Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Walking trail nearing completion

Those anxiously awaiting the opportunity to walk on the citys new walking trail at the north end of town will likely get their chance very soon. After months of delays, the trail was nearing completion with the rains of the past two weeks once again forced crews to shut down.

Donnie Crain, director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said the trail has been named the Johnson/Hale Walking Trail.

The project was first proposed in 2003 when local agencies applied for grant money and put together a cooperative effort to make the idea become a reality. Crain called the trail an excellent example of local governments working together with one another to meet local needs.

The property, owned by the county, has been donated for the project. The city crews have done some work on the project and will take over the maintenance once the trail is complete.

Other groups, including a Prescott Leadership team, have put together other points for the project. Signs will be provided and Crain said there will likely be some additional improvements on the project over the coming months.

One of those will likely be in the form of paving the parking lot. Parking is being provided off Hale Lane behind the health department office. For the present, the lot will be graveled with the exception of one small strip designed to provide wheelchair access. At some point, Crain said, he hopes to see the entire parking area paved.

Electrical wiring for lighting has already been installed, Crain said. He said the plan is to have lights throughout the trail, making it safer after dark. There could also be some benches, landscaping and other additions over the coming months.

The trail consists of a bed of gravel and Crain said there were several points along the trail that became issues. Those points required additional work in order to be stable enough that the asphalt would hold up.

Initially, there was a section of the trail that wound through the trees bordering the field, but Crain said it became evident that the cost of clearing that land would be very expensive. The trail was altered to stay away from the trees.

The grant process for the walking trail started in 2003 but the project has been put on hold for one reason or another until April of this year when work officially began.

Just two weeks ago, those overseeing the work were announcing that the foundation for the trail was nearing completion and that asphalting would take only one or two days.

Then the rains began and workers were forced off the field.

Crain said the trail was one of the most-talked about projects when he arrived in the area a few months ago. Crain said theres no way to project how many people will use the trail, but said he believes there is significant interest in the project.