RE: Negotiations with Landowners

["Andrew Grant" <agrant@latah.id.us>]

Thank you for your input.  Public input is exactly why the web site was
constructed.  Addressing your questions:

The section just west of Eastman Acres has received considerable attention.
There is a preliminary engineering design that addresses the section.
Landowner negotiation will begin as soon as environmental clearance is
secured, which is estimated to be early this summer.

As to the Proposed regulations, we are still receiving input and haven't
finalized them yet.  You have some good points and they will definitely be
taken into account.  Dawn till dusk hours may be too stringent and other
alternatives could work.

If anyone has any more comments or suggestions please feel free to contact
me at agrant@latah.id.us

Thanks again for you comments.
Andrew Grant
Latah County Parks and Rec.

-----Original Message-----
From: Frederick R. Cunningham [mailto:frc@moscow.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 11:09 PM
To: latahtrail@moscow.com; vision2020@moscow.com; parks@latah.id.us
Subject: Negotoiations with Landowners


 To the Latah Trail Foundation, County officials, and potential trail
users and taxpayers,

   I live on Lundquist Lane, about one mile east of Mountain View Road.
My wife and I have braved the 12 inch shoulder of the highway on our
bicycles for a year and a half now, waiting all the while for asphalt to
be laid on the old railbed. We have dodged dump trucks and received
countless extended middle fingers not just to get some exercise or to
see the view, but to get to work, to get to school, and to not use the
damn car.  I have two questions:
    Firstly, does construction of any portion of the trail depend on the
goodwill of the person about a half a mile east and across the highway
from the Elks golf course who took out the trestles and plowed the
railbed out of existence? If so, what is your proposal to deal with that
section of the trail?  I ask this of course, with the understanding that
the person in question may have have had very legitimate reasons for his
or her alterations of the old railway.
    Secondly, the question that I am more concerned with is this:  what
is the logic behind the proposal that the trail only be open from dawn
to dusk?  To explain my frustration with the idea:  The proposed hours
of operation would allow only recreational use of the trail, and not
regular commuting.  If I wanted to ride my bike to work in the winter
(at least half of the winter is bikable), I would have to ride on the
highway in the dark to comply with the Trail Rules.  This compliance
would put myself and anyone using the highway in more danger than if I
rode on the trail.  As I recall the city code of Moscow regarding night
biking, it is required for anyone riding on the streets after dark to
have a headlight and reflectors.  I have always complied with this rule,
mostly for my own safety.
    OK Here it is:  Does anyone have a problem with just requiring Trail
Users to have a light on after dark, be they biking, dogwalking, or
running at night? Moscow Police actually have the authority to issue
citations to those riding without a light.  I don't see why the
Sherrif's department couldn't do the same with the trail users.  They're
going to be patrolling it anyway, right?   I have seen scores of people
commuting back and forth on the Chipman Trail at night with lights on
their bicycles.  I can only assume I did not see any people insane
enough to ride without a light because they were invisible or they
weren't there.
    Please do not misunderstand my position.  I am completely and
without any reservation in support of the Latah Trail.  However, if it
is to be created, please let it be created as a multipurpose facet of
our County recreation AND TRANSPORTATION infrastructure.  Closing the
trail at night makes it nothing but a publicly owned toy;   Allowing
safe and responsible use after dark and before light will ultimately
provide an alternative to get to town for the hundreds (if not a
thousand or more) of us that live east and work west.  It would also get
at least a little bit of car traffic, and probably all nigh bike traffic
off of the overused, dangerous and narrow strip of road called Highway
8.

Thankyou for all your work to get the Trail done, and for your
consideration of my thoughts,

Fred Cunningham
1280 Lundquist Lane, Moscow
882-3909