Additional information will be posted as it is received.

Hi Isobel,

    The carpentry prep work at the hangar is done.   All that remains is to round up a few more tools and clean the bridge.

    Bridge cleaning will be Saturday, courtesy of the GVFD, and we will also have a pre-construction meeting hopefully Saturday to hash out the last of the details, discuss scenarios, and plan the following weekend.

    I'd very much like to dig into the bridge on Friday, 1 May to do "exploratory surgery" and work out our techniques. That way if there are surprises we can adapt before we have 20 hands standing around. It would be great if Bruce could be there to get a look at the ledger.

    I don't think we need the ARR flagger until we get to the main span over the tracks, but I'll confirm with Brandon. If Friday goes well, we could need the ARR flagger as early as noon Saturday.

John Gallup

Girdwood Parks and Rec

783-2308 before 9 pm

or by email at johngallup@alaska.net

    All carpentry is now completed on the deck boards, and one coat of end grain paint has been applied. We have 6 good boards left in case we decide to reject a deck board as being too warped, and 5 other boards that are damaged or warped to a greater degree.

     I will put a second coat on next weekend, and I will also take a work party down to get the bridge cleaned off.

John Gallup

783-2308 before 9 pm

or by email at johngallup@alaska.net

    The Muni facilities guy, Mike McGauley, stated that the bridge has a sidewalk on it and the shoulders are wide enough to walk on. To repair the bridge, no matter who does it, means to close it. If it is red-tagged by facilities because we don’t fix it and it continues to deteriorate, everyone will have to walk on the highway for the time it takes to get it repaired – maybe years. There is always the chance that something bad will happen while we are working on the bridge, but the chances are much greater of something bad happening if we do nothing.

    The connection to Bird-Gird will remain open.

    I am in charge of all workplace safety on the site and will brief everyone thoroughly on the safety issues we face. All workers will be provided with safety gear appropriate to the requirements of state OHSA for bridge work, including harnesses. All volunteers are covered by the Muni’s volunteer insurance policy.

    The Turnagain Times chose not to run the PSA I sent them on March 1st. They are going to run it in the next issue.  The radio station has been running PSAs since last Monday.

    We will have one engineer on site and another on call who are both familiar with this bridge. It is a Municipal project. No AKDOT permits needed. All Muni and ARR permits are in place.

    Contact me before 9:00 PM at 783-2308 or by email at johngallup@alaska.net for more information.

John Gallup

GBOS Parks and Rec Supervisor

   Girdwood Parks and Rec and the Trails Committee will be re-decking the Bike Path Bridge across the railroad tracks on May 1-3 and May 8-10.

   We need help with the drilling, screwing and demolishing plus support people to run materials and act as go-fersl Please call John Gallup (783-2308) if you can help.

   John is trying to set up 2 crews each day the first from 8am-4 pm and a second from 4 pm till dark, or midnight (whichever comes first).  On Friday May 1 he will be gathering supplies and otherwise setting the stage for the work on Sat and Sunday.

   In addition, we are looking for 2 pop-up tents to borrow for this time span. If you have one we can use, please contact Jonnie or John.

   It’s a big project and we need your help! We appreciate anything you can do to help with this effort!

Jonnie Lazarus

Girdwood Parks and Recreation

(907)783-8146 phone

(907)783-8147 fax

Hi Girdwood Residents & Community-spirited Neighbors,

BIKE PATH BRIDGE REBUILD NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!

Girdwood Parks and Rec and the Trails Committee have undertaken a project to re-deck the bike path bridge across the railroad. The decking wasn't properly installed when it was built, and it has buckled and needs replacement. The estimates came in at many times what we are able to pay, so we want to use the same model that the Playground used and supply the labor ourselves.

The work involves drilling, screwing, and nailing, and demolishing with chainsaws - some of our favorite things to do! We also need support people - materials runners, and gofers. The more folks we get, the faster it will go. Even a few hours on any of these days helps!

Interested parties may contact John Gallup at 783-2308 before 9:00 PM or at johngallup@alaska.net.

You may also contact the office at 783-8146.