March came in like a new intake manifold gasket

This week in OPPNP history:

Sad to miss two Mondays at Oak Point due to glamorous car repairs, so here are some favorites of March months past. More interesting is finding about the new improvements beginning this week. I am especially excited about the wetlands boardwalk trail between the Nature/Retreat Center on one side of Rowlett Creek and the Amphitheater on the other.

Improvements to Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve began in March 2017. The improvement work includes the following items:

• New concrete recreational trail approximately 1.3 miles in length to complete two large trail loops within the park.  This will facilitate 5K races at the park without the need to use any adjacent streets in the race route.
• New concrete recreational trail approximately 0.5 mile in length connecting from the Nature and Retreat Center to the Oak Point Amphitheater parking lot.  This trail will include a prefabricated corten steel pedestrian bridge over Rowlett Creek and a scenic overlook in the wooded area on the west side of the creek.  A portion of the trail will be built as an above ground boardwalk system through a sensitive environmental wetland zone.
• New concrete recreational trail 0.3 mile connection from an existing spur trail in Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve to Oak Point Recreation Center and Collin College.  This trail will use an existing underpass in box culverts under Spring Creek Parkway that was constructed when the street was built to provide for this trail connection.
• 3,000 square foot office and storage building for outdoor recreation equipment and gathering space for recreation programs.  The Go Ape Tree Top Adventure Park office and store front will also utilize the space.  
• Grade work to facilitate future improvements of approximately 55,000 cubic yards of earthwork on the hillside across from Fire Station 11. This grade will facilitate the trail and accommodate a future phase of improvements including a pavilion, 200 space parking lot, restrooms and playground on the hillside.  Grading near Jupiter Road will be implemented to enable the construction of improvements without affecting the floodplain in the park.
• New Natural Resource equipment yard east of Los Rios Boulevard work will include site grading, 23,400 square feet of concrete paving, cedar tree planting and irrigation to screen the view from the park and Los Rios Boulevard, and fencing.

© 2014-2017 Nancy L. Ruder