Board learns not all dirt is good dirt
PRINCETON — The Princeton Park Board is having trouble with some of the dirt at the Zearing Park expansion site.
At Monday’s board meeting, engineer Kevin Heitz said the soil in the new parking lot area, at the expansion site, contains silt, a granular texture, which makes it unsuitable for use by heavy construction equipment. The problem needs to be corrected in order to get the planned concession stand built yet this fall, much less work on the construction of new parking lots.
“We’ve got existing unsuitable soils, with too much silt, which can’t physically support the construction activity we are trying to do there,” Heitz said.
The needed remediation of the soil would include a combination of a fly ash stabilization process and a fabric application. The cost of the remediation work is estimated between $150,000 and $170,000, the engineer said.
Advanced Asphalt, the local earthwork contractor, has agreed to work with the park district in looking at some adjustments to the original plan in order to get money for the unexpected expense, Heitz said. Those adjustments could include using less asphalt and more gravel for planned parking lots and/or pathways.
After Heitz’s presentation, the park board gave the engineer the go-ahead for the needed remediation work. Any graveling or paving of the parking lots would probably not be done until spring, at which time the board could possibly find money to go ahead with the original asphalt work, rather than graveling the parking lots, the board agreed. The eight new soccer/athletic fields at the expansion site are not affected by the soil problem, Heitz said.
In other Zearing expansion news, Heitz said the fishing dock is basically completed and the pond has been stocked with fish.
Earlier on Monday, Park Superintendent Keith Scherer announced Ken Clodfelter, with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, stocked the Zearing pond on Friday with 2,810 bluegill, 1,200 red ear sunfish and 356 channel catfish. The IDNR will return in June and release bass into the pond, at which time Scherer plans to add nine pounds of fat head minnows as feed for the bass.
Looking at future fishing options at the pond, Elaine Russell, executive director for the Princeton Park District, said the Zearing Park pond could potentially become a fisherman’s dream.
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