by Trish Rudder
Upgrading features in Berkeley Springs State Park to save stone walls, improve water drainage and finish better sidewalks has been on the local wish list since before 2018, when the Berkeley Springs State Park Foundation began fundraising for such efforts.
After a series of delays that included budget issues, the work finally began this month — a week after the Apple Butter Festival. W.F. Delauter was awarded the bid to proceed as contractor on August 3.
Heavy equipment and excavation is taking up the central part of the park this week.
Upgrades include repairing the deteriorated mortar on both sides of the rock walls of the Warm Springs Run, said Town of Bath Streetscape committee co-chair Pete Brown, who oversees the project.
“In addition, a new concrete lip will be added at the base of the walls to protect from future water invasion/erosion. Cofferdams are being installed in the Run to permit masonry work to be accomplished in a dry zone,” Brown said in an email.
Second in priority is removing the non-ADA compliant North Bridge near Fairfax Street, remove the non-ADA compliant South Bridge and replace them with new ADA compliant pre-fabricated bridges.
Third in priority is to replace many of the existing non-ADA compliant sidewalks with 5 ft. and 6 ft. wide new concrete sidewalks, Brown said.
“This includes sidewalks to the west of the Run and associated with pool access areas. Asphalt sidewalks to the west of the pool area and along the tree line east of the Run and south of the gazebo will not be touched,” he said.
The new sidewalks would have concrete that is colored to match the existing brick sidewalks, and a sample will be poured in the park for park officials’ approval, Brown said.
Brown said the project work “will likely complete” by mid-November.
