Stairs home

6/11/01 ENGINEERING MEETING #2 (report by Kirk van Druten)

I met with the Merriewood Stairs engineers again today and they provided an initial set of engineering drawings from the architectural firm (Don Dommer Associates) for the upper Merriewood Stairs. These drawings look fantastic.

As requested by the neighbors, the public works staff has done some initial research on use of plastic/composite/recycled materials for use on the Merriewood stairs. Their research led them to someone at the Oakland Zoo who had built a number of deck structures, whom they called and spoke to about the material. The result of this was that while the decks that had been built with recycled/composite materials (known as Trex™, Durawood™, etc.), the Zoo had no experience with these materials when building stairs. The upshot is that these products have a maximum of 24" span and do not have the same horizontal span that standard wood boards do. Using these materials as the treads on the Merriewood Stairs would require 4 stringers instead of 3 running the entire length of the stairs from top to bottom, resulting in a higher cost. Additional concerns were voiced about the thermal expansion/contraction properties of these materials exceeding those of wood. The current plan is to build the upper Merriewood stairs out of redwood. I requested that they use non-old growth timber when ordering these materials. They agreed that this would and should be done.

According to the plans, the stairs are to be constructed on top of cement piers, every 6 feet. There will be no direct dirt to wood contact (to prevent the wood from rotting where it touches the ground). Because of this new design, some sections of the stairs may be higher off the ground than the previous stairs. In sections where there is more than 30" to the ground, safety specifications require that the sides of the stairs be enclosed with materials that prohibit the passing of a 4" sphere (i.e. a small child). The architects at Don Dommer are currently looking at two possibilities for this side fencing, a metal (probably galvanized or vinyl coated) wire mesh or redwood pickets. Wire mesh was the preferred material because it would reduce the use of additional redwood.

Another issue that came up regarding the design of the stairs was the use of risers (vertical boards at the top and bottom of each stair tread). Risers make the stairs safer, by eliminating the possibility for someone to get their foot stuck in the stairs. The downside is that risers create a place for water to puddle, which can make the stairs slippery and rot faster. Another significant issue is that risers trap tree and other plant debris, creating both a walking hazard and making it difficult to sweep/clear the stairs. Further discussion on this topic is in order. If you have an opinion on this subject, please let us know via email.

Current scheduling suggests that construction will begin sometime mid August 2001. Demolition of existing stairs should begin sometime soon.

Public Works has interviewed carpenters and is ready to hire from a pool of 6 candidates as soon as the construction schedule is more firm. It was suggested by the architect today that at least one of these people be hired immediately to review the drawings and get the demolition of existing stairs underway.

Trees in the way of the construction also came up for discussion. One of the Public Works staff will speak to a representative from Parks & Recreation and begin discussing how to resolve this issue.

A third engineering meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, July 10th.