Moses Lake trail project draws concerns

MOSES LAKE - A packed Moses Lake City Council chamber quickly emptied Tuesday night after the council voted to move forward with the Heron Bluff Trail project.

About 30 people from the Cove West and Bluff West neighborhoods attended the meeting to voice opposition for the project, which includes constructing a path through Blue Heron Park and complete the connection to the Bluff West/Cove West neighborhood. The project was previously approved by council and approved to go out for bids Tuesday night.

Sheriff Tom Jones, speaking as a private resident and president of the Cove West Homeowner's Association, said the neighborhood is supportive of the trail system's growth, but opposed to the new trail that will cut through the community.

"A majority of the residents felt they were not notified of the trail being brought into the process, considering the impact of the Cove West community," Jones said, noting the potential for increased crime.

Jones said he was told by city officials the project was a done deal, but asked the council Tuesday to place a hold on the project to discuss alternatives. A motion by the council to delay posting the project for bids was voted down.

"Keep in mind it's (the trail project) for the benefit of the entire community," Councilmember Bill Ecret said. "While this council not only represents Cove West, we represent everybody in the community."

Several councilmembers agreed with Jones' concerns that residents were not included in the project process, which has been in the works for about nine years.

"There has to be fundamental fairness to this process, and not leave the residents of Cove West to deal with all the potential problems after the project is completed without us having any buy-in to the project," Jones said.

"I would have to say that it would have been better if we would have contacted them in the last year or so, so they at least knew and you get their voice in on it," Municipal Services Director Gary Harer said. "I guess we just didn't contact them to get their input."

Harer added he wished the city had more activity trails going directly through neighborhoods.

"The more you go through neighborhoods, the more it gets used," he said.

In response to questions about connecting the trail from Blue Heron Park to Westshore Drive, bypassing Cove West, Harer said a nearby wetland area prevents that path. Harer added if any changes are made to the project, including moving the path, would result in the city losing grant funding already approved, including a $125,000 federal grant from the state Department of Transportation.

"The layout of the trail cannot be changed and still retain these grants," Harer wrote in a letter to council. "Furthermore, turning back grants diminishes the ability to obtain future grants from the same agency. All the grant money is scheduled to be spent this year."

A motion to post bids for the project was approved by the council in a 4-3 vote. The $300,000 project is scheduled to be completed this fall, and is an extension of the Neppel Trail, providing a connection to the area north of Blue Heron Park. According the Harer, the city has received 23 letters of support for the trail project, including letters from Samaritan Healthcare, Moses Lake Clinic, Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District and the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce. The Grant County Health District also recently approved a resolution stating the Heron Bluff Trail should be developed as proposed.