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Valley trails effort hits Bainbridge roadblock
(by Joan Demirjian - June 16, 2010)
Valley trails effort hits Bainbridge roadblock
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
A community network of trails in the Chagrin Valley will not include Bainbridge Township. A map of trails had shown one on Chagrin Road and on South Franklin Street.
Bainbridge Trustee Matt Lynch attended the last meeting on the trails proposal and said he plans to go to the 7 p.m. July 6 meeting in the Chagrin Falls High School library.
He has questioned who wants the trails and who would pay for them. "I'm for trails, as long as the community wants it and can pay for them," he said.
Those involved with the Chagrin Falls region alternative transportation study are promoting trails for biking and walking in the Chagrin Valley.
Someone referred to funding for the trail as "Obama money," Mr. Lynch said. "Don't we all know Washington is broke?" he said.
"We have an affluent community, and they don't want to pay for trails. They want Washington to pay, even though they know it's bankrupt," Mr. Lynch said. "I'm concerned that they are asking the federal government to pay for another earmarked project," he said. "There's always money if they are willing to go into debt."
The other question is who will pay to maintain such trails, Mr. Lynch said.
Bainbridge resident George Quay has attended the community meetings and said he will be at the July 6 meeting. He has expressed concerns that not enough people know about the plans, nor do they know how much impact the trails themselves would have on front yards, such as along Bell Road in South Russell.
Bainbridge Trustee Jeff Markley said he is in favor of the process of evaluating the points of connection for the trails. "It's a valuable exercise," he said. It is an opportunity to see where connections can be made in a community, he said.
That is what was done when the Emerald Necklace was developed in the Cleveland Metroparks, he said.
"We need to continue to think of logical connections. Unfortunately, the Bainbridge board chose not to participate," Mr. Markley said. "It's a disservice to residents if we are not sitting at the table and participating in the discussion."
South Russell resident Steve Latkovic is president of the South Russell Multipurpose Trail Foundation and is working with the regional transportation study.
Mr. Latkovic said Chagrin Road and South Franklin Street in Bainbridge were seen as a possibility by Behnke Associates, of Cleveland, but they have been taken off the map.
"We don't want to impose trails on them," Mr. Latkovic said. "It's just Frohring Meadows," he said referring to the Geauga Park District park off Savage Road in Bainbridge.
Around the Chagrin Valley, there is strong support for the trails, Mr. Latkovic said. And there has been every attempt to get information out to the public on the trails proposals, he said.
He is urging as many people as possible to take part in the July 6 meeting.
Chagrin Falls Mayor Tom Brick said the efforts are in the planning stage, mapping out existing trails in the valley and where future trails could exist.
No decisions will be made with the study, Mr. Brick said. If a community wants to put in a trail, that will be dealt with separately, he said, noting some people are concerned about trails going in where they are not wanted. "We're just doing a survey in the valley," he said.
Mr. Latkovic said, when the final concept plan is done, it will be explained to everyone, including people on Bell Road. "I think everyone in the village will be supportive, and it will go to a vote in South Russell," he said.
The plans are there for everyone to see and comment on, he said. "We are trying to get as many people as possible to attend these meetings.
"This is just a study," Mr. Latkovic said. Everything is all yet to be determined, he said.
Mr. Latkovic said, if federal funds are used, American Association of State Highways and Transportation standards must be followed for the trail.
An all-purpose trail, 10 feet wide, must be separated from the road by 5 feet. There must be 2-foot gravel shoulders on either side, and the shoulder on the road side can be part of the separation from the road, landscape architect Matt Hils architect, said.
He is with consultant Behnke Associates Inc., which has submitted a preliminary concept plan for the trails network that would encompass Chagrin Falls, South Russell, Moreland Hills, Bentleyville, Orange, the Cleveland Metroparks and the Geauga Park District.
Mr. Hils said the bike lanes are separated on the road with a painted line and are 4 feet without a curb and 5 feet on roads with a curb.
In regard to the Bainbridge routes, he said Chagrin Road and South Franklin Street were a proposed concept during the last stages of the study. But there is no guarantee any proposed item will stay, Mr. Hils said.
"A big part of this is public input," Mr. Hils said. "Public opinions factor in. We adjust to reflect the needs of the community."
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