Update: LUT presentation yesterday

[Charlie McCabe]

Greetings Austin Trails Network advocates,

While yesterday, I made a short presentation to the Land use and transportation subcommittee of the Austin City Council. Council members McCracken (chair), Cole and Dunkerley were in attendance.  Thanks to Rick Perkins of Oak Hill Trails for sitting in and providing moral support as well.  I focused on the need for our stated priorities of:

- A Trails Master Plan (using our 12 priority trails as a start)

- City Assistance with securing public access easements on private land as well as City R.O.W.

- A City Trails Division (combining PARD and Public Works resources working together as one example)

- (and always) utilizing our many) volunteers.

I'm pleased to say, that, thanks in large part to Rachel Proctor May (policy director for CM McCracken) and Stephanie McDonald (policy director for CM Cole) we had good support and we were followed by a presentation on the Bicycle Street Smarts Task Force.  The two presentations were enough to ask how we can get a trails master plan included or added to the pending Bike master plan revisions.  So, the next steps are to see how much it might cost (Annick Beaudet, program manager for the Bike program, is helping us with that estimate) as well as address a few of issues raised by CM McCracken (how to reconcile natural trails on for example, the Slaughter Water Quality Protection Lands Trac)t and make sure all of the trail advocates are on board.  I think we're closer than CM McCracken knows with the Trails Network, but we can tackle that with an action at our upcoming trails meeting on Feb 27th.

More soon,

Charlie

Charlie McCabe

Executive Director

Austin Parks Foundation

701 Brazos, Ste 170

Austin TX 78701

512.477.1566

cmc...@austinparks.org

----------------------------------

Please become a member of the Austin Parks Foundation and help adopt, revitalize and improve Austin's parks. Memberships start at $35 a year.  Details at: http://www.austinparks.org/member.html

----------------------------------

The Austin Parks Foundation participates in payroll contribution plans at many Texas workplaces through Earth Share of Texas. Find out how you can support us at 800-GREENTX or http://www.earthshare-texas.org

----------------------------------