BREC Trails Users Focus Group minutes

Not the most scintillating reading but worth recording and presenting for your reading pleasure:

14 January 16 BREC
Trails Users Focus Group
BREC Independence Park Tennis Center

The meeting, originally slated to be held in the Independence Park Theater, was moved at the last minute and without notice. Fortunately, whoever was responsible for the snafu moved the meeting to the closest available location, which was more or less across the street.

Despite a start time of 1 PM, Ted Jack, Assistant Superintendent, Planning, Operations and Resources, and Stephen Hammond, Wallace Roberts & Todd planning firm, were delayed. While waiting for Jack and Hammond to arrive, Joe Popadic, BREC Trails Coordinator Planning and Engineering, opened the meeting.

Wards Creek Path

The contract for the bridge linking the two completed concrete paths on either side of the creek had to be rebid. The original bid winner experienced cost overruns that exceeded the contract limits. There is no indication as to how long the rebidding process will take.

2004 Strategic Plan

The previous “Imagine Your Parks” plan indicated trails were the #1 priority for the public with 74% of respondents either very supportive or somewhat supportive of “Develop[ing] trails connecting major destinations.” The 2004 strategic plan was funded with a 20-year bond approved by voters November 2004. The 20-year bond amounting to $70.5 million has been almost entirely expended on the development of Community Parks. What remains is fairly small and means the trails system is largely on a pay-as-you-go status.

BREC is also in the difficult situation of having to renew its millage that supports its operations and growth every ten years. Most other systems have a “millage in perpetuity” so that they have a guaranteed income stream without having to renew it periodically. That millage renewal goes before the public this spring.

There is a possibility that the city will move forward with a proposal to extend an existing street just east of Perkins Rowe from Perkins Road connecting to Carmouche’s “The Grove” development. This would provide another access point to the Wards Creek path.

Ted Jack and Stephen Hammond arrive Ted opened by reviewing the funding situation reaffirming that most of the $70.5 million of the 2004 bond have been spent. He emphasized that BREC is now largely running on the base millage for operations and construction. He emphasized how important it is to get that millage renewed this spring.

Jack introduced Stephen Hammond, Wallace Roberts & Todd planning firm, who opened with a comment that BREC has a relatively small number of trails for a system this size. Hammond opened the floor for comments asking speakers to identify themselves and what, if any, organization they represented.

Andy Piner, unaffiliated rider, made the first comment saying it is important to think of this effort as connecting people to places through the trails. He mentioned the necessity of working with the city to connect things. Hammond replied that the streets are not BREC’s property and are not part of this planning process.

Mark Martin, Bike Baton Rouge, stated he hoped the planners would take a broad view of the project and try to avoid the trap of thinking of the individual trails out of context with the surrounding city streets. Martin mentioned statements made during the Downtown Greenway meetings indicating people saw the proposed route as a kind of “habi-trail” off of which people could not turn even though that Greenway is largely on existing streets. He also mentioned a number of projects or plans already in existence including the Downtown Greenway, Capitol Region Planning Commission Bicycle Pedestrian Committee bicycle master plan phase one, City Parish Planning Commission Greenlinks project, and two proposals by Bike Baton Rouge. [See list with links at end of the minutes.]

Bruce Wickert, volunteer with Capitol Region Planning Commission Bicycle Pedestrian Committee, expressed his hope that this process would provide a “backbone” of off-road trails mentioning the Wards Creek Trail, Medical Mile, and related on-road components. He acknowledged the city is responsible for the on-road segments and the importance of working with the city to coordinate trails efforts.

Wickert mentioned the existing city-parish bicycle route system map developed through the Capitol Region Planning Commission Bike / Ped Committee. That map is in limbo somewhere between the Mayor’s office and the Department of Public Works. Hammond asked if it is possible to get a copy of that map. Gillis Morin, City Parish Planning Commission, said he could send a copy of that map and the Downtown Greenway to the consultants.

Richard B?, unaffiliated, stated there are two important consideration to keep in mind. The aging population will require special accommodation to be able to enjoy the system, particularly mobility accommodations such as curb cuts. It might be advisable to pitch the trails as “multi-use” rather than bicycle specific in order to attract the mobility impaired. At the other end of the demographic, The Millennials are driving less and using alternate transportation more. They will be using the system differently.

Kelli Gilbert, unaffiliated but representing mothers, emphasized the need to children and parents, especially mothers, to have access to trails. Transportation for families using bicycles and walking is essential and needs to be encouraged.

Robert Bailey, unaffiliated, spoke to amputee support and challenge sports. There are over two thousand amputees in Baton Rouge and an even higher number of others who are physically challenged. He would like to see trail for para-athletes and suggested looking at Colorado Springs Therapeutic Recreation Program for how a highly regarded program succeeded.

Diana Strebel, Baton Rouge Area Mountain Bike Association (BRAMBA) and Baton Rouge Bicycle Club (BRBC), would like to see a new mountain bike trail somewhere in the south of the parish. When asked by Hammond is BRAMBA not only rode but maintained the trails Strebel assured him BRAMBA builds and maintains the trails at Hooper and Comite. She added that it would be great if there were a way to ride bicycles to the existing trails.

Martin asked if there hadn’t been a security issue at Hooper and Comite. Strebel said there had been. Jack spoke to how BREC and the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) had worked together to combat the problem. The BRPD put out a “bait vehicle” and eventually caught the thieves who were committing the crimes. It was ultimately effective in stopping the problem. Jack emphasized the importance of telling BREC when there are problems so that they may start addressing the issue more quickly.

Larry Riley, unaffiliated, appealed to get runners, walkers, and bicyclists involved in the process.

The topic of the millage renewal arose. Jack mentioned the need for more community parks in the south and southeast. Creating them will require more land purchases, which are expensive in that part of the parish.

Michael Benton asked if it would be possible to create an app similar to Sim City that would allow the public to play with creating an expanded park system. Benton suggested the use of KML files with Google maps. Hammond thought that Mindmixer may have a way to do that.

Ted Jack mentioned the fact that the BREC Foundation has assisted with funding trails. We may be able to build on that funding source.

Josh Weir asked if it would be possible to use existing waterways to create connectors to existing trails. He further suggested that rather than expending a great deal on money on a few “top notch” facilities that BREC consider creating trails of lesser quality, specifically gravel or packed earth, that could later be brought up to higher quality. Jack said that community trails need to meet the needs of land owners and that unpaved trails tend to be a maintenance problem for BREC. Weir cited the Levee unpaved sections as usable, if imperfect, trails that are slowly being brought up to higher standards.

Wickert turned to Capitol Heights as an example of what happens when a city street is realigned as a bicycle route. Even though not entirely up to standard Capitol Heights draws many users from around the city, bicyclists and walkers. This raised the question of what relationship BREC has with the City. Jack implied there is no official relationship but that BREC is responsible for off-street facilities only.

Hammond asked what interface exists between the City and BREC with regard to the Downtown Greenway and FutureBR? Morin suggested we need a bicycle-pedestrian coordinator to oversee the trails efforts of all agencies. The Atlanta Path Foundation - http://pathfoundation.org/about/ - was brought up as an exemplar of this kind of oversight agency.

Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) was mentioned as a possible ally. Martin said there was a brief effort under Melissa Guilbeau, once the City-Parish Urban Transportation Coordinator, to look at using SRTS to assist in developing a route system in the city. Each school would have a 2-mile radius with routes dedicated to walking and bicycling to each school. A map showing parish schools with a 2-mile radius effectively covered the city.

Morin suggested we need to let elected officials know about these efforts and seek their support to accomplish trail / route creation. He asked how we might seek funding from various sources such as Louisiana Economic Development (LED), Community Development Blocks, and sources. Bailey mentioned The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa - http://ragbrai.com/about/general-information/#1 – as an economic driver for Iowa.

[The Iowa Bicycle Coalition released a study that cites the economic impact of recreational cyclists’ spending to generate $364.8 million in direct and indirect impacts to the State of Iowa - http://ragbrai.com/2012/01/26/economic-study-shows-bicycling-generates-364-8-million-annually-for-iowa/ . The Iowa Bicycle Coalition began the Economic and Health Benefits of Bicycling (View Full Report) in Iowa study by working with the University of Northern Iowa Sustainable Tourism and Environment Program (STEP).]

Ryan Bettencourtt spoke to the advances made by BRAMBA but pointed out we have a long way to go. BREC is leading the way but we need a unifying force, something that will coordinate the efforts of the City-Parish, BREC, LSU, and the State. Over the next ten years we need to be the hub of the efforts and drive the change.

This led to a discussion of the need for a central organizing organization that will bring together the many players involved. Martin mentioned the difficulties met by the effort by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to “fix” the Lakes at City Park and LSU. All the agencies spent more time saying what they didn’t have responsibility for than what they did. Carolyn McKnight, BREC Superintendent, asked if there is a trails master plan. Jack mentioned that many corridors have been identified by various agencies but how do we bring those agencies together? Hammond saw this as a peculiar structural problem that, lacking a focal point, needs a central lead agency to effect change more efficiently. The discussion continued along this vein for a while until Martin suggested the meeting had digressed from its objective. That ended the discussion.

Hammond brought the meeting to an end. He encouraged everyone to attend the general meeting later that evening at the Independence Park Theatre.

Trails/Greenway Plans mentioned during the meeting:

• Downtown Greenway - http://www.downtownbatonrouge.org/aboutNewsGreenwayEPA.asp
• City-Parish Planning Division Greenlink System, Information Bulletin #34 - http://bit.ly/1jfPJuE
• Capitol Region Planning Commission Bicycle Pedestrian Committee bicycle master plan phase one map – no link available
• Bike Baton Rouge Levee to Highland Road Community Park route proposal http://bit.ly/1eKRo5W
• Bike Baton Rouge North and South Alternatives to Perkins Road http://bit.ly/1aC1Ihh

Submitted by: Mark E. Martin