06/26/2003 - Tigard Awarded Federal Trail Grant CITY OF TIGARD PRESS RELEASE
13125 SW Hall Blvd. June 26, 2003
Tigard, Oregon 97223
For Immediate Release
Contact: Duane Roberts/Dan Plaza
City of Tigard
503-639-4171, ext. 2444, 2590
Tigard Awarded Federal Trail Grant
The City of Tigard has been awarded $51,486 in Recreational Trail Program (RTP) grant
funds to partially finance the development of the Fanno Creek Trail segment between Hall
Boulevard and the City's future library. The Oregon Recreational Trails Advisory
Committee, responsible for reviewing and prioritizing the grant requests, ranked the Fanno
Creek Trail project third of 38 projects submitted statewide.
The RTP is a federal-aid assistance program intended to help states provide and maintain
recreational trails for both motorized and non-motorized trail use. Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department (OPRD) administers the RTP in Oregon. Two years ago, the City
was awarded an RTP grant to complete the Tiedeman/Woodard Park segment of the
creek-side trail. Ken Tolliver and Dewey and Margaret Hamilton, who live along this now
completed trail segment, provided letters in support of the City's new grant application,
stating that the existing Fanno Creek Tigard Trail system is well used and enjoys strong
community support. In Mr. Tolliver's words, "Recently, the segment of the Fanno Creek
Trail by my home was completed. I thought it wouldn't be used very much; but I was
wrong. I am amazed at how many people use the trail each day- rain or shine." Written
advocacy on behalf of the Tigard project also was provided by the Fanno Creek Trail
Working Group, the Tigard City Council (in the form of a resolution), the Washington
County Commission, and Metro.
The newly-funded Hall Blvd/future library segment is 1,040' in length and will be
constructed to regional standards. The cost of the trail is estimated at $61 per lineal foot.
This is a typical cost for an urban trail designed to a 10-foot width with 2-foot shoulders
on either side. The RTP funds ($51,486)will be used to partially finance the construction
of the trail and the installation of a pedestrian bridge over Fanno Creek. City dollars
($50,000)will be used to cover unmet costs. The City also will provide design and
construction management services. The tentative completion date is fall 2004.
A new addition to the grant-funded project is the extension of the trail by some 400 feet
to connect with the recently completed Fanno Pointe trail section. The completion of the
lengthened segment across the entire 14-acre library property will fill a missing link
between 2,000 feet of existing upstream and 1,400 feet of existing downstream trail.
Altogether, the future continuous trail will stretch from Main Street to Fanno Creek Drive.
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The proposed future library trail route is relatively level, with only 1-2 feet of elevation
change. The new segment will be constructed to regional trail standards and will meet all
Americans with Disabilities guidelines. When completed, the trail will serve the full range
of recreational users, including bike riders, skaters, walkers, wheelchair users, and others
seeking a natural experience and safer alternative for access to the new library and other
area destinations along busy streets.
The physical design of the trail segment poses very limited disturbance to the existing
vegetation and avoids all wetlands and trees. The area through which the trail passes,
flanking both sides of the creek, is a former horse pasture. Within this area, the soil has
been compacted by years of livestock grazing. All along the stream banks Himalayan
blackberries predominate. Interspersed among the blackberries are ash, willow, and
black cottonwood. The trail will travel through a 9-acre greenway area for which a
revegetation plan, intended to restore the area to more historic conditions, has been
developed.
The Fanno Creek Trail has been a top priority for the City of Tigard since 1983 and the
focus of an intense local and regional planning and public involvement effort since the
mid-1990's. During the past five years, Tigard has completed four new local segments
at a total cost, exclusive of land acquisition and engineering design, of$470,000. To
date, approximately 60% of the trail has been completed.
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