Trail network meeting big draw

Hikers, bikers, riders and walkers trooped to the Sisters Athletic Club on Wednesday, February 27, to learn about a proposed trail network system in Sisters.

The Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS) hosted an open house at the club to exchange ideas with community members about developing a trail system.

"We were only expecting about 50 people," said Jerry Norquist, who facilitated the event. (Norquist is the chairman of the CATS Outreach committee).

"At last count, 89 people showed up," he said. "We were happy with how the night went. It was a chance to introduce new ideas to the community."

An enthusiastic crowd milled about the lobby at the Athletic Club, enjoying a variety of culinary delights. The meeting kicked off with a video, then Jerry Norquist explained the purpose for the gathering.

"We are hoping to accomplish an exchange with the community about implementing a trail system," he said. "This is just the beginning of a dialogue."

He then introduced Catherine Ciarlo, who is the Executive Director of the bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland. She spoke to the group about the Safe Routes to School program.

The Safe Routes concept struck a chord with the audience.

"This has been a dream of mine for a long time," said Sue Beck, Sisters High School librarian. "We live out on Indian Ford road and I dread the day that my kid wants to ride his bike into town. The idea of safe routes is very exciting."

Muriel Brown, a clinical program manager with the Deschutes County Health Department, spoke next about health issues.

Kids today don't get enough exercise, she told her listeners, and safe trails between neighborhoods and schools could help alleviate this problem.

Sue Abbott, who is a landscape architect and works for the Rivers and Trail Department of the National Park Service, also gave her input during the evening.

"The CATS team wrote a grant and has been working closely with Rivers and Trails," said Norquist. "It was a technical grant and allows us to get assistance from Sue to work on improving the trail system. Her project work will include helping us develop the trail systems and also helping the community envision what it is they want.

"She has questioned us thoroughly and emphasized that we need community input."

Jim Craig followed Abbott's presentation, summing up the goals of the trail committee.

"Eighty-five percent of us drive to work every day," Craig said in a later interview. "Most Europeans drive less than 50 percent of their transportation time. We miss out on the beauty of this area as we drive on by.

"The dream of having a trail system began for me when I was in graduate school in Boulder, Colorado," he said. They had an incredible trail system there; everyday I'd get up, dust off my bike, and ride somewhere different."

The program ran a bit longer than was scheduled, but many community members stayed to ask questions and interact with the speakers.

Jerry and Bob Peterson, owners of The Paper Place, are supporters of the trail system.

"I think the trails are needed in this area," said Jerry. "We all live so far apart, it would help to connect people. And the trails that are being proposed would be beneficial to all ages."

According to Norquist, the trail system should only cost community members in terms of time and energy.

"There are federal and state funds available for this project," he said. "We will be going after tax funds that already exist. We just need to make sure that we are getting into the planning process so the funds are available to us five to ten years from now."

Jeff Sims, who works for the Forest Service and represents their interests on the trail committee, is excited about the opportunity to involve high school students in the project.

"The project area is the Sisters school district," he said. "We hope to get students from the I.E.E.(Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition) program to come out and help us inventory existing trails. We'll be looking at user trails -- which are formed by people taking the shortest route between two points --and how to develop them. Tollgate will be a high priority, since lots of people live there and it's close to town."

The next meeting will take place on April 3. It will be from 5 to 9 p.m., and will offer more of a workshop format.

For more information, contact CATS at 549-2287 or call Jerry Norquist at 549-8103.