2/28/08

Meeting to air concerns over proposed trail

A meeting is planned for Thursday, February 28, to discuss a proposed walking trail connecting 88th Street NE and Soper Hill Road in east Marysville. The open forum begins at 7 p.m. at Totem Middle School.

The proposal has faced opposition from some homeowners whose property would be crossed by the trail. The city needs to purchase parts of four residential lots on 75th Street NE for trail access.

Marysville parks director Jim Ballew said the trail, which takes advantage of otherwise unusable acreage beneath Snohomish County PUD power lines west of 83rd Avenue NE, has been planned for 15 years. When completed, the corridor would cover nearly three miles.

Opponents of the trail worry that its recreational advantages would be overshadowed by increased crime and drug use in the area.

To continue with the project, the city will need to negotiate the use of approximately 50 feet on each of the four adjacent properties on 75th Street. Even though most of the trail will not be fenced, Ballew said the city has offered to fence the section in question.

One of Marysville’s priorities, in conjunction with the Healthy Communities Project, is the development of more accessible walking and biking paths. Currently there is only one other walking trail in the city, located near Munson Creek.

If the city can work out differences with property owners, the first half of the trail, between 88th and 64th, may be open next year. That phase of construction is expected to cost more than $700,000, with funding provided by developers, private donations and state and federal grants.