**Questions**

1\. **Is there a place to put grub material or does it need to be hauled
off?** Refuge will provide a site no more that ¼ mile away. Often we use
that type of material as the base for an island constructed in the
wetlands.

2\. **Any weight limits for vehicles?** No, we drive vehicles and
tractors on these levees. Refuge will continue to occasionally drive on
trail when completed which is why specifications used were for polymer
used to construct parking lots and roads, even though main use of trail
will be by visitors walking.

3\. **What are the specs on the polymer?** PolyPavement or Soil Sement
type polymer used as natural soil pavement -- these and other products
proposed will be evaluated before actual awarding contract. Actual
application would be using the specific manufacturer's directions.
Military utilizes these types of polymers for creating remote airstrips.
Once it is applied by contractor according to manufacturer's directions,
it should be easily repairable and be wheel-chair accessible. It has no
rebar, settling, or joint height problems like cement sidewalks.

4\. **What is the current trail substrate?** Majority of trail is packed
¾" minus road base gravel. Permazyme was used on a couple of parts of
the trail with poor results in retarding growth of vegetation.

5\. **Should we use a truck to spray polymer?** Yes, use a truck for
uniform application.

6\. **Can we use anything other than spray bars with 12" increments
(e.g. a water truck)?** Yes, can use any vehicle to apply polymer as
long as it meets specs and applies polymer uniformly at the
manufacturer's recommended rates for the existing conditions.

7\. **Will a compaction test be completed?** No, Chris (Refuge COTR)
will ensure that compaction is being completed so that the trail will be
universally accessible, but no engineering compaction tests will be
performed. Main purpose of project is to have a wheel-chair accessible
trail, not road or building site that would require more critical
compaction testing.

8\. **Will the trail be surveyed (staked) by Refuge before work being
started?** No, trail width just needs to be 8 feet wide pretty much
centered on the existing 12-15' wide levees. One short stretch (about
40' in length) will not be 8' wide since existing levee there is not
that wide -- trail will only be about 6½' wide at that location (between
north side of entrance road and main trail).

9\. **Do we need a railing for ADA purposes?** No, not on long stretches
of the trail, they are fairly flat. Possibly a railing may be needed on
the short section north of the entrance road. If needed, the Refuge
would install the railings - not as part of this contract.

10\. **Does 8 ft width include the taper?** Yes, taper will be about 45°
so that it doesn't create a sharp drop-off that would create a hazard
for wheel-chair use.

11\. **Will trail need to be inspected for cross-slope?** Yes, need ADA
cross-slope which will be inspected.

12\. **Does the trail need to be correct 1:20?** Yes, trail already is
1:20 or less with the possible exception of the short section north of
the entrance road.

13\. **Is there enough room on trail for trucks?** Yes, the levees are
12 to 15 feet wide and were created with 15-foot wide scrapers (except
the short section north of the entrance road). Refuge will close the
trail or portions of it to public use during construction, but will not
be closing the auto tour which is crossed by the trail. Trucks will be
able to access the trail off the auto tour but caution will be required
because they may be going against the one-way flow of traffic of the
auto tour. Wetlands adjacent to the trail will be dry so if needed,
trucks can cut across unit.

14\. **Could they get copies of bidder list?** No. Copies of the bidder
list are not public information.

**Field Tour - Steve**

Stop 1. Trail Head at sidewalk to Visitor Center

-   Pointed out no more than ¼" difference is required between height of
    sidewalk and final surface of trail. Otherwise, get into ADA
    required slopes, etc. which we want to avoid.

-   Years ago, the Refuge used Permazyme and ¾" road base on the short
    section between sidewalk and entrance road.

    **Questions**

a.  **How clean does the grub need to be?** It will mostly be gravel,
    soil and grasses or weeds.

b.  **Can grub be laid on side slopes?** Yes, on most areas although
    there may be stretches that we do not want this placed along the
    side slopes of the levee.

c.  **Does the grub need to be grass free?** No, material removed will
    contain grasses. What remains after grubbing which will become the
    subsurface under the trail needs to be free of grasses and weeds
    prior to the placement of the decomposed granite.

> d\. **After grubbing, do we need to replace the road base gravel?**
> No, the decomposed gravel will be placed on the cleared ground. In
> fact, if a trench is created by grubbing only the width of the
> finished trail, the remaining material on the sides of the trench
> could be used to help "confine" the decomposed granite and there may
> not be any need for the taper along the edge (needed to eliminate
> hazardous drop-offs for wheel-chair use).

e.  **Is the refuge going to spray the trail?** No, no spraying is
    planned before construction. The refuge will mow the trail a few
    times including immediately prior to construction.

f.  **Are there environmental sprays that can be use (pre-emergents)?**
    A Pesticide Use Proposal is needed before any herbicide can be used
    on the refuge and this could involve a lengthy approval process.
    This probably could not be completed in time prior to construction.

g.  **Do we need to spray after grubbing?** No.

Stop 2. Trail crosses entrance road.

-   Pointed out transition points.

-   Pointed out short stretch north of entrance road where levee not
    wide enough for 8' wide trail.

Stop 3. Trail splits-east/west

-   Pointed out portion to east is the beginning of the stretch that is
    second bid item that would be an option to have done if sufficient
    funding available.

Stop 4. Auto tour crosses trail (south end)

-   Pointed out transition points

Stop 5. South end of Short-cut trail that parallels auto tour

-   Only permazyme used here. The only part of trail that does not have
    3/4" gravel base.

-   This trail is included in main part of trail to be done under
    contract.

Stop 6. Side spur of trail to south that crosses entrance road

-   Not portion of trail to be done as part of project but want good
    transition so no tripping hazard created for individuals that do
    walk this stretch.

Stop 7. West side of trail where it parallels delivery ditch

-   Trail will be placed off the center line of the levee towards the
    wetland side so the Refuge can build a berm on the opposite side as
    visual barrier with highway.

-   Refuge will limb up trees here and other areas where needed for
    construction.

Stop 8. North end of Short-cut trail

-   Pointed out portion to east is stretch that is second bid item that
    would be an option to have done if funding sufficient.

-   Auto tour crosses this optional part of trail so there would be
    another transition location if sufficient funding allows this
    optional part to be included in project.

    **Additional Questions**

**Do you get rodent damage to the levees?** Yes, that is why we decided
to use the decomposed granite with polymer surface which should be
easier to repair than concrete or asphalt.

**Are the measurements accurate?** Yes, GPS data and aerial photos used
in an Arc View program to generate.

**What are the staging areas?** Refuge vehicle maintenance yard where
refuge vehicles are stored.

**Is there a water source on site?** Yes, by the wash rack at the shop.

**Is there a place to stockpile granite?** Yes, we can make a space
nearby.

**Is there potable water?** Yes, water source uses well water.

**Volume of water source?** Water source is a fire hydrant used to fill
fire engines and water tender -- volume should be sufficient.