Construction Begins on Accessible Treehouse
July 31, 2008
Construction has begun on the universally accessible treehouse at the Pine River Nature Center owned and operated by the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency.
When completed, it will be the only universally accessible treehouse in Michigan open to the public. It will be used primarily as an outdoor classroom for biological and environmental studies at the nature center. It also will be open to visitors simply looking for a unique perspective over the Pine River floodplain at the nature center, said Charles Andrews, RESA director of administrative service and the coordinator of the treehouse project.
The treehouse is being built as part of an Access to Recreation grant through the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The Access to Recreation program was awarded to the Community Foundation by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of the Kellogg Foundation’s efforts to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors. The RESA provides special education services countywide, and also operates the Woodland Developmental Center for young people with severe disabilities.
RESA Superintendent Dan DeGrow said many Woodland students will be able to take advantage of the threehouse. "The RESA is acutely aware that people with disabilities are people first of all, and they deserve every opportunity to participate in all of life’s activities," he said. "We envision this treehouse serving not just local people, but becoming a regional destination. It will truly be a unique structure."
Other projects supported by the program will be access-related improvements to the Algonac community swimming pool, and the development of handicapped accessible canoe and kayak launches at the East China Township Park and the Columbus County Park.
The Kellogg money must be matched by local contributions. A fund-raising campaign for the county projects is being conducted now by the Community Foundation.
Planning for the treehouse began over two years ago, and the process has been an education in itself, Andrews said.
"We're building a unique public facility that is as much as 30 feet off the ground. It's being built in the center of a 90-acre piece of property that has no electricity, plumbing or other utilities. We also are building it so it fits into the natural scenery, not destructive to it," Andrews said.
"As we got deeper and deeper into the planning, we found that we couldn't take any aspect of the project for granted. Every step we took created a set of problems that had to be carefully thought out," he said.
The architect for the project is Todd Schurman of French Associates. French Associates originated in Port Huron and now has its offices in Rochester. It does a lot of school-related projects, but the request for a treehouse design was a new one on Schurman.
His task was to create a structure that addresses the needs of people with disabilities, the requirements of a public facility and the demands of a natural, rustic environment while at the same time maintaining a sense of whimsy that characterizes threehouses.
"It was a lot of fun to work on," Schurman said. "We had a lot of obstacles to overcome and design challenges to meet, but I'm very happy with the ultimate design."
The treehouse will be built around two large hardwood trees, but will not depend on them for support. Instead, the treehouse will be held in place by a number of support pillars. Those pillars will be specifically designed and placed to do as little damage as possible to the root systems of the trees central to the treehouse design.
To do that, the RESA worked with Frank Martin, a local arborist, and Jeff Tuller, a forestry specialist with the conservation district that includes St. Clair County. Soil borings were taken to determine the type of support system necessary to safely support the structure.
Because there is no road leading to the site, materials for the treehouse will be hauled small vehicles along the hiking trails leading up to it, Andrews said. Handicapped accessible trails lead to the treehouse site.
Guests will enter the treehouse from a level path at the top of the floodplain ridge. The platform will extend over the slope. At the far end, visitors will be about 30 feet above the ground.
A small, three-sided structure on the platform will provide some classroom space while still being open enough to allow guests to easily see a range of sights. "When we started the project, we didn't envision how involved some parts of it would be," Andrews said. "But now that things are starting to take shape, I can honestly say it's been an incredibly rewarding effort."
Questions/Comments
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.
- Gigi Mericka, Program Manager
- Phone: (810) 937-2707
- Community Foundation of St. Clair County
- Phone: (810) 987-4761
Email us from our Contact page.