Purpose of the bench restoration is two-fold: to repurpose the honey locust wood from the trees that needed to be removed for the road way reconstruction, and to restore the benches to a similar natural state as the originals keeping the natural look of the repurposed wood and blending any necessary colors with the natural outdoor state and color schemes adopted by the Council.

This statement of work was ordered by the BOD during the special meeting on Tuesday September 30, 2025 to be produced after a failed attempt to have an independent wood worker perform the work assuming that the scope and details may have been confusing initially and to provide a standard for selecting the next contractor so that all contractors are evaluated on the same work to be completed.

Wood Preparation

1. All honey locust boards shall be resanded to remove existing varnish down to level where mold or sawblade marks are removed.
2. All honey locust boards shall be varnished with at least 4 coats of supplied varnish with light sanding between each coat after hardening according to the manufacturers specifications.
3. Ends of the honey locust boards after cut to proper lengths shall be varnished and sealed.
4. The current 2″x4″ boards being used for the bench top planks will be cut to 2″ x 2″ prior to varnishing.

Bench Construction

Bench Tops

Bench tops will be built using the repurposed honey locust.

1. The tops will be constructed using current design with miter corned outer frame and 8 inside planks with 1/2″ +/- 1/4″ spacing between each plank. Mitered corners shall be glued / sealed as well as screwed. Corner brackets may be required due to the small size of the planks.
2. The finished dimensions shall be approximately 64″ x 23″ x 2″.
3. All new bench tops will be constructed with the honey locust which shall have a varnish finish with 4 – 6 coats of varnish. Varnish shall be spar boat varnish supplied by the association. Varnishing shall be done prior to construction of the bench tops.
4. Any bench tops that are reused shall have exposed surfaces sanded and shall be primed with at least 2 coats and painted to match the color of the bench bases. All paint shall be supplied by the association. (The association may change this to a solid stain depending of the recommendations of the experts.)

Benches that need the bases and foundations replaced shall be set on properly installed concrete footings as per the following:

Base and Foundation Systems

Base Foundation Existing Construction

1. Any bench bases that are sturdy and solid enough to be reused shall be sanded, primed, and painted using the paint and primer supplied by the association.
2. All wooden parts of the bench foundation shall be exposed down to the concrete and the prepping / painting shall extend to the concrete.
3. Any additional repairs to the foundations shall be completed prior to the prep and painting, and rotten wood replaced as necessary with the honey locust or pressure treated wood.
4. All bases where the wood meets the concrete shall be sealed as best possible to delay further deterioration of the base. Where bases are constructed of 2×4’s fastened together, sealant shall also be applied to prevent any further possible deterioration from water entering that crack created by the merging of the 2 pieces of wood. Any recommendations of the experts would be considered.

Bench Foundation New Construction

1. For benches receiving newly constructed base foundations, each bench top will be set on 2 base foundations set apart approximately 27 inches on center.
2. 2 angled supports one for the front and one for the back will be attached to the base and the bench top using wood no less than standard 2×4 dimensions. The wood can be either the leftover honey locust or pressure treated 2×4.
3. one angled support shall also be installed on each end supporting the ends of each bench top.
4. the supports discussed in #2 and #3 shall follow the current design of the existing benches.
5. All base foundation wood shall be properly prepped with proper sanding, primer, and painted using the paint and primer provided by the association.

Post Foundations & Anchoring Hardware

1. Each bench shall be supported on pressure-treated 4 in × 4 in (nominal) solid wood posts rated for ground contact (e.g., ACQ or MCA treatment).
2. Each 4×4 post shall be mounted on a galvanized steel post base bracket rated for nominal 4×4 lumber and concrete mounting. Bracket shall include corrosion-resistant finish (minimum ZMAX galvanization or equivalent) and shall provide a minimum ½″ standoff (preferred 1″) between post base plate and concrete surface to prevent moisture wicking. Refer to Simpson Strong-Tie model ABU44Z as benchmark.
3. Post base bracket shall conform to manufacturer’s installation instructions, including fasteners for securing wood post to bracket (e.g., ¼″ bolts or Strong-Drive SDS screws), and compatibility with pressure-treated lumber.
4. After installation, all exposed post ends, cut surfaces, and bracket-post interface surfaces shall be treated with end-grain preservative (e.g., copper-naphthenate or equivalent) and visible post faces sealed with exterior oil or spar varnish as part of finish work.
5. Posts shall be plumb, aligned, and seated fully in the bracket. Provide drainage clearance around post-base interface: extend gravel base, slope concrete pad 1″ away from bench, avoid direct soil/wood contact.
6. (Add vendor/brand options) Acceptable bracket models include Simpson Strong-Tie ABU44Z ZMAX, BC40Z ZMAX, or equivalent galvanised post base rated for 4×4 and outdoor treated-wood applications.

Concrete Footings (per bench post)

Concrete Footings & Anchors
a. Provide concrete footing with top above finished grade for drainage and bottom at ≥30″ below grade (below local frost depth). Diameter ≥12″; depth ≥30″; add 2-4″ gravel at base. Concrete f’c ≥ 3,000 psi. Place on undisturbed soil.
c. Provide (2) #4 vertical bars with (3) #3 closed hoop at 12″ o.c., 3″ cover.
d. Edge distances and thickness: Maintain minimum concrete thickness and edge distances per bracket manufacturer (e.g., min slab/footing thickness 5–6″ for ½″ with deeper embed, edge distance ≥2–3″). itwredhead.com+1
d. Fasten wood post to bracket with Simpson SDS screws or ¼″ stainless bolts per bracket instructions. Field-cut ends: treat with copper-naphthenate; seal exposed wood.

See diagram below.

Post Base and Anchor

Using an embedded post base bracket, embedding the bracket in wet concrete ensures direct load transfer and eliminates concerns about drilling into cured concrete, misalignment, voids or anchor loosening over time. Cast-in-place anchors are anchor systems that are cast in wet concrete before the concrete sets.
a. Each newly built bench foundation will be built using an embedded post base bracket and made of galvanized steel (Simpson Strong-Tie PBST44Z (4×4) — includes 1″ standoff). All brackets shall be installed cast-in-place in the wet concrete footing with 1 inch offset as per manufacturer instructions. Bracket flange shall be flush with top of footing. Post shall be seated and fastened to bracket after concrete curing. All exposed metal surfaces shall be sealed/treated for corrosion in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.
b. Fasten wood post to bracket with Simpson SDS screws or ¼″ stainless bolts per bracket instructions. Field-cut ends: treat with copper-naphthenate; seal exposed wood.

See diagram:

Engineering Justifications

2×2 or 2×4 honey locust bench top slats / planks?

Great clarifications — with a 22″ clear span between your front/back cross-rails, you can confidently slim the slats.

Verdict

• True 2×2 honey locust slats on edge (2″ vertical, 2″ wide) are structurally more than adequate for 3–4 heavy adults on a 72″ bench when the slats only span 22″.
• Compared to the old SPF 2×4s on edge, you’re reducing the vertical dimension from 3.5″ → 2″, but the span is short, and honey locust’s strength/stiffness easily covers the difference.

Why it pencils out (quick numbers)

Treat one slat as a 22″ simple span:

• Worst-case check (very conservative): put 300 lb on a single slat at midspan (real life distributes across multiple slats).
  • Max bending stress ≈ 1,240 psi (2×2, I≈1.33 in⁴), far below honey locust MOR (~16,000–20,000 psi).
  • Midspan deflection ≈ 0.03 in (E≈1.8 Mpsi) — basically unnoticeable.
• With realistic load sharing (each person distributes weight over several slats), stresses and deflection are much lower.

Build notes (updated for 2×2 slats)

• Slats: 10 × 72″ × 2″ × 2″ on edge; keep ½”–¾” gaps to hit ~23″ seat depth.
• Bearings: Ensure ≥1½” bearing on the front/back rails. Your existing angled side braces and the fore-aft stringers are perfect; no center stringer needed at a 22″ span.
• Fasteners:
  • Use stainless (#10 or #12) screws, 2 per support per slat, pilot-drilled (honey locust is dense; predrill to avoid splits).
  • At the end slats, consider through-bolts (¼” stainless with fender washers) if you want belt-and-suspenders robustness.
• Edges & comfort: ⅛”–¼” round-over on top edges; a slight 1–2° seat slope (back lower than front or vice-versa by preference) helps water shed.
• Finish: Honey locust is tough but not as rot-proof as black locust. Seal all faces and end-grain. A UV-inhibited marine spar varnish or exterior oil works; plan on annual refresh in full sun.
• Corrosion & stains: Stick with stainless (or hot-dip galvanized) to avoid black staining in dense hardwoods.
• Add a thin under-slat cleat along the mid-span if you ever notice chatter — mostly unnecessary at 22″, for additional and easy insurance if desired.

4×4 or 6×6 foundation posts?

🧱 Recommendation

Go with pressure-treated 4×4 (ACQ or MCA treated) posts, but improve the base detailing to prevent the rot problem that destroyed the doubled-up 2×4s. The rot was from water trapping, not under-sizing.

Key improvements:

1. Use a single solid 4×4 — no laminations.
2. Mount above ground contact:
   • Use galvanized or stainless post bases (Simpson ABU44Z or similar) that elevate the wood ½–1″ above the concrete footing.
   • If posts embed directly in soil, use “ground-contact rated” treatment and add gravel drainage pocket below each post.
3. Seal all cuts and end-grain with copper naphthenate or end-cut preservative (e.g., Wolman or Copper-Green).
4. Slope the concrete footing slightly away from the post to shed water.
5. Optionally sleeve bases in a short PVC collar to isolate from splash.

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🪚 When to consider 6×6

Use 6×6 only if:

• You plan cantilevered seat arms,
• Benches will anchor permanently in-ground public spaces, or
• You want to match a very heavy architectural style (stone base, pergola integration, etc.).

For your community benches—13 total, moderate load, 22″ seat depth—solid 4×4 pressure-treated posts with improved moisture detailing are optimal: strong, cost-efficient, durable, and visually balanced.

⚖️ Structural & Practical Comparison

Feature	4×4 Pressure-Treated	6×6 Pressure-Treated
Actual size	3½″ × 3½″	5½″ × 5½″
Strength / rigidity	Very strong for a 72″ bench with 22″ slat span. Easily supports 4 adults.	Overbuilt; roughly 3× the stiffness of a 4×4.
Weight & handling	Manageable (≈20 lb at 2 ft). Easy to drill, align, and level.	Heavy (≈45 lb at 2 ft). Overkill unless benches are permanently fixed.
Moisture resistance	Excellent if end-grain sealed and post bases isolated from ground.	Same, but larger surface area can trap more moisture if set directly on soil.
Appearance	Proportionate to 2×2 or 2×4 tops—balanced look.	Bulkier, visually heavier base; may look clunky unless design adjusted.
Cost	Economical.	Roughly double.