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Home My WebLink About2002-05-20; Parks & Recreation Commission; 502-3; Citywide Trails Update and Status ReportPARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION -AGENDA BILL AB# 502-3 TITLE : INFO - MTG. DATE: 5-20-02 CITYWIDE TRAILS UPDATE AND STATUS REPORT 0 ACTION STAFF: KETABIAN RECOMMENDED ACTION : Accept and file Staff Report. I ITEM EXPLANATION : The Citywide Trails Program Report which was approved by City Council in November of 2001 , outlined a number of steps and recommendations required to begin the implementation of the trails program. Since that time some of those tasks have been accomplished and work continues on others. This report serves to update and inform the Commission of the progress being made on the Citywide Trails program. Work completed and currently underway pertaining to the Citywide Trails program includes the following: Review the Trails Program with the Planning Commission- (completed) A presentation on the Citywide Trails Program was given to the Planning Commission on February 6, 2002. Develop and Implement Financing Options as Directed by City Council -(completed) On February 12, 2002 City Council took action regarding the financing of the proposed Citywide Trail system, approving the use of General Funds to finance the acquisition, construction and maintenance of the trails system ( AB # 16,544). Hold a Public Workshop- (completed) Approximately 60 residents of Carlsbad attended this first public workshop for trails which was held at the Faraday Center on February 8, 2002. The Citywide Trails program and plans for the future Coastal Rail Trail were presented, questions were answered and an opportunity for public input was provided. Develop Protocol for Review of Developer Built Trails-(completed) A Protocol for Review of Developer Built Trails will be implemented to guide Planning, Engineering and Recreation staff in the review of private development submittals for compliance of trails per the Citywide Trails Program. The Protocol will be used for both Circulation Element trails, which are usually constructed as part of roadway improvement, and for Citywide Recreational trails that are built by developers in open space areas of master planned communities. A short training session is scheduled with Engineering and Planning staff later this month to review and initiate that process. Amend the General Plan to include the Citywide Trails Program in the Open Space, Parks and Recreation and Circulation Elements - (In Progress) At this time work is progressing on this task with staff recently completing it’s review of the Park and Recreation Element. Final editing of maps and formatting will be completed in the coming months, along with the Planning Departments work to amend the Open Space and the I3 AB# , Page 2 rc Circulation Elements. Staff will return to the Commission later this year for action regarding the request to amend the Park and Recreation Element. The projected target dates for going to City Council and to the Planning Commission are September or October. Opening Rancho Carrillo Trail System as a Public Trail-(In Progress) To implement and promote the Citywide Trails Program, staff has initiated the process of making those trails which were privately built and identified as part of the Citywide Trails system available' for public use. This process involves accepting Offers of Dedication for trail easements which were originally offered as part of the development of the housing project. Rancho Carrillo Trails will be the first in a series of many Citywide trails that will be going thru a final trail dedication process. These trails are in the Open Space areas contiguous to Leo Carrillo Park and also connect to an existing City of San Marcos trail at Carlsbad's eastern boundary (The trail layout of the Rancho Carrillo trails is shown on Exhibit 1). . Organize a Volunteer Base to Assist with Trail Construction, Maintenance and Promotion of the Trails - (In Progress) Staff coordinated with the Preserve Calavera group and trail volunteers, led by Gary Hill, and held a clean-up effort on April 20th at which 4 truckloads of trash were removed from the Calavera Lake Area. See the attached article from the North County Times, Exhibit 2). Future volunteer efforts for 2002-2003 may include the following: Trail Building- Larwin Park- Building of a trail from the upper site, (Dog Park) to the lower site. Trail Maintenance and Repair- As part of preparations to open the Rancho . Carrillo, La Costa Valley and Aviara trails to the public, volunteer assistance will be vital to insuring that the trails are in good condition for public use. Design a Brochure and Web Page to Promote the Trails Currently Available to the Community - (In Progress) Work continues on this task with development for brochure guides underway for the Hosp Grove and Rancho Carrillo Trails and a design for a web page which will include a map (see Citywide Trails Map, attached as Exhibit 3) identifying the trails available in the community and their relationship to other recreational opportunities such as our parks, lagoons and beaches. It is anticipated that the web page will be available early this summer. Although this is an informational report, staff will consider all comments from the Commission in an ongoing effort to provide a top quality recreational trails system in Carlsbad. Staff will be available to answer any specific questions that the Commission may have. EXHIBITS: ,- I. Rancho Carrillo Trails 2. NCT Article- Lake Calavera Volunteer Clean-up Effort 3. Citywide Trails Map Volunteers team with city to clean up lake area TIM MAYER Staff Writer CARLSBAD ---- Volunteers and city workers joined forces Saturday to help gather up everything from broken bottles to car parts ---- even an abandoned boat ---- from the shores and trails of Lake Calavera in eastern Carlsbad. The boat, abandoned by who-knows, was so waterlogged that workers had to cut it into a half-dozen pieces to move it, said city Public Works Supervisor Fred Burnell. "People come out here and dump a lot of things," he said. Saturday's cleanup, held in honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day, has become a regular event as volunteers and city officials try to keep a step ahead of people who seem to believe they can use the lakeside area as a dumping ground. But it's getting better, said Gary Hill, who brought a team of fellow employees from the Gemological Institute of America. .- "I think if we keep after it once or twice a year, we can keep it under control," Hill said. "Five years ago there were just huge piles of trash. It looked more like a dump than a recreation area." The 240 acres of brush and tree-covered open land that surrounds the lake is valuable to residents and should be cared for, said volunteer Tom Walker. "We've always come up and enjoyed the lake," said Walker. People who dump trash "just don't think about who's going to have to clean it up." "People are kooky if they dump trash everywhere," said son Tanner Walker, 6. Jamie Scott Lytle/Staff Photographer "You know how people are," said Mike Howes. "And we get to spend our weekend cleaning it up." "We're cleaning up because we want to," said Howes' son, Dylan, 8. "I don't like them to dump trash." Hill's wife, Denise, said it is important for people who live in the city to help make it a better place to live. Denise Hill of Carlsbad with her dog "Midnight" along with other volunteers and city workers cleaned up trash from trails and the shore of Lake Calavera Saturday morning. "If there's anything to do with open space or trails, we're going to be out there," she said. "If you are going to live in a community, you need to participate and help keep it nice." Contact staff writer Tim Mayer at (760) 901-4043 or tmayer@nctimes.com. e 412 1 /02 EXHIBIT 2 16 II \ EXHIBIT 3