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2022 Park Improvement Projects

Welcome spring…maybe!?

Our team has been busy this winter wrapping up planning projects, starting new ones and moving construction projects forward. Below is an update on a few of the smaller active projects our team is overseeing, and what to expect in coming months in our parks construction-wise!

Calahan Park Playground

8/11/22 The Playground has Landed!

The new Calahan Park playground equipment arrived earlier today! Check out those big timbers!

The installers will start putting things up early next week. As always, please watch out for construction equipment moving through the Park and please wait to use the equipment until we give the go-ahead. Looking forward to opening our newest playground in a couple weeks!

7/18/22 This Week – Calahan Park Playground Replacement Begins!

To begin preparing for the new playground installation, BPRW staff will begin removal of the existing playground at Calahan Park THIS WEEK! Please be mindful of construction vehicles and equipment moving through the area.

We expect construction to be ongoing in the Park through to Mid/Late August, with the anticipated schedule as follows:

  • Week of 7/18 – Existing Playground Removed
  • Week of 7/24 – Site Preparation and Grading
  • Week of 8/1 – New Playground Equipment Arrives on Site
  • Month of August – Installation of New Playground
  • September – Grand opening!

In the meantime, here are some renderings of the new equipment:

A small playhouse and slide with two spring riders will create a quieter corner for younger children.
A curved parkour course made from black locust timbers and ropes will curve around one side of the playground. The 16-foot-tall “Witches Tower” features two-slides, a climbing net, and a couple quieter nooks for make-believe.

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Playground Consultant Selected

After issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) this winter, BPRW selected Kompan, Inc. to design and replace the playground at Calahan Park. The new playground will be built from durable black locust posts and rope structures, reflecting the community interest in nature-based play from the Calahan Park Comprehensive Plan process. A curved parkour-style obstacle course will share the space with traditional play elements like slides, spinners, monkey bars and imaginative play panels. After working through design meetings with the consultant, the new playground layout is nearly finalized. Once  ordered, we expect the new structure to be installed in Summer of 2022.

rendering of the new playground equipment at Calahan Park

Schifilliti Park Pathway

Review the Public Meeting!

We hosted a public meeting on June 30th to discuss the design of a grant-funded multi-use pathway that will connect James Ave to Gosse Ct through Schifilliti Park.

Watch the Recording
Passcode: ^&bbnm5w

 

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In 2021 the City was awarded federal grant funding administered by the State of Vermont’s Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to design and construct a 629-foot-long by 8-foot-wide shared-use pathway to connect the neighborhood off of upper Ethan Allen Parkway to Gosse Ct through Schifilliti Park.

Design of a multi-use pathway connecting James Avenue to Gosse Court in front of the Miller Recreation Center through Schifilliti Park kicked off this past month.  The design consultant surveyed the site using an unmanned drone from which they will compile a topographic basemap and begin designing alternative concepts for the path alignment. As the funding for this project comes from a State Transportation Agency Grant, the project will need to meet the project review requirements of State and Federal Agencies. We expect this project to progress through design over the next year and to hopefully be bid out for construction in 2023.

drone image of the park
3d drone imagery was taken of the park as part of the plan development.

 

 

North Beach Campground

This past season, BPRW worked with a design consultant to draw up plans for several new pull-through campsites at North Beach Campground in the area once occupied by the maintenance building that was demolished last year. With the passage of the infrastructure bond, we will begin permitting for this project with an aim to get construction underway during the campground’s off-season in 2023.

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