Here is a letter I wrote about a month agomwhen an article first appeared on the new park. They had solicited ideas at that time.
Dear Ms. White-Quam, You solicited ideas for uses for the new Centennial Park outside Madison. Here are a couple of things the area desperately needs. Hopefully, these are relatively low impact uses that will be easy and inexpensive to implant. 1. Hike/bike campsites. Since the park is directly on the Capital City Trail, it should be expected that a fair number of people will chose to bike to the location. Media accounts touted the new park as being connected to several other trails. When the link to the Glacial Drumlin Trail is completed, the public will be able to bike from Waukesha (or Milwaukee?) to Dodgeville with ease. For the really hearty, they could be ski-in sites in winter. Hike/bike campsites are inexpensive to build and maintain since roads and parking spaces are not needed for them. They are also low impact since only a small trail/path is needed for access as opposed to a driveway and parking pad for one or more vehicles. Sites should have bike �hitching posts� to lock bikes even better a small lean-to where bikes and/or packs can be stored in case of bad weather. There is a real need for this type of space in southern Wisconsin. The park already has a campground, but it is fairly unattractive for those not using an RV. There is no shade, foliage, privacy, or other natural amenities near the campsites. This is in contrast to most State campsites that have been well landscaped to give the appearance of a natural environment despite limited space. 2. Mountain bike trails. There are few places to mountain bike in south central and southeast Wisconsin, and the existing trails are quite overused. There is a desperate need for more off-road venues within biking distance of Madison. Again, these can be low-impact if properly built. The Wisconsin Off-Road Bike Assn (WORBA) will be glad to assist in the design of trails. They have built trails at Blue Mounds in such a way as to avoid erosion and lasting damage. Granted, the trails in the new Centennial Park would not be exciting to an experienced mountain biker due to the relative flatness and openness of the area. But someone new to mountain biking would surely be glad for an �easy� place to learn. In the winter, these trails could be open to snowshoeing. Hiking and snowshoeing are incompatible with cross-country skiing because these activities ruin groomed trails. In addition, while single-track mountain bike trails are generally too narrow and the turns are too tight for cross-country skiing, they are perfect for hiking and snowshoeing. 3. Year-round bathrooms. Many people already use this park in the winter. With the mild winter last year, many people were biking on the Capital City Trail in January! Cross-county skiing and other winter activities are popular in the park, but the bathrooms in the current campground are closed in cold weather. At the very least, a sign on the building should direct patrons to year-round facilities. (I believe there is a pit toilet farther north on the road and an open bathroom at Lake Farms boat launch? I have desperately search for facilities and not wanted to take the time to detour without knowing what was open.) 4. Better water at the campground. I have filled my water bottle at the existing campground, and it was undrinkable! Perhaps the water just needs to run a bit, but I rarely find cold water that is so nasty. Is the tap water from a well? Will the new park be on Madison municipal water? Is there another source available for drinking water? 5. Finally one use that should NOT be in the new park: snowmobiling or other off-road, motorized use. This park is too close to Madison and other urban areas for the noise ATVs and snowmobiles would bring. In addition, with year round use of existing and proposed trails by bikers, skiers, hikers, and others, motorized uses are simply incompatible. Thank you for your interest in the opinions of the public. I am looking forward to using this park on a regular basis. Robbie Webber address, email, etc. _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
