Present:
Sue Buettell, David Dehlendorf, Eileen Drath, Louise Dustrude, Rick Exstrom, Greg Findley, Marilyn Findley, David Harsh, Eleanor Hartmann, Alice Hurd, Liz Illg, Don Jarrell, Dick Keefe, Peter Morrison, Cinda Pierce, Mark Pierce, Tracy Roberson, Leslie Veirs
Notices of Upcoming Events
1. Work Parties:
- Roche Harbor Trails: 9 – noon on October 14, 21 and 28. Meet at the water treatment plant on Roche Harbor Road.
- Land Bank: 9 – noon on October 16 and 18. Meet at Saunders property on Cattle Point Rd.
2. Next Trails Steering Committee: November 4 at 4 pm at the library. All are welcome.
3. Next regular Trails monthly meeting: November 12 at 5 pm in the community room at the Whidbey Island Bank.
4. Trails Potluck Dinner: January 28th at the Grange at 6:00- 8 pm.
5. Bicycle Paths: Meeting on October 20 at 5 pm.
Call Tracy Roberson at 378-6920 for a location.
| Volunteer Hours for September |
|
| September Steering Committee: |
9
|
| October Steering Committee: |
5.5
|
| Today’s meeting: |
23
|
| General volunteer hours reported by attendees: |
37
|
| Work Parties: (all on Land Bank projects) |
65
|
| Roche Harbor Stewardship Group: |
43
|
| Total Hours: |
182.5
|
Call to Order and Introductions
The regular meeting was called to order by Chairperson David Dehlendorf at 5:00. Minutes from the September meeting were approved as circulated by email.
Thank You
Thank you to Don Jarrell, Eileen Drath, Louise Dustrude and Alice Hurd for all their service as
officers for the last year.
Joint Hike
The Joint Hike with the Orcas Pathways, originally scheduled for October 11, has been cancelled.
January Potluck
Eileen announced the January Potluck for the Trails Committee, which will be Wednesday, January 28 at the Grange at 6 - 9 pm. She suggested members bring pictures of their favorite or recent hikes to share with other members.
2009 Budget
Don Jarrell, Rick Exstrom, Cinda Pierce and David Dehlendorf presented the San Juan Island Trails budget to the board of directors of Island Rec on October 2. A spreadsheet was shared as to the possible expenditures totaling $4127. We proposed to the board that it continue to allocate to us $4,500 in funding for 2009. We may, however, experience a reduction when the final budget is approved due to budgetary issues at Island Rec.
Land Bank purchase
David Dehlendorf reported that the Land Bank recently announced that in collaboration with the San Juan Preservation Trust (SJPT), it has reached an agreement to purchase three 40-acre parcels owned by the Sundstrom family at the southwest corner of San Juan Valley Rd. and Douglas Rd. These three parcels are currently used as pasture, with the Land Bank intending to continue to lease them for this purpose in the future. The Sundstrom family will retain ownership of a fourth 40-acre parcel to the south along Douglas Rd.
Two of the three parcels to be purchased make up the entire frontage on the south side of San Juan Valley Rd. between Douglas Rd. and Strawberry Lane. After they are purchased, the Land Bank will place conservation easements on these two properties and then sell them to the San Juan Preservation Trust. This transaction may create an option for the proposed Pipeline Trail, specifically for the trail segment between Douglas Rd. and Strawberry Lane. There is substantial standing water during winter months alongside of San Juan Valley Rd. that would make construction of a trail segment next to the road very difficult. David and Don Jarrell will discuss this possibility with the Land Bank and the SJPT in the near future. One challenge will be to avoid any possible conflict between the proposed trail and usage of the properties as pasture.
Sue Buettell agreed to send notes of appreciation to the Sundstrom Family the Land Bank and the San Juan Preservtion Trust.
Progress report - Roche Harbor Resort Trail Project
The current project includes the repair and closing of gaps in the fencing that runs along the airport runway. There will be weekly work parties on Tuesdays during October on the 14, 21, 28 to complete the project.
Progress Report - Park to Park Trail
The proposed Park to Park Trail runs between the County Park on West Side Rd. and the Land Bank's Limekiln Preserve and from there to Lime Kiln Point State Park. Charlie Peckinpaugh, Rex Stickle, and David Dehlendorf will meet with Public Works Thursday, October 9, to continue to discuss how to build the trail and how the allocated money might be used.
Progress Report - Cattle Point Road
Cinda and Mark Pierce have concentrated on the eight property owners who have received easement packets, by contacting them personally or by phone. One trail may be etched out this winter. Two property owners feel it would be an invasion of their privacy and are currently not in favor of the easements. All others are in favor of the concept. Thursday the 16th and Saturday the 18th of October will be Land Bank work parties on Cattle Point Road from 9am – noon. Don Jarrell, Cinda Pierce and Mark Exstrom are meeting with Rachel Dietzman on the 14th to discuss the $10,000 we currently have for this project and how it could be spent. A suggestion was made that the Trails Committee have a presentation on the model private easement process to keep the committee members informed, as it is the hope that this model will be “the” model for all future easements. Each easement is individualized for each owner and the Land Bank has agreed to take leadership in this effort. Discussion ensued about due diligence on the title of these easement properties and Dick Keefe volunteered to serve as a resource in this effort.
Upgrades to website
Don Jarrell shared that Louise Nishitani and Ann Jarrell have catalogued plants along the hiking trails that will be added as links on the Trails website. Tremendous thanks to Louise and Ann for their efforts. Cinda Pierce suggested that there be a chairperson in charge of each trail on the website so that people who are interested in working on trails could have access to information.
Safe Routes to School/Walking School Bus
Eileen Drath discussed the significant effort and dedication of the people who are helping with this project. There were 63 students who walked to school this morning using the Walking School Bus. There was a police officer at each crossing. Stickers were handed out to the students at various locations. The Sheriff, Fire Department members and the EMTs were also involved in this morning’s event. Tracy Roberson shared that there is a committed group of people who are making this work. Liability is covered by the school and volunteers can complete a simple form to participate. Susan Williamson, Tracy Roberson and Mark Islam are taking volunteers. There are two routes and at least two adults are needed per route. When the students arrived at school there was nutritious food for each of them. There was also very nice coverage in the on line Journal. The project is starting small but the group is planning to expand the routes in the future.
Bicycle corner
There will be a meeting Friday, October 20th at 5 pm and location TBD to brainstorm ideas regarding bike paths and to identify some action items. Interested people should call Tracy Roberson at 378-6920 for information about the meeting location.
Open Forum
Liz Illg reported that all of the outcomes and ideas from the recent Transportation Summit are posted to the www.islandway.org/transummit site. There will be hard bound copies in the libraries, as well as videos from the summit. If anyone has an interest in grant writing, Liz has the information from the table tops that could be of use. About 200 people attended the very successful and well received event.
National Parks Report
The National Parks Service has received approval for its General Management Plan for the Mitchell Hill area and that process will continue.
Work Parties
We need to be sure the work parties are posted on the web site.
The meeting adjourned at 6:14 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Buettell
Secretary
