Central Ohio Greenway & Trail Forum

February 16, 2006

Battelle Darby Metro Park

Cedar Ridge Lodge

1. Roundtable Sharing of Projects
   1. Delaware County

                                                             i.      Trails are going out to bid and will connect to CD&M.

                                                          ii.      They want to acquire CDX and create five miles of loop

2. Knox County

                                                             i.      Three trail boards

                                                          ii.      Engineering bridges for Heart of Ohio Trail

                                                        iii.      They had a problem with ODOT and possible eminent domain

                                                        iv.      Want to railbank

                                                           v.      Have a grant for repairing trail to Danville from commissioners

3. Madison County

                                                             i.      Ohio to Erie Trail paved to London

                                                          ii.      Path 6.5 miles east of London – grant to pave to Wilson Road with 2008 dollars, starts July, 07.

4. Worthington

                                                             i.      Bikeway on east side of Olentangy – want to connect to west side

5. Ohio to Erie Trail

                                                             i.      Working with active rail lines

                                                          ii.      Ohio Rail Development Commissions wants legal immunity if injured on active rail lines

6. New Albany – Updating master plan and doing a loop
7. Dublin

                                                             i.      Filling in the gaps on existing trail system

                                                          ii.      60 miles of trails and all developments have to put in bike trails

8. Metroparks – lots in Big Darby
9. Orange Township – New High School and mile path along Orange Road
10. Hayden Run

                                                             i.      Conservation easement

                                                          ii.      Natural stream restoration

                                                        iii.      Partnering with Columbus Recreation and Parks

11. Elaine Marsh

                                                             i.      Last round of Clean Ohio

                                                          ii.      Environmental zoning – what communities can do to implement zoning

12. Sunbury – working on trail through Sunbury
13. Fairfield County

                                                             i.      Covered bridge move

                                                          ii.      Interurban

2. Greenway Streamside Setbacks Panel
   1. Maureen Lorenz - Columbus Recreation & Parks – 15,000 acres along streams

                                                             i.      Take advantage of streams with parks along them

                                                          ii.      1974 – acquired parkland and corridors

                                                        iii.      1973 – Columbus comprehensive plan revised in 1993 to city plan to preserve river corridors

                                                        iv.      Acquisition methods

1.    Fee simple purchase – most expensive and use as last resort

2.    Easement – purchased, donated or negotiated

3.    Donations – focus on being philanthropic

4.    Restrictive covenants – deed restricted in property

5.    Mandatory dedication of parkland on riverfronts for all new subdivisions and neighborhood parks

6.    Parkland dedication ordnance – 1000 residents, 5.5 acres of parkland to city, want to move to 10 acres per thousand

                                                           v.      Riparian floodway control

1.    Use big buffers with 120’ setbacks both sides of streams

2.    Use 50’ setbacks on small streams

3.    Different parts of Columbus have different plans

                                                        vi.      2003 – Linkups and trails –

                                                      vii.      Buildings and Greenways – used grants a lot

2. Frances Beasley – Columbus Utilities

                                                             i.      1974 Watercourse plan

                                                          ii.      Greenways plan for Franklin County using amenities that could be provided along corridor

                                                        iii.      Franklin County Metroparks and others put together greenways plan

                                                        iv.      Managed corridors – need a toolbox of strategies. Preserved open space.

                                                           v.      2000 – Central Ohio Regional Forum led to Darby Creek Environmentally Sensitive Development Area with riparian buffers and Darby Creek Accord

                                                        vi.      Stormwater Drainage Manual and Stormwater Advisory group balance environmental protection and economic development

                                                      vii.      Stream Corridor Protection Zone

                                                   viii.      Utility Department has $20 Million for restoration projects and one is at the Big Darby headwater.

3. Joan Hug Anderson – Summit County Soil & Water Conservation District

                                                             i.      Summit County has 11 commissioners and home rule

                                                          ii.      Presentation in PowerPoint (Erin, can we get these to put online?)

4. Jim Gillis – Lake County Engineer

                                                             i.      Serves 250,000 people

                                                          ii.      Formed stormwater utility in 2003

                                                        iii.      Co-administrator of flood damage prevention

                                                        iv.      Presentation in PowerPoint (Erin, can we get these to put online?)

3. Trail Maintenance Costs, Partnerships and Safety
   1. Jim Schneider, Greene County

                                                             i.      Long-term maintenance, in operation since 1981

                                                          ii.      Need to last longer than 10 years

                                                        iii.      Good drainage is essential

                                                        iv.      Periodic maintenance

1.    Moving

2.    Trimming

3.    Edging to prevent plant encroachment

4.    Crack sealing and seal coating

5.    Jim has saw cut specifications

                                                           v.      Trail sentinel program Volunteer Bike Patrol Handbook Presentation in PowerPoint (Erin, can we get these to put online?)

2. Bob Butts – Five Rivers Metroparks

                                                             i.      Presentation in PowerPoint (Erin, can we get these to put online?)

                                                          ii.      Bike, hike and horse patrols

                                                        iii.      Have gear ready for volunteers before they start

                                                        iv.      Develop social opportunities

                                                           v.      MVP – Metroparks Volunteer Patrol

                                                        vi.      Why?

1.    about public relations – citizens advocates for your agency

2.    Eyes and ears for law enforcement

3.    Recruitment for future volunteers

                                                      vii.      Where do you find volunteers?

1.    Existing programs

2.    Bike for the health of it

3.    Local cycling organizations

4.    Advertise

                                                   viii.      How do you know you have the right volunteers?

1.    Unpaid staff

2.    Create job descriptions

3.    Interview candidates with a panel interview and do background checks

                                                        ix.      Training classes

1.    Bike safety

2.    CPR

3.    Radio

                                                           x.      Sponsorships - Bike shops and other can help sponsor by providing

1.    Radios

2.    Jerseys

3.    Components

3. Wayne Roberts – Madison County Friends of the Trail

                                                             i.      Problem – people think you will take TV’s

                                                          ii.      Sheriff overloaded – be the eyes and ears of local law enforcement

                                                        iii.      Madison County Park District and City of London

                                                        iv.      Volunteer Trail Sentinels

1.    Developed a manual

2.    Had a town meeting

3.    Developed a leadership Group for program

                                                           v.      Training

1.    Basic bicycle repair

2.    First Aid

3.    CPR

                                                        vi.      Clothing

1.    Helmet liner

2.    Vest

3.    Trail sentinel tools

                                                      vii.      Funding – United Way and WalMart funding

                                                   viii.      Radios – used cell phones to call dispatcher

                                                        ix.      Sign in and sign out

                                                           x.      Make notes of trash dumps

                                                        xi.      Have forms to use on a Web site

4. Larry Peck – Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District

                                                             i.      Metroparks in seven counties

                                                          ii.      Extending trails from Madison County

                                                        iii.      Have 22,000 acres

                                                        iv.      Formed in 1945

                                                           v.      New to linear parks

                                                        vi.      Decentralized decision making

                                                      vii.      Have trail volunteers under auspices of each park manager

                                                   viii.      Maintenance standards and approach by park

                                                        ix.      Safety – strong ranger program with 39 full and part time rangers

                                                           x.      High visibility

                                                        xi.      Worked with Heritage Trail

                                                      xii.      Have emergency trail access routes

                                                   xiii.      Have community crime patrol on Olentangy Trail

5. Questions and Answers

                                                             i.       Materials to use – pervious concrete and pervious asphalt – these are new products and Cleveland State is a demonstration site

                                                          ii.      If original was less than 2.5” of asphalt, remove and re-lay it

                                                        iii.      Seal Coat every five years in summertime, it should be usable in an hour. New soy-based product dries in a half hour.

                                                        iv.      GSP88 sealer is on government contract

                                                           v.      Do 50 hours per volunteer each season, others did four hours/month

                                                        vi.      Metroparks – half the parks in Franklin County, half straddle counties or are in other counties

                                                      vii.      Clearcreek Park was donated and can make improvement in Fairfield County

                                                   viii.      It is possible to develop a relationship in outside counties like Fairfield

                                                        ix.      Metroparks secured money for Madison County trail

4. Next Steps – asked for topics for future meetings (sorry, I did not get anything else)