State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division
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STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES PARKS AND RECREATION DIVISION TAHQUAMENON FALLS STATE PARK 41382 West M-123 Paradise, Michigan 49768 PHASE 100 STUDY LOWER FALLS PARK STORE AND BATHROOM BUILDING ASSESSMENT File Number: 751/18086.TAP Index Number: 52130 Prepared by: SANDERS & CZAPSKI ASSOCIATES, PLLC 109 S. Front Street, Suite #210 Marquette, Michigan 49855 ISSUE: FINAL REPORT DATE: JULY 23, 2018 Table of Contents Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 Administrative Data…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Existing Conditions……………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 Site – Conditions and Analysis…………………………………………………………………. 9 Structural Systems – Conditions and Analysis………………………………………….. 13 Exterior Systems – Conditions and Analysis…………………………………………..... 19 Interior Systems – Conditions and Analysis……………………………………………… 26 Mechanical and Electrical Systems – Conditions and Analysis…………………. 35 Hazardous Materials……………………………………………………………………………….. 43 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………………………… 44 New Bathroom Building – Space Requirements………………………………………………….. 48 New Concession Building – Space Requirements………………………………………………… 49 New Combined Bathroom and Concession Building – Space Requirements………… 50 Sketches………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 51 Cost Estimates……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 56 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 65 Appendices Appendix A, Asbestos Material Survey ……………………………………………………. 66 Tahquamenon Falls State Park 1 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Executive Summary The State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Division, Tahquamenon Falls State Park is located in the eastern end of Michigan’s upper peninsula. It is the park systems second largest state park encompassing 52,000 acres bordering on Lake Superior. Most of the park is located in Chippewa County with some western acreage extending into Luce County. The nearest village is Paradise, Michigan. The Tahquamenon River meanders through the park offering visitors the opportunity to access and view this large, popular river and its waterfalls as it flows into Lake Superior. In addition to the vast reserves of undeveloped woodland that encompass some smaller inland lakes and streams, there are three major visitor areas in the park along the Tahquamenon River: the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls and the Rivermouth. Campgrounds and other amenities are found at these three locations. Several sets of cascading waterfalls are located around a small island within the river at the Lower Falls campground and day use area. An extensive trail system, including access to the small island, provides excellent opportunities for the public to experience the river and surrounding forests. Public facilities at the Lower Falls are limited to a single building, referred to as the park store and bathroom building. It includes public restrooms and a park store offering gifts and limited food and beverages for sale. The initial structure was constructed in the early 1950s with later additions expanding the footprint. This building is presently operated seasonally and receives very heavy public use. Although regularly maintained, significant repairs and upgrades are needed to accommodate universal accessibility requirements, improve the public bathroom facilities and to ensure the safety of the public and staff. As part of a project to improve facilities at the Lower Falls this assessment of the park store and bathroom building was conducted in order to provide a value-based opinion as to possible options for renovation or demolition and reconstruction. Different options were analyzed including: a) repair and upgrade the existing building; b) reuse portions of the existing building, demolish portion(s) and expand; or c) demolish the building and construct a new facility at or near its existing location. Five options were developed and are presented in this report, offering different variations and cost. After reviewing these options with Department of Natural Resources staff, it is the opinion of Sanders & Czapski Associates that two options, Option #3 and Option #5, will present the best value for the State of Michigan. Cost and estimated lifespan of the building are different for each option and should be evaluated by the state in terms of available budget for new construction and ongoing operations. Tahquamenon Falls State Park 2 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building The two recommended options are: Option #3 Demolish the existing park store and bathroom building in its entirety and construct a new park store and bathroom building. While this option is highest in cost it will result in a new building with a fifty-plus year life span and no reduction in rentable concession space. Option #5 Renovate the existing park store and bathroom building. Reduce the amount of retail space in the building to allow the construction of new public bathrooms without expanding the building footprint. While this option is lower in cost, it will result in extending the life expectancy of the building for approximately twenty to twenty five years. The reduction of leasable retail space, and the resulting reduction in revenue, needs to be considered. Tahquamenon Falls State Park 3 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Administrative Data Tahquamenon Falls State Park is located along Highway M-123 south and west of the Village of Paradise, Michigan in Chippewa and Luce Counties. The park headquarters address is 41382 West M-123, Paradise, Michigan 49768. Figure 1: Map of Tahquamenon Falls State Park Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC, of Marquette, Michigan was retained by the State of Michigan to conduct this Phase 100 study and analysis of the Lower Falls park store and bathroom building. Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Tom Pawlowski of the State of Michigan, Department of Technology, Management and Budget and Keith Cheli, Kevin Dennis, Eric Johnson and Theresa Neil of the State of Michigan, Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Division. Information about the building was also provided by Dennis and Judy McGuire, owners of Tahquamenon Treasures, the concession company. Their knowledge of the building and assistance during the field inspection is also appreciated. Tahquamenon Falls State Park 4 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Existing Conditions The existing park store and bathroom building was evaluated by Ken Czapski, AIA, a licensed architect in Michigan and principal of Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC. The initial site visit was part of the pre-proposal meeting held on April 11, 2018. A second, more extensive site visit was made on May 3, 2018. As a part of this study, field measurements of the building were taken and measured drawings prepared in order to provide an accurate portrayal of the present day floor plan along with area calculations. Floor plan drawings of the main level, A-1, and lower level, A-2, are found on pages 7 and 8. The main level of the building is open to the public and consists of the following spaces: Public Bathroom and Hallway……………………………….. 658 sq. ft. Retail Area (Gift Shop)…………………………………………… 2,498 sq. ft. Kitchen and Concession Area………………………………… 778 sq. ft. Dining Area…………………………………………………………… 469 sq. ft. Total Main Level Area……………………………………………. 4,403 sq. ft. The lower level of the building consists of a partial crawl space area, and a basement used for mechanical and storage space: Storage and Mechanical Area………………………………. 1,152 sq. ft. Mechanical Room (below public bathroom)………… 658 sq. ft. An open exterior deck is used for outdoor seating and dining. This deck is approximately 685 sq. ft. Overall exterior views of the building are shown in Photos 1, 2, 3 and 4. Photo 1: East elevation and public walkway Tahquamenon Falls State Park 5 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Photo 2: West elevation including service drive Photo 3: Partial south elevation and view of bathroom wing Photo 4: Partial south elevation at concession entry Tahquamenon Falls State Park 6 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Site - Conditions and Analysis The park store and bathroom building is located north of the Tahquamenon River at a bend in the river. The site is heavily wooded with natural features. The building is situated along the major pedestrian pathway that connects a large parking lot to walkways and viewing areas along the river. Asphalt paved walkways, in reasonably good condition, provide an accessible route to the main building entry and bathrooms. A gravel service drive and staff parking area is located at the rear, or north side of the building. There is no designated accessible staff parking space in this area. See Figure 2 and Photos 5 through 12. Staff Parking Area Service Drive Park Store and Bathroom Building Figure 2: Aerial view of the Lower Falls site (Google Maps image) Visitor Parking Lot Pedestrian Walkway / Main Site Entrance Tahquamenon Falls State Park 9 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Photo 5: View of the asphalt service drive Photo 6: View of the gravel parking area for staff Photo 7: Trash dumpster and enclosure Tahquamenon Falls State Park 10 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building Photo 8: Asphalt walkway leading to the river Photo 9: Asphalt walkway at park store entrance Photo 10: Wood sidewalk along east side Tahquamenon Falls State Park 11 Lower Falls – Park Store and Bathroom Building An open wood deck