County tries again for trails

Thoughts of trails winding through desert brush bring images of peaceful bike rides and brisk evening walks.

But that's hardly the comforting feeling that hits most outdoors enthusiasts when the topic of trails is raised in the Las Vegas Valley.

Just mention new trail plans proposed by Clark County and residents will roll their eyes and launch into a lengthy diatribe detailing every failed effort to build recreational paths.

The most common response? It will never happen.

Clark County Comprehensive Planning Manager Jory Stewart nods her head as a list of trail-advocate groups, all of which have gotten organized, made plans but ultimately failed, is read.

She knows trail planners are up against a throng of naysayers.

But Stewart also knows this: On July 1, the County Commission became the first Southern Nevada governmental board to allocate money and create a planning position solely to develop trails.

Although Stewart's division initially requested $3 million to build commuter and recreational trails across the valley floor, it was grateful to receive $500,000 and a new planner.

"This is phenomenal because no one else has done it before," Stewart said. "It used to be an extraneous issue. Now it has its own billing, its own money and its own position."

Stewart and John Schlegel, assistant director of comprehensive planning, realize that because the county was slow in mapping out trail routes, their task will be more challenging. During the valley's 10-year growth spurt, development has swallowed rights-of-way and open space ideal for trails.

The planning division's priority is to gobble up undeveloped property along the county's many washes and in utility easements for future trails.

"Now that we have some validity, we can grab those rights-of-way before they go away," Stewart said.

Volunteer groups weary from their long battle for trails are eager to see whether county officials are truly devoted to the cause or whether whispers from the government building are simply lip service.

Randal Grandstaff, owner of Sky's the Limit Outdoor Recreation in Calico Basin and a former member of the Nevada Trails Coalition, is skeptical. He has seen plenty of ambitious plans deserted.

Perhaps the most memorable is marked by a tunnel below U.S. Highway 95 near Floyd Lamb State Park. The under-crossing was supposed to link an equestrian trail that traversed the open desert. But years later, the trail still doesn't exist.

Grandstaff also has seen federal funds designated for trails programs vanish before Clark County officials could lay claim to any of the money.

Although he is admittedly doubtful, Grandstaff's interest was somewhat revived by the commission's recent decision to fund the trail program.

"I'm surprised the commission appropriated money to that," he said. "I think if that's really what they're going to do, that's great."

Stewart said commissioners and members of trail groups will learn during the County Commission's Aug. 18 meeting that her department has solid plans.

The money allocated to the department will be used for several demonstration projects -- new trail circuits in each of the county's seven districts. Stewart wouldn't discuss specific projects to be proposed to the commission, but she offered examples of how they hope to accommodate residents.

One goal is to provide outlets for people who years ago bought property on the edge of the valley and built homes where they also could board their horses. The ranch homes have since become land-locked by condominiums, apartments and high-density housing developments.

Near a new housing division in southwest Las Vegas, Rhodes Ranch, the county plans to lay a trail along a wash. The trail will allow horse owners to ride from their neighborhood, alongside the development and onto open Bureau of Land Management property.

Trails in other regions of the county will stretch from residential areas to shopping centers or public buildings. And more pressure will be placed on developers to incorporate trails into their plans.

"A lot of times it's just nice to walk with your kids to the library rather than jumping in the car," Stewart said.

Aside from identifying available property, planners are determining which uses would best fit various neighborhoods. With each use comes varying types of surfaces and a different price tag.

People frustrated by the county's slow progress may not realize that recreational paths require extensive planning and a healthy budget, Stewart said.

For example, a one-mile, 15-foot-wide stretch of asphalt -- the width needed to accommodate disabled people or strollers -- costs about $150,000. Decomposed granite, best suited for equestrians, costs $100,000 per mile. And soil cement, a mixture used to keep dust levels down, is about $30,000 a mile.

The cost to build the trails doesn't include landscaping or maintenance.

The planning department has a variety of methods to stretch its trail money. It hopes to partner with community-service organizations to extend the system and may start an adopt-a-trail program in which volunteers maintain the paths.

The most significant amount of money, however, is expected from the federal government's Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, a program dubbed TEA-21.

Some $230 million collected from off-road federal gas taxes will be disseminated nationwide, but because Nevada is largely a rural state, it will receive only a sliver of the funds -- about $381,000.

Stewart said if the county puts money forward for its trails, the state likely will match it using the TEA-21 funds. The Nevada Division of State Parks also offers recreational grants.

"Trails help society because they get people off the street," Stewart said. "There are many benefits to creating recreational trails in metropolitan areas. The federal government realizes that, and that's why they're putting money into trail development."

Grandstaff, a professional mountaineer who has lived near Red Rock for 13 years, said trails not only take people off streets, but also provide opportunities for people in the busy city to unwind.

"People live in boxes, and they drive in boxes," he said. "People are natural creatures who like to get outside and walk. Some do it for exercise, others have other reasons. Whatever they are, they should be protected."

Staring up at criss-crossing trails that were made haphazardly across the foothills above his home, Grandstaff emphasized the importance of creating paths that people will use.

Trails built in places where people will not use them will eventually evolve into eyesores. He added that multi-use paths, which accommodate both horses and off-road vehicles, won't work.

"It seems like we've had people who don't know diddly-squat about trails plan them willy-nilly," he said. "They say, 'Oh, we need trails,' and boom, they're put in places people don't want to go."

Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson-Gates said the time simply seemed ideal to fund a trails program. She agreed with Grandstaff that it's important for the county to take its time and create a quality project.

"The reason we're moving on this is because we certainly don't want to lose or miss out on opportunities like leveraging money with the private sector," Gates said. "We're trying to do them as quickly as possible but also think ahead long-range so whatever we do, we do it in an efficient way."

Gates said commissioners have always been supportive of providing more trails, but it's been a matter of finding money in the budget.

"We are trying to enhance the quality of life for residents of Nevada and trails are certainly a part of that," she said.

Stewart said once a trail planner is hired, which should be this month, the planning department will gather all the trail groups from the past and listen to their ideas.

The county also summoned consultants from the San Francisco-based River Trails and Conservation Assistance Program to mediate discussions with cities in the valley about where trails will go and how they will connect with city-funded pathways.

County planner Don Matson said the consultants will also help draw up a compromise for all the different trail users.

Ultimately, Matson said, planners hope to see trails -- both commuter and recreational -- along washes, water pipes and utility easements that will link diverse areas of the county, cities and the Strip.

"There will be trails for people who want to move around and get to work and trails for people who want to get out of town and into a more natural setting," he said.

While the planners have no preliminary trail maps to offer and haven't chosen exactly where demonstration projects will appear, they assure those in doubt that Clark County is about to embark on its first full-fledged trail-building program.

"The commission put its money where its mouth is," Schlegel said. "They (commissioners) are very, very serious."

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