SEELEY LAKE - A half dozen residents participated in a Pathways and Trails Master Plan workshop at the Seeley Lake Community Foundation’s West Wing July 28.
Missoula County is beginning the process to create a countywide Pathways and Trails Master Plan to guide the development and prioritization of regionally and locally shared-use pathways and trails that serve communities throughout the county.
Missoula County Parks, Trails & Open Lands Manager Juniper Davis explained that the workshop was to gather community input on what gaps or problems there might be in the existing community trails as well as opportunities for new connecting trails.
The Master Plan is specifically looking at separated, off-street, shared-use paths such as the one along the east side of Highway 83 in Seeley and along the south end of Boy Scout Road. Pathways through Seeley Lake, like the one along Locust Lane going to the high school, would also be considered in the plan even though it is not separated from the roadway.
The Plan also targets pathways with non-natural surfaces such as asphalt. The reason for excluding natural surface trails is to keep the Plan more manageable and focused on the hard surface connectivity throughout the county. Davis said that since this is a county development plan, most of the trails would be constructed on county-owned land like along county roadways.
Resident Ron Cox said that past trails surveys and plans for the area indicated people desired non-paved trails.
“So right off the bat, Seeley Lake people are going to be feeling left out because this is another Missoula project,” said Cox.
Davis emphasized that this Plan is specifically focused on areas of the county outside of the Missoula urban core and that Seeley Lake would be included in it.
To comment on the Master Plan, get more information or take their trail survey visit https://www.missoulacounty.us/government/culture-recreation/parks-trails
Reader Comments(0)