This from the Auburn Journal:
"Analysis has started on information and opinions collected over the past year — the raw materials for a plan to move Placer County parks and trails a future that could mean more pathways but also more pickle-ball courts, dog parks and lacrosse fields.
That plan — with an apparent key emphasis on trails and potential out-of-county trail connections — could be completed and ready for Board of Supervisors consideration by next winter.
Andy Fisher, county parks administrator, provided a status report Tuesday to the board, noting that Placer County already maintains 106 miles of trails on its own. Adding in other agencies with a parks component, Placer County has 35,000 of open space, more than 600 acres of active parks and 69 acres of beach.
Surveys, meetings and workshops over the past several months have helped provide the background to tailor what is being called the park, trail and open space master plan to public demands, Fisher said, “One of the main general takeaways is that trails are important for every type of user,” Fisher said. “They showed up prominently everywhere.”
Demand for those trails is high, leading to overcrowding. The master plan update will incorporate those considerations into its modeling, as well as a revised fee structure. "People agreed that there are good quality parks but room there from improvements,” Fisher said.
Fisher said that crowding at Hidden Falls Regional Park between Lincoln and Auburn was an area of concern and the update — with contractor Design Workshop Inc. assisting the parks division — will be examining that issue and others that the public and organizations have brought to the county’s attention. Better mapping of parks and communication with users were other areas that people thought could be improved, he said.
The original article and photos, CLICK HERE.
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Report by Karen Wyeth:
Andy Fisher, Placer County Parks Administrator, presented the draft Master Parks and Trails Plan to the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 5, 2019. This Report submitted by Karen Wyeth, ret. Solano County planner, and who has served on the Boards of our local trails and open space organizations:
"Harry (Wyeth) and I went to the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tues. re. Hidden Falls Expansion and the County Park, Trail and Open Space Master Plan. These items were an update by staff along with a request for additional funds to pay the consultant for environmental report preparation services for the Hidden Falls Expansion Project. The Draft Plan for Hidden Falls Expansion should be available for public review in May 2019. A decision is likely in September. The Draft Master Plan is expected to be released in May 2019. There was no anticipated approval date for that project.
The Board took comments from the public, which focused on concerns over the Hidden Falls Expansion. Impacts from traffic, the need for increased public safety personnel, and impacts on agricultural operations were the major concerns. These should be analyzed in the EIR.
In the Master Plan maps, staff highlighted the creation of the Donner Memorial Trail, which would go from Donner Lake to Kingvale, a trail closer to Rt. 80 primarily for mountain bikes so they could avoid the section where they aren’t allowed on the Western States / Tevis Cup trail, improving the Bear River campground, and upgrading the Dutch Flat pool, among other projects in the more developed areas of the county."
CLICK HERE to access the Placer County Plan's website.