Trails controversy gets public airing

After months of heated wrangling, guest editorials, letters to the editor and confusion over costs and process, advocates and critics of a proposed paved trail project in Sisters Country got together in the same room to hash things out.

The paved trail system got a thorough review Tuesday at a special board meeting hosted by Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD). About 150 people packed the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire hall for the 6 p.m. meeting. Along with the interested citizens, there were representatives from the local and regional Forest Service (FS) offices, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA); the SPRD board; as well as designated representatives from the Crossroads, Tollgate, and Black Butte Ranch homeowners associations.

With the partnership of STA, the Forest Service is proposing two separate but related projects: A paved trail from the Crossroads subdivision to Sisters High School; and a paved trail ultimately running from the edge of Sisters to Black Butte Ranch.

The opportunity to be heard has been at the center of much confusion and rancor to date with this project, particularly among Crossroads residents. Sisters District Ranger Kristie Miller stated that she will continue to accept all input on both the Crossroads-to-Sisters High School trail and the Black Butte Ranch-to-Sisters trail. Though the Crossroads paved trail is fully approved, Miller acknowledged that she could undo the decision and alter the trail. (The Forest Service has re-opened comment on the projects; see story, page 14).

Several Crossroads residents testified that they want to see the trail moved and do not want it connecting with the entrance to the community.

An open-to-the-public walk of the proposed Crossroads tail route with Miller and her supervisor, Deschutes National Forest Supervisor John Allen, is set for the morning of November 19. It is not clear what further discussions of the Crossroads trail location may occur beyond that point.

It was clear from public testimony that there is substantial support for the trail system as currently planned. Many believe it will make the experience of Sisters Country more accessible, safer, and bring economic benefits to town.

Several citizens testified that they would use the trail frequently. One runner emphasized that the proposed project is not a bike path - that it will accommodate runners like himself, walkers and others.

Some expressed support for some parts of the trail and not others: One Tollgate resident said he was comfortable with trails connecting Tollgate and Sisters, but argued passionately against a 10-foot-wide paved trail in the forest between Sisters and Black Butte Ranch.

Gauging the level of support is tricky. A couple of speakers during the public input portion of the meeting suggested that there be a vote or a scientific poll taken to determine the level of support for the paved trail in Sisters Country. The mechanism for a poll or vote was not defined at the meeting. Neither a poll nor a vote would be binding; the FS does not need approval from any local parties to construct the paved trails, which would be built on National Forest land and right-of-way.

The Crossroads Homeowners Association announced that the HOA has withdrawn its letter of support, citing the level of controversy, and a Tollgate representative said the association there is polling its members. The Tollgate HOA board had previously offered a letter of support.

The cost of the project ($2.8 million in total, in great part funded through grants) has also been a point of contention. Some citizens argued that the trail was far too costly an amenity when there are other pressing priorities. Others note that the grant funds are earmarked for "connectivity" projects and will be spent on such things somewhere, not on education or other priorities.

The recently announced separation of STA from SPRD simplifies the question of obligation for maintenance, which STA has pledged to handle. Miller acknowledged that the trails would become a Forest Service asset. If STA were to dissolve or fail to meet its obligations, the Forest Service would seek other partners or take on maintenance requirements itself.

Another source of ongoing debate has been the requirement and expense of building and maintaining the trails to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Miller said, "The design will meet the requirements of the Federal Highway Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, also known as AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials). While this guide is specifically for bicycles, it also meets the non-motorized wheeled pedestrian requirements too as necessary for the overall grant application. The trail will also meet most ADA standards but not all, and it was never intended to. We have to meet AASHTO standards simply to receive the grant (federal funds administered through Oregon Department of Transportation (STIP process)."

A Forest Service representative told the assemblage November 5 that ODOT accepts AASHTO as compliant.

The ADA issues look to continue to be a bone of contention, at least for some critics. On Monday, November 11, Mike Morgan sent a letter to Deschutes National Forest chief John Allen and ODOT's Gary Farnsworth challenging the STIP grant that could fund a portion of the Sisters-BBR trail. Morgan notes that the grant application states that, "... this path will also be ADA compliant which will provide increased mobility for all users." He says that, "It's obscene to misrepresent ADA compliance to get federal money to build multimodal shared-use pathways when there is little to no intention of making the project equally accessible and usable by the disabled."

Morgan tells Allen and Farnsworth that "the preferred course of action is for the USFS/STA to withdraw its STIP application or ODOT to announce it's been rejected. If we are ignored, myself and others will escalate our concerns to the Governor's Office, the ODOT Office of Civil Rights, and the corresponding office in the U.S. Department of Transportation."

The timeline on the projects, should they go forward as planned, is rather lengthy. District Ranger Miller said she expects to have the environmental analysis on the Sisters-to-Black Butte Ranch trail completed in about four months, but funding for construction has not been established. Funding for the Crossroads-to-Sisters High School trail is also yet to be secured.

And, Miller said, it is possible that someone could litigate.

While the public meeting did not resolve all the issues surrounding the trails, it was clear that the public appreciated the opportunity to be heard and the various agencies involved appreciated the opportunity to clarify processes and procedures. Miller emphasized several times that she is continuing to take public input.

From that standpoint, the meeting seemed to fulfill SPRD's intent of providing a forum in which to clear the air.