Warrenton city manager Bob Maxfield announces formation of an Adopt a Park or Trail Program. He says its designed for any individual or community group that’s interested in adopting a section of trail or a park. Work varies from cleaning litter to general maintenance, but the city will do the heavy stuff.
City trails coordinator Sara Shewell is going back to school. She’ll complete her degree in environmental science at Portland State University. At last night’s city commission meeting, Mayor Gil Gramson recognizes Shewell’s hard work with a public presentation.
Shewell says her replacement through the RARE program will continue to coordinate and manage volunteers. City commissioner Mark Kujala says that person will have big shoes to fill.
A trails master plan will be submitted to the city commission next month for approval. The plan has been worked on by the Warrenton Trails Association since 2003. Shewell brought maps to the table but says a lot of people have worked on the plan. When adopted, the plan opens up the city to grant funding opportunities. Shewell says the airport dike grant benefited from mention of the master plan. The two-mile Warrenton waterfront trail is now completed. Twenty volunteers put in delineator posts over the past weekend. “Obviously I’m very excited about it,” Shewell enthuses. She expects the momentum to continue.
The pieces come together to finance the paving of a bike lane along DeLaura Beach Road. That’s the southern terminus of the larger loop system that stretches from Warrenton. The city commission last night approves an intergovernmental agreement with ODOT last night that spells out the cost sharing, including a $148,800 ODOT grant for the trail route facilitated by Congressman David Wu. Actual construction may cost up to $660,000. The city expects to receive $220,000 from the county’s sale of the DeLaura Beach property to Oregon State Parks. Other grant monies will also be sought. City manager Bob Maxfield says the city has ten years to complete the work but says in all practicality it will likely be done sooner. Maxfield says the agreement requires bike lanes on both sides of Delaura Beach Road; he says the city will work with ODOT to proceed with just one bike lane since that’s all that’s really desired.
