Paved trails would benefit community

When I first heard of a paved path in the forest I was against it. I thought that people should get on a mountain bike and use the existing dirt roads. I thought of it as a scar on the land. However, when I queried the local people, they were almost universally in favor of a paved path.

I have researched and found these benefits of shared-use connector trails: connecting neighborhoods to schools; bringing people to commercial areas from residential areas in a healthy way with the benefit of expanding local business. A paved path would bring more people without the skills to ride on an unstable inconsistent surface to Sisters' parks to enjoy the various festivals by providing a safe, healthy, emission-reducing connection to existing amenities that make our town a great tourist destination and place to live, like the Peterson Ridge Multiuser Trail system with its kiosks, location signs, maps and links to websites.

When speaking with people from Tollgate and Crossroads about the paved path, all the mothers I talked to said they would feel that the kids were safer on paved paths. They've seen their kids lose control of their bikes on dirt and gravel roads. Mothers said their little girls would not ride a mountain bike in the dirt but would cruise into school on a paved path.

I took time to walk the proposed path to Tollgate and Crossroads after hearing people saying the paved path came in and through these communities. It doesn't. The proposed Crossroads-to-school path connects to a fire-exit easement rather than going to the entrance road. This location provides a shorter route to school for the kids, and most importantly keeps them off Highway 242. Take a look at the degraded side of this road that some people think it is OK to risk our kids' lives on instead of a safe, well-surfaced trail.

The homeowner who lives adjoining the proposed entrance route to Crossroads said he was happy to have the path there. He planned to make great use of it, and people using it caused him no concern about increased crime or misuse of the trail.

Maintenance was another issue raised at the community meeting. I attended a "Thank you to Volunteers" event where there were 4,000 volunteer hours put in this past year, with Sisters Trails Alliance providing 2,100 of those hours. Responsible people who make use of this fantastic asset to our community will take part in the maintenance, as has been done on the Peterson Ridge Trail.

ADA compliancy was never intended.

I am disabled.

I am visually impaired, mobility impaired, balance impaired, and I have titanium rods and screws from my knee to ankle.

I also suffer from post traumatic stress.

Before moving to Sisters, my husband and I vacationed in Black Butte Ranch because their paved path allowed me (wheelchair-bound at that time) access to the trees and forest creatures.

I spent 4-1/2 hours last week doing trail maintenance on dirt hiking and biking trails, and it was extremely difficult with my limitations.

I relish the thought that one day I might be able to cruise my bike on a paved path through the forest to a destination like Black Butte Ranch for a Sunday brunch.

To hear anyone say they don't support the paved path because it is not ADA compliant for visual or hearing impaired people, when it allows accessibility to so many other people with physical or processing issues, is preposterous.

I agree with neighbors and friends that this project is worth supporting for the benefit of our town's present and future.