September 2017 Advocacy Minutes

Advocacy Meeting

September 11, 2017 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Sweetwater Summit Campground, Bonita, CA

Ben Stone - Advocacy Committee Chairperson/Vice-President SDMBA

 

  • Welcome and Introductions (Susie Murphy)

 

Attendance:

Matt Lowery

Phillip Villanueva

Pete Gonzales

Keith Leyva

Julie Perez

Blanca Lowery

Miguel Rascon

Chris Obra

Carmen Luna

David Silva

Carmen Richardson

Jorge Galaz

Gonzo Rejon

Ivan Perez

Jay Bernal

Julie Perez

Roman de Salvo

Laura Boase

Rudy rias

Alfonso Garcia

Charlie Richmond

Bob Ponting

Lance Escano

Wayne Boll

Seth Hanson

Tom Book

Jaime Bernal

Pete Gonzales

KC Butler

Travis Schellpeper

Rudy Arias

Grant Carner

Chris Obra

 

  • Questions or comments?

  • Guest Speakers:

-David Norgard, County of SD Parks and Recreation- Sweetwater Bike Skills Park update

  1. David Norgard, County of SD Parks and Rec

    1. project manager for Sweetwater bike park and the Senior project manager of county parks, development of parks in south bay

    2. Has been out to the community to engage interest in bike park development

    3. Bike park location: San Miguel and Proctor Valley road next to the ballfields

      • 4 acre parcel designated for a bicycle area

      • Environmental review of parcel

    4. Public meeting this fall/early winter focusing on what the community wants to be built at the bike park

      • Hope that everyone can come and provide input at this meeting

    5. The county will be hiring a designer for the bike park with bike skills experience, SDMBA will have a say on who this is

    6. Questions?

      • Q: What is the model for the bike park? A: We have visited some facilities that have worked and are evaluating based on that. We are looking at what can be done for a long-term investment

      • Q: When will a conceptual for this be ready? A: Drawing should be done late winter, early spring

      • Q: Will it be dirt? A: Yes

      • Q: Who will build and design the bike park? A: A builder has not been hired, designers are being looked at. Qualified contractors will be used in order to create the bike park. Designer will create a concept drawing, construction documents, keeping environmentally sensitive areas in mind. Interviewing multiple designers.

      • Q: Will the facility be staffed or unstaffed? A: Will have a fence all the way around perimeter with a locking gate - will be approximately sunrise to sunset open, staffing will be similar to regional parks.

      • Q: Is it possible to have lighting in the park? A: Probably not at this time

      • Q: Is there flexibility once the design is done? A: If it is something the county would have to fund, there need to be funds for that. This could be difficult down the road.

 

Susie Murphy, Executive Director: took David Norgard and Jill Bankston (County Parks and Rec) to the Olympic Training Center to meet Tyler Brown who runs Chula Vista BMX. Tyler has traveled around the world in order to learn to maintain the BMX track and the pump track/jump track park there. They will be resurfacing both facilities soon and working on the soil, county people will be able to learn how to participate in this resurfacing.

 

Jose Galaz, Board Member: Even though we will have professional designers, we will need so much help with maintenance will need trained volunteers to help make this bike park a reality

 

Kevin Loomis: this will be a community project.


-Jill Terp, US Fish and Wildlife - Mother Miguel Trail Update

2.

  • Appreciates SDMBA support and help with educating others. SD National Wildlife Refuge established in 1996 to protect endangered species and care for habitat

  • We know that people want to get out and enjoy nature - you see amazing things when riding

  • Management plan will include trails system that will connect to regional trails

  • Apology that we are not able to start working on the Mother Miguel trail last season

    • Every weekend in November and December is blocked off, hoping for rain and user groups to be able to do trail work to get Mother Miguel trail back to a zig-zag form that will be a better trail experience and more reasonable for wildlife

    • May bring in some heavy equipment, including a trail dozer, for cutting. Because of land ownership boundaries, trail will not be exactly the same.

    • We are constrained with where we can enter. Some trails may be closed in this process. SDMBA will help to publicize trail volunteer days.

 

Questions for Jill Terp:

  1. Q: Do you have an overlay for the new rockhouse? A: Not one that is ready to show. The trail will not enter in the same way that it has in the past, trail will drop down and then cut right. Jill is not worried about people with SDMBA being on the trail, but others that may want to deviate from the planned trail.

  2. Q: How wide will the trail be? A: Depends on what equipment will be used. To build the trail initially, a 4 foot dozer will most likely be used. There will be rain, erosion, plant life there. With the numbers of users there increasing, trail will most likely be larger than singletrack.

  3. Jose Galaz: Rockhouse will continue to be a challenging trail, and it will be legal

  4. This is not a trail that was originally in the trails plan, but we realize that there is a need for this trail to be built/maintained.

  5. Q: Will the scar be closed? A: Yes, parts of it may be included but that part itself will be changed.

 

  • Mother Miguel interest list - please sign up and updates will be sent out

  • There are some challenges with current trail connections, some negotiations will have to be gone through.

  • Connections are in very bad shape, we may have an opportunity to redesign them

  • Right now working on a vernal reroute with SDGE that would allow the county to do some construction on SDGE property

  • The first part is to get agreements done so that there is a legal route

 

-Carmen Richardson - Eastlake High School MTB Team

  • Students and coaches are attending this meeting from the teams - including the South Bay Composite and Eastlake High School team

  • Carmen Luna is the new team director for Eastlake and South Bay Composite/Andrew DiPratti  is Head Coach

  • Part of a larger organization called NICA, racers compete with 9000 other students on race days

  • We are in dire need of coaches! Students will not be able to compete if there are not enough coaches.  Sign up process is easy to be a ride support coach.

  • Eastlake is a Division 1 team, at least 12 riders competing against teams with 60

  • Advocacy for these trails and keeping trails open for these riders is extremely important, partnering with SDMBA is important

  • If you have any afternoons free, you can help coach. Sweepers are needed.if you can commit to 3 hours a month, you can be a volunteer! Our ratios currently are 1 coach to 6-7 riders.

  • Travis Schellpeper - Eastlake high - Eastlake middle - South Bay composite is for any sweetwater school, students can start in 6th grade. Middle school program is growing faster than high school program

 

  • Glen Abbey Multi-Use Trail Project (Jose Galaz)

    • County has gotten an easement, trails will go up to the cemetery and will connect up and over to Rice Canyon.

    • Work will start within the next 5-6 months.

    • Construction documents have already come in, in the next 4 weeks we will do a re-evaluation and be able to construct. New trail will go right behind a parking area.

    • Jose Galaz: this is a steep section, trail so far has only one switchback, concerned about rain

    • Walls will be going up to retain the grade, but there is a constraint with only about 10 feet to build this trail

 

  • Otay River Valley Trail Connections (Jose Galaz)

    • The whole west side, from the west end all the way to the 805 is all developed trail that is county, trails are wide and go east into the valley. This is a great family ride/transportation corridor.

    • There is a service road there that is going to become a trail

    • Otay river is going to be restored, was previously drained because of heavy rains and flooding

    • Jose sits on a committee that has made recommendations for trails in this area - did not want to keep the area as service road. Also, vehicles can drive more easily on service roads - this is not good for recreation!

    • Original Chula Vista trail will stay, multi-use trail has been extended and will be cut to 4 foot wide

    • There will be bridges/crossings located on the map and new trails will be coming! It will be a few years before these are built, but we need to start being vocal about this area

    • The people who own HomeFed (developers) also work in this area

    • This will be another connector that will give us another legal route

 

  • SDMBA/IMBA News

    • Exciting news about an ongoing issue

    • There was previously a 60/40 split of funds leaving san diego going to IMBA

    • IMBA was previously being restrictive, but after a lot of negotiation, we have reached an agreement and resigned with IMBA

    • Rep working for the state of California in Sacramento from the highest level up

      • Laurel works with USFW, State Parks, planning throughout California. Will let us know about changes with Wilderness

    • Now, 75% of funding will remain here in San Diego or in California

    • IMBA board has allowed transparency, will be opening up their books and showing minutes to the public - will make meetings accessible to the community. Transparency brings and builds trust!

    • Kevin - want to be in charge of our own destiny! We are forming a california council that will be our own 501c3 and the state of California will be able to manage resources and assign where money goes/what areas are important to us

      • IMBA will be a partner, and each chapter will be able to make its own destiny

      • What will happen when we take this to a statewide level? We will be working together with a unified voice that will be heard at a national level.

*** If you are not a SDMBA member, your support allows us to put on meetings, trail equipment, lobbying, etc. We have 1100 members but our goal is 2000. ***

  • IMBA heard us and made changes!

  • Join in September, Jenson is giving away a prize each week (for new SDMBA members)

 

  • Sweetwater Loop Trail Proposal (Jose Galaz)

    • Sweetwater/Torrey meeting - between County and USFW

    • We can go out to Tiki head, go out to steel bridge but there is no other way to get to the other side of the lake.

    • Vision to have a multi-use trail that will work well for the neighborhood. Supervisor Cox/Dianne Jacob have advocated for this.

    • Pushed the meeting back to have Dianne Jacob to push the project forward

    • Worried about water quality, not worried as much about hikers but worried more about waste issues with other trail user groups

    • New manager of the water authority - between supervisors we should be able to explain to situation

    • Multi-use is the goal

    • Hopefully there will be more about this in coming meetings

    • This project has been talked about for many years

    • There are property issues in this area as well

    • Long term vision, but things are progressing forward

 

  • USFS Trail Stewardship Summit Update November 2-5, 2017 (Susie Murphy)

    • Will be put out publicly for sign ups soon

    • SDMBA/IMBA planned trail stewardship summit

    • 4 day event

    • Thursday/Friday anyone can come, all day workshop-presentations

      1. Presentation by the forest service, corporate partners, county, city of SD

      2. Focus of talks : creative partnerships, trail planning - funding ideas, thinking outside of the box and how people can help government groups

    • Saturday/Sunday trail building schools

      1. One is beginning trail maintenance, 40-50 people to that. Classroom and field work at Crestridge

      2. Advanced trail building class - extensive experience and can commit to working on projects with the forest service

      3. Advanced will be held up at Laguna - Red Tail Roost or Gatos work

      4. This will not be a formal campout, but we could arrange campsites.

    • Susie can take your name on paper, or email executivedirector@sdmba.com

    • Thursday and friday sessions are free, other sessions are $50 for fees and supplies, including lunch

 

  • Next Advocacy meeting:  October 4, 6:30 p.m., Alpine Beer Co. 1347 Tavern Road.

    • Usually the first monday of the month, generally up at 4499 Ruffin Road.

    • This is one of our meetings on the road! Our ‘on the road meetings’ have had a great turnout

    • Wednesday at Alpine Beer Co. restaurant out on the patio

    • Alpine Ride Shop has helped us arrange logistics

    • Will be talking about Forest Service projects, Anderson Truck Trail. Have a beer and come talk about trails out there!

 

Networking notes:

Victor Luna - staff member, Supervisor Cox’s office.

Robert - manager of performance store is Bonita

Arnold - head ranger at Sweetwater Summit

 

Old Business (Non-discussion items)

  1. Tecolote Trails plan - (Evan) - (In progress 2016 build 2017)

  2. Sycamore Goodan Ranch Update (Ben late 2017)

  3. Fanita Ranch Trails Plan (Ben Stone) (Unknown)

  4. Castlerock project date June 2016 grading has begun (One year) Ben

  5. Black Mountain/Black Widow (Matt 2017)

  6. Sweetwater Summit Bike  Park (Jason Showalter)

  7. Del Mar Mesa Surrounding Development

  8. Rock House / San Diego Wildlife Refuge- update (Jose/Jason)

  9. Otay Valley Regional Park - (Jose)

  10. Tijuana River Valley (Jose)

  11. Palm Canyon Update (in Progress October-November)

  12. San Diego County PLDO Funds

  13. Village 13 Projected Date (First Quarter 2017)

  14. Mission Trails Master Plan (Summer 2017)


Next meeting: Wednesday, October 23 , 2017   (Special location: Alpine County Library) 

 

Meeting ends at 7:45pm

 

Minutes recorded by: Siobhan Baloochi, SDMBA secretary