Trail critics spur SPRD to sort out position

About a dozen opponents of the proposed paved bike/pedestrian trail between Black Butte and Sisters aired their grievances at the Tuesday, August 6 Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) board meeting. None of the visitors at the meeting spoke in favor of the trail.

A majority of those giving public comment were from the Tollgate and Crossroads communities.

The SPRD board stood behind their letters that explained their conceptual and financial support for the trail through their partner, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA). No one from STA spoke at the meeting.

It was anticipated that the board would be able to clarify their position and make a binding decision on the level of their financial support moving forward. This did not happen. The board decided that SPRD would not attempt to clarify and resolve the outstanding issues raised until the Forest Service issued the final approved environmental assessment. The Forest Service is working on the final decision.

During the discussions, SPRD board member Mike Morgan called into question a number of the decisions and commitments apparently made by SPRD. He also challenged the process by which these decisions were made.

The public testimony was primarily focused on the perceived lack of transparency in the process of getting the trail approved and funded. A considerable and passionate disagreement remains on the basic facts surrounding the bike trail.

The SPRD board did agree that SPRD board approval and support offered its partner organization, STA, at the December 4, 2012, board meeting included a budget number of roughly $800,000 for the trail, when the STA had co-signed a document with the Forest Service more than a week earlier that listed the cost of the project at approximately $2.8 million.

It was also clearly established that SPRD is the fiscal agent for STA, and as such, STA cannot commit to spend any funds or enter into any contracts on their own. Only their partner SPRD can make such commitments.