Public meeting will work through controversial trail issues

In a lengthy and at times charged board meeting Tuesday, October 22, the Sisters Park and Recreation District (SPRD) board agreed upon their position in the upcoming "all-hands" meeting to be held Tuesday, November 5 at 6 p.m. at the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire hall.

New SPRD Executive Director Liam Hughes summarized the results of the nearly three-hour meeting: "SPRD feels the trails are a fundamental part of our mission to provide public recreation opportunities. SPRD will not obligate any funds until the board of directors is satisfied that all the financial obligations and community concerns have been addressed."

SPRD agreed to host the meeting at the conclusion of the paved trail supporters meeting called by Forest Service District Ranger Kristie Miller back on September 3. (See nuggetnews.com September 10, 2013 "Paved trail headed for public meeting.")

While the November 5 meeting will be a SPRD board meeting, in an attempt to keep the meeting neutral and in control, the board has asked Jim Cornelius to facilitate the meeting. Cornelius stressed that he will be acting as an interested private citizen and not in any way be representing the newspaper.

The stated intention of the November 5 meeting is to clarify and communicate the facts and options surrounding the Black Butte to Sisters paved trail. In a variety of meetings, Letters to the Editor, and guest editorials there has been a significant amount of misinformation and misunderstanding about this project.

At her September 3 meeting, Miller acknowledged that the Forest Service made several key mistakes both in following the letter of the law, and in administering this Forest Service project to the intent of the laws and protocols of the Forest Service.

SPRD board chair Darren Layne apologized for SPRD's slow response in getting a handle on this project.

The Forest Service paved trail project is divided into two phases and takes place entirely on Forest Service property. The first phase includes paving the existing compact gravel path between the Tollgate subdivision and Sisters High School; and paving a new trail between the Crossroads subdivision and Sisters High School.

As far as the Forest Service is concerned the first phase of this project has been approved and all necessary "hoops" have been cleared. The project can proceed as planned as soon as funds become available.

Almost all parties have agreed on the value of this first phase, if not the actual route.

A second portion of the Crossroads trail is planned to extend through the subdivision and will be funded and project-managed by the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA), a subordinate partner of SPRD.

The second and most controversial phase of the project involves paving a seven-and-a-half-mile long, 10-foot-wide, ADA-compliant path through the woods connecting Black Butte Ranch and Sisters. This trail would connect to the Tollgate/Sisters High School trail at the southeast corner of Tollgate. As currently planned the trail will run between Tollgate and Highway 20, passing within 400 yards of the homes on the northeast side of the subdivision.

The homeowners' association boards of both Tollgate and Crossroads have expressed their support for the project, but there has been often bitter contention over how well these board approvals match the sentiments of the residents of these communities. To date, no "official" polls of the residents have been taken. Tollgate is planning to poll their resident, but not until after the November 5 meeting.

The Sisters City Council and the Sisters School Board have also expressed their support for both phases of the trails. These letters of support were for the concept of the project and did not involve any detailed presentation of the project details. They were also made before any of the detailed costs were revealed.

The project costs have been a significant arguing point in the paved trail discussion.

The initial cost estimated for the project, as presented to the SPRD board by the STA back at the inception of the project was $200,000. As a more detailed plan was put together the cost estimate grew to $400,000.

In a detailed presentation to the SPRD board by the STA on December 4, 2012, the STA estimated the cost of the trail would be $800,000, but in fact, the STA had signed an agreement with the Forest Service nine days earlier that included a project cost of $2.8 million.

If approved, all funds for the Forest Service portion of this project will come from federal grants through the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The only local cost will be for the annual maintenance of the trail. As part of the grant application, in partnership with the Forest Service, the STA committed to cover the trail maintenance cost through fundraising efforts. The legality of this commitment has been challenged by SPRD.

In a new development, STA announced this week that the trails organization intends to part ways with SPRD in order to have more independence of action (see story, page 1).

The Forest Service "oversights" have also been the source of a great deal of contentious discussion. One issue was the distribution of scoping letters.

USFS protocol requires that project scoping letters be sent out to all affected parties explaining the project and requesting feedback within 30 days. Residents that do not respond within the 30-day window lose any right to comment on or challenge the project in the future.

There were no scoping letters sent to Crossroads residents, and as such, they were unable to respond within the 30-day window. Therefore Crossroads residents have no "right" to comment or challenge the project. Miller apologized for this oversight, but to date has not offered any remedy for the oversight.

Putting these issues to rest and plotting a plan to move forward appears to be the goal of the November 5 meeting.