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Chagrin-area trail system gets attention
(by Joan Demirjian - December 23, 2009)
Chagrin-area trail system gets attention
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
A study of hiking and biking trails in the Chagrin Falls region will go forward with the approval of a $68,000 grant from Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency. The grant was awarded for the Chagrin Falls Region Alternative Transportation Study.
The goal of the study is to connect neighborhoods, business districts, local and regional parks and trail systems to the village's core with alternative transportation methods.
It will help fund a blueprint, or study, for a regional trail system in the Chagrin Falls region, according to Greg Hopkins and Steve Latkovic. Mr. Hopkins is co-chairman of Chagrin Falls Mayor Thomas Brick's ad hoc hiking and biking committee. Mr. Latkovic is president of the South Russell Multipurpose Trail Foundation.
Chagrin Falls Village is the applicant, with Behnke and Associates serving as consultant. The firm brought the grant opportunity to Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Latkovic, who worked on co-sponsors.
The region includes Chagrin Falls, South Russell, Moreland Hills and Chagrin Falls Township and could include portions of Bainbridge, Bentleyville, Russell and Orange.
The best ways to enhance the quality of life and the economic viability of the Village of Chagrin Falls and its surrounding communities will be determined by the study.
A master plan and report will be created from the study. It will contain recommendations of how to create a complete network of non-motorized trails and routes with improved safety and improved linkages to key community resources.
As part of the mission, a long-range plan for a trail system involving the Cleveland Metroparks and Geauga Park District will be created.
"The mission is to encourage hiking and biking for residents," Mr. Hopkins said.
Mayors in the communities all supported the grant application along with Cleveland Metroparks and Geauga Park District.
Chagrin Falls Village, in conjunction with the project co-sponsors and community stakeholders, wants to address the lack of non-motorized transportation facilities connecting neighborhoods, city centers, schools, places of employment, recreation areas and public transit within the region, according to the grant application.
There are steep grades and narrow conditions on some roads connecting to Chagrin Falls from the west, making alternative transportation difficult, according to the application.
The lack of trails along all of the arterial roads to Chagrin Falls and to regional amenities such as West Woods park in Russell and to Frohring Meadows in Bainbridge is an impediment to safe, non-motorized travel, the application said.
The study will look at how local roadways can be improved to safely accommodate bicycle traffic.
Mr. Hopkins said the local application was one of 17 submitted. Thirteen were recommended "and we were one of them."
The study, to begin in January, is expected to cost about $85,000, Mr. Latkovic said. A 20-percent match will be made by sponsors and co-sponsors.
Alternative transportation will be identified, focusing on Chagrin Falls and the co-sponsors, and how the trails can interconnect.
Walking and biking trails would be a benefit locally, bringing in people who would support the economy, he said.
"It enhances the quality of life with new facilities for biking, walking and running," Mr. Hopkins said.
Behnke and Associates, the likely consultant to complete the study, will hold a workshop with representatives of the communities.
The first meeting with Chagrin Falls Village Administrator Ben Himes will be held in January and then residents will be invited to a meeting, possibly by March. The study should be completed by fall 2010.
"We're very excited about the level of support and interest in this project," Mr. Hopkins said. "We couldn't be more thankful for the response we received."
Mr. Latkovic said, "Mayor Brick has been a fantastic supporter. He sees the vision."
There are so many resources in the Chagrin Valley that can be open to people who would use the trails, Mr. Hopkins said. It is an opportunity to increase the quality of life for everyone, he said.
Mr. Brick said this week, "I think it's sensible for Chagrin Falls and the surrounding communities. All the mayors have endorsed it and most are contributing.
"It's a valley effort, and a long-range concept to connect trails through Chagrin Falls and to other trail groups, such as the Metroparks," Mr. Brick said.
Having the engineering studies, to be funded by the grant, is necessary to support future requests for grants for actual construction, he said.
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