Centerville City Trails Committee meeting held January 23, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Business Conference Room, 250 North Main, Centerville, Utah.

          MEMBERS PRESENT:                 David M. Chamberlain

                                                                  Timothy Hawkes, arrived at 8:20 p.m.

                                                                   Ken McGuire, Chair

                                                                   Craig Monson

                                                                   Stephanie Wheatley  

            MEMBERS ABSENT:                   Jared Poulson

                                                                    Mark Lee

           STAFF PRESENT:                         Steve Thacker, City Manager

                                                                   Blaine Lutz, Finance Director/Assistant City Manager

                                                                   Bruce Cox, Parks Supervisor

                                                                  Kathy Streadbeck, Recording Secretary                                    

           MINUTES REVIEW AND APPROVAL

              The minutes of the Trails Committee meeting held November 28, 2006 were reviewed.  Craig Monson made a motion to approve the minutes as written.  The motion was seconded by David Chamberlain and passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

           TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT GRANT

           Blaine Lutz, Finance Director, reported that UTA has asked Centerville to apply jointly for the Transportation Enhancement Grant to develop the D&RGW railroad corridor into a trail system (DRGW Trail).  This trail will extend from Centerville to Roy on the north and tie into the Legacy Parkway trail system on the south.  The trail will be broken into sections by city and each city will be applying for a grant as co-sponsors with UTA.  Centerville’s section of the trail will be approximately 2 miles.  The trail is proposed to include a 10-foot wide asphalt path with an equestrian path to the side.  Each city has also been asked to match some funds.  Centerville’s contribution would be approximately $35,000.  This is about 7% of the total cost.  The application is due February 1, 2007.  The City Council will be meeting on this item in the next week.  Mr. Lutz asked the Trails Committee for their thoughts and opinion.

           The Committee agreed this trail would be a great benefit for the community at a minimal investment and recommended the City move forward with a joint application for the Transportation Enhancement Grant.

            Mr. Lutz explained that UTA will most likely get the majority of the Transportation Enhancement Grant funds.  He said the application for the same grant by the City for the Frontage Road improvements (as discussed at the last meeting) may be a moot point.  He said the Committee may want to take a closer look at the Frontage Road improvements and re-apply next year with a more complete plan.

          The Committee discussed options for the Frontage Road improvements.  They discussed widening the Frontage Road to allow for bike lane striping instead of building a separate bike path.  They agreed to re-evaluate the Frontage Road project and apply for the grant next year.

             Steve Thacker, City Manager, said he and Jared Poulson committed (at the last meeting) to look into bike lane standards.  He said he feels this will be the next step in re-evaluating the Frontage Road improvement.  The Committee agreed.

            Craig Monson made a motion to recommend to the City Council the delay of the Transportation Enhancement Grant application for the Frontage Road and co-sponsor an application with UTA for the DRGW Trail.  The motion was seconded by Stephanie Wheatley and passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

           GENERAL PLAN UPDATE

          Draft Outline of Trails Master Plan

          Craig Monson distributed a draft for the trails Master Plan, a portion of which would become a part of the City’s General Plan.  He said he added more detail to the outline reviewed at the last meeting.  He reviewed each section of the proposed draft with the Committee.  He said he used several resources to develop this draft and adopted some general standards.  He asked the Committee to review the draft, pick it apart and bring back suggestions to the next meeting.  He would then like to circulate the draft to City staff for further review.  Mr. Monson suggested getting input from stake holders, local businesses, and developers once the process is further along.  He also discussed the need to research motorized trails in the future.

          The Committee discussed the importance of drafting a document that is clear and user friendly.  This will ensure that trails are developed appropriately and as needed.  The Committee commended Mr. Monson for his work and committed to reviewing the draft for discussion at the next meeting.  

          Steve Thacker, City Manager, informed Mr. Monson that Ashley Messina has committed to heading up the Parks and Recreation portion of the General Plan update.  He said Ms. Messina may want to work and/or coordinate this effort with Mr. Monson.  The Trails Committee agreed that Trails and Parks and Recreation should be separate sections of the General Plan, but should have continuity and be cross referenced.              

           Report Re: Inventory of Existing Trails

          Stephanie Wheatley and David Chamberlain said they are still researching existing trails.  Mr. Chamberlain said this new draft will give him a new base for inventorying the trails.  They will report again next month.

             Community Survey

            Stephanie Wheatley said she has started putting together some ideas for a community survey.  Mr. Thacker suggested a survey may be more useful after the Committee discusses Craig’s draft of the Trails Master Plan.

            Joint Meeting with the Parks and Recreation Committee

            The Trails Committee agreed to postpone meeting jointly with the Parks and Recreation Committee until after February.

             TRAIL PROJECTS – Prioritize trails projects for funding decisions by City Council

             Steve Thacker, City Manager, distributed a Parks Improvement Master Plan Summary (dated November 2006).  This summary included a list of park and trail improvements and their estimated cost.  Mr. Thacker said the City hopes to receive $1.5 million from the sale of the 109 acres to UDOT.  The majority of this money will likely be used for park and trail improvements.  Mr. Thacker reviewed the entire list of improvements and recommended priorities.  He said the majority of the improvements are for parks, with a few trail improvements.

            The Committee generally agreed with the priorities presented.  However, the Committee also suggested earmarking an additional $100,000 for trail improvements.  This will allow for some seed money once the Committee has completed its Trails Master Plan and has agreed on some priorities.  Mr. Thacker agreed with this suggestion and said he would add this to the list of priorities to be presented to the City Council in the near future.

            ANTELOPE ISLAND STUDY COMMITTEE

            Steve Thacker, City Manager, distributed a letter from the Utah Department of Natural Resources.  He said they are asking for representatives from the community to commit to one meeting a month for the next five to six months.  These meetings will focus on updating the Resource Management Plan for Antelope Island State Park.  He said if anyone is interested or knows of individuals who might be interested to please let him know.

             NEXT MEETING

            The next scheduled Trails Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

             The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.                 

Ken McGuire, Chair                                                              Date Approved                  

Kathleen Streadbeck, Recording Secretary