After more than two years of waiting and missed deadlines, the Riverwalk Committee is confident this is the season it will build the much-publicized pavilion and elevated boardwalk.
The confidence comes from the fact that this month the subcontractor took advantage of the deep freeze to move its heavy equipment across what would normally be wetlands to drill down 13 feet where the pavilion’s caissons will be set.
“Things are going great. We’re on schedule this time,” said Dennis Kintop, the riverwalk project’s volunteer construction coordinator.
Exactly one year ago, Kintop was similarly confident he and his crews would be able to build the pavilion in 1993. But the equipment could not move to the sight until after the ground thawed, so the project had to wait 12 months.
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“That whole (northwest) corner of the peninsula is mud, and you can’t get out there unless its frozen,” Kintop said. “There’s just no bottom to it, even a small (construction vehicle) will get bogged down.”
The project was bid in 1991, but the Riverwalk Committee had to wait for necessary permits from the Army Corps of Engineers before building on federally protected wetlands. The permit came in February of 1993, but so did an early thaw.
Kintop said that once the beams are set on Friday, crews will begin pouring the concrete platform. He is counting on this week’s forecasted freezing weather to solidify the ground again so the equipment will have firm footing.
Other riverwalk projects scheduled during the 1994 construction season include the building of an elevated boardwalk leading to and from the pavilion, the completion of the brick walkway to the south, and the building of a playground.
Kintop said that other projects were scheduled, but he cited a drop in the level of donations, which the committee is using instead of tax dollars to build the park.