County secures trail easement

Published Dec 15, 2003

Klamath Falls HErald & News

By BROOK REINHARD

Lake Ewauna is known for its pelicans, and more recently, its regatta. Soon it also will be a great place to ride a bike or take a walk, once a new trail is constructed on the east side of the lake.

The Klamath County commissioners approved a complicated land deal Wednesday that uses about $311,000 in Title III money - federal money that former logging areas such as Klamath County receive for community projects - to purchase a conservation public access easement on the east side of Lake Ewauna, from Veterans Park to the railroad trestle on the southeast side of the lake.

The deal secures public, non-motorized access to a 2-acre trailhead just southeast of Veterans Park and a 30-foot stretch of land running to the trestle.

The next step, assuming commissioners authorize funding after a required 45-day waiting period, is actually building a trail. The city of Klamath Falls has about $100,000 set aside in capital improvement funds for the trail, which should help the project get started.

The landowner, TimberMill Shores, agreed as part of the deal to throw in about $200,000 of additional easement value, which allowed the county to secure easement rights for the trailhead and trail.

The city of Klamath Falls will then buy the property at a reduced value with about $200,000 donated from the Jeld-Wen Foundation.

Jim Carpenter, a local consultant who helped with the trail idea as part of a $15,000 study on the South Portal Project, said the easement is an important step in bringing tourists - and community members - to the lake area.

"We're really excited about this," he said. "Two acres of Vets Park, and to actually have a 30-foot green belt as an extension to it that goes all the way to the railroad trestle, it's just a realization of a dream that's been in the community for years."

Carpenter added the idea of using the land near Veterans Park for a trail has been an idea for a long time, but purchasing the access rights for a trail that extends 1.7 miles around the lake is a relatively new concept.

Klamath Falls City Manager Jeff Ball said the city's Parks and Recreation Department is eager to start on the project.

"We'll get cracking on the trail development as soon as possible following the acquisition," he said.

Multiple groups have worked to secure the trail, which is an important step in eventually linking the OC&E trail with the Link River trail. Groups include Wingwatchers, Klamath County Rotary, which helped bring together the $750,000 in funds needed for this first phase of the project, the Downtown Urban Redevelopment Committee, the Combat Veteran's Association, the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce and Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary.