Last Thursday myself and Julie Harris of Activate Omaha fame met with city leaders to discuss paved trail issues, specifically the Keystone, Big Papio and West Papio trails. The director of Parks & Rec, Melinda Pearson as well as #2 and #3 in command Steve Scarpello and Brook Bench met with us to discuss how we can solve the problem of snow removal, or lack thereof on area transportation trails. The first positive sign was that Parks & Rec recognizes these three trails as Transportation trails and not simply recreation trails. They were generally concerned that they were not being properly managed. We all agreed upon one thing, we acknowledged that this year's weather has been exceptional. We acknowledge that budgetary and personnel issues are a partial cause of portions of the trail network not being cleared quickly after snowfall. We were told that under normal circumstances snow should be cleared from all city owned trails within a few short days. Brook suggested that trail users contact his office if we encounter a portion of the trail that has not been cleared within seven days after the snowfall. In most cases it will be cleared in 2-3 days. We also discussed how to upgrade the Parks & Rec web site so that people can easily forward trail issues to the correct person rather than leaving voice mail. They agreed to look into adding a page on their web site that will allow detailed complaints (or praise).
The highlight of this meeting was learning that most of the trail issues along the West Papio were not because the City was not doing its job, but it was County territory. Looking at a map of the entire West Papio trail revealed that the trail bobs and weaves through County controlled areas. As it turns out, the County doesn't clear the snow from trails. Not sure why. Most likely they don't have the correct equipment and/or personnel to do the job. Steve and Brook promised to contact the County official in charge of these areas and seek an agreement that will allow City workers to clear these sections. Once they reach this agreement then Omaha Parks & Rec will clear the entire trail system from start to finish. Apparently there are other areas in Omaha that the county and city have this agreement.
We walked away from this meeting with very positive feelings that Parks and Rec will not only continue to monitor trail conditions but ensure they are cleared as quickly as possible AND they will try and reach an agreement with the County that will allow City crews to clear County sections of trail. This will solve the problems we've been facing over the years.
A big Thank You to Melinda, Steve and Brook for their caring and cooperation. It was also refreshing to learn that Melinda is a guerrilla herself. Guerrilla Gardener, that is.
Moving forward we still encourage volunteers and concerned citizens, fellow Guerrillas to take charge of their neighborhoods. If you see a problem address it. Don't wait for the city to solve every problem. If school kids are standing in the street because the sidewalks aren't clear then step up and clear the problem. Same goes for the trail systems. If bridges or underpasses are not clear due to exceptional weather problems, gather a group of friends and neighbors and open the trail. We all co-own our parks and trails and should help take care of them.
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Great job! How does the Bellevue Loop figure into all this? Is it included in the agreement eventhough it's in a different county?
ReplyDeleteI was also curious if any thought has been put into the dirt/mud that collects under the bridges? A couple years ago I took a nasty spill requiring stiches because of the mud.
Thank you gang!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of under the bridges, yesterday I rode on the Keystone for the first time in a while and, while the trail itself was rather clear, the bridge underpasses were basically ice skating rinks. Some were smooth and some were rutted and really scary. What was even more odd is that after I passed one of these real scary parts, I passed 2 guys who were walking, one of which had a pick axe. The pick axe looked brand new and they were going over a map it seemed, so I pondered whether they were sent out to take care of the icy spots?
ReplyDeleteIt sure would be nice if the underpasses got redesigned so water(and mud) run off wasn't such a problem. This happens every year and I don't know if any amount of ice melt could solve the ice issue as more water will just run down and take it's place. I'm pretty sure if there were huge icy spots in road ways, the city or county would take care of it as it's a liability.
That is some very good news! Recognizing these as transportation trails, and some city/county collaboration to get them all cleared (does that include the bridges, or just up to each bridge?)
ReplyDeleteAbout the comment 'The Dude' made: I've wondered about trouble spots for mud/dirt on the trail, too. Have they considered putting up some silt fences. One particular spot on the West Papio, under West Center Street usually has mud/dirt across the path. Sometimes there's a dangerous scattering of sand/gravel on a downhill slope. Someone cleans it up once or twice a year, but it comes right back with each rain storm. I would think a few engineers could solve that problem more permanently.