Two borough-supported applications have been submitted to the state Recreational Trails Program for improvements to Haines’ trail system.
The Recreational Trails Program provides grants to develop and repair motorized, non-motorized and mixed-use trails in the state. It requires a local match worth 10% of total project costs. Applications for the most recent grant cycle were due April 30.
The two Haines proposals are development of a motorized trail system near the Mount Riley sledding hill and the purchase of an easement for the 7 Mile Saddle trail to resolve trespass issues.
The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously approved the motorized trail application, a $300,000 project including a $30,000 borough match, at a meeting last month.
“This idea has been circulating for almost a decade in terms of replacing motorized use in the townsite. It used to be motorized use was allowed in the Mud Bay area. When that was taken off the table, people were trying to figure out how to replace it in the townsite,” borough Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee chair Scott Sundberg said. At present, the closest motorized use trails are roughly 25 miles from town.
Sundberg said the location for the new trails, borough land on Mount Riley, was selected because of its proximity to the sledding hill and borough interest in developing nearby land for sale.
“The idea came from (former planning and zoning tech) Libby Jacobson, who thought developing the area with trails might enhance interest in selling lots near there,” Sundberg said.
The trails, a beginning and an intermediate loop, would be open to ATVs, motorbikes and snowmachines, depending on the season. Sundberg said he hasn’t heard pushback about the plan. If the grant comes through, most of the construction will take place in 2022.
The 7 Mile Saddle easement application, submitted by Haines Huts, was given borough support in September. The assembly approved a $7,500 match to conduct a land appraisal to determine the cost of purchasing an easement through University of Alaska and Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority lands.
The easement would be a long-term solution to trespass issues.
“Currently, trail users are trespassing and (the landowners) have made that clear to the borough,” Haines Huts chair Jessica Kayser Forster said.
In March, the borough reached a five-year rental agreement with the Mental Health Trust to allow access to several local trails including 7 Mile Saddle. The agreement is a temporary fix while the borough works toward a more permanent solution. The Haines Huts application is one avenue being pursued.
Recreational Trails Program officials didn’t respond to a request for comment about the program’s competitiveness or the likelihood of two projects from the same community receiving funding in the current grant cycle.