Plans for extending trails and acquiring additional recreational land will be discussed Nov. 7 at a Trails Open House hosted by South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District staff and commissioners.
The public will be able to review the draft Trail Management Plan and the overall linked Trail Network Plan.
Comments will also be taken on new trail routes within Trustland Trails and the Community Park campground plan.
Trustland Trails is a 200-acre preserve near Highway 525 just off Craw Road. It currently features a 1.3-mile, multi-use trail, a quarter-mile connector trail and a quarter-mile ADA loop trail. The paved nature loop can be used by people in wheelchairs and for those who require a flat, smooth surface on which to walk.
About one year ago, after South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District crews constructed a new wooded pathway within Trustland Trails, neighbors complained that the trail was too close to their property and that they’d been left out of the trail planning process.
The Trustland Trails development plan, devised in 2008, stated that the district would regularly consult the neighborhood regarding trail development and management. A decision was made to halt further construction of the trail and logs were placed in front of it to block access.
One neighbor says the new trail proposal isn’t really new.
“The current plan is exactly the same as that to which the neighbors objected,” Richard Panzer said. “Our objections have already been ignored once. There is no reason to believe that the district will listen to us now.”
Panzer said he’s not as directly affected by the trail plan as his Craw Road neighbors, whose property lies within 10 to 20 feet of the proposed trail. An alternative plan that he and five neighbors submitted to park commissioners kept a distance of at least 200 feet between hiking trails and private property lines, he said.
Despite the attempt to block the section of the 650 feet of trail already built, Panzer said he’s seen hikers, stray dogs and litter on it.
A map of new Trustland proposed trails shows it will include an old logging road and that the park district will use barriers or signage to direct trail users away from private property.
The proposed acquisition of 40 acres of property near South Whidbey Elementary and Primary schools will also be discussed at the open house, along with the status of the grant applications to help purchase the land.
The two tracts of land are directly across the street from Community Park on private property that kids have cut through on their way to school for many years. Known as the Waterman Trails acquisition, two grants would cover its purchase price, which is $596,000.
This past summer, Parks Director Doug Coutts gave U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen a tour of the woods that have some rough paths.
“All of this could be developed,” Coutts told the congressman as they walked in the speckled sunlight among the pines. “If the district can’t secure funding to purchase, it will most likely be logged, subdivided and sold for commercial lots.”
The idea of creating a campground within South Whidbey Community Park was sparked when the state closed South Whidbey State Park to overnight campers three years ago as a safety precaution against rotting trees.
The South Whidbey campground plan includes three loops. Loop A, which has been approved for state funding, would have 10 to 12 campsites, two of which will accommodate people with disabilities.
• Trails Open House is 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District Office, 5475 Maxwelton Road, Langley. The draft Trail Management Plan is online at http://swparks.org/about.
