Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Trail Alignment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dayton City parks panel favors roadway-side alignment for West Mississippi Regional Trail
Summary
City park staff and commissioners reviewed alignment maps for the West Mississippi Regional Trail and generally favored locating the trail near the roadway where the city controls right-of-way, leaving sections on 3 Rivers Park District land to that agency. Steep bluffs, floodplain and property acquisition were cited as key constraints.
Dayton City park staff and commissioners spent the bulk of the Aug. 3 meeting weighing route options for the West Mississippi Regional Trail and concluded the practical near-term approach is to follow the roadway where the city controls land, and allow 3 Rivers Park District to place trail segments on property it already owns.
Marty, a city parks staff member, told the commission the maps they reviewed show where 3 Rivers owns property, where steep slopes and gentler grades lie, and where bridges or retaining walls might be required. He said the exercise was intended to produce an alignment the city can take to the City Council and later to 3 Rivers Park District for coordination.
Councilman Slonick cited resident and event needs in arguing for a realistic, phased approach. "One design had a maximum of 70 stalls, and it was general consensus that was nowhere near what would be required," he said, noting events could draw "30 to 500 people" and that parking and staging must be considered in design choices.
Commissioners repeatedly flagged steep bluffs and floodplain exposure as constraints. One staff member noted parts of the corridor sit in the 100-year floodplain and that routing the trail near the river would increase the frequency of closures and maintenance. The group discussed right-of-way widths (staff noted many sections are roughly 30–33 feet) and observed that in places the bluff makes riverside construction "potentially completely impractical." Commissioners suggested pedestrian bridges or culverts where ravines occur and said underpasses might define logical trailheads.
Several commissioners said a pragmatic plan is to build where city-owned right-of-way exists and to avoid attempting large property acquisitions immediately. "If 3 Rivers continues to buy land, obviously they could move the trail later," one commissioner said, but until those acquisitions occur the city should prioritize the least costly, most feasible alignment that still provides connectivity.
Next steps identified at the meeting included bringing the staff-drawn alignment to the City Council for input and then engaging 3 Rivers Park District; commissioners also discussed presenting the maps at the upcoming car show to gather informal public feedback. No formal vote was taken on a preferred alignment during this meeting.
