The veteran member of San Jose's city staff had spent years as a department of transportation civil engineer when he saw an employment posting for a new city trails coordinator.

"A lot of engineers get stuck in an office," Zsutty says, "and I saw this as an opportunity to engineer a project, be out there and really understand it and see it grow and develop."

Zsutty, who graduated from Willow Glen High School in 1982, went on to San José State University to major in civil engineering. He interned with the city and upon graduation took a job with the department of transportation, where he worked on projects involving traffic light timers and designing more efficient traffic light control stations. But after 10 years with the department, followed by 18 months with the San Jose Department of Public Works, he jumped at the chance to apply for the city council's newly created trails coordinator position with the San Jose Department of Parks and Recreation.

"The position really appealed to me because I am a hiker and a biker, and what also drives me is the opportunity to be creative in my job," Zsutty says. "What I saw here was the opportunity to put enhancements in the trail system."

These enhancements might involve creating more attractive trail gateways or linking trails to retail and commercial centers so the trails have more of a "commute" function.

Zsutty's been on the job for a month, but his experience with hiking the Los Gatos Creek Trail as well as the Almaden Quicksilver County Park in San Jose and the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve in the Los Altos Hills has exposed him to a diverse array of opinions from other hikers about the trail system's progress.

He believes people look at trails "in a rather straightforward way," adding, "I think that's where there's frustration." He says some people believe that making trails is as simple as just laying down asphalt.

"But the truth is, you have to work with a lot of permitting agencies and coordinate with inter-jurisdictional agencies. You need to get the community on board to agree on what the alignment's going to look like. You need to see if you can intersect with any parks, and I think the public and council members look at the trails and wonder why this can't be done sooner," Zsutty says. "There are just a lot of challenges. And it's my job to pursue those challenges."

One of those challenges is the city's goal of converting the abandoned Union Pacific railroad rails that run through northern Willow Glen into interim trails.

To help fund that project he submitted a request to the federal government for some funding under the Transportation Equity Act, which provides for grants for improving transportation projects nationwide.

But even with federal funding, the city is still going to help Zsutty any way it can.

"The department of parks and recreation is getting as much support as possible to get as much done as soon as possible," says San Jose District 6 City Council member Ken Yeager, who is also a marathon runner. Yeager wants the city to finish connecting the Los Gatos County Creek and Guadalupe Creek trails.

In an effort to see this completion become a reality Yeager was instrumental in convincing the city council that a trails coordinator position was necessary, but council rules prohibit council members from interviewing prospective applicants.

"I know it was a very competitive position," Yeager said, "but in the couple of weeks he's been on the job he's provided some impressive reports."

While Zsutty seeks and waits for federal funding or other financial assistance, he relies on his hiking experiences to help him visualize how the trails could reach their full potential.

He said he got ideas from seeing trails in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"I was at the Stanley Park facility, which is basically Vancouver's answer to Golden Gate Park, and it's just a beautiful piece of land," Zsutty says. "But the trail goes along the water and through the woods, and what's appealing about it is that you've got urban views but there are lots of natural elements to enjoy as well."

He'd like to eventually see the trails lead to coffee shops in the neighborhoods "so it's a place where you could spend a lot of time just meandering."

He adds, "I think it would be great for our trail system in San Jose to be more of a destination in and of itself."

One of his duties is to look into inter-jurisdictional issues, such as working with neighboring cities, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and Caltrans.

"It's not just San Jose's trail system," Zsutty says. "There are all these agencies we need to work with; there's the fish and game bureau; there's permits—all those things, and I want to begin building relationships so we can get things done a little more quickly."

There are several ongoing trail-related projects, so he's working with city staff to compile a database listing every project, which will enable him to access data quickly if anyone—from the public or the city—wants to know a particular project's status.

But Zsutty knows that it won't just be cyclists, runners, joggers or hikers who'll be asking.

He says that those most wanting to see the parks program completed are families out for strolls.

"It seems to me it's the entire community who's most interested," Zsutty says. "And I think the trails need to be designed with the entire community in mind," including those who use wheelchairs and canes. He is also looking for ways to accommodate inline skaters or skateboarders, but it's too soon to say, he adds.

What's also up in the air is whether some trails will be subject to the same city ordinances as public parks when it comes to hours of usage. Some parks are off-limits during the night.

"If we look at the trails as a commuters' path, it doesn't make sense to say that it's closed to the public at a certain time of day," he says. "If you're riding your bike to work you've basically lost your route home."

Zsutty has spent most of his professional life working for the city, and as a native of the area he expects to stay.

"There's a lot of work and opportunities to keep me busy for a few years," he says.