Area 11 A,B,C, and D: Park Entrances (my, that sounds impressive!)

Area 11: Park Entrances:
A: Northwest Corner: $5,000 - $30,000*
B: North and Northeast Corner: $3,000
C: Sound Beach Avenue (across from church) $2,500
D: Sound Beach/Wesskum Wood Corner: $10,000
Costs include litter and debris removal, tree and shrub removal, shrub pruning, boulder resetting, stone culvert repair (including engineering and specifications), step replacement, sign installation. *Note: $30,000 includes $25,000 to seal the culvert headwall.

Visitors may enter the park on foot at four access points, at the northeast corner, at the northwest corner, along Sound Beach Avenue across from the Congregational Church, and at the southeast corner. While each entrance has its own distinctive character, they all share common features, and the Town should take this into account when making improvements. 

A: Northeast Corner. This prominent entrance stands at the intersections of Sound Beach Avenue, Harding Road, and Laddins Rock Road. Here, two walkways begin on either side of a stone bridge abutment, and follow along the stream into the park. The area contains no signs, however the park landscape is clearly visible from this corner. Once lined with boulders, the stream edges have deteriorated, with some stones having slipped into the stream bed and others are missing altogether. A large oak shade both walkways, and a shrubs masses line the westernmost walkway. The area contains no signs. 

Scope of Work 

§Clean litter and debris from stream bed
§Reset and replace boulders that have slipped or gone missing
§Install welcome sign (see Park-Wide Projects, discussed later in this section) 

B: Northwest Corner. This entrance is frequented by visitors arriving on foot from the west and also from parking spaces at the Perrot Library. A pair of walkways leads into the park from the corner of Arch Street and Sound Beach Avenue on either side of a mortared cut stone culvert (containing the stream feeding the pond). Once lined with boulders, the stream edges have deteriorated, with some stones having slipped into the stream bed and others are missing altogether. Yews have been planted along the culvert edge, presumably to prevent visitors from falling into the stream. A barberry hedge rims the northern park edge adjacent to the east side of the culvert. The area contains no signs. 

Scope of Work 

·      Clean litter and debris from stream bed 

• Reset and replace boulders that have slipped or gone missing 

• Prepare specifications for repair the stone culvert per the recommendations of the Engineering Assessment (Appendix C) 

• Repair the stone culvert 

• Remove the yew and barberry hedges and replace with plants specified in the original Binney Park plant list (Appendix B) 

• Install welcome sign (see Park-Wide Projects, discussed later in this section) 

C: Sound Beach (Across from Congregational Church). This small side entrance links the Congregational Church to the park, with the entrance aligned with the church’s front door. A pair of mortared cut stone columns flanks the entrance and surrounding the columns are masses of clipped junipers and yews. Historically, a pair of blue spruce trees stood inside the park on either side of the entrance, however only one (on the south side) remains. 

Scope of Work 

·      Remove the remaining blue spruce and replace it with a matching pair, located in the same spot 

·      Remove the junipers and yews and replace them with plants specified in the original Binney Park plant list (Appendix B) 

·      Install a welcome sign (see Park-Wide Projects, discussed later in this section) 

D: Southeast Corner. This entrance lies at the corner of Sound Beach Avenue and Wesskum Wood road and is marked by a flight of concrete steps set into mortared stone cheek walls, allowing visitors to descend into the park from the east side. At the bottom of the steps, a bituminous pathway leads into the park and the flagpole area. A secondary pathway located to the west of the steps leads from Wesskum Wood Road, joining the other pathway at the flagpole area. To the north of the steps, along the park edge, is the time capsule, surrounded by ericaceous plants and shaded by a mature oak tree. The steps are in good condition and the plantings have become overgrown. The area contains no signs. 

Scope of Work 

·      Prune and thin the ericaceous plantings to improve visibility of the time capsule 

·     Replace the concrete steps with granite treads

·      Install a welcome sign (see Park-Wide Projects, discussed later in this section)