A long boardwalk passes over the crystalline waters of Moore Road Park, moving people to opposite ends of the park in a serene path.
“The City of Coppell is a place where a lot of folks enjoy and focus on the recreation and community experiences activities, and the boardwalk facilitates that,” Coppell Parks and Recreation board member Nick Paschal said.
On Sept. 1, the City of Coppell announced completion of the Moore Road Park boardwalk. The new boardwalk is a part of a larger trail system at the park and passes directly over the pond at the park.
The boardwalk is not entirely new; it is a reconstruction of an older boardwalk in the same area, which had been taken down around 10 years ago due to safety concerns. After years of waiting, the project to reconstruct the boardwalk was finally able to begin.
While the original boardwalk was made of wood and designed to move up and down with water levels, making it prone to weathering, the new boardwalk is constructed of a steel-concrete hybrid and sports a surface supported by 66 underwater piers elevating it above the water
According to Paschal, one of the biggest parts of getting the project started was funding.
“It was about $1.9 million to fund the project, and when those funds became available through the American Rescue Plan Act, things really started to get moving,” Paschal said. “That boardwalk was built with no local Coppell taxpayer money.”
Once the city obtained the funding and approval to begin the project, the roughly seven-month construction process began.
“It’s not a quick process, it’s very thorough,” Coppell Mayor Wes Mays said. “We make sure that we’re hiring qualified, competent and capable people at the lowest price that we can find them.”
According City of Coppell project manager Layne Cline, the process was intricate with many moving parts.
The preparations needed initially were to remove any fish and wildlife from the pond and to reduce the water level by pumping water into a nearby pond. Once that was complete, they started drilling shafts into the soil to create concrete piers that the boardwalk would rest on; these were various depths ranging as far as 37-feet deep. While drilling occurred, a section of large stormwater pipe was removed and reconstructed to maximize water conveyance and minimize erosion effects.
After those two steps were complete, the project wrapped up quickly with the sections of concrete panels and beams being placed on top of the piers and then the fencing that was installed on top of the boardwalk. When these steps were completed, the boardwalk was open for pedestrians and bicyclists to use.
“The implementation of the boardwalk will allow residents the ability to engage and interact in recreation over water, being able to view different types of species in their natural habitats,” Cline said.
In addition to the boardwalk, the project also included introducing new ecosystems into the pond. While the construction itself had minimal environmental impact, as animals were safely removed or moved out of the area on their own, the project allowed for the introduction of new fish species into the area.
“Not only did we get the boardwalk, but we were able to improve the conditions for the wildlife in that pond and it makes it great for folks who want to go out there and fish,” Paschal said. “They’re going to be stocking the pond with certain fish species soon.”
According to Mays, the boardwalk is a cherished and frequented amenity of the community.
“It’s been one of the most asked for features out there, because our residents remembered the old walkway and the old boardwalk and they wanted it replaced,” Mays said. “The majority of the folks who use the trails every day are going to use the boardwalk.”
City projects often originate from community input and ideas. Citizens can provide input during board meetings or community input sessions which the City of Coppell hosts.
“We’re trying at all times to gather community feedback and ask, ‘What would be the next project that we engage in?’” Paschal said. “That insight is critical because we’ll get a lot more input, and that’s going to set the direction of our projects for the next five to seven years.”
According to Paschal, many similar projects are being worked on in Coppell to bolster community experience and enhance recreation amenities. Improvements to the Duck Pond Park, Thweatt Park, Magnolia Park Trail and the Veterans Memorial are all currently underway.
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