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Red Mountain Trail design advances; commission pairs trail work with owl-box project
Summary
Commission members reported progress on the Red Mountain Trail route and discussed related community projects including owl boxes built by a local school carpentry class. The trail is proceeding under a state grant; members flagged grade, parking and safety concerns and tentatively set an autumn timeline for owl-box work.
Kim (commission member) updated members that the Red Mountain Trail route has been set and that the project is moving forward under a state grant. She said the city engineer noted grade concerns at the trail entrance from the parking lot but that the steep segment is short; members discussed options for handicap parking and a guardrail or fence to channel users to a single controlled entrance.
Commission members said Ocean State (retail neighbor) has suggested fencing along the trail edge to restrict informal access and reduce safety risks where the grade drops toward the roadway. Kim said a plan under consideration would add one or two handicap spaces near the top of the access to reduce the need for pedestrians to climb the steep section from another lot.
Separately, the commission discussed a community owl-box project tied to the trail and to local carpentry programs. Kim said she has a contact at Oliver Wolcott School and proposed asking a carpentry class to build owl boxes as a fall 2025 project; the boxes could be installed once the trail work is complete and the city can supply equipment to mount them. Members flagged that installation and maintenance would need coordination with public works and that the owl boxes could serve as a non-lethal rodent-control measure for areas with rat activity.
Kim also reported tentative outreach to a local retailer (Job Lot) that expressed interest in supporting trail work. The commission recorded the owl‑box project as a potential PR and habitat enhancement tie-in for Red Mountain Trail that would be timed to the school calendar and project completion.
