Cherry Trail Winter Update

Cherry Trail has been up against significant bureaucratic hurdles: slowed by winter break, covid lockdown, and a City Council that is still trying to wrap its head around the fundamentals of the use case. After eight months of deliberation there seems to be some real interest in the Cherry Trail after a neighbor living adjacent to the trail has threatened to sue the city should they decide to authorize the trail. It is the opinion of TAC that there are more effective ways to find resolve than one that embroils the City Council in a lawsuit they most certainly can’t afford; a cost that will likely be footed by citizens of Manzanita. We are hopeful to find a more effective approach that will ensure a well designed trial is built while supporting the recreational interests and safety of the community.

Whatever the case, the City has made an effort to address Cherry Trail by integrating it into a larger “Master Trail Plan.” The specifics of the Master Trail Plan have been minimal but at first blush the trail plan is an ambitious effort to address all walking trail needs by the residents and visitors of the city. Assuming the City integrates Cherry Trail into the Master Trail Plan, it could take a year or more before the community has official access to Cherry Trail again. The lead consultant assigned to the project will be available January 26th to review the Master Trail Plan. It was unclear what a “review” implied, but we suspect it is the beginning of formalizing the plan. In the meantime, the City agreed to visit the Cherry Trail and review how the right of way can be utilized most effectively to see the trail properly addressed.

Finally, a budget was submitted by the city for the development of the trail, much of which was addressed in the TAC trail development plan. This caused some frustration with our TAC representatives since they appeared to be duplicating efforts. Despite TAC offering monetary support and volunteers, the City evidently wants to control the project and has indicated that they will put the $88k they now forecast it to cost - the way they want to run it - into the 2021/2022 budget in May. The Mayor articulated the need for patience while the council navigates the complex City bureaucracy that is slowing its efforts to build the trail. The Mayor asserted that: “[The Council) want[s] to see what this trail looks like with the comprehensive trail plan” before they make any commitment to timeline or costs.