Evaluation of Trail Entry Conditions and Recommendations for Improvements: Washington Grove, Cobbs Hill Park (September 2016): The Friends of Washington Grove Inc. Comments and Positions
Study recommendations
The study includes a series of recommendations, including in some cases possible alternative approaches, for:
• The selection of effective existing trails
• Removal of detrimental trails
• Potential alternative trails
• Establishing a hierarchy of trails
• Concept-level design for trail entrances for Nunda Blvd and Reservoir Road trailheads
• Realistic maintenance strategies to ensure safety and sustainability of the park trail system
The Friends of Washington Grove Inc. positions of the Washington Grove trails and entry report
The report:
- Provides useful background information and research that will inform our planning and conversation with relevant City of Rochester officials. Examples are the section on sustainable trail design, and text on the relative effectiveness of different approaches to increasing public acceptance of park rules.
- Includes the multiple perspectives of different park and community users, to which we can attend as we seek further community input.
- Provides options for entries from Reservoir Road and Nunda Blvd that will require further discussion and study.
- Documents the economic and social benefits of parks such as Washington Grove.
We support:
- Proposals for educational signage intended to inform users of where trails run, on the grove itself, and on grove rules.
- Establishing a hierarchy of primary and secondary trails, with primary trails four feet wide and secondary ones three feet wide.
- Using inventive and natural methods to prevent trails from widening. The report states that, “The trails currently suffer from erosion, compaction, and unplanned widening.” It cites research that correlates erosion with widening.
- Experimental installation of trail markers to inform users of where they are within Washington Grove. Earlier attempts have faced vandalism. An experiment will determine whether or not attitudes have changed.
- Recommendations for closing certain trails. They diminish the quality of user experience and promote erosion. The report states, “The density of trails has increased rapidly in recent years, as interest in and use of the park has increased. The current number of trails is excessive for a park of only 26 acres, and several paths lie only feet apart from one another.”
- Further exploration of an ADA-compliant entrance and a five-foot wide .35 mile loop within the grove. The recommended trail segment is the obvious choice given the grove’s geography. We support the concept subject to further research to determine whether or not a trail with a stone dust surface can be installed without harming Washington Grove’s trees and their roots, and whether funding can be found for the purpose.
Evaluation of Trail Entry Conditions and Recommendations for Improvements: Washington Grove, Cobbs Hill Park (September 2016) – Full text, Appendices and Figures
appendix-a-1 Public Input Survey
appendix-b-1 Oublic Input Summary
appendix-c-1 Soil Map
appendix-d-2 Map Unit Description
figure-a Project Location
figure-b Land Use
figure-c Property Ownership
figure-d Existing Trail Network
figure-e-1 Existing Conditions Analysis
figure-f Overall Slope Analysis
figure-g-1 Slope Analysis of Trails
figure-h Drainage Map
figure-i-1 Preferred Trail Network
figure-j Alternate 1- Preferred Trail Network Improvements
figure-k Alternate 2- Trail Network Improvements
figure-l Alternate 2- Trail Network Improvements
figure-m Proposed Parking Area Concept
figure-n Alternate 2- Accessible Trail Entrance Enlargement
figure-o Nunda Boulevard Entrance Concept
figure-p Typical Trail Cross Sections
figure-q Typical Trail Details