Refurbish the 25-year old Lake Itasca Boardwalk

The purpose of this case is to recommend to City Council the refurbishment of the *Lake Itasca Boardwalk. The quarter-century old, 6' foot wide boardwalk is nearly one quarter mile in length and is a very popular trail route and destination—and is within a high quality wetland environment associated with Trott Brook, and also the Circle of Ramsey Greenway. The boardwalk has held up very well over the years with semi-regular board replacement and occasional re-leveling. However, in recent years the frequency for the need for individual board replacement has increased, and there are a number of sections where it is no longer feasible to try to re-level the warped sections. (It may be noted here, that it is appropriate for boardwalks to appear 'rustic' and aside from when first constructed, they are not intended to be perfectly pristine, like a deck on a residential home.) The attached Appendix includes photos of the existing conditions of the boardwalk, in a sequence from the North to the South, with the last image looking North at the South end at the boardwalk's connection to the bituminous trail.  (About midway through the photos the 8' foot bridge section may be noted, which is in great condition, it being replaced about four years ago.)


*This portion of trail is also a part of the National Mississippi River Trail.

Staff will highlight this infrastructure maintenance project with results of the contractor(s) quotes, which should take less than 10 minutes.

As referenced, the wooden boardwalk may be considered at the end of its useful life, having been in the elements for twenty five years, and carrying many, many, thousands of walkers, joggers, dogs and bicyclists.  Additionally, user feedback confirms that the 6' foot width is not adequate for the numbers of users—especially when bicyclists meet people with dogs on the boardwalk, often traveling in opposite directions.  For this reason, staff is proposing that with the refurbishment, the width would be extended to 8' feet wide, which is the standard for boardwalks constructed in the city within the last decade.  In July 2021 the Park and Recreation Commission approved proceeding with a Request for Proposal (RFP) with detailed specifications, which was issued to seven contractors who bid on the last boardwalk project in the City of Ramsey.  Their quotes were due to the City on Monday, November 15th, 2021, the day before the Public Works Committee (PWC) meeting.  The quotes will be presented to the Committee at the meeting.  It is anticipated that a recommendation to proceed with the project may come from the PWC and the Park & Recreation Commission November 18th for City Council's consideration on November 23rd, 2021 for the refurbishment of the boardwalk to occur over the Winter of 2021/2022. 

The recommended funding source, would be the Capital Maintenance Fund, (formally known as ‘Park Maintenance Fund #810’) which has a present balance of approximately $1.3M.

Staff recommends proceeding with the refurbishment of the 25-year old Lake Itasca Boardwalk with the work to be performed by ____________, in the amount of $ ____________ .

Based upon discussion, recommend to City Council the refurbishment of the Lake Itasca Boardwalk in a not-to-exceed amount of $ ____________.