City's park improvement projects continue through winter months
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on December 19, 2013 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/SETH MABRY
Wooden bridges and boardwalks are used to cross over creeks and frequently flooded areas on the Stoney Creek North bike trails in Goldsboro.
Work on construction projects at city parks is progressing despite the recent cold weather.
Sand volleyball courts at Stoney Creek Park were completed last week, the sand is in place for another court at Berkeley Park over the former basketball goal location and new scoreboards went in at Berkeley Park on Monday.
"The border is not installed and we'll have better sand as a top coat, but that'll be done in January," Parks and Recreation Director Scott Barnard said of the volleyball courts.
On Tuesday, a secondary bridge was installed over a ditch on the mountain bike trails in Stoney Creek North, off of Durant Street, with another 100 feet of boardwalk planned for January.
"This bridge is really a tertiary bridge to make riding more accessible to beginners," park Superintendent John Albert said.
The boardwalk planned for a perpetually wet spot on the trail will be raised and serve the same purpose as the bridge, to make the trails more accessible.
"Even the deer go around this spot," Albert said.
The bridge installed Tuesday was built in the Parks and Recreation Department shop and packed into the trail to be installed and bedded in 320 pounds of concrete.
"This bridge isn't going anywhere," Albert said. "The water will rise up over it but the bridge is staying here."
All of the work on the bridges, boardwalk, sand volleyball courts and sidewalks in Fairview Park is being done in-house by city employees, thereby saving the city money.
The sidewalks will be poured in January or February, depending on other city projects on the Public Works Department's plate, Barnard said.
Also on the horizon for Fairview Park may be a move for the current picnic shelter in the park, Barnard said.
"The shelter is sort of tucked into the woods," Barnard said. "There is demand for a shelter but they don't like where it is at. They feel out of sight over there."
A move would probably land the shelter near the playground or basketball goal.
And it's not just city employees making improvements to the parks this winter. Volunteers are also helping. The Goldsboro Disc Golf Club will be working with the city to clear underbrush on the course at Berkeley Park.