OutdoorNebraska

Floating The Good Life • Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 27 Design standards for building a parking area should focus on establishing slopes between 2 percent (1 foot of elevation change in 50 feet) and 5 percent (1 foot of elevation change in 20 feet), where possible. Accessible parking spaces are not to exceed 2 percent slope in any direction. Pavement materials can be rigid pavements such as concrete, asphalt, or pavers. Aggregate rock paving is also an option, particularly for lower use facilities. Bare soil or vegetated surfaces should not be considered suitable for use in drive and parking areas. ADA accessible parking spaces are to be built of rigid pavements. Determine pavement materials to use with long-term maintenance in mind as well as the project construction budget. Aggregate pavements have a lower construction cost and snow removal is typically not a concern for a seasonal use parking area. Periodic replacement of aggregate will be necessary for the life of the project if that is an acceptable maintenance cost to incur. Aggregate pavements should be of a material with angled faces, such as limestone ¾-inch to 1½-inch in size. The angled faced aggregates lock together better when compacted where rounded gravels are continuously displaced by tire and foot traffic. Rigid pavements will have higher construction costs but lower maintenance costs and longer lifecycle. Additionally, rigid pavements are superior to aggregate pavements for mechanical equipment to clear away sediment that is deposited across the site after a flooding event. Providing paved surfaces throughout the entire defined parking area may be an alternative considered in design; however, it is recommended to incorporate pervious vegetated islands rather than exclusively paving. Vegetated islands within parking areas can better direct flow of circulation, transition steeper slopes between slower sloping parking bays, and receive storm water runoff from the pavement. Parking area islands planted with overstory shade trees will provide valuable shade over vehicles parking in the summer sun for a better return experience by the user after recreating out on the water. Defining a circulation pattern and parking arrangement should also take into consideration where vehicles are not intended to go. If parking spaces are full, people will improvise and park in places in which they can get. The beauty of these public recreation areas is the balance between constructed amenities nestled within a natural setting. Preventing vehicles from affecting natural areas can be accomplished in several ways. Bollards with cabling, large boulders or downed logs, landscape hedges or an abrupt change in elevation (berm or swale) can all achieve a degree of deterrence. CANOEING AND KAYAKING ON A POND

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