On any other Saturday, Oak Harbor High School seniors Sean Welch, Josh Duhrkopf and Greg Goebel would have slept in, but last weekend the trio spent the morning on the waterfront installing a new boardwalk-style section that will connect Windjammer and Flintstone park pathways.

Between runs to the lumber truck for more materials and installing the boards, City Councilman Rick Almberg showed the young men how to keep the boards straight by using another board as a brace.

The high-schoolers worked together, installing the boardwalk in expert fashion.

“It’s all about volunteering to help our community,” Duhrkopf said.

Goebel even returned on Sunday to continue work on the trail.

The project initially caused an uproar among waterside residents, who were concerned that the trail would disrupt the peaceful waterfront way of life. Since then, the city and coastal-dwelling resident have worked together to find common ground.

“People have been coming down to look at the work we’re doing. They’re curious,” Almberg said, adding that the city is getting positive feedback on the project.

Crews have been on the job nearly every weekend, he said, including lead journeyman carpenter Paul Ongna and Chris Hightower, both of P and L General Contractors. The men have continued to work through this season’s unusually cold temperatures, but did break for a week because of the snow.

An outpouring of local support in the form of pro bono work and reduced-cost materials contributed to the realization of the waterfront trail.

More than half a dozen businesses offered their services including Fakkema and Kingman Inc., a Harmson Company that provided civil engineering; structural engineering by Watson Structural Engineering; soil engineering by Materials Testing and Consulting Inc.; in addition to other services, supplies and skilled labor provided by Lumbermens, C. Johnson Construction Inc., LangCo NW Inc., P and L General Contractors and Vandervoet Homes, with the construction managed by R.D.A and Associates.

With the deck in place, crews are now installing the toe rail and underground electrical system.

“It’s moving right along,” Almberg said of the project, which is about 90 percent complete. He hopes to have the boardwalk section of the trail completed by the end of January, but the Flintstone side of the trail, which is a concrete pathway, may have to wait for drier weather conditions.

Driftwood that was removed for the construction will be replaced, Almberg said. Island Construction and C. Johnson Construction Inc. will provide the backfill, restoring the surrounding area following the trail’s completion.

The finished trail will wind from the Oak Harbor Marina, along the coastline, to Freund Marsh by Scenic Heights Road, in an unbroken, 1.5 mile pathway.