27 May 2015
Meeting on park trail safety this evening
The recent closure… and subsequent reopening… of a popular running trail at Honeyman State Park has prompted considerable discussions about safety of people using the trails.
Park management closed a trail that connected park facilities on the east side of Highway 101 with the west side earlier this year.
They did it with little notice and changed their stated reasons for doing so more than once. The closure… and the confusion about just why… prompted an outcry from runners who routinely use the trail.
One concern coming out of the controversy: the safety of trail users having to cross Highway 101.
Even though the trail has been reopened, park officials say they will not maintain it; and they are still concerned about the highway crossing.
There will be a meeting Wednesday. November 27th, 5:30 PM at Siuslaw Public Library hosted by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to discuss not only the particular trail in question, but the entire trail system at Honeyman.
The public is also invited to comment online at the Honeyman State Park website; by email at jaime.english@oregon.gov; by phone at 503-986-0723; or by mailing written comments to Jaime English, OPRD, 725 Summer St. NE, Suite C, Salem, OR 97301.
