Volunteer crews, county maintenance report progress on turnpikes and test root‑barrier on Port Angeles section

Jeff Fitzwater, the county’s maintenance and volunteer coordinator, presented the committee with a spring maintenance update that highlighted volunteer work and experimental techniques to improve trail longevity.

Fitzwater showed photos of recent volunteer projects including turnpike construction (a roughly 120‑foot section), culvert installation in a frequently muddy clear‑cut, and multiple volunteer chipping sessions to widen the corridor. "Our crew is awesome," he said, praising the regular Thursday volunteer group and the use of leftover cedar logs from bridge projects to build turnpikes.

The presentation also included a pilot to install a subsurface plastic root barrier to limit root heave on paved trail sections west of the 18th Street trailhead. A staff member reported that about 40–50 feet of barrier have been installed and that a mini‑excavator performed better than a trencher on rocky ground; crews stopped work temporarily after discovering an unmarked phone line. Committee members noted the experimental technique could save many years of repair work if successful.

Fitzwater provided volunteer capacity numbers (an email list of 70–80 volunteers and a typical turnout of 15–20 on work days) and described routine maintenance plans (mowing, moss mitigation trials using baking‑soda treatments, and bridge projects). He invited committee members and the public to report maintenance issues by email; he also said the county will continue to coordinate volunteers, county crews and Peninsula Trails Coalition resources for ongoing maintenance.

No formal actions were taken; the committee thanked volunteers and asked staff to return with follow‑up details on the root‑barrier trial and moss‑mitigation results.