Milton trails committee adopts updated blueprint map, adds Taylor Road segment; staff to move plan to council

The Milton Trails Advisory Committee voted Thursday to adopt an updated trails blueprint map that adds several proposed connections across the city and approved a late amendment to include a Taylor Road segment from Batesville Road to State Route 372.

The committee’s action, taken by voice vote, follows a presentation of community survey results and a progress update on the Deerfield planning effort and a consultant branding study. City staff said they will prepare the adopted map for formal codification and placement on a future City Council agenda, likely this spring or early summer.

Why it matters: The blueprint is the committee’s prioritized, citywide guide for where sidewalks and multiuse trails should be built or sought through developer-built connections. Adopting the map is the step that allows staff to begin the formal council adoption and codification process and to submit the plan for funding and design work.

Committee discussion and public input summary

Suzanne Bach, a Trails Advisory Committee member, summarized recent meetings with council and the Deerfield plan consultant and urged committee members to think about branding, trail materials, trailheads and community outreach. “The first thing would be, like, to have a layer of public trails so we can see all…where we could put our mark on trails and then also for the public to kinda promote,” Bach said.

Staff presented the results of an online survey used to…