Batavia Park District – Tanglewood Hills Habitat Park

Oct 11, 2017

The Tanglewood Hills property is approximately 30 acres, consisting of grassed and wooded areas, with Mill Creek traversing the site from north to south. The Batavia Park District acquired the property through a developer dedication, and then received a $300,000 grant for use in development of the park. Trotter and Associates, Inc. (TAI) teamed with Martin Design Partnership for the design of the park improvements. The proposed improvements included a playground, shelter, amphitheater, fitness trail, team’s course, council ring, hard and soft surface trails, an ADA-accessible fishing station, and landscaping. 

Prior to the start of the design phase, the Batavia Park District and design team gathered topographical survey information, a wetland delineation, and tree inventory. In addition to the wetlands, the site contains large diameter hard wood trees and approximately thirty-five feet of relief from west to east. After the project information was gathered and all items included on the topographic survey, the preliminary design phase was initiated. This included the layout of the paths and the placement of the appurtenances.

Due to the uniqueness of the site, it was important to incorporate the improvements with minimal impacts while addressing the requirements of jurisdictional agencies. The intent of the project was to place the paths throughout the site and to avoid the placement within and adjacent to wetlands. Multiple iterations of preliminary trail alignments and cross-sections were developed to provide an ADA-compliant path system linking the north and south ends of the park. Within the wetland is the placement of an accessible fishing station and the pathway to the station. A field investigation was performed to determine the best location for this improvement, while minimizing the impacts to the area.

After the preliminary plan was completed and prior to the start of final design, the project team contacted all jurisdictional agencies and distributed preliminary plans, and conducted on-site meetings. This allowed comments and questions from jurisdictional agencies to be answered prior to the start of permitting. By completing these proactive steps, TAI was able to reduce permitting time and alleviate concerns.

In addition to working with jurisdictional agencies, TAI was in contact with manufacturers regarding the use of permeable pavement and brick pavers. It was the intent of the Batavia Park District to utilize green engineering for the parking improvements. TAI completed comprehensive research identifying potential alternatives to standard asphalt pavement. This report included pros and cons of different types of porous/permeable pavements, and a synopsis of field investigations of similar installations. The Batavia Park District then used this information when selecting to use permeable brick pavers.

TAI was available during the bidding phase, and remained involved throughout the construction of the site improvements.

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