A groundbreaking ceremony is set for this Tuesday, March 25, starting at 11 a.m. for the launch of “The Rotary Pavilion” construction project at the Woodland Regional Park Preserve.

The project will be a covered observation deck that will overlook the pond at the 160-acre preserve located at the site of the retired landfill, east of County Road 102 and south of County Road 25.

The deck, which has been a longtime project for many collaborating Woodland organizations, is set to hold up to a maximum of 47 individuals with ADA access for wildlife viewing, educational activities, wellness activities, and much more.The Sunrise Rotary Club will get special recognition during the ceremony, as they have been one of the lead partners for the WRPP project since 2019, as well as all the other Rotary Clubs of Yolo County who have contributed funds and conducted community fundraising.

Additional special recognition will be given to local businesses that have also donated.

Earlier this week, the Woodland City Council heard from Stephanie Burgos, Business Engagement & Resource Conservation director for the city of Woodland, through a presentation that highlighted all of the development of the park throughout the years as well as what “The Rotary Pavilion” project entailed.

“This provides safe access to the water. We don’t want to encourage community members to go up to the water; otherwise, it could trample some native plants, or you could fall in. So this is a great opportunity for people to safely go up to the water’s edge, hang out in some shade, and enjoy the sights,” Burgos said.

Councilmembers voted 5-0 during the March 18 city council meeting to approve a license agreement with construction set to begin later in the spring of this year.

The presentation highlighted the key provisions of the license agreement, such as that “Rotary shall design and construct the Pavilion at Rotary’s sole cost, responsibility, liability and in compliance with city-approved plans and permits.”

The agreement also stated that the license would terminate upon the completion of the project, leaving the maintenance and responsibility for the Pavilion to be transferred to the city.

In 2019, the Woodland Sunrise Rotary Club started the concepts and early drawings of the projects. As time went by, the project slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, the park project received new architectural drawings from Duane Thomson and other private donor contributions. Last year, the park received $70K of lumber donations from Allweather Wood as well as $5K of hardware donations from Berry Lumber. The park also established a contract with Shellhammer Construction.

This year, they received construction approval from the Yolo Habitat Conservancy.

According to the staff report, this is the project’s phases and the current status:

Phase 1 (complete): — Design: Development of 2023-24 Initial Engineering Plans + 2023-24 Final Engineering Plans.

Phase 2 (complete): — Site reconnaissance and permitting: Soil testing and reports + City Building Permit.

Phase 3 — Construction: Contract with Shellhammer Construction + procurement of lumber & hardware materials + Pavilion construction + Rotary sign installation + decking installation and decking sealant labor.

Phase 4 — Sails installation: Contract with local sail company to procure and install sails upon completion of Phase 3.

Phase 5 — Donor plaque installation: City will coordinate the creation and installation of a donor plaque on a large boulder.

The staff report states: “Phase 3 of the project is underway, with the construction contract secured, lumber on order by Allweather Wood (expected arrival at the WRPP during the week of March 28), and hardware secured. In addition to the Rotary’s financial contribution and in-kind efforts to fundraise for this project, they will also donate their labor via the installation of the decking and application of the sealant in tandem with Shellhammer Construction. The installation of the Rotary Sign will also be completed during this phase.”