Cross-post - Clackamas County Equine Trails

I got this in my email. Found it interesting. Am therefore passing it along.

Please voice your support for the Springwater Corridor in Clackamas County !

Clackamas County is requesting $1,200,000 for the Springwater Corridor Improvement Project through the 2011-2013 Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Transportation Enhancement Program (TE). The Project will pave 2.21 miles of the Springwater Corridor from Rugg Road in Clackamas County to Dee Street in Boring, with a 10 to 12 foot wide multi-use pathway with soft shoulders for use by pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrians. ODOT is seeking public comments on projects being considered for Transportation Enhancement (TE) funding.

The comment period will be open from August 1 through September 15, 2008. Responses received during that period will help ODOT determine which projects advance to the TE Advisory Committee for final evaluation and selection, and will affect the committee’s scoring of those projects. All comments should be submitted through the internet survey site set that has been set up for this purpose.

This survey site will serve as the method of gauging public support and concerns for TE projects competing in the 2008 funding cycle. Agencies, interest groups, and the general public may respond to support or oppose a specific project, or to indicate priorities among competing projects in various areas of the state. Participants will select a geographic area of the state (The Springwater Corridor project is listed under Clackamas, Hood River , & ColumbiaCounties ), then indicate which project or projects they most strongly support or oppose.

They can mark their main reasons for supporting or opposing a project, and enter additional comments below that. If they have interest in another area of the state, they can repeat the process for another geographic area.

Please go to our project website to connect to the survey at http://www.boringstation.com/, or ODOT’s Local Government Section web site at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/LGS. Those without access to the internet may contact the Transportation Enhancement Program Manager at (503) 986-3528 for a printed copy of the Comment/Response form.

Please vote that you strongly support project # 12 - Clackamas County : Springwater Trail Extension ( Rugg Road – Hwy 212 at Boring).

Below are some ideas for comments:·

• The Clackamas County Springwater Trail Extension project meets goal number 1 and goal number 8 of the TE activities by preserving an abandoned railway corridor as a multi-use trail for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• The construction of the Clackamas County Springwater Trail Extension project is identified in the Clackamas County Park ’s Master Plan but is only partially funded. Without funding by the TE Program, the project cannot be completed in a timely manner and cannot take advantage of current momentum and local support.
• The Project will benefit Highway 212 by improving pedestrian and bicycle facilities close to the Highway.
• The Clackamas County Springwater Trail Extension project promotes and encourages the use of trails for transportation and recreation by bicyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians. Currently, trail users turn around, or travel on a dangerous route along Telford Rd. to reach Boring.
• The Clackamas County Springwater Trail Extension Project will open up the trail to more users and enhance the travelers’ experience along the trail. Currently, the trail is gravel and inaccessible to many people traveling the Springwater Trail from Gresham and Portland, including those on street bikes, in wheelchairs and strollers and some walkers.
• Paving this trail section of the Springwater Corridor will provide the missing link between the Springwater and Cazadero Trails. Metro has identified the Cazadero Trail, owned by the State of Oregon , as one of the Great Eight Trail Packages for our region. Oregon State Parks and Recreation is currently working on completion of the Cazadero Trail. Without the completion of this project, there will be a gap in the Springwater Trail which directly connects to the Cazadero Trail, south of Hwy. 212 in Boring. Please forward this email to your friends, family, and co-workers!!

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you for your support!! Sincerely, Katie DunhamPlannerClackamas County Parks9101 SE Sunnybrook BoulevardClackamas , OR 97015503-794-8051