Next City Council Meeting & Call to Action

The next City Council meeting is Wed night Nov 3 at 6:00 pm (link available on City Council website).

In preparation of the next meeting, we encourage members and supporters of TAC to join us in an outreach campaign to members of the Council (see full list on website here), the Mayor (mscott@ci.manzanita.or.us), and Leila Aman, City Manager (laman@ci.manzanita.or.us).

We should also ask that the Cherry Trail be included as "Old Business" in each City Council meeting until a decision is made as the Mayor did promise in a Council Meeting last year. It is not too much to ask that this stay on the Agenda or at least the Trail Committee process be included then Cherry Trail proposal put back on the Agenda in 3-4 months.

Additional notes to address in your outreach:

1. What is the next step that we citizens and supporters of the Cherry Trail proposal can do to help the City Council address approving or denying this proposal?

2. Why is the Public Right-of-Way still closed?

3. What will it take to get the city to take down the No Public Access sign as they work on approving a more formal improved trail on their timeline?

4. Can the Master Trail Plan be adopted at the October 6th City Council Meeting and, if not, when can this occur?

5. This project is continuously delayed! Why will it take 6+ months to start putting together a Trail Committee? We are seeking a compromise - a more reasonable timeframe of 3 months with accountability including the inclusion of one or more of our supporters to be on the Committee to be appointed by the Mayor.

6. We are being asked to produce a geotechnical report for the Cherry Trail which is unprecedented for a trail. We believe other reports will be obtained to counter any conclusions. Before proceeding with this expense, we would like the City to provide a clear scope and requirements that an engineering firm can address and not allow additional reports.

7. In the completed Cherry Trail report by consultant Chris Bernhardt, he specifically called out that the City needs to be responsible for storm water control of this site as this is already an existing issue/problem and the new trail is not expected to impact this. In other words: TAC should have no expense or process related to storm water.

8. In summary, we still have a community problem of cut off beach access in Classic Ridge and have submitted a well thought out proposal as requested by the City May 2020. Since that time, we have improved this site by obtaining a promised easement to allow a less steep trail with fewer steps. The City initially hired two Consultant Reports and have not formally adopted the Master Trail Plan or followed the Cherry Trail report recommendations. They have pivoted to having us wait for a Master Trail Plan saying the Cherry Trail may not even make this plan (but it was included). They are now saying to wait 6 months or more with no timeline commitment to even start forming a Trail Committee referenced in the Master Trail Plan (which still has not been formally adopted and should be). There has been no explanation when asked why the Cherry Trail proposal could not be moved forward during the Master Trail Plan process (there are very few if any other new trails in this plan). It does not make sense that the small city of Manzanita will have any experts in trail approval process and building with more knowledge that the City's Consultant, Chris Bernhardt or Trailkeepers of Oregon who will help us build the trail.

9. Because this Committee being formed is being deemed the next step by the City, we want it to occur in a reasonable timeframe of 3 more months by 12/31/2021 and we would like to have 1 of 2 TAC representatives on this Committee with a clear timeline to develop a final process of trail approvals including the Cherry Trail by 3/31/22.

10. A clear problem exists in Manzanita evidenced by the 50-70 yard signs predominant in Classic Ridge but also in other areas of the City with supporters who can relate to citizens who have had their beach access cut off.

11. There is a solution with the City's Ocean Way right-of-way but we are only seeing inaction, delay, and strong evidence that the City does not know how to set up a process and what should be required to approve or deny this proposal.

12. The City must do its job to solve a problem with process and details that are tracked until completion and a decision is made swiftly.