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Restored deck and boardwalk dedicated

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  • By John Parker
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. --  Base leaders on Wednesday thanked the more than 50 Team Tinker volunteers who helped restore a dilapidated deck and boardwalk closed for years as a safety hazard.
After a demolition and rebuilding, the tree-shaded deck and bow-shaped walkway next to Prairie Pond along the Scissortail Trail now provides a scenic spot for a lunchtime break, a family nature stroll or fishing for catfish and bass.

"It's the volunteer spirit that will continue to make Tinker a great place to live and work," 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker Installation Commander Col. Christopher Azzano said at a ribbon cutting. "More importantly, hats off to you for bringing back this great recreation area for our Airmen and their families. It's fantastic."

The self-help project started last March after Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters previously approved funding for materials only.

A core group of Tinker Team members from Civil Engineering and base housing got the ball rolling, followed by volunteers who demolished the old structures and built the new one, said base Natural Resources Manager John Krupovage. The entire project involved over 900 man hours, he said.

The project was finished for about $25,000, Mr. Krupovage said. Volunteers donated time for everything from design and procurement to construction, saving an estimated $70,000, he said.

Last spring, about 15 volunteers donned waders and picked up a couple of chainsaws to tromp through mud and muck tearing down the boardwalk. A human chain hauled out about 1,500 square feet of wood and other debris that filled two 30-foot rollup Dumpsters.

Over scattered work days in the summer and fall, volunteers from the 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group's Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Flight hauled in lumber, railings and other supplies to construct the deck and boardwalk.

"That's when EDMX really stepped up to the plate," Mr. Krupovage said. "They handled the lion's share of construction. We had about a dozen of them who rotated through and had as many as 10 of them out there working. They did a great job."

The new decking consists of composite lumber made from wood and recycled plastic and a treated pine understructure. Upkeep doesn't require staining or sealing, except on the railing and the outer border of the deck and boardwalk. 

"It's much more durable," Mr. Krupovage said. "It could last 50 to 60 years. The last one lasted 20."

The 3.5-acre pond started in the mid-1980s as source of clay to top a landfill located elsewhere on the base and guard it against rainwater. Construction equipment was then used to shape the basin in the treeless area, Mr. Krupovage said.

Except for planted cedars and two cottonwoods, today's tall, thriving trees there grew naturally, he said.

It was an objective from early on to create a natural area screened off as much as possible from seeing signs of civilization on the base, he said.

"For the most part, you're not seeing houses, you're not seeing structures - you feel like you're in a wilderness area. The sounds are different. The aromas are different and it's much more peaceful," he said.

"There are a lot of things that I think will benefit the Airmen," Mr. Krupovage said. "A lot of folks come out here and use it. With this here, I think that will happen even more so."

Tech. Sgt. Mark Wakeham of the EDMX said many of the volunteers didn't know about the partly obscured pond and deck until they started working on the project. Officials estimated EDMX took on 45 percent of the man hours on the project.

"We enjoyed coming out here and doing it," Sergeant Wakeham said. "I didn't even know this thing existed, actually. I never came down and saw the old one at all."

Prairie Pond is slightly hidden in a basin and somewhat shielded by tall cottonwoods and other trees. To find it, take Air Depot Boulevard to Child Development Center South.
Go west on Mitchell Avenue to the Scissortail Trail parking area. Take the trail south to the Prairie Pond.