PROPOSED MULTI-USE TRAIL Subcommittee Presentation to Trails - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PROPOSED MULTI-USE TRAIL

Subcommittee Presentation to Trails Committee August 14, 2018

History of Actions & Resolutions

• October 4, 2016: Girdwood Nordic Ski Club (GNSC) introduces trail

proposal to Girdwood Trails Committee (GTC)

• June 6, 2017: After months of discussion at monthly GTC meetings, GTC

moves to approve, in concept, Forest Loop Trail with the following conditions (passes 16 in favor, 6 opposed, 3 abstentions): 1) New Arlberg parking lot and Our Lady of the Snows are dual access

• ptions to the trail.

2) Trail is maximum 10' wide, hardened surface, with targeted maximum width of 14' clearing. 3) Design minimized visual impact on existing trails. 4) Design minimized environmental impacts. 5) Girdwood Trails Committee has ongoing input on trail design and construction, with specific review and approval once the center line is set.

History of Actions & Resolutions (cont’d)

• June 12, 2017: Girdwood Land Use Committee moves to recommend a

Girdwood Board of Supervisors (GBOS) Resolution of Support for the conceptual plan for the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club to design, build and maintain a Forest Loop Trail with the same conditions (passes 36 in favor, 5

• pposed, 3 abstentions).
• June 23, 2017: GBOS votes unanimously to approve Resolution 2017-08.
• March 27, 2018: GBOS Special Meeting. GBOS moves to clarify resolution

2017-08 to state that the GTC will vote on the proposed GNSC trail centerline at the April 2018 Girdwood Trails Committee meeting. The GTC and GNSC are to produce a preliminary trail plan that is recommended by GTC no later than the September 2018 GBOS meeting.

History of Actions & Resolutions (cont’d)

• April 3, 2018: Girdwood Trails Committee moves to approve the

proposed approximate alignment as presented by the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club. Approval of the motion is contingent upon an agreement with GNSC to create an appointed subcommittee of GTC and GNSC members. The subcommittee is charged with making a preliminary plan for the alignment, design and construction of the

• trail. The group will present this plan to the GTC as new business no

later than the August GTC meeting.

• April, 2018: Subcommittee members are appointed to represent

GNSC and GTC and include Eryn Boone (chair), Deb Essex, Peter Zug, Jim Braham, Julie Jonas, Ron Tenny, & Paul Crews.

Summary of Subcommittee Meetings

• Subcommittee met 8 times over 4 1/2 months for approximately 2 hours

per meeting.

• All meetings were publicly noticed and held in the Girdwood Community

Room and were open to the public. Public comments (3 minutes maximum per person) were accepted at each meeting (verbal or written).

• The subcommittee’s recommendations were arrived at after a long period
• f time in which many concerns were aired. The proposed trail is on public

land, and the public has requested to be involved due to the history of GNSC’s construction of the 5K loop. We learned and worked together throughout this process to develop this new trail as a welcomed and usable community asset.

Summary of Subcommittee Meetings

• Agenda topics included:
• Subcommittee Goal & Objectives (see subcommittee documentation)
• 5K Loop History
• Public comments, subcommittee responses (see subcommittee documentation)
• Open Meetings Act
• Trail alignment (see trail map dated 8/10/18)
• Trail width and class
• Trail access route(s)
• Trail specifications & building techniques (see Trail Specifications document)
• Trail Management Objectives form (see completed TMO)
• Subcommittee’s recommendation and agreement for how GTC and GNSC shall move

forward in a collaborative manner (see Subcommittee Report to Trails Committee)

Subcommittee Goal & Objectives

GOAL:

• Develop a document that will guide the final routing, planning and construction of the

Forest Loop Multiuse Trail by August, 2018 Trails Committee meeting. OBJECTIVES:

• Select a final trail route plan that protects existing trail alignments while utilizing terrain

wisely in order to provide trail users with an enjoyable experience within a natural setting on a trail that has been constructed with minimal impact to the forest.

• Develop basic trail cross section plans to assure trail construction will remain within

agreed upon clearing limits. Develop a plan to select off trail gravel sources if needed.

• Develop trail specifications and construction requirements that trail construction

contractors and volunteers must follow.

• Develop draft TMO.

Public Comments Summary

• Received public comments from 7 individuals.
• Major concerns:
• Do not want to repeat mistakes made during 5K construction
• Minimizing environmental impacts
• Avoiding impact to Stumpy’s Trail viewshed
• Minimizing trail and clearing width
• Minimizing use of kettle, swale, and ravine features
• Reducing trail density
• Values of trail users and forest users should be assessed
• Area is one of the last pieces of Girdwood’s easily reachable wilderness, save it for

how it is now

• Gravel sources-take gravel from under the trail only
• Need for neutral overseer of the project during construction with stop-work

provisions

Open Meetings Act Summary

• Members of public stated concern that Subcommittee was not compliant

with (and later accused of deliberately ignoring) the Open Meetings Act (OMA). Specific concerns were meetings outside of public subcommittee meetings (forest walks and GNSC meeting with local contractors to gather information), emails between subcommittee members, and meeting minutes/documents not being made available.

• Subcommittee had no ill-intentions, and had no reason to be exclusive, but

was unaware up to this point of all of the rules of the OMA and that rules are more strict for an advisory-only body than a decision-making body.

• Once made aware, subcommittee reviewed the relevant parts of the OMA

and complied.

Trail Width Summary

• Paul conducted informal trail survey June 2, 2018 at the Crow Creek

Trailhead and at the 5K Loop Kiosk. Three of the 60 people he interviewed favored a 20 foot clearing; 57 of the 60 favored a 14 foot clearing.

• GNSC wanted the ability to utilize the resort’s/CPG’s donation of

piston bully grooming

• Found out that CPG’s piston bully is 16’ 3” wide. Subcommittee

discussed a wider trail clearing with narrower hardened surface to accommodate this. Concluded to stay with the approved 14 foot max targeted clearing/10 foot wide max hardened surface.

Trail Class Summary

• GNSC originally proposed new trail to be a Class 5 trail. Public

comments received shifted design to a Class 4 trail.

• Subcommittee reviewed Trail Class & Design Parameter Matrices

(designed use Cross-Country Ski/Nordic/Skate Ski) from the current Girdwood Trails Management Plan and agreed Class 4 is appropriate.

Trail Alignment Summary

• See trail map dated 8/10/18. This map was drawn in conjunction with Bill

Spencer.

• Subcommittee acknowledges that final alignment will be determined in the field

with oversite by Project Manager and a third party overseer designated by HLB and/or a GTC representative.

• Trail alignment has not changed significantly from what was approved by GTC

June 6, 2017, and April 3, 2018.

• Recommended alignment is approximately 4 km in length.
• Several segments were eliminated, per requests from public comments.
• Trail was moved away from some of the known wetter areas and away from

Stumpy’s viewshed as much as possible.

• Trail was moved or made less dense to reduce visibility of others traveling on

different parts of the same trail, per requests from public comments.

Trail Access Route(s) Summary

• Discussed the meaning of June 6, 2017 Trails Resolution: “New Arlberg

parking lot and Our Lady of the Snows are dual access options to the trail.”

• Some subcommittee members think this could allow access from both

locations, some think it could mean one or the other.

• Some members favor the Arlberg access heavily and think it will be easier

to build than the church route and reduce conflict with Stumpy’s trail,

• thers have concern about building the short section of trail across the

wetland (no designated wetlands on church route).

• Paul spoke to an Army Corps engineer about sinkage of a trail built on
• wetland. Soil Samples will be necessary. A National Wetland Permit /

Category 42 should be relatively easy to obtain.

Trail Access Route(s) Summary (cont’d)

• Subcommittee discussed utilizing already established Stumpy’s trail for the

connector trail to the loop, instead of building a new one (minimizing forest impacts). Subcommittee understands Stumpy’s is sacred to many and GNSC does not want to impact it. Decided to stay with separate access.

• Subcommittee members independently consulted with local contractors

and consensus was that Arlberg route looks feasible from the surface.

• Paul dug 15 test holes that showed access route from church would be

“gooey.”

• Subcommittee agrees that if feasible to build, Arlberg could be main access
• point. If this is the case, the access trail behind the church might be made
• smaller. Access point behind church is still desired for trail connectivity.

Trail Specifications & Building Techniques Summary

• See “Forest Loop Trail Specifications” document
• Discussed “flip-flop” method that allows for gravel extraction from the trail footprint, and

uses that space to bury organics. Subcommittee is split on whether this is the best method, but agrees it is one option.

• Discussed onsite gravel vs imported advantages: Less costly, less invasive species, less

travel time, and less fuel cost/use of fuel.

• Discussed allowing a wider clearing for approximately 5 or 10% of the trail for enough

gravel to be sourced on-site, but decided to stick with the approved 14’ targeted maximum.

• Subcommittee agrees gravel should either be sourced from under the 14’ clearing limit
• r imported from an offsite source free of invasive species. Any other potential gravel

source must be approved by the Project Manager and the land owner (or designated 3rd party overseer). This is in the Trail Specification document.

Trail Management Objectives Form Summary

• See “Trail Management Objectives Form”
• Specifies beginning and endpoints, length, designed use, difficulty

rating, elevation gain, level of use, design parameters, target frequency for maintenance, managed use, and prohibited use.

Subcommittee’s agreement for how GTC and GNSC shall move forward in a collaborative manner

• See “Subcommittee Report to Trails Committee” document
• GNSC will hire a Project Manager, who will oversee the project by following

the approved map dated 8/10/2018, the Trail Specifications, and TMO produced by the subcommittee (and approved by the GTC/GBOS).

• GTC shall receive monthly updates from GNSC or designee throughout the

entirety of the project. Topics may include but not limited to: Timetable, project manager status, trail alignment (and any modifications pending), funding efforts; hiring of contractor (who shall have good track record, qualifications & experience); trail specifications adherence; stop work

• rders (if necessary).
• If requested by either, GNSC & GTC can hold joint meetings with the

contractor and/or Project Manager to iron out potential current, ongoing, and future issues.

Finished Documents Subcommittee is Presenting to Trails Committee

Primary documents:

• Subcommittee report to Trails Committee that includes proposed GNSC / GTC Agreement
• Forest Loop Trail Specifications
• Completed draft of Trail Management Objectives form
• Proposed trail alignment map dated 8/10/18

Supporting documents:

• Agendas & meeting notes
• Handouts used by the subcommittee
• Public comments & subcommittee responses
• Power Point presentation

The Subcommittee recommends that construction of the Forest Loop moves forward according to: the Trail Specifications, the Trail Management Objectives (TMO), the Trail Alignment (as depicted on map dated 8/10/2018), and the Agreement within the Subcommittee Report to Trails Committee document.

Questions, Comments, Discussion?