Parks and Recreation Commissioners have offered city council no
clear answer on how to handle controversial plans for a citywide
trail system.
Morgan Hill – Parks and Recreation Commissioners have offered city council no clear answer on how to handle controversial plans for a citywide trail system.
Faced with an overflowing room of residents from the Jackson Oaks neighborhood in the hills of east Morgan Hill, commissioners on Tuesday were divided on how to handle the city’s proposed trails master plan. Jackson Oaks residents want to keep the trails out of their backyards, citing threats of fire, crime and wildlife concerns. Defenders of the trails plan say Jackson Oaks residents seek to exclude the public from land maintained at taxpayer expense.
Jackson Oaks residents had requested the opportunity to give a 30-minute presentation during the meeting.
The 30 minutes soon turned into an hour, as several components, including fire hazard and criminal activity, were reiterated by consultants and residents.
Commissioners Kimberly Leiser and Katharine Hardt-Mason left the chambers before the presentation because they are Jackson Oaks residents, and Commissioner Laura Hagiperos was absent, but the remaining four commissioners listened to consultants and experts explain why they believe adding trails to the area would increase fire danger.
Commissioners Marilyn Librers and Craig van Keulen voted to make a recommendation to council supporting the trails plan minus the Jackson Oaks Trail, and Commissioners Mark Frederick and Alan Clark voted against the recommendation.
The proposed Jackson Oaks trail routes are part of the city’s Trails and Natural Resources Study, released in February to outline a 20-plus-mile network of city trails and walking paths. The paths would connect parks, public facilities, neighborhoods and open areas.
The Jackson Oaks portion shows two to three miles of trails starting near Jackson Elementary School looping through 260 acres of publicly-owned open space. The hillsides around Jackson Oaks cost taxpayers approximately $38,000 a year to maintain, but there is no public access to the terrain.
On the meeting’s agenda, the staff recommendation to eliminate the Jackson Oaks trails from the total package was clearly stated.
Christine Payne, a transportation consultant who joined in the presentation, told commissioners there is not enough room in the area for people who are not residents to park so they can use the trails.
“I don’t believe all these people will come here, so why provide all these extensive trails,” she asked. “I would even consider this a misuse of funds.”
Commissioner Frederick said the Jackson Oaks portion of the trails project was meant to be practical, not a high-traffic route for exercise.
“It’s a connecting trail, it’s not going to be used as a recreational trail, it will be used to connect two communities,” he said.
Commissioner Craig van Keulen said he was happy to accept city staff’s recommendation to drop the Jackson Oaks trails from the proposal.
“If they don’t want it, why should we spend our resources up there,” he commented, to a burst of applause from the audience.
The trails plan is expected to reach council Sept. 26 for a final round of review.
