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Parks committee pares back master-plan trail list, keeps paddle-trail idea for study
Summary
The Cannon Beach Parks and Community Services Committee voted to remove three unclear or completed trail proposals from the draft master plan and agreed to further study a proposed paddle-launch network on Ecola Creek, while deferring a disputed north–south shared-use route until next month.
The Cannon Beach Parks and Community Services Committee removed three proposed trails from its draft parks master plan and left a paddle-trail concept on the table for further study.
The committee’s chair said the group would strike T1, T2 and T3 from the master-plan list because those items are either completed or impractical. “So t 1, 2, and 3 are gonna be removed,” the chair said at the June 18 meeting, summarizing the committee’s consensus.
Why it matters: members said the master plan should reflect what the city can maintain and what the community will actually use. Several proposals presented in the plan came from an earlier public-engagement process but, according to committee discussion, would add ongoing maintenance burdens or rely on rights-of-way the city does not control.
What the committee decided: after reviewing Mark Morgan’s packet, members agreed to remove a bridge/underpass concept tied to 1st Street (T1), a North-End bike–pedestrian connection that requires costly raised boardwalks through seasonally flooded land (T2), and an unclear Highway 101 parallel trail that would depend on ODOT approvals (T3). Committee members said those items can be revisited if future circumstances change.
A paddle-trail proposal — labeled T4 in the packet — drew a longer discussion. One member urged the committee to “put [the paddle trail] into the Nekus Park,” calling it a “great piece” to add to the plan. Supporters favor canoe-and-kayak launch options at Leisurely Park’s west end, at Oxbow, and near 2nd Street. Opponents cautioned about navigability, submerged stumps and the potential for implied liability if the city builds a formal ramp.
“It's always at your own risk,” a committee member said in response to safety questions, but others noted that constructing a landing could be interpreted as a municipal endorsement that raises safety and maintenance expectations.
Next steps: the committee left the paddle-trail on the plan for further study, suggested consulting a park designer or the state park system for design lessons, and agreed to revisit a contested north–south shared-use path (T10) at a future meeting after hearing from a local resident with strong interest in that connection.
The committee’s review also flagged wayfinding and tsunami-evacuation routes as largely complete, recommended removing several impractical trail elements, and asked staff to prepare follow-up materials for the next meeting. The committee did not adopt any construction contracts or capital authorizations at this session.
