FYI - Last night the County Personnel and Finance Committee voted 6-0 to put the money for the Lower Yahara River Trail (planning and preliminary engineering) money back into the capital borrowing bill! I'm thrilled.
This trail would link McFarland to Lake Farms Park across the narrow area between Upper Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa. There is currently a rail tressle there, and lots of people over the years have asked me about the possibility of putting a bike/ped trail across that bridge. The railraod definitely doesn't want that to happen, but they are very supportive of a separate structure, in part to keep people off their bridge. Dane County has been planning to build both a bike/ped connection and have the rail bridge replaced because it causes water to back up and flood Monona. However, in an effort to save a few bucks, some county supervisors wanted to elminate $100,000 of planning money in 2009 to continue prepare plans and specifications for this projects. Without those planning efforts, the project would not be eligible for any future "stimulus" funding, and it is currently #2 on the list of area projects. Losing momentum is also a concern, because once a project is set aside, even for a short time, it can be hard t get it started again. Like stopping on your bike. (The trail isn't funded yet, so it's going to be awhile before it's built, but it's important to get the plans written.) A number of us organized people to come to the meeting last night and ask that the money be put back into the county borrowing package. And it worked! A small group of people speaking, making phone calls, sending emails and writing letters turned a previous 2-4 lose into a 6-0 win. Everyone on this list that wants to see change should take note. Three folks from Monona and the Yahara Lakes Partnership (I think) came to speak about the importance of the project for flood control. Two also mentioned that this was a crucial bike link for commuters. I spoke next about the transportation, recreational, and environmental aspects and the need to prepare for future funding opportunities . Peter McKeever also spoke about the flooding and bike connections. Kevin Luetke - planner for Bike Fed - talked about how important this link was for bike commuters. Sup Schmidt echoed the need to continue to move forward, and that others had hit important points. Sup Miles talked about the importance of his connection to the Village of McFarland, and how this has been in their plan for years. People want to be able to bike commute, transportation options, recreational opportunities with connection to Lake Farms Park, this will be good for property values, etc. Gary Werner sent an excellent letter hitting many of the points that I also made, but in a much more organized and eloquent way than me. (Hope I didn't forget anyone or forget their key points. I'm hitting the bullet points.) There were questions about some financial, procedural, and planning issues to county staff. I was worried that it would be a close vote, but it was unanimous! I heard later that there has been quite a bit of behind the scenes maneuvering, but the testimony from all the different interest groups was important. Without the flood control aspect, the transportation argument wouldn't have been strong enough without the transportation, the flood control wouldn't have been enough. Thanks everyone! Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook!
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