Local volunteers helped clear a trail for the new bridge behind the school last month and lined it with branches and limbs.
Save the Environment of Moorestown (STEM) and P&H Renovations teamed to rebuild and improve the bridge behind Baker Elementary School last month, just upstream from the old one.
“It was very much a group effort to push this forward,” said David Burris, owner of P&H Renovations.
When Burris learned through social media two years ago that the old bridge needed to be replaced, he found the right people and gained support to move the project forward.
“It grew in volunteer support to try and get this done,” he recalled. “I was trying to make some connections to see what we could do to get a bridge built and actually engineer something that was going to last longer than a couple of years, something that would stand the test of time.”
Burris, STEM president Mark Pensiero, architect Joe Adamson of Adamson Riva & Lepley Architects and engineer Tom Kulp of Structural Assessment Services LLC, collaborated on construction and design plans. Last month, local volunteers cleared a new trail for the bridge relocation, lined it with branches and limbs and spread mulch provided by the township.
“We cut back sections, pruned trees and hauled logs to make a natural border for a new path in the woods to lead to the site for the new bridge,” Burris explained. “It lifts your heart to see good people wanting to do good things together.
“I think everyone’s willingness to pitch in – whether it’s time, whether it’s their skills, whether it’s just putting on some gloves and moving some mulch … it’s been a really special experience and I think everyone is really excited.”
The new bridge is located in Pompeston Park and connects the school to the Northwest Estates neighborhood. It needed to be placed in a spot that wouldn’t make it so vulnerable to flooding, Pensiero noted. The old bridge was built right on a bend in Pompeston Creek, which unfortunately gets a lot of runoffs from storm sewers.
The hope is that with this new location (a straighter section of the creek), the bridge won’t be as apt to flooding and erosion issues. The trail was also relocated away from the creek and, according to Pensiero, a fence will be put in to block off where the old trail was.
“It was just a great idea that David had, really giving back to the community, and STEM was happy to be able to be involved and work with the township to help bring this into fruition,” Pensiero pointed out. “It was a great example of what makes Moorestown a really special place … It’s something that a lot of people care about …
“It’s going to be much nicer than the bridge that was there and hopefully will last a really, really long time.”
