TechCon Consultants Western Region Memorandum Date: 21 June, 2015 To: Western Foundation From: Alicia Metzger, Senior Consultant Re: Proposal to Extend Aldridge Creek Greenway Enclosed is the Proposal to Extend the Aldridge Creek Greenway. The Madison County Parks and Recreation Department are now taking proposals on the extension of the greenway. We need for you to look over the proposal for final approval. This proposal has been chosen and designed to not only extend the current greenway, offering more trails for community enjoyment and recreation, but to specifically accommodate the special needs of our handicapped and elderly citizens in our community. There are approximately 60 parks encompassing over 3000 acres within the city. Most of these parks are handicap accessible. Madison County also has many trails which provide some sort of handicap accessibility, including Aldridge Creek Greenway. We would like to ensure that the extension on the Aldridge Creek Greenway provides continued access for the disabled and elderly. Please look over the enclosed proposal and provide us with feedback and any suggestions which you may have. We plan on submitting the final version, upon your approval, before the deadline next week on July 3, 2015. Thank you for your help. You can contact me by phone at 480-234- 5678, ext. 256, or you can email me at [email protected]. Enclosed: Proposal for the Aldridge Creek Greenway Extension
Transcript
TechCon Consultants
Western Region
MemorandumDate: 21 June, 2015To: Western FoundationFrom: Alicia Metzger, Senior ConsultantRe: Proposal to Extend Aldridge Creek Greenway
Enclosed is the Proposal to Extend the Aldridge Creek Greenway. The Madison County Parks and Recreation Department are now taking proposals on the extension of the greenway. We need for you to look over the proposal for final approval.
This proposal has been chosen and designed to not only extend the current greenway, offering more trails for community enjoyment and recreation, but to specifically accommodate the special needs of our handicapped and elderly citizens in our community. There are approximately 60 parks encompassing over 3000 acres within the city. Most of these parks are handicap accessible. Madison County also has many trails which provide some sort of handicap accessibility, including Aldridge Creek Greenway. We would like to ensure that the extension on the Aldridge Creek Greenway provides continued access for the disabled and elderly.
Please look over the enclosed proposal and provide us with feedback and any suggestions which you may have. We plan on submitting the final version, upon your approval, before the deadline next week on July 3, 2015.
Thank you for your help. You can contact me by phone at 480-234-5678, ext. 256, or you can email me at [email protected].
Enclosed: Proposal for the Aldridge Creek Greenway Extension
TechCon Consultants Western Region
454 West Yucca Road Mesa, AZ 85606 480-234-5678
Proposal to extend aldridge creek greenwayHandicap Accessibility Provision Inclusion
ABSTRACTProposal to Extend the Greenway North of Mountain Gap Road on the Aldridge Creek Greenway to Include Handicap Accessibility on the Trails. Trail End Points: Ditto Landing Road SE & Younger Road, Huntsville & Mountain Gap Road SE & Todd Mill Road SE, Huntsville.
Grant Seeker:
TechCon Consultants
Submitted to:
THE WESTERN FOUNDATION
DISCLAIMER: Names and addresses in this grant proposal sample have been changed. Similarities to actual programs, people or organizations are coincidental and not intentional.
TechCon Consultants requests support from The Western Foundation in the amount of $150,000 for our community handicap accessible trail extension program.
Hiking trails are the number one preferred source of recreation in the State of Alabama, with approximately 67% of people preferring walking, jogging, and biking on trails more than any other leisure activity. This does not account for our citizens who are handicapped or elderly, and are unable to participate in many other leisure activities such as tennis, baseball, golf, biking, and climbing. This is why it is so important for the special needs of these individuals be highly considered when determining the medium which will be used in extending our trail ways.
Another very important aspect of our community is mothers with babies and young children. It is vital for our younger generation to have the exposure to the beauty of outdoor life. By ensuring that our trail ways are paved for easy access to accommodate strollers and young, strolling children, we can contribute to a healthy future generation.
The Aldridge Creek Greenway has done an outstanding job in providing this accessibility, and we here at TechCon Consulting would like the opportunity to ensure that the latest extensions provide some footage that is wheelchair and stroller friendly.
THE PROBLEM
Wheelchairs, and strollers cannot operate smoothly on dirt or gravel paths. Since it is much less expensive to pave our trail ways with dirt or rocks, this is usually the chosen method. However, this makes it extremely difficult for an individual in a wheelchair, or a child in a stroller, to be able to enjoy the trail. Not only is a hard maneuver, it is also a safety hazard. Overturning a wheelchair or stroller is very likely to happen on numerous occasions.
ACCESSIBLE GREENWAY EXTENSION DESCRIPTION
Since our trails should be accessible to everyone who seeks to enjoy them, we should always make it our priority to consider the options available to provide this accessibility when we are planning our extension.
TechCon Consultants Western Region
454 West Yucca Road Mesa, AZ 85606 480-234-5678
TechCon Consultants has assembled a proposal which we believe can provide an affordable and sustainable extension to the greenway while ensuring that the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) trail guidelines are implemented.
So what is an accessible trail?
Under the proposed guidelines, an accessible trail would meet these minimum technical provisions: Clear tread width: 36" minimum Tread Obstacles: 2" high maximum (up to 3" high where running and cross slopes are 5% or less) Cross Slope: 5% max. Running slope (trail grade) meets one or more of the following:
- 5% or less for any distance.- up to 8.33% for 200' max. Resting intervals no more than 200' apart.- up to10% for 30' max. Resting intervals 30'.- up to 12.5% for 10' max. Resting intervals 10'.
No more than 30% of the total trail length may exceed a running slope of 8.33%. Passing Space: provided at least every 1000' where trail width is less than 60" Signs: shall be provided indicating the length of the accessible trail segment.
By being allowed to move forward with our proposal, we hope to achieve the following goals and objectives with your support:
GOAL
The goal of TechCon Consultants is to provide a one-third mile, ADA compliant, stretch of trail to the Aldridge Creek Greenway. This will provide many of the elderly and handicapped in our community continued pleasure and access to part of our many beautiful trails in Madison County.
OBJECTIVES
Provide a trail according to proposed ADA accessibility guidelines. Raise awareness to the Americans with Disabilities Act trail guidelines Provide a National Trails Training Partnership Address Questions and Answers on proposed ADA trail guidelines
EVALUATION
Our aim is to compare the trail options, show why we consider concrete the most cost efficient, practical, and beneficial option, and give a summary of approximate costs for completing the project. We will also provide resources for raising awareness, providing training for ADA compliance, and Q & A for ADA trail guidelines.
TechCon Consultants Western Region
454 West Yucca Road Mesa, AZ 85606 480-234-5678
OPTIONS
Trail options for Aldridge Creek Greenway• Gravel• Asphalt• Concrete
Gravel Trails Pros and Cons Pros
• Considered by some to be more natural looking.• Good for flat areas out of flood plains.• Softer on joints (running).• Cheaper initial installation cost.
Cons• High ongoing maintenance costs.• Very difficult to meet ADA surface standards.• Environmental damage caused by gravel erosion.• More difficult to use in winter due to soft, wet and dirty conditions.• Gravel migrates on steep trail slopes.• Difficult to ride bikes on steep slopes and in loose gravel.• Difficult to remove silt deposits after heavy rains.• A dirty surface during and many days after rains.• Difficult to maintain consistent surface quality.• Less stability for running and walking in loose gravel.
Asphalt Pros and Cons Pros
• Best initial surface (smooth, no cracks)• Slightly cheaper than concrete in initial cost.
Cons• Edges crack with vegetation. For a 10’ wide trail, you have to install a 12’ wide asphalt trail.• Constant maintenance of crack filling and sealing with our clay soils.• Must be completely overlaid approximately every 8-10 years.• Little structural strength to span over soil problems below.• Requires greater initial excavation (harming trees) to provide the required rock base depth.• Impervious surface.
Concrete Pros and Cons PROS
• Best ADA surface long term• Best longevity. Should last 20+ years.• Best consistency of surface. Does not wash or break apart.• Does not wash in flood areas or on steep slopes.
TechCon Consultants Western Region
454 West Yucca Road Mesa, AZ 85606 480-234-5678
• Steel in concrete keeps it from deflecting preventing tripping hazards or barriers for wheel chairs.• Cleaner surface during and after rains. Keeps commuters clean as well as less wear and tear on bikes.• Does not require gravel base rock so impact on trees is less than asphalt.• We don’t have to put tons of gravel in our creeks and natural areas every time it rains.
CONS• More expensive (initial installation).• Harder on joints (running).• Less natural looking than gravel.• Impervious surface.
BENEFITS OF USING CONCRETE
Concrete provides a high quality ADA surface. Concrete provides a high quality surface for wheeled activities. Concrete allows for rolled curb to prevent a wheel chair from rolling
down steep slopes. Debris deposited during flood can be easily swept off concrete. Concrete requires no base rock so it requires less grading around
existing trees.
The Aldridge Creek Greenway trails consist of 5.49 miles of trails, with Greenway Connections to Mountain Gap Elementary and Middle School, Challenger Elementary and Middle School, and Ditto Landing. Much of the trail is concrete, and easily accessible for all citizens. Using concrete to surface more of the trail is the most practical and efficient, providing a wide savings in future cost efficiency.
Annual cost to maintain a ¼ mile of trail.
TRAIL TYPE ANNUAL COSTGravel (in washout/flood areas) $4,226Gravel (in non washout/flood areas) $1,320Asphalt $2,168Concrete $745
Huntsville officials want to continue extending the popular Aldridge Creek Greenway. In 2013, the City
Council voted to apply for a $400,000 Alabama Department of Transportation grant to tack another 2/3
mile onto the south Huntsville greenway. The city was willing to provide about $500,000 in matching
money to extend the already 6-mile-long greenway. The improved exercise path would allow people to
jog or bike from Esslinger Road south of Grissom High School to Ditto Landing on the Tennessee River. A
concrete surface would extend this same courtesy to those using strollers, in a wheelchair, and other
walking devices, such as canes and walkers.
Approximate Cost to Surface One-third Mile of Trail (Approx. 587 cubic yards)
*(source: NRMCA - Ready Mixed Concrete Industry Data Survey)
CONCLUSION
The approximate $51,000 left of the grant money would be used for signage, markers, benches, information, and other marketing needs to heighten the awareness to the responsibility we have for providing recreation that is accessible to those with special needs. We would also undertake promotional marketing to highlight the accommodations that the Western Foundation has graciously provided to help Aldridge Creek Greenway continue to offer the pleasure of enjoying these trails.
Subbase: Cost for gravel or sand delivered to the job site.
Grading: Cost will vary depending on the amount of dirt you need to move. Hourly rates apply for a tractor and operator.
$50 - $70 per hour
(Approx. 440 hours)
$50.00 = $22,000 $70.00 = $30,800
Ready-Mix Concrete: Concrete makes up the majority of the cost of a concrete project. Prices vary by region.
$93 per cubic yard *National Average in 2013
$93.00 = $54,591 $98.00 = $57,526
Materials and Labor Total $83,635.00 $98,892.00
TechCon Consultants Western Region
454 West Yucca Road Mesa, AZ 85606 480-234-5678
This budget, of course, would be specified and laid out to the appropriate officers of the grant for approval. Should any part of the remaining budget to this proposal be unacceptable, TechCon Consulting would modify the budget and objectives to which the money would be appropriated to the express approval of the grant board.
As this photo portrays, a concrete trail is still in perfect condition after 15 years. This makes concrete the most practical and cost efficient method for surfacing our trails. And an extension of the trails, and provision for ADA accessibility, is such an important part of our community where Aldridge Creek Greenway is such a significant piece of this part of the South Huntsville Greenway System. The trail starts at Mountain Gap Road and parallels Bailey Cove Rd for about 2 miles. This area houses several schools, and is a residential area for many school children. With its winding trails through the superb passes underneath Green Cove Road and the continuation on to Ditto Landing, it is the perfect setting for our elderly and disabled to find recreation and enjoyment. Aldridge Creek Greenway runs alongside Aldridge Creek and provides views of several varieties of wildflowers and trees. These are the kind of gifts that the community has to offer to its citizens.
A trail is "a route that is designed, designated, or constructed for recreational pedestrian use or provided as an pedestrian alternative to vehicular routes within a transportation system."
Our trails are a very important part of our community; we must assure, not only our citizens, but our elderly and disabled, the best possible trails available. Recreation and safety should always be our top priority.
