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Advocates Seek Approval of County Trail Plan

Public support growing for updated plan to guide new trails, maintenance

By Tristan Scott
Trail work at Herron Park in 2010. Beacon File Photo

A guiding document for the future of Flathead County’s network of existing and proposed trails is gaining attention as advocates mount public support for finalizing a plan that hasn’t been updated in nearly a decade.

Numerous trails groups, management agencies and other stakeholders contributed to and collaborated on the Flathead County Trails Plan revision, including Flathead County, whose Weed and Parks and Recreation Board is meeting Feb. 4. Trail advocates are urging members of the public to show up in support of the plan at 8:30 a.m. at the Weed and Parks and Recreation Board’s conference room, located at 311 FFA Drive in Kalispell.

“We need local county residents to attend this meeting to show the support for what is becoming an excellent county-wide trail system,” Orrin Webber, a trails advocate who serves on the Foys-Herron Advisory Committee, said.

Cliff Kipp, regional director of the Montana Conservation Corps and the longtime former board chair for the Foys to Blacktail Trail project, encouraged the public to attend the meeting to “assert support for a cohesive, partnership-driven, sustainable county-wide trail network.”

“Many trail groups have contributed considerable time and energy to this revision,” Kipp said.

The trails plan was adopted in 2010 and county officials decided in July 2017 that it needed to be updated in the face of increasing use, as well as growth and development.

Flathead County has the second fastest-growing population and economy in Montana, trailing only Gallatin County, and multiple studies show that trails bring a range of benefits to local communities, including business revenue, improved public health, higher property values, and improved quality of life.

Two recent Montana studies highlight the economic impact of trails in two Montana communities. In Whitefish, the Whitefish Trail is associated with $6.4 million in new consumer spending annually, supporting 68 jobs. In Helena, the South Hills Trail System supports $4.3 million in visitor spending annually, supporting 60 jobs.

The proposed plan is more than a year in the making and discusses the vision and goals for the county trails network, trail development, maintenance, funding, and a new interactive trail map that shows a sprawling grid of proposed trails.

Historically, county trail development has occurred in a piecemeal fashion in terms of administration, implementation and maintenance, according to the draft plan, which seeks to pursue future trail development and existing trail maintenance in a more organized fashion.

Existing county trails largely have been developed in response to pressure from local recreational groups and available funding.

The plan recommends that the county commissioners delegate and fund one county board or department to manage the county trail system. The People, Athletics, Travel, Health and Safety (PATHS) Advisory Committee has suggested the Park Board may be best-suited for that role, as the board oversees both the county Parks and Recreation Department and PATHS committee.

The update to the plan was initiated by the reconvened PATHS Advisory Committee, and the planning process included monthly meetings open to the public and attended by Flathead County staff, planning staff from local municipalities, representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, local community foundations, and area recreational groups and nonprofits.

The plan advises that funding for the trails program “is necessary in order for the work to be prioritized and accomplished.”

While the primary source of trail development and maintenance likely will come from grants and private fundraising, taxpayer funding could be a financial resource if there was documented widespread public support for the trails program, the draft said.

“A property mill tax levy could be used to create a long-term funding source for maintenance and operations,” the draft notes. “Since the county has reached its mill levy ceiling, a general election vote would be necessary to approve an increase in property taxes.”

A special improvement district or park maintenance district could be established to tax residents in defined neighborhoods served by specific trails, the draft further advises.

The commissioners also could ask voters to approve a bond for trail development.

The draft plan suggests adding trail maintenance to the county’s capital improvement plan.

A survey conducted for the plan update found that 45 percent of county residents use trails at least once per week.

Gabe Dillon, program director for Foys to Blacktail Trails, the nonprofit organization that has spearheaded Herron Park’s growth from a 120-acre park to a 440-acre recreation stronghold with a sprawling network of trails and equestrian infrastructure, said maintenance costs could be a sticking point as county officials consider adopting the plan.

“Everyone acknowledges that the maintenance aspect needs to be looked at more, and developing a volunteer program needs to be looked at,” Dillon said.

Paved bike paths in particular require patching and weed control, and sometimes track through nuanced jurisdictions where it’s unclear who is responsible for the maintenance, he said.

“There’s a plan in place, but it’s a little bit outdated,” he said. “If we don’t revise it, the old plan remains in place, but with all the momentum and support for trails, this is a prime opportunity.”