Morgan Hill Parks and Recreation Commissioners want City staff to make sure they are thoroughly communicating with other authorities involved in the El Toro trail project proposal before proceeding with the planning effort, and to start now in trying to mitigate impacts stemming from the current use of the existing, illegal trail to the top of the mountain.
At its meeting Tuesday, the commission heard public testimony from numerous residents who are concerned about the proposal to acquire property and build a publicly accessible trail to the 1,400-foot summit that looms over the west side of Morgan Hill.
Many who live near the foot of the mountain have complained several times that the trail already brings heavy crowds that bring noise, litter, criminal activity and the pervading discomfort of the presence of a parade of strangers so close to their homes.
First proposed in 2002 as part of the City’s trails and natural resources study, development of the El Toro trail as currently proposed would be divided into two phases if approved by the Council at an unscheduled future date. The first phase of the trail would utilize public land already owned by the City and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority.
One of those who addressed the commission Tuesday was Mark Good, a Gilroy Board of Education trustee whose family owns property at the top of El Toro, where the current proposal has the trail ending. Good objected to statements by City staff reporting that the OSA has been in talks with the Good family to purchase some of his property or gain an easement to build the trail.
Good said he hasn’t talked to anyone from OSA in about a year.
“There seems to be something fundamentally wrong with building a trail to somewhere people don’t have a right to go,” Good told the commission. “We’ve had a huge amount of vandalism, littering, trespassing, disturbance of my family including my elderly mother who lives up the hill. It’s become a commercial venture to the point it’s damaging our property, and our property rights.”
Commissioners were surprised to hear Good’s account of discussions – or lack thereof – with the OSA, as City staff have been told otherwise by OSA staff.
“There’s apparently a disconnect with (the OSA) and the reality,” Commission Chair Craig Van Keulen said.
City Engineer Karl Bjarke said, “The OSA has told us they only deal with willing buyers. They’re not going to force anything. If there’s no access, there’s no trail,” Bjarke said.
Good added that his family is open to granting the City and the public access to part of his property for a trail, but any proposal would have to include a “reasonable price” and a plan to protect the rest of his family’s property, as well as his relatives who live there, from potential trespassers.
The commission unanimously voted to ask City staff to meet with OSA staff to confirm the status of ongoing efforts to acquire property for the project.
And the commission asked City staff to look into mitigating some of the current harmful impacts of existing use of the trail.
Further planning on the project could also include a look at alternate private and public properties in the vicinity of El Toro for parking and trailhead facilities, commission members said.
