PHOTO: Local volunteers exploring possible ‘Town to Lakes Trail’ routes in 2011. From the 2011 Greenway Team report.
A bright young man with whom I was unfamiliar, David Hilborn, sat down in front of the Pagosa Springs Town Council last week, to give an enthusiastic presentation about how to finally build the Town to Pagosa Lakes Trail that’s struggled to make significant progress these past 20 years.
As Mr. Hilborn reminded us, the Town has completed, many years ago, one block of the Trail, between South 8th Street and Pagosa Springs Elementary School… and also a segment from the stoplight at Pinon Causeway and Highway 160, to the Walmart store.
Apparently, those were the easy parts to get funded and built.
If you count the sidewalks in Aspen Village as parts of the Trail, then the western segment gets close to a rocky cliff west of Harman Park.
Harman Park also has sidewalks on one side of its mostly-vacant streets , which could be counted, eventually, as parts of the Trail.
One of the tricky parts is getting up the rocky cliff, from Aspen Village to Harman Park. More about that in a moment.
Another tricky part is getting from Harman Park, two miles down Put Hill to the Elementary School.
Mr. Hilborn — who is relatively new to town, and the Town’s new Project Manager — seemed confident that, with some financial assistance in the form of grants, the Town can someday finish the Trail. In fact, the Town is currently soliciting public input around the idea of a “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” grant that — Mr. Hilborn told us — will likely provide the Town with $10 million to complete the Trail.
Since a trail is, after all, infrastructure.
Of course, Pagosa Springs has plenty of infrastructure already, and much of it is in relatively poor shape. The Town sewer system, for example? The Town geothermal heating system, for another? Some of the Town streets. But it’s always more exciting to build new infrastructure, rather than maintain the old stuff.
Also, we need to stay competitive with other mountain resort communities that already have these types of ‘commuter trails’.
Back in 2011, the Town hired the consultants from Greenway Team Inc. to create a 74-page plan for the Town to Lakes Trail.
You can download that plan here.
From the Introduction:
For a number of years, engaged, community-minded folks here have visualized and planned for a better future—one that builds on unique natural assets and outdoor values. Equally important is the realization that, economically, the Pagosa area needs to invest in infrastructure that helps it remain competitive with other mountain and resort communities in order to thrive—especially in light of the current global real estate market and economic challenges.
A vital part of this vision is to create a high-quality multi-use trail system that offers a way for both residents and visitors to enjoy the area at a pace that matches a special local way of life. Currently, getting around the Pagosa area without a motor vehicle can be daunting, hazardous, and unpleasant. Over the years there have been a number of plans put forth and adopted that envisioned a trail link from Downtown to Pagosa Lakes—The Town-to-Lakes Trail.
If you read the 74-page plan from 2011, a great deal of thought and creative thinking went into the plan. And a great deal of optimism.
To help the success of the proposed Infrastructure grant application, the “Town to Lakes Trail” is now referred to as the “Town to Lakes Commuter Trail.” What was once conceived as a pleasant recreational amenity is now seen (by the Town Planning Department) as a critical transportation corridor to facilitate “mult-modal” commuters.
That’s where the federal money is, right now. “Multi-modal Transportation”. Getting cars off the highway, and people onto bicycles, and walking and jogging.
The Town Council endorsed Mr. Hilborn’s proposal to write a grant — due next month — that will ask for $10 million to finish the Trail. The Town staff also wants to hear from the general public, and has posted a survey for that purpose.
Here’s the invitation to participate in the Town’s new survey.
Greetings,
The Town of Pagosa Springs has the opportunity to apply for grant funding under the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” (IIJA) through the “Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity” (RAISE) Transportation Discretionary Grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). This grant would be allocated for the Town to Lakes Commuter Trail, designed to connect Downtown with Uptown Pagosa.
We are in the process of preparing a grant application aimed at completing the entire non-motorized trail. This trail will be hard-surfaced, 10+ feet wide, catering to pedestrians, cyclists, strollers, and other non-motorized forms of transportation. The grant application encompasses both the design and construction phases of the trail completion.
In anticipation of submitting our grant application, we are seeking initial input from our community. Further opportunities for public input will arise during the design phase. Kindly visit MyPagosa.org to participate in a brief survey that will greatly assist our efforts in securing grant support for this project. Your input is invaluable as we work towards enhancing connectivity and accessibility in our community.
I would urge our Daily Post readers to consider that survey, if you have ideas about the best use for grants and tax revenues in 2024.
The Town Council appeared to be fully in support of Mr. Hilborn’s proposed grant, aimed at spending $10 million — or more — on a “commuter trail” that would challenge “commuters” to walk or cycle roughly two miles uphill, to their job at Walmart or McDonald’s or Pagosa Springs Medical Center or one of the other uptown businesses.
But before you take the survey, I’d like to share a couple of additional bits of information. During the presentation, Town Council member Gary Williams — one of the community’s leading proponents of ‘sustainability’ — asked about the number of vehicles a commuter trail might remove from Highway 160, considering that the Trail would pass close by the new bus facility currently planned by the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners.
Would that potentially important ‘multi-modal connection’ be mentioned of the grant application?
Mr. Hilborn responded:
“Yes, definitely. So that’s one of the huge pieces that makes this project so competitive, We have had a meeting with Kevin Bruce, who is the transit coordinator for the County already. So we started discussions with them. And with Derek Woodson… [Council corrected him]… Derek Woodman. The County Manager.
“They are in full support…”
Then his voice got just a bit quieter…
“…and they have had a couple of comments… with regards to the project, as well.”
Mr. Hilborn didn’t mention, however, what the County’s “couple of comments” might have been. But I had my suspicions. So I met with County Manager Derek Woodman, to find out…
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.