The third and final trails planning meeting garnered a handful of people to town hall. Katie Feeney and Walker Christensen from DHM Design in Durango (also Denver and Carbondale) were on hand to explain their proposal and trails concepts to the crowd with a Power Point presentation.
Feeney and Christensen outlined the principles that are going to be instrumental in this proposal and their recommendations.
Focus on the river corridor as a priority.
Highway 160 a major obstacle for pedestrian connections.
Child-friendly transportation and safe access to the schools.
Public support essential in getting grants and funding.
Future expansion
Affordable trails system
Downtown Mancos as the heart of the trail system
Accommodate a full range of users, from bicyclists, walkers, dog walkers, equestrians, cross-country skiers, wheelchairs and other non-motorized uses.
Trail connectivity to parks, public spaces, school and public land
Promote fitness through physical activity.
Respect of private property
Respect of the natural environment
Maintenance for year-round use
Mayor Rachael Simbeck was one of the spectators. After watching the presentation, she said, Its really exciting...its nice to have a plan.
Marianne Griffin, director of the Mancos Valley Visitors Center, said she was excited about creating an access across 160 at Willow. I think thats super! She went on to say that there is a need to slow down traffic coming through Mancos, to get people to realize there is a town here!
The plan does a good job of highlighting and embracing what the town already has, Tom Yoder, another spectator, said.
Christensen emphasized that there needs to be a trail advocate group in Mancos, which would make it easier to deal with private landowners and issues that may come up. He stressed that keeping the dialogue open with everyone and working together is what really works with a project like this, he said.
DHM Design will go to the town board of trustees in October with their proposal and all the information they have received from the meetings here in Mancos. The board will then follow-up with plans.