The Thompson Lake Restoration project came about when environmental studies found the lake was contaminated with sediment pollutants. Dakota County led the project while partnered with the City of West St. Paul and the Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization. The goal was to remove contaminated sediments and improve the park’s walking trails.
The project consisted of sodding, seeding, native seeding, tree and shrub installation, and native plug installation. In addition to the landscape work done at Thompson Lake, a 135’ boardwalk was also installed across the water.
At the time of bid, this project had two different boardwalk designs being considered. The first was a typical wooden frame and deck boardwalk. The other option was an “enhanced boardwalk” including a hot-dipped, galvanized metal structure supported by helical piers, treated wood decking, and a custom cable railing for maximum viewing potential. Peterson Companies was the only contractor who bid the “enhanced boardwalk” option.
Every element of the Thompson Lake Boardwalk installation, from the initial, detailed drawings to the final finish work, was completed 100% in-house by Peterson Companies. The material fabrication was entirely completed at our shop in early March with the materials sent offsite for hot-dip galvanizing to guarantee a long life span in the elements.
Mesic native seed mixes were used to help restore the Thompson Lake area to the natural wetland that once existed in the 1940’s. Because the lake is classified as an impaired body of water, great detail and precautions were enforced by the county, engineers, and contractor to limit the construction impact to the Thompson Lake Watershed. Also, the wet and muddy working conditions throughout the site forced crews to use hand tools for the majority of work with some help from light machinery. Installation onsite was time consuming and meticulous due to the unique site conditions.