HomeMy WebLinkAboutPrk Mtn Mtn Bike Sunfish Lake Park
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 01/23/2019
REGULAR
TO: Parks Commission
FROM: Ben Prchal, City Planner
AGENDA ITEM: Mountain Bike Trials within Sunfish Lake Park
REVIEWED BY: Ken Roberts, Planning Director
BACKGROUND:
The City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission and City Council approved a Capital Improvement expenditure
of $120,000 for the development of mountain bike trials in Sunfish Lake Park. Staff was then directed
through the 2019 parks work plan to further explore trail development and gather information on what it
would mean to build the trails. While the City was reviewing the trail design for Reid Park, a trail
consultant (Trail Source) was used to provide a draft trail plan for Sunfish Park in conjunction with the
Reid Park project.
ISSUE BEFORE THE PARKS COMMISSION:
Which of the routes would the Parks Commission regarding the proposed mountain bike trail map for Sunfish Lake
Park?
PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS:
At this point of the trail development, staff would like to know if the Commission has comments about the size/length
of the trail(s), location, etc. Staff has been working off of the map that had initially been provided by Trail Source.
Since then Staff has met with MORC (Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists) to go over the proposed design. This was done
because there were certain sections of the trail that should be re-routed to avoid trail crossover conflicts and staff
wanted an educated opinion on the re-routes. MORC provided some comments on how the trail should be adjusted
so there would be less cross over with existing trails and to lessen erosion. At this point the trail layout needs to be
looked at with a degree of flexibility. There will be situations where the trail will need to be redirected to go around
a wet spot or perhaps mature trees to avoid damaging such natural features. This means the final trail might have
larger curves or maybe a tighter curve in certain spots. The intent for this review is to establish if there is consensus
on the scale of trail through the park. Going forward, staff will be communicating with the Minnesota Land Trust
about the trail design as they have a degree of influence over the park through a conservation easement. Such as the
design and review of potential impacts. If possible, staff will bring their comments as well as more specific technical
information to the next Park Commission meeting. This information will include as maintenance costs, expected
level of maintenance and trail development costs.
Aspects of the Trial:
Number of Bike/Walking Trail Crossings 38
- Route 1 has 19 crossings
- Route 2 has 19 crossings
Estimated Trail Length 8 – 9 Miles
- As of now the budget would only allow for one of the two sections to be built. Route 1 is around 5 miles and
route 2 is around 4 miles.
Staff believes there are opportunities to redesign the trail and reduce the number of crossings without substantially
adjusting the design or reworking walking trails.
Staff also would like to encourage readers to follow the links below, which are videos of established Minnesota
Mountain Bike Trails in Minnesota. Staff expects the Sunfish Trails to be similar to what is shown in the videos.
Lebanon Hills – Egan MN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QopWLljmSg8&t=170s
Cuyuna – Ironton MN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DOvDS1PD0o
Carver Lake – Woodbury MN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CE5WK4QjGs&t=202s
Impact on surrounding properties:
The park does not boarder a large number of residential properties. The majority of the homes are located to the
North/ North East of the park with the rest being farm land or larger residential properties. The majority of the trail
is kept internal to the site and Staff believes it would be difficult to see the proposed trail from the edges of the park.
Staff does not anticipate mountain bikers would cause more of a nuisance than other users within the park.
There is an established park entrance with a parking lot which is where we would expect users of the park to enter
the park. Staff does expect the trail to receive active use and at this time believes the parking lot to be adequate for
users.
Impact to other users:
With the added amenity of mountain bike trails, it is anticipated that the number of users in the park will increase.
With the user type expected to vary, the majority of the proposed trail is designed to mitigate the speed at which a
bike will cross a walking path. The design of the trail is predominately located in areas which do not have an
established use, thus not now actively used. It is important that the park be a safe and useful amenity for all residents
and visitors. Where crossings are going to occur they will be established in a way that will force bike riders to slow
there speed to safely cross the walking trail. Clearing brush near the trail crossings would also be a method to help
establish better visibility around each trail intersection.
Signage:
Where intersections occur, trails would be marked displaying the direction of travel and expectations. The City
should expect to put up signage warning walkers and bikers of the crossings. There can also be signage placed at the
entrance to further inform users of expectations as well as conditions of trails after rain events. Such as: “Riders must
wait 2 hours after a rain event before trail use” and “Be good stewards remove all trash”.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is $120,000 reserved for the development of mountain bike trails throughout the park. At this time staff does
not have more specific information about the project costs to bring forward.
OPTIONS:
Staff is requesting that the Parks Commission review and comment on the draft trail design.
The Parks Commission may:
1. Recommend approve the trail as it has been presented;
2. Direct Staff to amend the trail design;
3. Recommend denial of the development of the mountain bike trail(s) throughout the park; or
RECOMMENDATION:
At this time Staff believes that Route number 1 would be the best option for the park.
“Recommend approval of the proposed Route one mountain bike trail design for Sunfish Lake Park as
presented.”
ATTACHMENTS:
Draft Trail Map.
Other Mountain Bike Trail Examples.
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