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A Trail for the Grant Creek Valley Project History & Planning Grant Creek Trail The goal of this project is to create a safe, well de‐ signed public facility that will address the non‐motorized transportation needs of the Grant Creek Valley. Dear Grant Creek Valley Resident, Missoula Parks & Rec‐ reation wishes to provide you an update on the Grant Creek Trail project, a citizen initiated, multi‐use trail planned for the Grant Creek Valley. Many of you have no‐ ticed the survey crews working up and down the corridor as part of a pre‐ liminary phase of the pro‐ ject and have contacted Parks with questions re‐ garding the project's status and possible route. Parks & Recreation, our consult‐ ants, and the Grant Creek Trail Association have been working with all the landowners that are directly af‐ fected by the project. This letter is in‐ tended to inform all Grant Creek Valley residents of the project and plans. Grant Creek Trail Project. These publicly adopted plans indi‐ cate that trails of this type facilitate healthy means of transportation for recreation and commuting that add significantly to the public's overall quality of life. Parks and Recreation enthusiastically supports projects like this that create meaningful connec‐ tions between neighbors, places of work, places of play and the natural beauty of the valley. For over ten years the citizens of the Grant Creek Valley have been interested in developing a public multi‐use trail parallel to Grant Creek Road. Citizens have expressed con‐ cern for the safety of those who use Grant Creek Road to bicycle, walk, jog or other means of non‐motorized transportation. Grant Creek Road is posted at 45 miles per hour, has short sight dis‐ tances in several locations and has little to no shoulder for non‐ motorized travel. The trail would provide a 3.3 mile public route for the combined use of pedestrians and cyclists that would connect the 13 subdivisions and other individual residences in the Grant Creek valley. The Master Parks Plan, the 2006 Open Space Plan, and the 2001 Non‐ Motorized Transportation Plan all support the concept proposed by the Inside this issue: Project History & Planning 1 Grant Creek Trail Association 2 Preliminary Engineering, Phase 1 2 Options & Alternatives Explored 3 Funding the Grant Creek Trail 3 Contact Information 4 October 20, 2008 Multi-use Trail photo From: www.opkansas.org PROJECT UPDATE, PHASE 1 600 GREGG LANE, McCORMICK PARK MISSOULA, MT 59801 721-7275 ---PAGE BREAK--- A few years ago, citizens in the area organized to form the Grant Creek Trail Association (GCTA), a Montana non‐profit corporation, to help plan and build a safe non‐ motorized route in the Grant Creek Valley. GCTA has been the liaison be‐ tween residents of the Grant Creek Valley and Parks, contacting individ‐ ual landowners and Homeowners Associations (HOA’s) to discuss ease‐ ments on private lands and how the project may accommodate the land‐ owner's needs. GCTA presented landowners, directly affected by the project, with non‐binding letters of intent indicating support for the pro‐ ject. Letters were signed by the vast Board and the Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC) have also ex‐ pressed support for the project thanks to GCTA's efforts. Without GCTA’s work, this project would not be nearly as far along as it currently is. majority of those asked. GCTA has helped with fundraising for the project by securing funding from the 2006 Open Space Bond, ap‐ plying for and receiving a grant from the State Recreational Trails Program (RTP), applying for City CTEP funding, applying for Federal Transportation funding, and raising private dona‐ tions. GCTA has conducted several meetings with local HOA's to intro‐ duce the project to gain public sup‐ port. GCTA has also led the project on a political front, acquiring a resolution from the City Council pledging politi‐ cal support and maintenance respon‐ sibility for the trail. The Board of County Commissioners, the City Parks The Grant Creek Trail Association (GCTA) Page 2 Grant Creek Trail ments filed by the end of the year. After easements are acquired, a meeting of the greater Grant Creek Valley will be held to present the pro‐ ject. With the assistance of Missoula County and GCTA, Parks conducted a publicly advertised Request for Quali‐ fications (RFQ) to select Territorial‐ Landworks Inc. (TLI) as the profes‐ sional engineering consultant for the project in August of 2008. Phase 1 of TLI's contract is to as‐ sist in the legal acquisition process of trail easements and to conduct feasi‐ bility studies for potential trail routes that parallel Grant Creek Road. This work is occurring now. The survey crews that have recently been work‐ ing in the area are surveying City right‐or‐way, County right‐of‐way and private lands where an easement may be requested. All of the individ‐ ual landowners that may be asked for an easement, per the current pro‐ posed route, have been contacted. At this point, the majority of the sur‐ vey work is complete and TLI plans to create easement maps over the com‐ ing months. Parks and TLI will negotiate the specific easement terms with af‐ fected landowners and HOAs with the goal to have all needed ease‐ Preliminary Engineering — Phase 1 “The goal of this project is to create a safe, well designed public facility that will address the non-motorized transportation needs of the Grant Creek Valley.” Grant Creek Road Near Starwood Dr. ---PAGE BREAK--- Options & Alternatives Explored trail to cross Grant Creek Road poses some significant safety concerns. All necessary safety precautions, as out‐ lined by federal, state, and local regu‐ lations, will be implemented if road crossings are included on the trial. Parks and GCTA feel that a feasibility study is necessary to evaluate the safety and other factors of locating the above described section of the trail on the east side of Grant Creek Road. Parks and Recreation has author‐ ized TLI to conduct this study. They have been directed to create a cost estimate for each option including all necessary structural and safety items. Once the study is complete Parks, GCTA and TLI will discuss the options to determine our recommended route. The study may require some sur‐ vey work. If it is necessary to con‐ duct survey work on or next to your property you will be contacted di‐ rectly in the coming weeks. GCTA and Parks worked together to explore several alternative approaches to creating a safe non‐motorized facility in the Grant Creek Valley. One idea was to widen the Grant Creek Road and install bike lanes and sidewalks. This alternative was deemed unfeasible because of overwhelming con‐ straints in topography, expense, and right ‐of‐way acquisition. Another idea was to acquire ease‐ ments and construct a trail along Grant Creek on nearly all private property. This alternative was deemed unfeasible due to lack of public support and negative impacts to the riparian habitat along the Creek. The current proposed route parallel to Grant Creek Road became the most feasible alternative for the project. As the project moves forward, we continue to assess options and alter‐ natives for trail routing that address safety, environmental, aesthetic and financial concerns. Initially, the trail was proposed to be located entirely on the west side of Grant Creek Road and separate from the road where possible. Recently, the idea of placing a sec‐ tion of the trail on the east side of the road has had to be considered due to property boundary locations and topography constraints. These obstacles could require costly retain‐ ing walls and substantial earth work. The section under consideration lies roughly between the Creekside area and the Old Grant Creek Road entry to Grant Creek Ranch. Similar factors might also be encountered when de‐ signing a trail on the east side of the road. Engineering evaluation is needed to determine the relative costs of the current west side routing versus con‐ struction of a portion on the east side. In addition, locating a portion of the trail east of the road will require the trail to cross Grant Creek Road at two locations. We recognize that designing the Page 3 October 20, 2008 Funding the Grant Creek Trail In 2008, the Grant Creek Trail project is estimated at a grand total of $1.4 mil‐ lion dollars. Funding for this project comes from several different sources. Phase 1 of the project, currently in progress, is being funded by 2006 Open Space Bond funds. GCTA requested that the OSAC approve the expenditure of funds toward TLI's engineering for easement documenta‐ tion and cost to cure items during con‐ struction. Parks and Recreation is man‐ aging the contract with TLI and all expen‐ ditures of Open Space Funds. The majority of project construction is slated to be funded by Federal Transpor‐ tation Funds and/or the Community Transportation Enhancement Program (CTEP) funds. GCTA applied for Federal Transportation funds and has not yet received word from Washington. CTEP funds may become available for the pro‐ ject in 2010 or 2011, pending Congres‐ sional appropriations. GCTA has been successful in raising some private donations to help fund the project. All private donations will be ap‐ plied directly to construction or cost to cure items for the project and will not be allocated for engineering or feasibility studies. The RTP grants awarded to GCTA are slated to go toward creating ravine cross‐ ings along Grant Creek Road to prepare for the trail. Ron MacDonald Riverfront Trail by Tool Park. Photo by Parks & Recreation ---PAGE BREAK--- Grant Creek Trail Project—Contact Information Occupant Rural Route 69 Missoula, MT 59808 600 Cregg Lane Missoula, MT 59801 On behalf of Parks & Rec‐ reation, GCTA and TLI, I ex‐ press our gratitude to all those who have supported this exciting project. Please watch for the future open house meeting or other up‐ dates to the Grant Creek Valley area as the project progresses. If you have any questions or comments about this project, please contact me per the informa‐ tion provided. Thanks, Dave Shaw Parks & Recreation Contact: Dave Shaw Parks & Trails Design/Development Manager 600 Gregg Lane Missoula, MT. 59801 Phone: [PHONE REDACTED] Email: [EMAIL REDACTED] *If you’d like to receive periodic email updates, please send a request email to Dave Shaw with “Grant Creek Trail Email List” in this subject line. For more information on this project please visit our website: www.missoulaparks.org Click on the link: “Grant Creek Trail Project” STD US Postage Paid Missoula, MT Permit 569 Parks and Recreation…The Benefits Are Endless!TM CURRENTS AQUATICS CENTER, 600 CREGG LN., McCORMICK PARK SPLASH MONTANA, 3001 BANCROFT, PLAYFAIR PARK AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER M / F / V / H Special Thanks To: • The Grant Creek Trail Association • Territorial‐Landworks, Inc. • Missoula County