|
Trails Master Plan Showing Results |
|
|
Written by Jeff Radford
Corrales Comment
|
|
Sunday, 07 February 2010 |
With Village Administrator John Avila now guiding implementation of the
2009 Corrales Trails Master Plan, things are actually happening —on the
ground.
It’s looking like Corrales might really have an integrated, village-wide trail system in the not-too-distant future.
As an example, Avila and Corrales Public Works Director Tony Tafoya
oversaw construction of a trail connection to the Thompson Fence Line
trail at the west end of Coronado Road last month.
The need for a trail connection at the top of Coronado had been talked
about (and talked about and talked about) at Corrales Bicycle,
Pedestrian Advisory Commission meetings for close to two years.
Now it’s done, or at least partially done.
Ever since the road was paved, Coronado sort of petered out before
reaching the Thompson Fence Line which serves as the Corrales-Rio
Rancho boundary along the escarpment.
Commission members were convinced public right-of-way continued on up
to the boundary, where a trail paved by Rio Rancho exists. But it was
never clear to trail users whether it was really okay to bike or walk
on up the short distance from the end of the pavement to the escarpment
trail. Was it trespass to do so? If there was a public way through the
“no man’s land” where was it?
The doubt is gone; the way ahead is clear and improved. Hikers, bike
riders and horses can go up Coronado to the top and go south to connect
to the Intel trail along the Corrales-Rio Rancho border south of
Meadowlark or go north as far as Sagebrush Drive where commissioners
and Village officials are talking with SSCAFCA about creating another
trail connection.
On the east side of Corrales, designated routes up the levee and into the Bosque Preserve are also being implemented.
A trail connection between the Corrales Acequia (‘first ditch”) and a
crosswalk on Corrales Road at the west end of the Corrales Elementary
School property has received preliminary engineering. That project is
being advanced through the Corrales Safe Routes to Schools program,
also now being tracked through the Corrales Trails Coordinating
Committee headed by Village Administrator Avila.
Participation on the trails coordinating committee is still a little
unsettled. Most interest so far has been shown by the Bicycle,
Pedestrian Advisory Commission, the Equestrian Advisory Commission,
Safe Routes to Schools, Corrales MainStreet, Inc., the Parks and
Recreation Commission and the Bosque Advisory Commission, but included
also are the Seniors Advisory Board and various Village personnel.
Two meetings have been held, both with strong attendance. Now the
meeting schedule has been scaled back to perhaps quarterly, with the
next coming April 20, 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers (old fire station).
But the clearest indication that a village-wide trails system is
actually in process for implementation is Avila’s project-tracking
spreadsheet.
His two-page list of trail-related projects headed “January 19, 2010
Status Update & Actions” has header columns for each group’s
efforts, start date, person responsible, costs and estimated completion
date.
While some of the action items or projects are on-the-ground, others are exploratory or coordination. Examples include:
• Sagebrush trail connection to Thompson Fence Line trail -field
meeting with Tony Tafoya, Lynn Siverts and John Avila to review the
trails map and walk trails, evaluate next actions and issues with
projects; Meet with Southern Sandoval Country Arroyo Flood Control
Authority executive director David Stoliker;
• Coronado Road trail connection- “Coronado path in place; will try
bike on trail, do we need cavaletti?” (horse walk-over logs intended to
deter dirt bikes)
• bike lanes or paths for “Access A” connection to Highway 528 from Far
Northwest Sector- check for federal money on paved bike lanes versus
legislative appropriations or impact fees; get estimates for paved bike
lanes;
• designate and install routes up Corrales levee into bosque - Bosque Advisory Commission approved signs and ramps on levee;
• bosque trail heads - need to meet with Conservancy District;
• equestrian path through future Corrales Senior Living complex (at
Seventh Day Adventists)- “met with developer; bridge over Main
Canal by May?”
• trail connection along Todos los Santos - investigate access;
• trail along Corrales Interior Drain- “meeting with Corrales
MainStreet, would like to concentrate activity east of elementary
school;”
• pathways along Corrales Road in commercial district- highway
department asks permission from property owners to place culverts along
Corrales Road;
• trail connecting Corrales Acequia and Corrales Library along
Village-owned Gonzales field- right-of-way for Village farmland
investigated;
• right-of-way along all public roads- identify encroachments that are most important to address for trails.
Those are just a few of the projects that Avila is tracking and presumably helping coordinate or nudge along.
Participating at the January 19 trails coordinating committee meeting
were Avila; Mo Hickey for Safe Routes to Schools; Holly Roberts for
Bicycle, Pedestrian Advisory Commission; Sally McGrath for Equestrian
Advisory Commission; Jim Kruger and Dee Turner for Corrales MainStreet;
David Worledge for Bosque Advisory Commission; Linda Fahey for Seniors
Advisory Board; Karen Kennicott for Parks and Recreation Commission;
and Cyndie Tidwell for Planning and Zoning Office. |
