Help wanted. The Friends of V.I. National Park needs volunteers to help with building an extension on the park’s Francis Bay accessible trail. Work starts at 8 a.m. Monday and is expected to last up to about six days.
Friends President Joe Kessler is calling “as many as would like to come out.” Volunteers should meet in the Francis Bay parking lot adjacent to the beach.
He said the group needs people of all skill levels: carpenters, cabinetmakers, boat builders, “anybody with building skills.”
Kessler said even people with no construction skills can assist because they can help move materials around.
He said people can plan to work on the project until it’s done or come for as much time as they can spare.
Lunch, drinks and tools are provided.
The project will extend the existing Francis Bay boardwalk by about 650 to 700 feet until a point where it reaches the beach.
Kessler said there are very few flat trails in the park, which is why this one is being extended. The trail is flat and runs between the salt pond and Francis Bay beach. It’s a popular birding area.
“Our objective is to open up as many trails as possible,” he said.
Kessler said that in addition to those who need accessibility, the boardwalk trail is helpful to parents with children in strollers and older people with mobility issues.
Kessler estimated the cost at about $40,000, including donated materials and time. He said MSI Building Supplies, St. John Hardware, Unilever Foundation, and Francis Bay homeowners donated money and materials or sold them at a reduced price.
For more information, call Kessler at 779-4940.
