Fortuna staff seeks council backing to pursue Great Redwood Trail grants; residents raise maintenance and private‑property concerns

Fortuna city staff asked the City Council on Monday to allow them to pursue State Coastal Conservancy grant funding to advance design and environmental work for segments of the Great Redwood Trail and the city’s John Campbell Memorial Greenway (also called the Strongs Creek Trail).

The request, presented by Bridal Bird, Fortuna public works director and city engineer, and supplemented by Elaine Hogan, executive director of the Great Redwood Trail Agency, and Hannah Bartee, Great Redwood Trail project manager with the State Coastal Conservancy, asked the council whether staff should lead engineering and environmental work for trail segments that could extend from Fernbridge to Alton and include portions outside Fortuna city limits. Bird told the council such work would make Fortuna more competitive for implementation grants and would bring trail planning to the same level of readiness as ongoing interchange and active‑transportation projects.

Officials said the…