Project Titles:

• Repair Pine Beach Trail (FFS #R4GK)
• Replace HVAC Windows, Doors (FFS #R4GL)

State: Alabama

Initial Project Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS, the Service) will use American Recovery and Re-investment Act funds to repair a popular public hiking trail and improve safety and energy efficiency at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, located south of Mobile, Alabama on the Fort Morgan Peninsula.

Healtheon, Inc., of New Orleans, Louisiana, was awarded a contract for $173,380 for work associated with the project. Under the contract, $25,286 will be spent to repair the refuge’s Pine Beach Trail, the nature trail most frequently used by the public, and $148,094 will be used for safety and energy efficiency improvements at the Nunley Bunkhouse, which houses volunteers, interns, and researchers.

“Pine Beach Trail is the most popular trail on the refuge, and runs along Gator Lake and Little Lagoon and eventually winds up [and] down on the beach at the Gulf,” said Jereme Phillips, Refuge Manager at Bon Secour. “Parts of [the trail] are badly washed out from storms over the past few years. It’s completely impassable at times. The stimulus project will repair those areas, and improve the ability of public to hike down the trail.”

Recovery Act funding will also be used to complete an extensive renovation of the refuge bunkhouse to make it safer and “greener.” A “significant amount” of asbestos will be removed, Phillips said, and unsafe electrical wiring will be corrected. A more energy-efficient heating and air conditioning system and water heater will be installed; deteriorated, leaking flooring and windows will be replaced; and insulation will be added.

From the French for “safe harbor,” Bon Secour is a 7,000-acre refuge that hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually. It is home to the endangered Alabama beach mouse, loggerhead, and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, foxes, coyotes, and more than 370 species of birds.

July 2011 Project Update: Healthcon, Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana completed the repair of the scenic pine beach trail at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in April 2010. The new trail provides the visiting public with an easier walk to Pine Beach.

In addition, FWS contracted Healthcon, Inc. to improve energy efficiency at the refuge through several small tasks, including replacing the Refuge’s HVAC systems, windows, doors, insulation, light fixtures, water heaters, and appliances. During construction, several safety issues were discovered, and additional work was taken on to improve the safety of the refuge. Healthcon, Inc. removed asbestos from the refuge’s Nunley Bunkhouse, creating a safer living arrangement for refuge volunteers, interns, and researchers. Healthcon, Inc. completed the project in April 2010.

Both projects created a combined total of 1.94 jobs.

For more information visit the Bon Secour NWR website.

Photos:

Originally posted 01/22/2010
Updated 02/12/2010
Updated 03/22/2010
Page Completed 07/28/2011