworked to serve as a
maintenance building. The existing maintenance
building should be demolished and replaced.
Assessment
of the Earle W. Brydges Artpark State Park (Artpark) was limited to
investigation of river access trails and three river access stairways. Also, an inspection of the “El”, an elevated
walkway, was performed. The assessment
of the El determined that it needs to be replaced, but provisions for its
replacement are outside the scope of this assessment, therefore no
recommendations regarding the El are presented.
It is recommended within this report that the three river access stairways
be removed and replaced. Erosion along
the Lewiston Branch Gorge Trail and fishing access trail should be
repaired.
Investigation
of Devil’s Hole State Park was performed with a group of OPRHP
representatives. Their opinions were
considered when making recommendations for the site. It is recommended within this report that the
surface and curbing of the main and secondary parking lots, and the entrance
and exit driveways be removed and replaced.
The lots should be striped, including delineations for ADA parking. ADA signage should be installed. Site lighting should be installed at each
parking lot and at the restroom.
Existing walkways should be repaired to achieve ADA compliance; walkways
should be installed to access the men’s restroom and the viewing area. The stone piers of the gorge fencing should
be repaired, and the railing should be removed and replaced. Each picnic area should be furnished with new
tables and grills. The fishing access
stairs should be repaired and handrails should be installed. The Ongiara trail within the park boundary
should be inspected and maintained. The
restroom should be subject to substantial rehabilitation measures.
Investigation
of Whirlpool State Park was performed with a group of OPRHP representatives. Their opinions were considered when making
recommendations for the site. It is
recommended within this report that the parking area be stripped, re-graded and
resurfaced. Erosion areas around the
park should be repaired. Existing
walkways should be altered, and some new walkways should be installed for the
purpose of achieving ADA compliance. The
gorge railing should be removed and replaced; erosion near the railing should
be repaired. The picnic shelter should
be repaired, and a second shelter should be installed. New swing-sets and an ADA compliant
hard-surface transfer area should be installed at the play area. The fishing access stairs should be repaired,
cleaned and maintained. The Ongiara
trail within the park boundary should be inspected and maintained. The restroom was recently renovated and no
recommendations were formed as a result of this assessment.
Inspection
of Niagara Falls State Park was performed with a group of OPRHP
representatives. This park is subject to
ongoing assessment and rehabilitation by OPRHP.
This report presents general observations of some site amenities, and
refers to OPRHP rehabilitation measures performed or planned. The only recommendation for this park is in
reference to the railing and walkway associated with Terrapin Point, on Goat
Island. It is recommended that the
railing be removed and replaced, and that the walkway be replaced to achieve
ADA compliance.
Discovery
Center is currently in the midst of a rehabilitation program by OPRHP. Assessment at this site for the purpose of
this report was limited to inspection of the curbing along the entrance
driveway. The radius of the existing
curb is too sharp to allow busses to turn into the driveway without running
over the curb. It is recommended in this
report that the curb be removed and reconstructed at a larger radius to
accommodate bus turning.
The
Upper Niagara River Observation Site was subject to inspection of
recreation-related site infrastructure.
It is recommended in this report that the surface and curbing of the
access driveways, the riverfront walkway, and the parking lot be removed and
replaced. The new parking surface should
be striped, with delineations and signage for ADA parking. The cobblestone walkways to the eastern gate
tower should be repaired.
Amenity An area or
structure that serves and/or enhances public attraction and use.
Accessible/accessibility Relating to ADA compliance.
Inspection Includes visitation to
visually assess an amenity or element thereof.
Overall opinions are formed, but detailed data is not collected. Comments from Park Officials are noted.
Investigation Includes inspection
activities and extensive data
collection (materials, measurements, observations, condition, etc).
Element A
singular component, or collection of components representing part of an
amenity.
Fair
Condition The
amenity or element thereof shows visible wear and/or minor damage. No distress is visible. The amenity or element thereof is serving the
intended purpose and could be repaired to good condition.
Good
Condition The
amenity or element thereof has little visible wear, distress or damage and is
serving its intended purpose.
Infrastructure For the purposes of this report,
this refers to parking areas, driveways, roadways, walkways, bridges, drainage
and lighting.
Installation The construction of a
new amenity where none currently exists.
Poor
Condition The amenity
or element thereof is in a degraded state: worn, distressed or
deteriorated. It may or may not serve
its intended purpose, but cannot reasonably be repaired to good condition.
Repairs
Patching or
restoration of materials, elements, equipment or fixtures for the purpose of
maintaining good condition.
Renovations Reconfiguration, removal
and replacement, or covering of existing materials, elements, equipment or
fixtures using new materials that serve the same purpose.
Reconstruction The complete replacement of
an amenity or element thereof, or work where any of the following occurs:
· Reconfiguration of space which affects the
means of egress shared with adjacent spaces.
· The total work area exceeds two-thirds of the amenity area.
· The work area affects 100 percent of the occupancy.
Rehabilitate To improve the condition of
an existing amenity or element thereof to improve its benefits, and/or to
provide a 30-year life cycle.
Sight
Distance The distance of
visibility at the entrance/egress of an access road onto the main road.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is engaged in the
relicensing of the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston, Niagara County, New
York. The present operating license of the
plant expires in August 2007. As part of
its preparation for the relicensing of the Niagara Project, NYPA is developing
information related to the ecological, engineering, recreational, cultural, and
socioeconomic aspects of the Project.
The 1,880-MW (firm capacity) Niagara Power Project (NPP)
is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric facilities in North
America. The Project was licensed to the
Power Authority of the State of New York (now the New York Power Authority) in
1957. Construction of the Project began
in 1958, and electricity was first produced in 1961.
The Project has several components. Twin intakes are located approximately 2.6
miles above Niagara Falls. Water
entering these intakes is routed around the Falls via two large low-head
conduits to a 1.8-billion-gallon forebay, lying on an east-west axis about 4
miles downstream of the Falls. The forebay is located on the east bank of the
Niagara River. At the west end of the
forebay, between the forebay itself and the river, is the Robert Moses Niagara
Power Plant (RMNPP), NYPA’s main generating plant at Niagara. This plant has 13 turbines that generate
electricity from water stored in the forebay.
Head is approximately 300 feet.
At the east end of the forebay is the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant
(LPGP). Under non-peak-usage conditions
(i.e., at night and on weekends), water is pumped from the forebay via the
plant’s 12 pumps into the 22-billion-gallon Lewiston Reservoir, which lies east
of the plant. During peak usage
conditions (i.e., daytime Monday through Friday), the pumps are reversed for
use as generators, and water is allowed to flow back through the plant,
producing electricity. The forebay
therefore serves as headwater for the RMNPP and tailwater from the LPGP. South of the forebay is a switchyard, which
serves as the electrical interface between the Project and its service area.
Project related lands and waters provide many recreational
opportunities including picnicking, hiking, sightseeing, fishing, and field
sports. NYPA constructed several
recreational facilities when the Niagara Power Project was built. By agreements, these facilities are operated
and maintained by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation (OPRHP) or municipalities.
The Recreational Facility Rehabilitation Assessment was
undertaken to evaluate existing facilities for infrastructure condition and
adequacy for continued facility usage.
NYPA engaged E/PRO Engineering & Environmental Consulting, LLC to
assess recreational facilities, present findings, and recommend improvements.
This assessment was to determine the current physical
condition of recreation facilities in the project boundary and project-related
OPRHP facilities.
This assessment includes a current physical condition
inventory of the amenities and elements at each facility investigated, and it
identifies specific amenities and elements that in the opinion of the engineer
conducting the assessment require rehabilitation. Recommendations are made as needed,
and are based on an intent to provide a thirty year life for all
amenities.
Several
recreational resources are made available by NYPA and OPRHP in the vicinity of
the Niagara Power Project. For the purposes
of this assessment, only certain facilities were selected for assessment. These facilities were selected in cooperation
with OPRHP representatives. Recreational
facilities selected for assessment are those where rehabilitation measures
would be of maximum public benefit. The
recreational facilities that were ultimately assessed include:
· Reservoir State Park,
· Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park,
· Devil's Hole State Park,
· Whirlpool State Park,
· Niagara Falls State Park,
· Discovery Center, and
·
Upper Niagara River Observation Site (NYPA
Intake Structures)
The study area for this assessment
included - recreation facilities in the FERC project boundary and other
project-related OPRHP facilities on the American side of the Niagara River from
the Peace Bridge to the mouth at Lake Ontario.
There were two degrees of assessment defined: facilities
either underwent inspection or investigation.
Inspections required site visitation and general observation without the
collection of extensive data. Sites
selected for inspections were visited with NYPA and OPRHP personnel;
observations, comments, concerns and suggestions were the primary product of
these inspections. Investigations
required site inspection as well as the collection of extensive engineering
data. Numerous photos were taken at all
sites to document current conditions.
A registered professional engineer and a licensed plumber,
performed all site assessments and subsequent recommendations.
Structural quality, serviceability, and life expectancy of
facility infrastructure, amenities and elements were evaluated using several
considerations. Among these were
standards defined by Building Code of New York State (building code)
compliance, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Assessments were
based on a visual evaluation of amenities and did not involve destructive
testing, sampling, or exposure of concealed elements.
Site assessments considered the condition of site
infrastructure (roads, walkways), amenities, mechanical systems and electrical
services. Amenities were considered for
usability, condition and access. ADA
compliance was evaluated for major site amenities.
Following site visits, the collected notes and data were
evaluated. Based on these materials, and
code requirements that prescribe the extent compliance must be met,
rehabilitative measures for each site were recommended.
Reservoir, Devil’s Hole, Whirlpool and Niagara State
Parks, and the Discovery Center were each visited with OPRHP officials. The purpose of their inclusion was to gain a
better understanding of how the facilities were used and to acquire
infrastructure condition data. Earl W.
Brydges Artpark State Park and the Upper Niagara River Observation Site were
visited without accompaniment from OPRHP officials.
It was found that some facilities require major
rehabilitation of some elements, or that new amenities may be necessary to
enhance facility usage. Other facilities
require only minor work to achieve code compliance and greater usability.
During a thirty year facility life, repair, replacement
and maintenance of some amenities or elements are expected. Some site amenities are newly renovated and
have a substantial life though possibly not a full thirty years. In such instances, recommendations for
renovations have not been made. Some
elements, such as pavement, some shingle roofs and paint do not have a thirty
year life and should be evaluated on a regular maintenance program schedule.
Niagara Falls State Park and Discovery Center Park were
subject to inspections: they were each toured with OPRHP officials. OPRHP officials did not request further
investigations at these facilities.
Observations, notes and photos were gathered, but no detailed data
collection was performed.
Rehabilitation recommendations provided herein are offered
as the opinions of the authors of this report: they are based on a goal of
achieving code compliance, good engineering practice, and functionality of the
recreational facilities and associated amenities.
Items are identified which do not meet current building or
accessibility codes, however, such identification of deficiencies does not
suggest that addressing the issue is required by law. The use of existing structures that pre-date
code adoption is permitted.
Proposed work on structures is classified by the building
code as repair, renovation, or reconstruction; each classification is
associated with discrete code conformance requirements.
Reservoir State Park was
developed during the construction of the Niagara Power Project. The park is located south of the Lewiston
Reservoir in the towns of Lewiston and Niagara.
It encompasses 133 acres and is bounded by the Lewiston Reservoir,
Witmer Road and I-190. Military Road
bisects the park. The area around the
park is dense mixed-use development.
The park is operated and
maintained by OPRHP. The park was viewed
with three OPRHP employees. Their
comments noted herein are attributed to "Park Officials".
OPRHP data indicate attendance
at the park for the 2002-2003 season was 97,945 visitors. The site is open dawn to dusk
year-round. There is no fee for
use. Though the park is a State Park, it
functions mostly as a municipal park for area residents. Park Officials state that most visitors
arrive by car.
Reservoir State Park is a
133-acre park consisting of open grassy flat lawn area with occasional mature
overstory coniferous and deciduous trees.
It provides a generous open space for many activities, such as running,
golfing, model plane flying, and dog walking.
In addition to this open space, the park offers a variety of amenities
that attract and/or enhance public use at the site. These amenities include:
· Eight softball fields,
· A picnic area with ten grills and one
shelter,
· Two paved basketball courts,
· Two paved roller hockey courts,
· Two paved tennis courts,
· Fourteen soccer fields,
· A sledding hill,
· Restroom facilities,
· A maintenance building,
· Three parking lots, and
· A playground
The existing site plan for the
park is presented in Figure 2.1-1 of this report.
Most of the park amenities are
accessed by short driveways that originate from Witmer Road and extend,
respectively, to two parking areas on the south side of the park. Sledding and soccer field entrances are off
Military Road, a public two-lane highway which bisects the park. They are accessed via a NYPA-owned driveway
that leads into a parking area at the northwest corner of the park. There are several paved emergency roadways
that access the southeast end of the park.
A suggested Redevelopment Plan
to rehabilitate Reservoir State Park is shown on Figure 2.1-2. The plan addresses many of the weakest
aspects of this site, including lack of visual appeal, outdated amenities, lack
of ADA compliance, insufficient site lighting and insufficient restroom
facilities. Recommendations are based on
the rehabilitation or installation of amenities or elements as prescribed
within the recommended Redevelopment Plan.
The park site consists of a
large open flat mown grass area with occasional mature overstory trees. Areas of infrastructure that are evaluated in
this assessment are the main parking area, ballfield and soccer parking areas,
walkways, roadways, drainage and lighting.
Overall, the park has received
good day-to-day maintenance such as mowing, cleaning and repairs. Due to the inherent effects of time and use,
the original park infrastructure and amenities show visible deterioration,
despite diligent maintenance efforts by OPRHP.
The park atmosphere and usability would be greatly improved by
implementing each of the rehabilitation measures described in this report.
The main parking area is a 375- by
450-foot lot located in the southeast corner of the park. At first glance, the parking lot appears to
have a gravel surface, but upon closer inspection old pavement/aggregate matrix
is visible in some areas. The pavement
is in poor condition with some large pot holes and cracking (Figure
2.1.1.1-1).
The main access to the parking
area is a 20-foot wide paved driveway off Witmer Road. Sight distance to the right on Witmer Road is
good; at the time of assessment, construction equipment blocked the left side,
but sight distance appeared to be satisfactory.
A secondary maintenance driveway is located off Military Road near the
maintenance building.
The parking lot is essentially
flat with no subsurface drainage system. Surface drainage flows across the lot
and discharges to a drainage ditch near the entrance driveway along Witmer
Road.
A paved walkway on the northwest
side leads to the picnic area, ball courts and restroom. There are no ADA (Americans with Disabilities
Act) curb cuts in the walkway or designated parking spaces in the parking lot.
The main parking lot area has no security lighting.
It is recommended that the
access driveway, secondary driveway, parking area and walkway be
reconstructed. Reconstruction should include
analysis of the existing base soils for frost activity, re-grading for surface
drainage, crowning the access driveways, landscaping, installation of catch
basins and drainage system, designated ADA parking, signage, curb cuts,
walkways, repaving and striping.
The ballfield parking area is a
120- by 225-foot lot located in the south-center of the park. The pavement surface appears to be 5 to 7
years old and in fair condition (Figure 2.1.1.1-1). The pavement is a coarse stone asphalt binder
material from which most of the asphalt has evaporated exposing the aggregate.
Access to the lot is a 20-foot
wide paved driveway off Witmer Road. Sight distance is good in each direction
at the entrance driveway. The parking
lot is not curbed and does not connect to the park walkways. The parking lot has no security
lighting. No ADA parking is designated
as none of the lot is striped.
The parking area slopes downward
approximately two feet towards the entrance. No subsurface drainage is evident.
Surface drainage flows down the lot and discharges to a drainage ditch near the
driveway entrance along Witmer Road.
Park Officials stated the
parking lot is heavily used for adult town softball leagues. The lot size is
inadequate and cars park along Witmer Road and on the grass adjacent to the lot
during softball season. If the parking
lot were striped, it could accommodate about 60 vehicles with a single center
row.
It is recommended that the
parking lot size be increased to 225- by 225 feet to accommodate about 120
vehicles. Reconstruction and expansion
should include re-grading for surface drainage, additional pavement surface for
increased lot capacity, an additional driveway for traffic circulation, lot
striping, and security lighting.
The Soccer/Sledding parking area
is a 60- by 200-foot paved lot located at the toe of the Lewiston Reservoir
Dike in the northwest corner of the park (Figure 2.1.1.3-1).
The main access to the parking area is a 20-foot wide paved driveway off a road
that originates at Military Road. Sight distance is adequate at the
intersection of this road and Military Road.
The parking lot is essentially
flat with no subsurface drainage system.
Surface drainage flows southward across the lot and discharges to a
drainage ditch that crosses the access road.
The parking lot is bounded by
granite curbing except on the southerly end.
A paved walkway on the easterly side of the lot connects to the sledding
hill access road. Pavement surface on
the entrance driveway, parking lot and walkway appears to be 15 to 20 years old
with extensive surface cracking. No heaving
of pavement in the parking lot is evident, suggesting that the gravel base is
not frost-active.
There are no ADA curb cuts along
the paved walkway. Also, no ADA parking
is designated as none of the lot is striped.
If the lot were striped, it would accommodate about 50 vehicles. The parking area has no security lighting.
OPRHP officials stated that the
soccer fields are used by children’s summer evening leagues. The parking area is not adequate. People park along Military Road and the dirt
road to the east of the soccer fields.
Buses drop students off and turn around in the adjacent cemetery
driveway. The existing parking area is
not laid out to easily accommodate expansion, bus turning or safe student
drop-off.
It is recommended that the
access driveway, parking area and walkway be reconstructed. Reconstruction should include analysis of the
existing base soils for frost activity, re-grading for surface drainage,
crowning the access driveways, designated ADA parking, signage, curb cuts,
repaving and striping. The paved walkway
should be removed and replaced with new gravel base and thicker pavement.
Installation of a new 140- by
170-foot parking lot for 50 cars and a bus drop-off is recommended on the east
end of the soccer fields. The proposed
driveway would be accessed via a short unnamed road, off of Military Road.
Paved walkways lead from the
main parking lot to the restroom, and from the soccer/sledding parking lot to
the sledding hill. Neither walkway is
ADA accessible due to lack of curb cuts from the parking lot.
The walkway from the main
parking lot to the restroom varies from 5 feet to 6 feet wide. It is approximately 1100 feet long, and it is
in good condition. The slope is
reasonably flat, but was not field-determined for ADA slope compliance along
its length.
ADA compliant hard surface
walkways are not provided to most of the site amenities throughout the
park. ADA regulations require "At
least one accessible route shall connect accessible buildings, facilities,
elements and spaces that are on the same site" (USDOJ
and USDOT 1994).
The Recommended Redevelopment
Plan includes suggestions for construction of an ADA compliant pathway that
loops the park and connects major amenities.
The pathway could be used for walking, running and roller-blading. The loop walkway would have seating and
planting areas in several locations. In
addition, it is recommended that the proposed walkways be of adequate width to
pass vehicles for maintenance and emergency purposes.
An emergency/maintenance roadway
connects Witmer Road and the restroom; it then continues on to the main parking
lot (Figure 2.1.1.5-1).
It is six feet wide and about 1,200 feet long and it is in fair
condition. Part of it is used as a
walkway from the main parking lot to the restroom.
A 750-foot long road, for NYPA
access to the top of the Reservoir, is located at the north end of the
soccer/sledding parking lot. It runs diagonally up the Dike, through the
sledding spectator area, and continues eastward to the top of the
reservoir. The pavement is in poor
condition and has extensive cracking.
It is recommended that a pipe
gate be installed at the base of the access road to the top of the reservoir;
the purpose of this gate would be to restrict unauthorized vehicles from using
this road. Also, the road should be
resurfaced with new pavement.
It is recommended that the new
pathway system prescribed by the Redevelopment Plan be of adequate width to
pass vehicles. This would allow the
walkways to be used as maintenance and emergency roads if necessary. Existing roads would be incorporated into the
new walkways.
At the Reservoir State Park
site, the grade of the park rises upward several feet from Witmer Road to the
restroom and ballfields. Along Witmer
Road, there is an open ditch and culvert that directs water across Witmer Road
to the south. The culvert/ditch contains
water and cattails: it appears to be blocked
(Figure 2.1.1.5-1). The balance of the site has very little
provision for subsurface or surface drainage.
Discussion in this section is
limited specifically to drainage for parking lots, walkways, and driveways.
The main and ballfield parking
lots only drain toward their respective entrances, encouraging icing conditions. There is no positive drainage around the ball
courts, ball fields or restroom.
Lack of drainage can lead to a
variety of problems such as excessive surface water limiting usability, a
raised water table, soil heaving, and icing.
It is advantageous to remove water rapidly and drop the water table
where water, ice and frost activity would limit usage or increase maintenance.
All ditches associated with the
park should be cleaned, and culverts should be repaired or replaced to increase
site drainage. This would create positive water flow, encourage soil dewatering
under the parking areas to protect pavement, and limit sedimentation and
ponding of water. When the parking areas
are rebuilt, provision for quickly removing surface water via catch basins is
recommended to limit icing and pavement damage from water. Walkways should be pitched to the side to
drain. Driveways should be crowned and
ditched on each side.
There is no working lighting at
the Reservoir State Park facility. Several
types of obsolete street lamps are installed around the tennis/basketball
courts but - are no longer functional (Figure 2.1.1.7-1). Lighting is often associated with
safety. The park is within a highly
urbanized setting and it is heavily used for numerous activities. Some of these activities extend into evening
hours. Though problems have not been
mentioned by Park Officials, it was noted that policing the area is difficult
at night.
The recommended Redevelopment
Plan for the site includes suggestions s for security lighting adjacent to
parking lots and restroom buildings, major walkways and other areas of public
usage or safety concerns. Site lighting
increases security and safety by discouraging mischief. Night visibility would allow for better site
policing. Lighting design considerations
include uniform illumination, light trespass, glare and light pollution. Lighting would be provided by a variety of
fixtures including parking lot lighting, attractive street lamps and exterior
lighting. All lighting would be selected
to enhance the theme of the park.
Reservoir State Park offers
several amenities for structured activities requiring facilities, fields or
reserved spaces. These amenities include
a picnic area and shelter, children’s playground, tennis, roller hockey and
basketball courts, eight softball fields, fourteen soccer fields and a sledding
hill.
The picnic area is located northwest
of the main parking area on a well-kept lawn with mature shade trees (Figure 2.1.1.7-1). It
contains a wooden picnic shelter, sixteen picnic tables, and ten (nine small
and one large) steel charcoal grills.
The shelter is a rather plain
open wood framed structure with a wood truss roof and asphalt shingles. The structure is in fair condition, but the
wood column bases are rotted due to direct contact with flat concrete piers that
collect water. The picnic shelter is not
equipped with electricity or lighting.
The picnic tables are in poor
condition due to decay and poor coatings.
The small charcoal grills are rusted and in poor condition. There are no ADA compliant curb cuts or walkways
to the area, nor ADA-accessible picnic tables.
Park Officials stated that
electrical outlets are desirable in the shelter. They stated that there is visitor demand for
a second picnic shelter, more tables and grills.
In the Redevelopment Plan, the
picnic area has been envisioned as an important area to visit and enjoy the
park. It is recommended that the
existing picnic shelter be demolished and replaced by two new 28- by 32-foot
picnic pavilions with electricity and lighting (see Figure
2.1.2.1-1). These new installations
are architecturally designed to compliment the theme of the Redevelopment
Plan. The Redevelopment Plan also
provides for 32 ADA compliant picnic tables and 20 galvanized steel charcoal
grills. It is recommended that security
lighting be installed throughout the area.
Two basketball, two roller
hockey and two tennis courts are located to the northeast of the main parking
lot (Figure 2.1.2.2-1).
Originally, there were six tennis courts, but as other sports have
increased in popularity, the courts’ usage has changed. An overgrown hedge row separates the courts
from the main parking lot.
The paved surface underlying these courts is essentially flat. The slope and storm water discharge point was not determined at the time of assessment. The pavement appears to be 10 to 15