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Easements should allow trail system to proceed PRESCOTT – Years of planning and negotiating on the city's Greenways trail system are finally yielding results. This week, City Parks and Recreation Director Jim McCasland presented the Prescott City Council with a list of public trail easements that will offer access along Miller and Granite creeks. The easements, which Prescott Trails and Open Space Coordinator Eric Smith and others have been working on for years, would link the existing Granite Creek Park Trail with Miller Valley Road and other portions of the downtown area. At their study session on Tuesday, council members considered a total of 10 creek-side areas that property owners are willing to turn over to the city – either as public easements, fee simple donations, or as a part of a land exchange. The creek-side property would connect up with the trail that the city earlier constructed through Granite Creek Park near the Roadhouse 69 restaurant. One segment of the new trail easement would run from the park out to Miller Valley Road near the McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Carl's Jr. fast food restaurants. Another segment would continue along Granite Creek through the downtown, toward the Prescott Mile-High Middle School campus. Although council members expressed support for accepting the easements, they had some questions about how the city would handle liability issues. City Attorney John Moffitt pointed out that if the city sets aside areas as open space, from which it does not make a profit, the property would fall under a state "recreational immunity." In early 2002, the city received a $511,970 Transportation Enhancement grant though the Arizona Department of Transportation for the Greenways Multi-Use Trail System. That money would go toward the development of the multi-use trail. As the city plans it, the trail would include about 3.5 miles along Miller and Granite creeks. Moffitt told the council this week that the city still has some details to complete in the public easement transfer. The matter will go back to the council for a vote at a future meeting, he said. Contact the reporter at cbarks@prescottaz.com Hike and bike to your heart's content Greenways trail leads from Granite Creek Park to Miller Valley Road and back again Eric Smith points out an area of Miller Creek behind McDonald's in Prescott Wednesday that will be part of the Prescott Greenways trail system that is currently in the works. Courier/Julie Machia He expects to take a number of agreements to the Prescott City Council in June, for possible approval of the public easements for the trail. If all goes as planned, Smith said the construction on the new stretch of trails should be under way by summer 2005. In all, he said the Greenways system would include just over three miles of creek-side trails. Over the past several years, the portion of the trail in West Granite Creek Park across the LaGuardia Bridge from the traditional Granite Creek Park has taken shape. Today, that system of well-maintained trails, bridges and benches is a popular destination for visitors looking for recreation, as well as those using the trails for transportation to the downtown area. Smith said the park trail, which fronts the Roadhouse 69 Restaurant, will continue to be the center of the Greenways system, even after the trail expansion. "This will always be the hub," Smith said this week, pointing to the tree-lined trail in the park. "(The city) still puts a lot of management into this area." For instance, more lights are in the works, and the city recently planted 14 species of wildflower seeds in the area. To expand the trail along Miller Creek toward Miller Valley Road, the city is working with about 10 property owners, several of whom have already signed over 15-foot-wide easements that will allow for the public trail. McDonalds, Carl's Jr., and Kentucky Fried Chicken are among the businesses that the city is working with for easements. "We've had really good dialogue with all of the property owners," Smith said. He maintains that the trail, which will include picnic areas, should be good for business. On the other side of Granite Creek Park, the city is also working on extending the Greenways through the Prescott Mile High Middle School grounds. An earlier agreement between the city and the school district sets out the terms for that easement. Smith pointed out that the city owns the stretch of creek-side property between Willis and Goodwin. The school district portion runs from Goodwin to Aubrey. A well-worn footpath already crosses that area. "Lots of people are already using it, and they're all trespassing," Smith said. The city plans to put in a wide trail similar to the one in Granite Creek Park to accommodate hikers, runners, and bicyclists. Although the Greenway system originally was supposed to stretch all the way to White Spar Road, Smith said the organizers have scaled it back to end at Aubrey. "We're trying to accomplish as much as we can with the one grant," Smith said, referring to the $500,000 transportation grant that the city received for the project in 2001. He said the grant amount should cover the cost of building the trail along Miller Creek, and from Granite Creek Park to Aubrey. Because the money came from the federal government, the city will have to hire a contractor to do the trail construction, Smith said, rather than using volunteers, as has been the practice for many other Prescott trails. The construction work through the middle school property must take place during the summer, Smith said, so he is looking ahead to the summer of 2005 for the work to begin. A future effort likely will target the portion of the trail from Aubrey to White Spar Road, Smith said. The former greenways coordinator, Francis "Pancho" Norris, did much of the early negotiation work on the Greenways easements, Smith said. After the money to pay for that position ran out, he added, "I picked up where he left off, but he really paved the way." A number of organizations are cooperating with the city on the Greenways project, including Prescott Alternative Transportation, the Open Space Alliance, the Prescott Creeks Preservation Association, the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee, and the Yavapai Trails Association. At each end of the trail, the city plans to construct "gateway" entrances, which will include signs and landscaping. Contact the reporter at cbarks@prescottaz.com |