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Mitchell Park and Rec Board Hears Public Concerns, Staff Briefing on Proposed Celia Pines Trail Work; No Vote
Summary
At a January meeting the Park and Recreation board discussed a volunteer-led plan to mark and modestly widen some single-track trails in Celia Pines. Residents urged preserving the areaas a natural habitat; staff noted available tree-planting grant funding. The item was discussion-only and the board took no formal action.
The Mitchell Park and Recreation Board received a staff briefing and public comment on proposed trail improvements in Celia Pines, a wooded natural area bordering Lake Mitchell, and did not take formal action.
Staff described a volunteer plan developed by a trail worker identified as Dwight, who works with the Dallas City Peddlers, to remark existing single-track routes, close some informal cut-throughs and in limited places modestly widen tread to improve user flow. Staff said the volunteer would avoid removing large ponderosa pines, would generally not cut trees larger than 4 inches except for dead material, and would aim to keep the trail at least roughly 25 feet from a property boundary where possible. The volunteeras described by staffproposed two loops that would come together at a single point rather than create many intersecting spurs.
The discussion drew several residents who urged the board to preserve Celia Pines as a natural habitat and asked the board to be cautious before approving any trail work. Longtime resident Mark Bernard, who said he and others helped keep Celia Pines from being sold in 2010, told the board the area was important for songbirds and wildlife and asked that the site be preserved "just the way it is." Resident Jordan Hanson said he was speaking for others who opposed the project and said he had asked staff to set aside funds for tree planting; Hanson said staff replied a $10,000,000 request was not possible.
City staff responded to questions about replanting and stewardship. A staff member identified as Kevin told the board the city last year obtained a U.S. Forest Service grant for trees, which Kevin described as approximately $97,000 to support planting roughly 240 trees over three years (about 80 trees per year). Staff noted watering and aftercare capacity is a key constraint for any new plantings and that volunteers have offered to help with watering.
Board members and members of the public raised safety and habitat concerns: residents highlighted dead standing and fallen trees that could be hazardous if left near trails and urged targeted removal and replanting. Others worried modest widening could become a precedent for future expansion; several speakers said they wanted to see a marked route on the ground before any clearing began so the public could visualize impacts.
Board discussion ended without a motion. A board leader said staff could re-mark the route for the board to view on a future site visit but indicated the board would not direct further work unless it received additional public input: "Unless I get a lot of emails saying, go explore that, I won't proceed," the board leader said (paraphrased from the public discussion). The board also discussed reconvening the trail committee to coordinate broader bike-trail planning and to consider impacts from an upcoming lake dredge project that will remove some other local trail areas.
The board listed the Celia Pines item as a discussion item and intends to revisit trail details and any potential site visit at a future meeting; no permit, contract, or formal authorization for construction was approved at this meeting.
