Contractors for the City of Staunton are set to begin work on the pedestrian bridge and sidewalk adjacent to the duck pond at Gypsy Hill Park next week.
The walkways were damaged during the devastating floods in August 2020, and since that time City staff have been working with consultants to inspect the bridges throughout the park, assess the extent of damage, and work with City staff to provide final design documents.
The work is expected to significantly improve the resilience of the repaired areas in future flooding events, while maintaining consistency with existing facilities in historic appearance.
As work begins, visitors to the park can expect to see a temporary construction bridge built near the southeast area of the pond and erosion and sediment control measures installed within the construction zone. Patrons can also expect that parking will be impacted along Constitution Drive near the main park entrance.
“Gypsy Hill Park is one of the City’s most highly regarded amenities, so this project is important to us as an organization and certainly to the community,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Tuttle. “We’re excited to get it started.”
The City’s insurance would not cover the cost of the damage since the property sits in the flood zone, so the project is being paid for using carryover funds from fiscal year 2021. The current construction contract is with Virginia Infrastructure out of Lexington for $197,072.
Construction is expected to continue through spring and into early summer. While some sidewalks adjacent to the duck pond will still be accessible to the public throughout construction, the areas delineated as construction zone, including storage areas and the temporary construction bridge, will need to be avoided.
Additional information on Gypsy Hill Park and the City of Staunton’s other recreational resources can be found by visiting the City’s website at www.ci.staunton.va.us.
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Rebecca Barnabi
