Jenkins Creek trail phase 1, parking and bathrooms move forward; commissioners flag sight-line safety issues

Parks commissioners updated council on Jenkins Creek Park and the Jenkins Creek Trail, reporting that design work is underway and construction of phase 1 is anticipated to begin next year for a segment that will connect Jenkins Creek Park behind the Home Depot to Kent Kingley near Red Robin.

"The Jenkins Creek there's a master plan for the whole trail, and then there's pieces of it that are being in process right now," Laura Morrissey, parks chair, said. Commissioners said the Phase 1 park improvements focused on a parking lot and public restrooms to support trail users and walkers.

Commissioners also laid out safety concerns tied to sight lines inside Jenkins Creek Park. "Now that we have that new parking lot there, if you if you think about it, when you park in that parking lot and you walk over the bridge and you enter the park, you basically go through a tunnel of trees and brush," Morrissey said. She and other commissioners said portions of the vegetation are functionally wetland buffers and cannot be fully cleared, so the city will need master-plan improvements to balance habitat with user visibility.

Commissioners said maintenance crews have made repeated efforts to trim brush and improve visibility on the lower level, but that the park's topography and vegetation make ongoing maintenance challenging. They noted that a future wider trail alignment planned to connect Red Robin and Founders Park should improve sight lines where it removes vegetation and widens the path.

No vote or final design decision was recorded in the study session. Staff said design continues and construction timing will be confirmed as funding and contracts are finalized.