Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2016 03 09

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes February 10th 2015 Page 4 of 7 2) Scott also introduced proposed trail improvements in the area, and asked the board for any comments or suggestions for things this plan may have missed. The plan includes a soft surface trail running south along the western edge of Harney Lastoka and a sidewalk across the street, running along the west side of Hwy. 42. There was also talk of a new trail east through Cottonwood Park, paralleling South Boulder Rd., with the goal of providing pedestrians an alternative to the sidewalks on South Boulder Rd. This project would also include an underpass of South Boulder Rd. at Cottonwood Park. Laura commented that she was very enthusiastic about all of this but also wanted to see the trail realigned through Cottonwood Park, as that was an important part of the Open Space Wayfinding plan. Scott said that there would be a Cottonwood Park re- design project, and re- routing the trails through the property would be part of it. Chris inquired about an underpass further east in the higher- density areas closer to Main St. Scott told the board that City Council has directed against this, as the local property owners didn't like the idea, but Council did suggest crossing improvements. Laura asked whether the final trail alignment from Steel Ranch to Hwy 42 has been determined, as the plans for this trail connection have evolved several times over the years. Scott confirmed that it has, and that the Hw 42 underpass that connects towards Hecla Lake is still part of the plan. Ember requested that the Small Area map specifies information clarifying what is a trail vs. sidewalks connection. Linda asked for details about any rules /codes for trails next to railway tracks. Scott said that as long as the trail isn't on the actual railroad property the City can do what they want, but the underpasses under the tracks have lots of restrictions. Linda asked if there are the plans for changes to the railroad. Scott said that there are some infrastructure improvements that can be done to make the crossings silent. Staff has been suggesting these improvements into city CIPs. Spencer asked Joe whether the Open Space and Parks Fund would be tapped for these underpasses. Joe said that there would be alternative funding for each of these, thought the Open Space and Parks Fund might contribute to each. Chris asked about timelines for the underpasses. The eastern ones might be within 5 years, but the underpass at Cottonwood would likely be more like 5 -10 years. The board was pleased to see trail linkages included in this plan. On Feb. 11, this plan will be put to the Planning Commission to review. On March 10, the Planning Commission will vote whether to adopt it. On March 29, the City Council will be asked to review it. IX. Discussion Item- Preferred Surface Material for Davidson Mesa Parking Lot (Natural Surface vs. Asphalt) Susan Loo from City Council wanted OSAB to weigh in on this issue. Jeff provided some background. Susan is on Davidson Mesa a lot and is often approached about the west -side parking lot. It gets a huge amount of use, and gets very muddy in the winter and dusty in the summer. People are complaining. Sue brought the idea of paving the lot to Council last week as a potential CIP. The Council thought they should consider it, but also ask the Open Space Advisory Board to weigh in on the conversation. Susan had pointed out that the nearby section of McCaslin was being resurfaced soon, so there might be some advantageous timing. Jeff wasn't sure there would be any true economy of scale associated with the timing of paving the lot while re- surfacing McCaslin, and wanted to simply find the correct solution. Joe pointed out the original concept of the site was to keep the Davidson Mesa lot soft - surface, and pave the Harper Lake lot to help differentiate which property was Open Space and which was park like. Joe said that since the underpass, user traffic has skyrocketed, and staff has had to quadruple maintenance. Since the lot is unpaved, there is no snow plowing on the lot, but people drive onto it anyways, which tears it up. Mike expressed his