City of Sisters seeks grant for trail

Hikers, cyclists and others who enjoy walking or riding around town rather than driving may soon have a new paved trail to amble along.

The City of Sisters voted Thursday night to seek a grant to create a paved trail along Whychus Creek and Highway 20, leading to the FivePine campus at the east end of town.

The trail is to start at Locust Street and meander along the creek, through the Sisters Overnight Park, past the future site of the Sisters Community Garden and along Highway 20 until it connects with a spur of the trail that will be paved by the developer's private property adjacent to FivePine.

The cost of the project is estimated at $35,000. Sisters would pay $17,450, with the rest to come from grant funding.

At a workshop on Thursday evening, Council President Bill Merrill said he would like to see FivePine developer Bill Willitts and trails advocate John Rahm lead an effort to improve the connection of the trail where it meets FivePine in order to improve pedestrian safety.

Merrill noted that the trail would provide a route for pedestrians who currently walk along the highway to reach the amenities on the east side of town, a practice he described as very unsafe.

Rahm spoke at the council meeting in favor of the trail.

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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