Candidates for Salt Lake City Council District 7 position on open space and trails.

Lynne -  Thanks for your thoughtful note. I agree that open space and trails are an increasingly important part of our urban infrastructure, and I remain as committed as ever to using the tools and resources available to the city council -- through regulatory tools such as zoning and master plans, development agreements, funding, and RDA tools -- to help preserve and expand our city's green space. Over the past four years while I have served on the city council, I have:  

•  Helped guide several significant acquisitions, including land around the "H" rock, a Wasatch Hollow/Emigration Creek parcel, a community garden parcel in Central City, and a section of Bonneville shoreline near our boundary with North Salt Lake with bonds approved from the 2003 election
• Supported a pending acquisition for a trail corridor between Hidden Hollow and Sugar House Park to complete the Parley's Trail/Sugar House Draw
• Provided lighting for the Skate Park in Fairmont Park in response to an initiative from the community
• Worked with the community and our staff to develop an approach to acquiring the former church property on Atkin Avenue for the Imperial Neighborhood Park
• Secured funding and completed an update the Master Plan for Fairmont Park
• Funded and initiated a comprehensive Management Plan and Master Plan for the Parley's Historic Nature Park, a city-owned park in Salt Lake County in the Canyon Rim area-          Worked with the community to help implement the completion of the Parley's Trail project
• Helped fund the completion of the Jordan River Parkway in Salt Lake City, and am currently participating in a county-wide committee to establish a river corridor commission
• Supported the acquisition, planning and design for the Soccer Complex approved by voters in the 2003 bond election
• Initiated a capital improvement plan, still in progress, with Councilman Eric Jergensen, to evaluate and identify funding options for tennis court improvements city-wide, including the deteriorated courts in Fairmont Park
• Encouraged the creation of a Parks, Trails and Urban Forestry Citizen Advisory Board, which is pending approval by the city council 

I think that securing funding for a more detailed plan and preliminary design for the McClelland Canal trail is a great idea, and though our present budget shortfalls will make it difficult to do in the next year, I believe that there is sufficient community interest to make this happen soon. I would like to talk about strategies to help make this happen. Working with the youth on the lighting of the Skate Park at Fairmont is a great model of how I think this can be accomplished.  

I will continue to pursue funding for the Imperial Neighborhood Park. We have a goal of reaching $25,000 in local, matching funds, at which point we will begin in earnest to leverage these with other matching funds and possible open space bonds to get us to a point where we can negotiate on a purchase from the current owner.  

In response to your first questions about updating the Open Space Master Plan, I believe that this is a useful proposition, though it will need to be balanced with other master planning initiatives, such as our sustainability plan and updates to several neighborhood master plans which are extremely out-of-date. We will need to decide whether the plans you mention are best done as city-wide plans, or incorporated as elements in our neighborhood plans, which is presently the case. I would certainly like to explore approaches with an ad-hoc committee to put together a proposal to take to the city council and administration.  

As a response to your second question, I can report that we have already initiated discussion about how to expand our bond funds, including the possibility of another bond. I am also exploring opportunities such as Transfer of Development Rights regulations which have been used successfully in other Utah communities and around the country to create new acquisition funding tools. I have been pursuing this option for the past three years, and I think I have gained sufficient interest within our planning division and sustainability consultant team to begin exploring this possibility. We have given the assignment of exploring funding options also to our Open Space Advisory Board, to report back on options for perpetual funding mechanisms.  

As for the I-80 right of way improvements, I will continue to be an advocate for green space along the freeway, and to the degree that UDOT will allow development of a trail within its right-of-way, and emission impacts for users can be mitigated, will look for these options as well.  

I hope that I have sufficiently answered your questions. Please let me know if I can answer any of these in greater detail, or if you would like to schedule a time for me to meet with the POST committee to answer questions and explore any of these ideas in greater detail. 

Best regards, - Soren.  

Lisa Adams

October 6, 2009 

Dear Lynne, 

I was pleased that I had the opportunity to meet you this evening and welcome the chance to answer your questions about my thoughts on open space, trails and funding for these projects. 

I agree with your goals for 2009-2010.  If elected, I would work to secure funding for the design work for the Canal/McClelland Trail. I think that the trail would be a welcome addition to the Sugar House area and add a unique feature to the neighborhoods through which it would run.  I envision it becoming a favorite place for city dwellers to enjoy nature in our urban environment. 

I am enthusiastic about seeing land acquired for a park in the Imperial neighborhood.  As I have walked the Highland Park neighborhood, I have heard over and over how welcome this park would be.  Neighbors want something that is accessible without needing to get in a car. 

As for an off-street trail in conjunction with I-80 planning, construction and design, that is an appropriate and logical expectation.  

In answer to your first question, if elected, I would be willing to initiate action to update the Open Space Master Plan.  I want to see the limited amount of open space within the city maintained and protected.   

As for recreational facilities, I am dismayed to see how many of the tennis courts and sports fields throughout the city have been neglected.  I will propose completing a master plan that addresses those facilities as well as parks and trails. 

As for your second question, I would also initiate efforts to support ongoing funding for Salt Lake City’s Open Space Fund.   

I think that a council member must be willing to look for funding for improvement projects from a variety of sources.  We need to pursue grant monies, federal stimulus funds, and, where appropriate, put together public/private partnerships. 

It is clear to me that council members are always faced with hard choices and that the city can’t fund everything.  However, we must protect those parts of our community that are irreplaceable.  If elected, I will be committed to protecting open space and developing spaces that provide opportunities for recreation.  

While I am not an expert on these issues, I care deeply about them.  I think that one of my strengths is my willingness to listen to and learn from those who are experts.  I assure you that I will always do my homework and be well informed before I cast a vote or make a decision.Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your questions.  I hope that we will have the opportunity to work together in the future, regardless of the outcome of the election. 

Sincerely,

Lisa Adams