Scott Swanson
After years of discussing the possibility of Linn County taking over the operation of Cascadia State Park, the wheels have begun turning on the proposal.
That, along with planned changes in the way camping is done at Green Peter Reservoir and along Quartzville Road, and planning and potential funding for local trails development, could spell some big changes in 2014 for residents and visitors who recreate in the Sweet Home area.
Cascadia State Park
County Parks Director Brian Carroll said he has sent an official letter proposing a land swap between the county and the state that would give Linn County the 300-park, located on the on the South Santiam River on the east end of Cascadia, in exchange for property the county owns in various spots along the Willamette River.
“The time seems right now to consider a transfer of Cascadia State Park to county operations,” Carroll said. “We think operation would be better with the county.”
He said that the possible swap has been discussed “several times, over many years,” with the idea being broached by both sides at one time or another. Each time, it didn’t seem like the timing was right, he said.
“Now I think we’ve finally gotten to the point that if we’re going to do it, we should do it,” Carroll said.
Oregon State Parks Department has done other such exchanges, including in Lane County, and Linn County has property located along the Willamette River that the state might be able to use for its Willamette Greenway and Willamette Water Trail projects.
“They’re looking to expand their holdings along the Willamette,” he said. “It’s too early in the process right now to say how all of it is going to happen. This is more or less a conversation-starter.”
Cascadia Park was established in 1941, after 23 years of efforts by local citizens, around the natural mineral springs along Soda Creek and the one-time site of the Geisendorfer Hotel, a popular stagecoach stop and vacation destination in the early 1900s. The property was sold to the state in the 1940s. The park has 25 tent sites with water nearby and two reservable group tent areas, as well as two year-round group picnic areas with covered kitchen shelters and electricity. It includes river access and a trailhead to Soda Creek Falls, about three-quarters of a mile up the hill.
Carroll said the county, which has six campgrounds of its own and manages six other U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in east Linn County, could “probably” more efficiently manage Cascadia Park than the state can.
“For the state, full-time staff has to travel from Detroit Lake,” he said. “They’re looking at their overall operations, whether they are efficient. With Linn County personnel driving by all day, operating facilities on both sides of the park, for us it would be more of a priority than it is for them.”
The park fits the county’s recreation plan, which is focused on raising Linn County’s profile as a destination, he said.
“We can market it more than the state does, big as their system is. We would increase awareness, bring more people to the facility and operate it in a more efficient way because we’re here.
“I think it’s a good fit for our operation and from the state parks standpoint, they’re considering how well does it fit into their operation right now.”
He said he hopes a decision on the proposal will be reached next year.
Green Peter/Quartzville
Plans to construct new camping and recreational facilities at Whitcomb Creek Park, Moose Creek Park and Trout Creek Campground along Quartzville Road are moving ahead with the release of a draft environmental assessment of the proposed facilities and improvements, Carroll and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said last week.
The Corps and Linn County Parks and Recreation Department have developed a plan for the future of recreation at Green Peter Reservoir to improve resource management, public safety and boating and camping opportunities.
Among the proposed changes is the end of dispersed camping along the narrow strip of Corps land between Green Peter Reservoir and Quartzville Road. On summer weekends, the area is packed with RVs and tent campers, despite the lack of facilities and the close proximity to a busy road.
The Corps is concerned about the unsafe conditions and resource damage that is caused by this activity.
The dispersed camping would begin in 2014, with construction of the new and expanded recreational facilities beginning early in the year, according to plan, if funding and other factors work out. The plans include permanent closure of dispersed camping on Corps land along Quartzville Road from Green Peter Dam to milepost 17.2, just beyond Trout Creek.
The Corps is seeking public comment on the environmental impact statement, which is available for review and comment at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/Announcements.aspx.
Carroll said his department has applied for grant funds from the state Parks and Recreation Department, which will come from RV license fees.
He said the plan is to do a “complete renovation” at Whitcomb Creek Campground, including expansion of camping spaces from 40 to an eventual total of roughly 120. The department also is planning a brand new campground on the Quartzville end of Trout Creek, which would focus on group camping.
“Basically, we’ve talked with some of the people who camp up there and we’d like to accomodate them as much as possible,” Carroll said.
The proposed work is the first phase of implementing the 2011 Green Peter Reservoir Recreation Plan developed by the Corps and Linn County Parks to improve recreation and environmental conditions in the area and ensure compliance within Corps regulations. The plan is available on the Linn County Parks website at http://www.linnparks.com/pages/generalinfo/parkplanning.html.
“Things are moving forward there,” Carroll said. “It’s just a matter of moving through the regulatory process, making sure we’re doing what we have to do. It’s a combination of planning, renovation and expansion, and new development.”
Clear Lake
Carroll said work is progressing on renovations of cabins at Clear Lake, including replacement of siding and interior restorations to cabins 17 and 18, and 7 and 8.
“We have a lot of irons in the fire,” he said. “There is still a lot of work to be done.”
Foster Lake Trails
The city of Sweet Home has applied for $1.3 million from ODOT’s Connect Oregon program to create a cycling/pedestrian path from Shea Point to Caulkins Boat Ramp along the south shore of Foster Lake.
City Engineer Joe Graybill, who put the grant application together, said the 6- to 10-foot-wide paved pathway would be limited to cyclists and pedestrians and would connect with another path and sidewalks to the west, for which the city has applied for separate grant funds from ODOT.
“This fills a gap between what I call the 150,000 people west of Foster Lake and the 150,000 things to do east of Foster Lake, and on the lake,” Graybill said, regarding the application he put together over the period of more than a month.
He said the U.S. Forest Service is working on developing trails up Quartzville Road to Green Peter Reservoir, and the South Santiam Community Forest Project also includes proposed trails east along the South Santiam River.
“This project would provide linkage between Sweet Home along the lakeshore to get to that point, where (the USFS) project begins, and where the forest corridor project would begin.
Competition for the $42 million available in Connect Oregon funds is substantial – applications for a total of $159 million have been submitted from around the state.
Unlike in previous years, Graybill said, this year the ODOT grant money is oriented towards non-highway transportation – “rail, airport, marine, bike, pedestrian – not related to a highway.
He said the city is cautiously optimistic but won’t find out till March or April if it looks like the funding will come through, and a final decision will be made next summer by the Oregon Transporation Commission.
“There’s a lot of review we have to go through,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of coordination with the county and we’ve had a lot of communication with Corps of Engineers personnel as we have to bring it right along the shoreline.
“It’s never a sure thing, but I’m cautiously optimistic. We tried to link into the community forest project and their big picture.”
Meier said he sees big potential for local residents, as well as visitors, in such a trail.
“You could park at Shea Point, or at the condos, and ride all the way to Quartzville or wherever,” he said. “A long ways. That would be a good asset for folks who live here, for sure.”
Quartzville Drive Improvements
Also factoring into the general picture is a $7.8 million federal grant procured by the county Road Department to improve Quartzville Road and Whitcomb Creek Bridge.
County Engineer Chuck Knoll said the project developed from four years of work by the county, Corps of Engineers, BLM, USFS, City of Sweet Home and Cascade Timber Consulting, which manages significant private land in the area, to put together an improvement plan for the Quartzville Corridor.
When federal money became available to local road agencies a couple of years ago for improvement of roads leading to national forestlands, Knoll said, “we wrote a grant for all the improvements in that plan.”
The county got the money from the Western Federal Lands Highway Division, which will pay for new paint and sealant for the Whitcomb Creek Bridge; parking area improvements at Sunnyside Campground, Green Peter Dam and Thistle Creek boat ramp; widening and stabilizing of Quartzville Drive, and adding bike lanes along the road.
“We’ve always worked really close with the Parks Department and we’ve previously written grants to provide bike lanes, parking areas and paint the bridge,” Knoll said. “This time we put it all together in one application. Amazingly enough, we got it. We’re pretty excited.”
He said the plan is to paint the bridge and stabilize slide areas along Quartzville Road in 2014, making an effort to minimize disruption of recreational activities in the area. The slide-area stabilization would involve removing unstable soil and replacing it with rock, he said.
The following year, according to plan, Quartzville Drive would be widened where possible, with two 11-foot lanes for motor vehicles and two five-foot bike lanes.
“The bike lane could be separated from the road if possible, but it’s difficult, rough terrain up there,” Knoll said.
Restrooms, information kiosks and parking improvements will be built at Sunnyside, the Green Peter Dam and Thistle Creek.
“The dam parking lot was built in 1964 and it’s hard to get these modern rigs in and out of that lot,” Knoll said.
Also, roadside camping areas will be removed.
“There are no restroom facilities and those sites are not very sanitary, especially with the amount (of camping) going on,” Knoll said.
The total estimated cost of the improvements is $7,806,000, with the county providing a standard match of 10.27 percent – $806,000.
Knoll said the county spent that much on staff time to do the preliminary work on the project, so that requirement has been met.
He said that since his Roads Department is located just across the hall from Carroll’s Parks Department, “we’ll have ownership and make sure it doesn’t go astray. We can be efficient, cost effective.”
Meier said bike lanes would be a plus for recreational users.
“People do ride up there already, but a lot of people don’t because it’s such a narrow road,” Meier said.
“This will allow people to ride up there.”
Cascadia Trail
and Interpretive Center
The U.S. Forest Service has also grant money in hand for an interpretive trail and a fish viewing platform at the former ranger station site at Short Bridge along the South Santiam River in Cascadia.
District Ranger Cindy Glick said her office is working on an environmental assessment that will be released “sometime” in 2014.
“We’re pretty excited about that project,” she said. “We think it’s going to be a wonderful opportunity.”
She emphasized that input from the public will be sought.
“This won’t be done without the community at the table. That’s the most important thing to us.”
Glick noted that progress is sometimes slow with efforts such as the community forest, which involve representatives of a wide variety of state, local and federal agencies, as well as private property owners and managers.
“When you have so many people working together, you don’t want to go fast,” she said. “It could wreck the whole thing. You kind of have to go slow.”
Sweet Home Trails
On the local level, the Sweet Home Trails Committee, a loose ad hoc organization of some 50-plus supporters led by Jon Meier, a recreation planner based at Sweet Home Ranger Station, is participating in a National Parks Service technical assistance program to develop a local trails plan, Meier said.
The Trails Committee has worked to maintain the current Foster Lake Trail along the north shore of the reservoir and the South Hills trail, which runs in three segments near the south border of the city between Sankey Park and the city limits, crossing Elm Street at 16th Avenue and Alder Street south of 10th Avenue.
“We’re participating in a year-long process, which will include public meetings and public participating next spring or early summer,” Meier said.
Those meetings will be “public design workshops, where anybody from the public can come in and give us ideas of what they want to see in and around Sweet Home: how many, locations, uses – walking, motorized, equestrian – just give us an idea of what the community wants.
“The end result will be a kind of trails plan for Sweet Home and focusing on the South Santiam Forest corridor. At least, we’ll explore ideas, where trails could go, and what landowners we could work with if it would need to include private land – mostly, it’s private timberland we’re talking about there, not homeowner land.”