BAY TRAIL

Progress continues to create a world class trail system in Richmond. Trails are important for a number of reasons. They improve the quality of life for people who live and work in Richmond by providing recreation, alternative transportation and open space. They are actually linear parks that connect components of a larger park system as well as residential and business areas. Significantly, trails also become a draw for visitors, making Richmond a destination city and changing the image for the better.

California State Parks has awarded $189,000 to the City of Richmond under the Recreational Trails Program. This resulted from a grant application prepared by TRAC with assistance from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. Only 17 of these grants were awarded statewide, and Richmond will receive 8.5% of the available funds.

In total, TRAC's Bay Trail grant applications now have brought $759,000 to the City of Richmond. Combined with prior grants from the Association of Bay Area Governments and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, this new grant completes funding to close a one-mile gap and yield four miles of continuous Class I (off-road) Bay Trail along the Richmond Parkway between Cutting Blvd. and Goodrick Avenue.

The Richmond Parkway Bay Trail is important because it will:
* connect Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, Wildcat Creek Regional Trail and Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
* provide safe off-road biking and walking routes for Washington, Peres and Verde Elementary Schools
* serve North Richmond and many Richmond neighborhoods, including Shields-Reid, Iron Triangle, Atchison Village and Point Richmond.

There is still one critical Bay Trail gap remaining. It is the connection between the Richmond Parkway at Goodrick Avenue to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. Whether or not the developer of the ambitious Edgewater Technology Park and Breuner Marsh Mitigation Bank will have to participate in the construction of this segment, which passes through his property, will be the subject of an appeal of the Final EIR before the City Council at 7 PM on Tuesday, March 11. Trail supporters and advocates are urged to attend.

RICHMOND GREENWAY

The Coastal Conservancy has approved a $45,000 grant to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to provide critical services, including public outreach, to the City of Richmond for the Richmond Greenway project. Design of the Richmond Greenway continues along with various environmental analyses required for implementation.

The City of Richmond and the Rails to rails Conservancy have already received approximately $2 million in grants for the Richmond Greenway.

The Richmond Greenway follows an old railroad right-of-way through central Richmond from the Garrard leg of the Richmond Parkway on the west to San Pablo on the east. The west end connects with the Bay rail, and the east end connects with the Ohlone Greenway that continue from El Cerrito through Albany and Berkeley. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year.