116th Stair Project
This was a Neighborhood Safety Program project, chosen by a panel of representatives from all of the Kirkland neighborhoods, and paid for with street levy money. June 20 - August 3, 2015
The work was done by volunteers from the Highlands, Norkirk, and Juanita.
The project took 11 days, 22 volunteers, and 177 hours. There are 115 steps.
In the fall we will gravel the muddy area below the steps, and add a bridge connection to the Cross Kirkland Corridor.
Special thanks to volunteers Tracy Adams (35 hours), Doug Murray (22 hours), and Jim Jung (11 hours).
The old steps were steep, eroded, overgrown, narrow, and slippery, with big drops between steps.
The steps go down a steep hill to the Cross Kirkland Corridor.
Before
Day 1, drilling holes in the stair timbers for the rebar anchors.
Left, Doug Murray, Highlands resident who also helped build the Crestwoods and Cotton Hill Park stairs.
Right, Ray Steiger, Public Works Street Division Manager, volunteering on personal time.
Sam Hansen (Norkirk) helps Doug Murray level an existing step. Where existing steps were crooked or tipped, we tried to level them, or in some cases remove them. This was not always possible, as the steps are anchored in the ground with two feet of rebar.
Judy Harris weeding
Jim Jung digging a ditch for the side boards
Juanita volunteers Jim Hunt and Mike (last name?) installing 5" spikes to anchor the side boards.
The 2x6 side boards help prevent erosion, and stabilize the steps so they don't tip downhill.
Doug Murray and Jess Harris leveling steps
Sam Hansen taking a break from digging
Lynn Geib trimming blackberries
Day 4. Tracy Adams and Doug Murray adding steps to the middle section.
Day 5. Tracy Adams pounds in rebar, while Scott Pettit stands on the step to stabilize it.
Jim Jung, Vince Campo, and Scott and Kristin Bauer spent a combined total of 11 hours cutting blackberries at the top of the steps!
Day 6. Tracy Adams installing steps. We were able to remove some of the old steps in this steep section...
...allowing us to build a more uniform run of new steps.
Tracy Adams making one of the many measurements needed for each step (rise, run, level side to side and front to back, aligned with side board).
Doug Murray and Ryo Tanaka (Norkirk) prying out one of the crooked, old steps.
Karen Story and Brett Marshall (Juanita) removing a crooked step.
After pounding the rebar back to the other side, the old step can be re-installed, even if the rebar is a bit crooked.
Finished stairs. Still to come: graveling the muddy section below the steps, and installing a bridge connection to the Cross Kirkland Corridor.