Local News

News Release: Tusayan Trails Public Comment Period Opens , Public Meeting March 28th

March 22, 2018

 Dear Friends, Stakeholders and Visitors, The Town of Tusayan would like to invite all to participate in the Community Trails Master Plan public comment period and public meeting.

Public comment on the plan will be open for one month, beginning today, March 21st and ending on April 21st, 2018. The Master Plan document and online comment submission form can be accessed at http://tusayan-az.gov/trail-info/. Comments can also be submitted via email to tusayantrails@gmail.com,  or by mail to Town of Tusayan - PO Box 709 Tusayan, Arizona, 86023.

A public meeting on the Master Plan will take place on Wednesday, March 28th, at 11:30 am at Tusayan Town Hall, 845 Mustang Drive. The meeting will consist of a short presentation about the project and an open-house style showing of maps and descriptions of the new trail segments. You are invited to share your ideas, ask questions and voice your concerns. Lunch will be provided.

 

The Community Trails Master Plan was developed by Trails Inspire, LLC and unanimously approved by the Town Council in October 2017. The approval was contingent on a period of public scoping to receive feedback on the plan from locals, visitors, trail users, stakeholders, and recreational user groups. All comments that are within the scope of the project will be considered in the development of the final Master Plan.

 

The Master Plan consists of approximately 11.5 miles of new non-motorized, multi-use trails for visitors and residents alike. Of these, 8.8 miles will be natural surface singletrack, 1.8 miles will be four-foot wide, crushed gravel path and 0.8 miles will be ADA accessible. The Master Plan document details the individual trail segments.

 

The Master Plan objectives were arrived at through a combination of the town’s objectives from the 2024 plan and stakeholder and public feedback during the initial scoping process.

 

The Master Plan objectives are as follows:

 

·        Develop a non-motorized multi-use trail system providing safe and sustainable recreational trail routes for visitors and residents

·        Identify commuter trail routes for residents

·        Highlight the natural beauty of the Tusayan area

·        Include opportunities for signage interpreting the natural features of the area

·        Provide connectivity with existing trails

·        Develop the Grand Canyon History Trail - an interpretive trail telling the story of the human history of the Grand Canyon area.

·        Provide the Town of Tusayan, Kaibab National Forest and landowners with a detailed summary of potential trail alignments and construction notes as well as preliminary cost estimates for construction and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

 

We look forward to your participation in the public scoping period and hope that we will see you at the meeting on March 28th at 11:30 am. We would also appreciate any help to spread the word about the comment period and meeting, please find attached a flyer with information in both PDF and JPEG formats. Contact the Project Director, Sirena Dufault, at sirena@trailsinspire.com or (602) 571-6439 with any questions or concerns.

 

Sincerely,


Sirena Dufault

Project Director

Tusayan Trails