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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-04 - BPAC Minutes Meeting Minutes DESCHUTES COUNTY BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE Thursday, April 4, 2013 - Noon to 2:00pm Sisters City Hall Audio recording of this meeting is archived for review and/or transcription. The purpose of this document is to outline topics of discussion and actions by the Committee. Members Present: Mary Barron, Bill Braly, Pam Hardy, Cheryl Howard, Phyllis Lewis, Michele Simms, Agency: City of Bend – Rick Root; Bend Metropolitan Organization – Commute Options – Kim Curley, Jeff Monson; Deschutes County - Peter Russell Call to Order Meeting was called to order at 12:06 p.m. Introductions Approval of Prior Minutes The minutes of March 7, 2013, were approved. Katie Williams, Black Butte Ranch Black Butte Ranch (BBR) markets itself as a base camp for cycling tourism, in particular stressing how family friendly they are in terms of biking. Visitors often bring bikes, but BBR does rent bikes (~125 in fleet) as well as helmets. Rentals are often sold out. BBR has 18 miles of bike trails itself and offers easy access to Petersen Ridge Trail, Suttle Tie, Lake Creek Trail, etc. BBR now supports the Sisters Trail Alliance (STA) by offering $1 increase in registration fees that is then passed on to the STA. BBR also supports STA’s proposal for a multi-use path between Sisters and BBR. Main demographic for BBR is affluent people between 35 and 54 years old. Maret Pajutee, USFS, Sisters Ranger District, Whychus Creek Trail Provided a history of how Squaw Creek was rediscovered, ultimately resulting in a Wild and Scenic River designation for portions of Whychus Creek, general riverbank restoration, removal of unpaved roads, and trail development between 1988-2010. The Whychus Portal Project is a $1.7 million effort with some funds raised by area businesses. The USFS goal is to manage trails while protecting the river. ; Gary Guttormsen, Sisters Trail Alliance. Reviewed new trails in STA system and said there would be a June workshop in how to transform an existing unpaved road into a mountain bike or hiking trail. The STA and City of 2 Sisters have coordinated on various trails and paved path. The Sisters-Tollgate-BBR trail is one example, which has been submitted for consideration to be included in Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) 2015-18 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The project has been broken into two phases, with Sisters- Tollgate/Crosswater as the first phase. STA hopes the phasing will increase the chance of the project being funded. Tollgate/Crosswater to BBR would be Phase II. The ultimate would be a Phase III that linked BBR to the Metolius Basin. STA has updated its free paper map of the trail system and plans to have a waterproof version for sale in May. Paul Bertagna, City of Sisters Reviewed recent sidewalk and multi-use path improvements in the city, including multi-use paths to and between the high school and middle school. The City has added a paved path between the downtown and the Bi-Mart/Ray’s commercial complex on the west side of town. There also improved Safe Routes to School between the elementary school and the Edge of the Pines neighborhood. Other desired paved multi-use paths would link Sisters Airport (Eagle Air Park) to town and an east-west path from Pine Street to Locust, and Elm Street to Petersen Ridge Trail with bike lockers at the Village Green. Alexandra Phillips, Oregon State Parks Scenic Bikeway Program Revealed the Madras Mountain Views route should be designated in May. The signing should be completed soon for the Metolius Loops route as this scenic bikeway has the most complex routing in the state. For those proposed Scenic Bikeways that were rejected, the submitters can work with local jurisdictions to remedy the identified deficiencies and resubmit. BPAC Business Tabled due to time constraints. Updates City of Bend: Riverside bike project is due to go to construction this summer. Commute Options: Looking for volunteers to cycle on Thursdays and Fridays with kids who’ve recently graduated from bike education classes. Deschutes County: The most recent draft of the County’s bike guide was shown and discussed. Staff will check on whether portions of Cloverdale to US 20 and Plainview to US 20 were supposed to have been included. ODOT: None City of Redmond: None. City of Sisters: None. South County: None 3 Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 2 p.m. and attendees went to west end of Sisters to discuss potential future path connections and/or routings with Santiam Trail near Ray’s.