We'll be talking to this a little at the ATL chapter meeting tonight, to be held at the Mellow Mushroom on Windy Hill Rd in Marietta. Also, I know there's a LOT of Cobb Cty bikers and we're gonna start doing some stuff in Cobb to help get folks more involved. This parks bond stuff is huge for mtn bikers in Cobb and gives us a chance for input on WHERE we want new trails and WHAT type of trails we want. There aren't many properties in this package big enough to support a large trail system but there is some good opportunity for other stuff that will open other doors for us.

Brian has been doing a great job of getting in with Cobb Parks & Rec to help set this up for us so now it's time for Cobb mtn bikers / cyclists to get in the game.

There's other stuff we're working on with Bike Cobb as well so stay tuned! The combination of the efforts at Sope Creek, Bike Cobb and Cobb P&R should excite many Cobb residents! I know it does me because now Cobb's not getting left out of the fun!

I attended the public hearing for parks bond land comments this evening. I got in line for a three-minute speaking slot at 5:45 and did not get to speak until 8:45. There were over 200 attendees and over 80 speakers signed up. Those who did not get to speak before the 9:30 close of the meeting will get to speak on May 4th. No additional speakers can sign up for the May 4th meeting. Not all of the 15 members of the parks bond land selection committee were present. I had to pick a specific property in order to get a speaking slot.

The video of the comments are not likely to be posted on the county Web site. As a result, I have posted my text from which I based my speech below.

Brian C. Berg


I am interested in having the county purchase properties 251, 46, and 78, three of the twelve properties that I nominated. However, my comments apply to any property that the county purchases for park space.

I sent a letter to Commissioner Olens in November and I spoke at the County Commissioners’ meeting on December 18, 2008 to present evidence of the need for mountain bike trails in Cobb County. The items presented included:
1. The presence of the mountain biking clubs SORBA and IMBA with 521 members in Cobb County
2. The fact that bike shops in Cobb sell mountain bikes
3. The number of Cobb car tags seen at the Blankets Creek in Cherokee County and Big Creek in Fulton County trail systems
4. The high car count at Blankets Creek
5. The flow of money and volunteer hours for trails at Cochran Shoals, a unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreational Area

Since December 18th, two work parties have been held at Cochran Shoals to build trails. During the last work party, 30 volunteers contributed about 200 volunteer hours. $50,000 in grant money has been secured for trails at Cochran Shoals. Additionally, the National Park Service will contribute $10,000 if SORBA can raise $10,000. The amount of activity and money involved show that there is serious interest and need for mountain bike trails in Cobb County. Cherokee, Fulton, and Paulding counties are helping to build trails, but Cobb County has not yet addressed the need for mountain bike trails.

I would like your committee to add criteria to your selection process that considers suitability for mountain biking trails. I have referenced property 251 specifically because of the property size, rolling terrain, position across Stilesboro Road from county property, abundance of wildlife, and an interesting history.

Unpaved trails cost 20% less than paved trails and would meet the need for mountain bike trails in Cobb County. Just as there are multiple sites for hiking, softball, soccer, and other sports, multiple sites for mountain bike trails are needed within the county.

Again, I would like to see mountain bike trails considered for any property purchased for park space. I would be happy to assist your committee in developing mountain biking criteria and in providing information about the sport.

where is 251? please be precise.

The property numbers came from the list of nominated properties for purchase consideration. Number 251 on the list is a 163-acre area near the intersection of Mars Hill Road and Stilesboro Road in northwest Cobb. There is another 90-acre parcel adjacent to 251 that I nominated as well. On Cobb GIS, the parcels appear as undeveloped land surrounded by subdivisions.

The number of large properties nominated and presented at the hearing was impressive. I saw people taking notes who may have been developers or real estate agents. The developers may unfortunately be competition for land that would be great for trails unless they would be willing to incorporate trails as an amenity in their development.

Brian

ah.

can you link me to a site to see exactly which parcels they are?

Thanks Brian. I was going to ring you tomorrow to find out the summary.

All,
As we are in the midst of this process and charging forward with other cycling related issues in Cobb Cty, we are going to start having meetings for Cobb Cty riders. We're going to meet at the Mellow Mushroom on Windy Hill / Powers Ferry on the 1st Monday each month at 7:30pm. This will be a monthly schedule where we will focus directly on Cobb Cty issues. Understand, this is not trying to start something new for SORBA but just rallying the riders under the Atlanta chapter.

Thanks for your help!

I attended a public meeting tonight for a proposed Morgan Falls bicycle/pedestrian bridge that would connect the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Hyde Farm, and a planned park in Sandy Springs. I attended the meeting to advocate a multi-use plan rather than a pedestrian-only plan. Prior to the meeting, I read the anti-mountain biking comments near the end of a recent AJC article (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2009/04/26/chattahoochee_river_bridge.html).

Unfortunately, in addition to the article, numerous comments were made by meeting attendees that were anti-mountain biking. The people who made the anti-mountain biking comments do not want cycling allowed through the proposed trail system. The comments made were based on the fact that hiking trails at the Cochran Shoals unit of the CRNRA are being ridden by bikers. One man said "They're taking over!" Pedestrians using the Sope Creek trail system have noticed that the hiking trails are being poached by mountain bikers and they are using what is happening at Sope Creek to justify banning bikes from the proposed project. Trail poachers are threatening future opportunities for both mountain and recreational biking by creating animosity in the non-biking community.

Also announced during the meeting was that three additional rangers have been hired for the CRNRA and another ranger will be hired in 2010. Therefore, I would not be surprised if trail poachers start to encounter rangers on the hiking trails.

Brian,
Thanks for the update and for attending. This is all good information and reinforces the need for us to keep moving things forward in a positive manner. Wish I could have been in town so I could go to this meeting.

I forgot to mention that there will be another meeting after the environmental assessment. The meeting will probably be in September.

Also, more than just bicycle access to the bridge is at stake. If I understood what was said at the meeting, there will never be new trails open to bikes at Hyde Farm due to NPS regulations and zoning restrictions. However, there is an existing dirt road on the farm that the NPS is considering opening to bikes. Additionally, there are currently unused utility easements in the CRNRA that could be opened to bikes. Anti-biking comments were made by meeting attendees in favor of banning bikes from both areas. Mountain biking clearly has an image problem when people propose banning bikes from a dirt road.

Brian

I attended the portion of the park bond citizen advisory board meeting open to the public on the 12th of this month. I was given the opportunity to speak. I reminded the CAB of the need for natural surface trails in Cobb County and asked them if they needed any information, such as the fact that unpaved trails cost $5/ft and paved trails cost $100/ft, for evaluating the suitability of properties for park space. The response was that no further information was needed.

The CAB announced during the meeting that today, the 26th, was the date the CAB expected to present their purchase recommendations to the county commissioners.

Brian