Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reopens Riverdale bike-trails discussion; staff to draft resolution recognizing nonpermanent trail use
Summary
After debating liability, maintenance and engineering standards, the council agreed to place a drafted resolution on the April 15 agenda to acknowledge the Riverdale bike-trail alignment as a temporary, nonpermanent city amenity and to allow volunteer maintenance under agreed terms.
Riverdale City Council meeting, April 1, 2025 — Councilors and city staff reopened discussion of the Riverdale bike trails, focusing on insurance, engineering standards and the temporary nature of the city’s consent for trail use. The council directed staff to draft a resolution that would recognize the trail system while clarifying that any acceptance is nonpermanent and subject to city oversight.
Why it matters: Trail users and youth mountain-bike teams have maintained and used sections of trail on city property for years. Council members raised concerns about liability, special-event rules, impacts on private property, and whether accepting the trail would trigger the city parks ordinance and associated fees and insurance requirements.
What council heard
Mister Brooks briefed the council on recent outreach and said the city's insurer indicated the city "will insure anything that you guys do as long as you do it right," but that the insurer expects engineering and documented standards for public amenities. "Their answer basically will ensure anything that you guys do as long as you do it right," Brooks told the council.
Mister Staten, who identified himself as a mountain-bike coach and organizer, said the trail work proposed is intended to restore connectivity between existing public-trail segments and to be performed "by the book." He explained he uses International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) guidance for natural-surface trails and said routine maintenance could be minimal if trails are used: "If they are being used, that keeps the vegetation from growing back onto the trails with perhaps 1 or 2 days walking through with hand snips and snipping things back once or twice a year." Staten also gave target dig/maintenance dates: the last Saturday in April (April 23) and the first Saturday in May.
Insurance and events
Staten and other volunteers said organized practices and most team activities are covered by league insurance and that larger events typically seek special-event permits and provide insurance certificates. City staff warned that if attendance exceeded special-event thresholds, the city’s special-event review and insurance requirements would apply.
Council direction and next steps
Councilors voted to untable the item and later gave consensus direction for staff to draft a resolution acknowledging the trail’s existence while clarifying that the city’s recognition would not create a permanent park or long-term easement. Councilor comments reflected support for volunteer maintenance but caution about creating long-term obligations: one councilor said any formal acceptance should make clear the use is temporary and could be revoked if the city needs the land for future development.
The council asked staff to place the drafted resolution on the April 15 agenda so volunteers could proceed with planned April maintenance if council action is taken before the dig dates.
Ending
City staff will draft a resolution that (1) recognizes the trail's existence as a city-acknowledged, nonpermanent amenity, (2) records insurance and engineering expectations (IMBA guidance cited), and (3) establishes a process for volunteer maintenance and reporting to the city. The council requested the item be agendized for April 15.
