Wall Springs Park Observation Tower Replacement

Back in 2005 DNCC build the original Wall Springs Park expansion which included a new 45 foot high heavy timber observation tower. The tower overlooked St Joseph’s Sound and was one of the highlights of the park. Then in 2013 a mysterious early morning fire destroyed the observation tower. The park service offered a reward but never found out who was responsible for this tragic loss to the park. For two years the public waited while the County worked with the various insurance companies and obtained contractor pricing to replace the tower. Finally in 2014 bids were obtained by the County. After months of negotiating with the County and the insurance companies, DNCC was able to reduce the cost by $418,000 through some redesign and was then able to proceed with the work.

To reach the tower, all construction traffic had to cross over an H10 wood bridge. The H10 put a load limit on the bridge of 10 tons so normal heavy equipment such as dump trucks and loaders were not able to access the site. All of the heavy timbers had to be unloaded at the offsite parking lot and then reloaded onto smaller trailers. In addition all concrete was brought to the site in small 4 CY ready mix trucks. All equipment crossing the bridge was weighted in advance and required approval by DNCC before being allowed on the site.

Some of the major elements of the tower included 16 each 48” diameter by eight foot deep drilled shaft footings. While the drill shaft concrete was still wet, the wooden poles were lowered into the drilled shafts and held in position while the concrete hardened. After all of the poles were set, the timber beams, deck, and railing were then constructed. The tower also included lightening protection, and a fire protection coating.

Project Details

Project: Wall Springs Tower Replacement

Location: Pinellas County, FL

Owner / Client: Pinellas County BOCC

Contract Value: $863,000

Date Completed: June 2015