City Council OKs Expenditure for Reconstruction of City's Trails
Park Development Fund providing the financing
Trail segments targeted
By Leigh Ann Maze
Some of Saratoga's ailing trails are about to get a facelift. The City Council unanimously approved $29,500 for trail reconstruction in a joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission on April 25. Mayor Stan Bogosian and Vice Mayor John Mehaffey were absent.
The money comes from the $2,442,000 Park Development Fund, $100,000 of which was earmarked for trail reconstruction by the council in October. The fund may be spent on trail reconstruction and improvement only, not maintenance.
The approved money will be used for the reconstruction of eight trail segments in the Mt. Eden Road and Parker Ranch areas. Six trail segments in the Parker Ranch area will have brush cleared, foliage trimmed, erosion controlled, signs posted and damage fixed that is believed to have been caused by mountain bikers, who are not allowed on the trails.
Two trail segments in the Mt. Eden area will have drainage repaired, areas re-graded, brush cleared and signs posted.
The city's public works department will oversee the trail work. The Trail Center, a Los Altos based nonprofit organization that promotes trails, is expected to begin work this summer. Some work will likely be contracted out as well, according to public works director John Cherbone.
The network of ailing trails in Saratoga has been maintained for the last 10 years mainly by community volunteers. People, such as Saratogan Teri Lynn Baron who created the Saratoga Trail Enthusiasts and its 200 members, have coordinated many volunteer efforts to maintain the trails.
Sheila Ioannou, a parks and recreation commissioner, is happy that the city will help its trails. "As a city we should take some responsibility for our trails," Ioannou said. "Saratoga's trails are important and the volunteers who have taken the helm over the last 10 years should not be expected to do it all." Ioannou is on the three- member parks and recreation commission subcommittee formed in February to specifically address trail needs. Working with the Saratoga Trail Enthusiasts, they identified those segments of trail in most need of immediate repair.
Also at the April 25 meeting, the parks and recreation commission recommended that the city put aside money every year for trail maintenance, since the Park Development Funds cannot be used in that way. They asked that $20,000 be budgeted for the next fiscal year, based on The Trail Center's estimate for weeding and cutting back brush twice a year at 50 cents per linear foot of trail.
The recommended $20,000 for trail maintenance was included in the city's 2000/2001 fiscal year proposed budget, which was presented to the council on April 25. The final budget will be decided on by the council in June.
Commissioners also recommended that the city evaluate the Tank Trail in the Parker Ranch area, which has been closed since last year because of a slide area.
According to interim city manger, William Norton, the city already had an engineering firm look at the trail. The firm estimated that it would cost between $100,000 and $120,000 to fix the trail. "That's a lot of money to spend on one portion of one trail," Norton said. "Right now we're reviewing the estimate and determining the best way to go."
According to Ioannou, the commission is hesitant to spend the entire $100,000 in one or two areas of Saratoga, when the trail money should go to improving trails throughout the city. The commission will postpone budgeting the rest of the $100,000 until more user groups, besides the Trail Enthusiasts, come forward with project ideas.
In addition, the commission operates a trail grant program. It allows trail users to receive grants for materials to help improve the trails they personally use. A group may come to the commission and ask for amounts of less than $5,000. Amounts over $5,000 require council approval. In fact, the commission has already spent about $800 of the $100,000 in a trail grant to the enthusiasts group, according to Ioannou.
The Parks and Recreation Commission invites comments on trails from hikers, bikers and equestrians. The commission also encourages trail users, or any members of the public, to attend its monthly meetings, held the first Monday of each month. Contact city staff liaison to the commission, Cary Bloomquist at 408.868.1258.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
