Tale Of The Trails

A 19-year-old self-described “hobbiest” and “perfectionest” spent his summer vacation making Sugar Sand Park's nature trails more user friendly.

Operating under the philosophy the “ Visitor Should Never Have To Guess,” Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District intern Nick Schwartz walked Sugar Sand's trails to map them using a GPS program; then designed and proposed signage that will provide users with informational and directional indicators. 

“The District doesn't normally use interns, so we didn't exactly know what to expect from Nick,” Executive Director Briann Harms said. “No matter how high we would have set our expectations, Nick would have exceeded them. He did a truly exceptional job.”

When District Commissioner Craig Ehrnst learned that Schwartz was looking for a summer project, he suggested Nick contact Harms.

On a mid-August Monday, days before his scheduled return to Virginia Tech University for the start of his sophomore year, Schwartz presented the results of his Sugar Sand Trail Wayfinding and Signage project at the District's public meeting.

Commissioners unanimously voted to move forward with Schwartz's recommendations.

“He did a great job,” Ehrnst said. “It's going to solve so many problems for so many people on a daily basis.”

Commissioner Erin Wright concurred.

“It makes the park that much more useful,” she said.

The Wayfinding proposal includes larger signs to welcome visitors to the beginning of trails, 19 color-coded directional and informational signs, and signage indicating which trails are ADA accessible. Some signs warn which side paths result in dead ends. The signs will enable visitors to stay on their intended trail, track the trail's distance, and understand where side paths lead.

By linking several existing trails, Schwartz even mapped a 1.3 mile fitness trail – doing so by walking the trails himself rather than using internet mapping services.

“It was cool even just walking around with my phone,” Schwartz said. “People were like, What is this guy doing?”

A Boca Raton native who lives near the park, Schwartz has enjoyed Sugar Sand for years.

He views the project as something of a learning experience – and Schwartz likes to learn. During his first 18 years Schwartz learned to build gasoline engines, designed the computer system for a rocket project, was part of a robotics team as a high schooler, and, upon developing a taste for espresso, built his family an espresso machine from scratch.

For a high school project he designed and built a motorcycle blind spot sensor system that alerts the driver to traffic approaching from behind or on either side.

“I've just always have been super into robotics, engineering, cars, stuff like that - just using my imagination and creativity,” Schwartz said.

Sugar Sand Park's Wayfinding proposal afforded Schwartz the ability to develop his computer programming skills and further explore uses for artificial intelligence. He input collected data into a program he developed to create a framework for trail mapping that can be utilized multiple times.

If the District desires, it can enter data from trails at other parks and augment signage and mapping there, too. 

“Instead of just narrowing myself into, let's say, cars or automotive, I'm kind of just into everything, which you know has its pros and cons,” Schwartz said. “But I just like attacking projects and problems.”