Clayton Riverwalk, Regional Dock & Pavilion

Client: Village of Clayton | Location: Clayton, New York | Completion Date: 2006-2018 | Services Provided: Architectural, Civil/Site & Structural Engineering, Land Surveying

The Town and Village of Clayton, NY have taken on the challenges of the 21st century – to embrace economic change and further enhance the Thousand Islands region as a highly desirable place to not only visit, but to live, work and play. To achieve its goals, the Town and Village of Clayton have turned their energy and resources to one of the region’s most unique and valuable assets – its broad and diverse waterfront on the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Over the course of 12 years, the Village has executed numerous improvements to the waterfront to enhance public access to and from the river. The Professional Services provided by Aubertine and Currier for the Clayton Riverwalk include architectural, civil & structural engineering, land surveying, bidding, construction administration and inspections for the final three (3) Phases of the project.

Phase I

Phase I was completed in 2006 which consisted of replacing the deteriorated dock structure along the St. Lawrence River and the design and construction of a new seawall, dock structure, and concrete sidewalks adjacent to the dock. A new entertainment pavilion and gateway structure for public concerts, was also designed which included built-in amphitheater and lawn seating.

Phase II and IIB

Some notable features of Phase II and IIB include handicap accessible walking surfaces, replacement of existing site lighting to match other portions of the Riverwalk, replacement of existing sidewalks with colored concrete to match other portions of the Riverwalk and the Regional Dock and replacement of existing deteriorating seawall at the Regional Dock. We obtained NYS DEC, OGS, Dept. of State, and US Army Corps of Engineers permitting for seawall replacement as well as a new pedestrian walkway over the St. Lawrence River. A NYS OGS Easement for Grants of Lands underwater has secured for a pedestrian walkway that covers existing shoreline. Coordination and accommodation for property owners affected by the new pedestrian walk was also provided.

Phase III

In addition to Professional Design Services, Phase III also consisted of the development of a conceptual feasibility study and cost estimates. Considerations included making all portions of the Riverwalk readily accessible with direct access routes to it, developing a vacant lot into a park area featuring an accessible viewing area and ramp down to the level of the Riverwalk, upgrading and brightening narrow, dark areas that lead to the Riverwalk, and reconstruction of deteriorating and unsafe concrete seawalls with more durable steel sheet piling. We also served as a local representative during construction and assisted the land acquisition specialist with communication to the property owners to help the project proceed smoothly. The conceptual study was used by the Village of Clayton to apply for and receive a federal grant that was awarded through the NYS DOT Enhancement Program, which paid for 75% of the project.  

Aubertine and Currier (A&C) completed the design survey and mapping of the Clayton Riverwalk Phase III project for the design and construction of the newest phase of the Clayton Riverwalk. This portion of the project was funded through a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant administered by the State Department of Transportation (DOT), and the consultant was selected through the LDSA program. A&C completed the design work on the first 3 phases (I, IIA, and IIB), and was a sub-consultant to Fisher Associates for Phase III. The project consisted of the topographic surveying of the existing boardwalks, docks, and bulkheads on the northwesterly side of 10 parcels along the shore of the St. Lawrence River, along with a proposed park area on one end and the existing Village Monument Park on the other end. Also included was the performance of a boundary survey of each of the 10 parcels and determining the ownership, including riparian rights of each parcel extending into the St. Lawrence River. A bathymetric survey of the underwater grounds of the St. Lawrence River adjacent to the project limits and extending out into the river 30 feet was completed as well.

In addition to survey services, A&C provided local architectural planning and support services to Fisher and the Village, in an effort to capitalize on A&C’s 10 plus years of knowledge regarding the Village and prior project phases.

Following the design of the Riverwalk, A&C prepared the required Abstract Request Map (ARM), performed the Right of Way surveying, and created the Right of Way acquisition mapping for the 10 parcels. A&C also generated the legal descriptions describing the acquisition parcels.

Because the project is on the shore of the St. Lawrence River, A&C was responsible for producing the required mapping for the NYS OGS Submerged Lands Application Map for each of the 10 parcels.

The design survey and mapping was finished to NYSDOT standards and specifications and was referenced horizontally to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) and vertically to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).