Agenda - 09-19-2017 - 7-a - Mountains to Sea Trail – Report on Segment 11 Trail Planning

Browse Search

2 Segment 12 from Hillsborough to Durham County is almost exclusively contained within the Town of Hillsborough's Riverwalk and Eno River State Park, such that the eventual trail location is already identified. For that reason, Segment 12 was not addressed in this trail planning effort. However, the actual route for Segment 11 in the statewide master plan was not identified, and required refinement. Segment 11 presents challenges not present in most other segments of the MST corridor in the state, in that it crosses from the Cape Fear basin to the Neuse River basin, requiring a substantial section of trail route that does not have a natural feature to follow and goes "up and over" the ridge between the two basins. Recognizing the need to explore a refinement of the MST statewide master plan corridor "swath", the Board asked staff in the winter/spring of 2016 to pursue a process of identifying a route (or routes) for Segment 11 of the MST, including community meetings and information gathering and sharing. Between April 2016 and March 2017, information was gathered and presented for three community meetings about the MST on the planning for an identified route. As a part of this, a significant amount of information was shared and requested, some of which are provided as attachments to this agenda item. Concurrent with the County's planning process, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) considered the MST and conditions for use of OWASA land for the MST on two occasions in 2016, and on August 25, 2016, adopted a set of conditions for use in allowing the MST to traverse OWASA land near Cane Creek Reservoir. At the March 9, 2017 community meeting, a draft map was unveiled based on the discussions and planning that had occurred to date, showing a "Proposed Trail" location, two "Alternate Trails", and a new concept, a "Multi-Modal Trail". Consistent with prior and current Capital Investment Plans, a proposal to address the trail in sequential fashion was also shared, with the portion that would extend Hillsborough's Riverwalk from Occoneechee Mountain to the Seven Mile Creek Nature Park (Upper Eno Nature Preserve) as the first sub-segment to be addressed. Seven Mile Creek is projected to have a "waystation" or trail node that would provide for trail access, overnight camping for long-distance hikers and some level of convenience services. This segment approach is also consistent with the desires of the State Parks system, which prioritizes extension of existing segments (Riverwalk) over creating new freestanding segments of the trail. Additionally, State Parks has recently notified the County that the River Park portion of Riverwalk in Hillsborough has been formally accepted into the MST. In addition to community attendance and participation in meetings on Segment 11 planning, a staff working group was formed to help identify important components of the planned route. This group included representatives of the following departments and organizations: • OWASA • North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) • NC State Parks • NC Forest Service • Orange County Emergency Services • Orange County Sheriff's Office • Orange County Planning Department • Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation