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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 01/26/2011Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 1 of 18 BE A GOOD STEWARD: Protect & Respect your Parks, Trails & Recreation Facilities Call Meeting to Order: Danna Ortiz called the meeting to order 5:33pm Agenda Review & Items of Note: Agenda Review: None Discussion: None Items of Note: None Discussion: None Approval of Minutes: Greg Miller made the Motion to approve the Parks & Recreation Board minutes of December 1, 2010, seconded by Michael Chalona – Minutes approved 9:0 Citizen Participation Josh Kerson – Josh came again to speak about the use of electric bikes on the bike paths. Josh is the owner of RunAbout Cycles, Inc - http://electric-cycle.com/index.html He was asking the P&R Board to consider changing the City Ordinances to allow electric bicycles to be powered with the use of the motor along the bike or pedestrian paths. Please see the attached letter from Josh; his contact information is included. The electric bikes have gone through large development in the last five years; decreasing the weight to between 35-45 lbs. The bikes can go up to 20 mph but 17-18 mph is typical. Discussion Board – How much is an electric bike? Josh – They range in price from $2,000-$3,000. Board – Who is using or buying the bikes? Josh – Mostly the retirement community, for social recreation. Board – I ride my bike and 12 mph is moving fast, 17-20 mph is really moving, and I’m not sure everyone using an electric bike would be conscientious. Board – How far can a person travel on the battery? Josh – They have about a 30-40 mile range. I understand the concern about fast riding, but at some of the switchbacks they would have to slow down. Board – Where have your previous shops been? Josh – Hadley, MA, help to get ADA on the trails and then Memphis TN. Currently, there is a range of restrictions around the Country. There are areas very tight in their restrictions for electric bikes on trails; Key West, FL and New York State, and Aspen, CO do not allow electric bikes on trails. We are trying to make people aware of what an electric bike is; they are traditionally just like a bike. Board – Can you build your own? PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD Minutes of Regular Meeting Wednesday, January 26, 2011 5:30 p.m. Council Liaison: Kelly Ohlson Staff Liaison: J.R. Schnelzer, 221-6301 Craig Foreman, 221-6618 President: Danna Ortiz Phone: 407-8794 (home) 303-833-1416 x203 (work) Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 2 of 18 Josh – Yes, that’s possible. Board – Is there anyway to control what they build or the batteries that are available? Josh – The companies that sell them all follow the Federal law of 1 horse power through the Product Safety Guidelines. Board – We see vehicles “tweaked” all the time to make them go faster, how do we keep a finger on this? Josh – I agree and we are afraid of that, and there are some that will be illegal – it will be a difficult challenge. Those people choosing to break the law should get tickets, but 90%-95% are legal and help people who are older enjoy the recreational trails. Board – What do you feel about licensing? Josh – I’m not opposed to it, it might be a way to regulate, and it could help in theft; but right now I think it would be cumbersome. Board – Are the batteries sealed? Josh – Yes. Board – I’m thinking of collisions? Josh – They are much like regular bikes. They will cover about 100 miles on 10¢ of electricity; pedaling all the way with assist. Board – How loud are they? Josh – About the same level of noise as a hand-held drill. AGENDA ITEMS: New Board Member Introduction The Board Members went around the table and introduced themselves. The two new members are Bruce Henderson and Selena Paulsen. Bruce is a Software R&D Manager with Hewlett Packard. He served on the Transportation Board from 1999- 2006 and was Chair during 2005. He was also co-Chair of the Neighborhood Advocacy Group from 2000- 2004. Bruce is a user of the Park system, especially the trails and is excited to be a part of the P&R Board. Selena is PhD Student/Instructor for the University of Colorado. She has volunteered with various organization including Oakwood and Poudre Schools, CSU, Fort Collins Soccer Club, and Up Boulder youth planning participation project/CU. Her work focuses on children’s urban environments, particularly parks and playgrounds so she is looking forward to be a part of the P&R Board. E-Bike Discussion Craig created a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the issues of allowing electric bikes (e-bikes) on the trails (see attached). The Transportation Board is taking the lead on this issue. The codes in question are: Municipal Code/Charter: Article X, Sec.23-193, (d) – Except as authorized by a permit obtained for such use from the Service Area, it shall be unlawful to: (18) Operate or park a motor vehicle or other motorized means of conveyance anywhere in a natural area other than on established roadways and in designated parking areas; provided, however, that a motorized wheelchair or similar assistive device may be used by any person with temporary or permanent mobility impairment, anywhere in a natural area that public access is allowed. Municipal Code/Charter: Article X, Sec.23-203, (a) – It shall be unlawful to: (1) Operate or park a motor vehicle or motorized means of conveyance anywhere in a recreation area other than on established roadways and in designated parking areas; provided, however, that a motorized wheelchair or similar assistive device may be used by any person with temporary or permanent mobility impairment, anywhere in a natural area that public access is allowed. Traffic Code, Part 14, 1412 - (15) The rider of an electrical assisted bicycle shall not use the electrical motor on a bike or pedestrian path. (Ord. 016, 2003 §1; Ord. 085, 2005 §14; Ord. 097, 2009 §35) Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 3 of 18 The Bike Advisory Committee was in favor of allowing e-bikes on the trails, but different Boards are impacted. The Leadership Team and City Council is holding off on taking any action to allow for more exploration on this issue. The Federal Department of Transportation has defined e-bikes as bicycles, not motorized vehicles. Restricted to no more than 1 hp, 20 miles/hour on motor along for a 170 lb rider on flat ground. The State of Colorado has adopted these federally mandated classifications, and allows e-bikes to be used along bike lanes and multi-use paths. Immediate action will be to form an inter-departmental team, to address the issues of new vehicle types and fuel sources. The study will focus on electric bike use on the City’s paved recreational trail system. The non-paved trails will remain non-motorized. This also does not include motorized scooters, skateboards, etc. The process will create a timeline, gather data, get public input, bring this information to Boards and Commissions for input and then present the findings to Council. Attached is a memo from Marty Heffernan, Director of CPRE, on December 20, 2010 to Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager, regarding the issue of electric bikes on the paved trails and staff’s concerns. Discussion Board – I am user of the Spring Creek Trail and run it every day. I would estimate that a good 80% of the people on bicycles do not use bike etiquette when riding. They don’t announce that they’re coming up behind and they don’t slow down. Since there are already accidents that happen on the trail, I’m concerned that an e- bike would be dangerous. Board – Being able to go 20 mph is about twice as fast as someone on a regular bike. Board – I’ve never seen any enforcement on the trails, how will they enforce a speed limit? Board – It doesn’t sound like this is a green issue, but more of a social issue with older people not being as agile and wanting the assist. However, I do feel that commuters will want to go fast. Board – With bike riders not announcing their passing now, can we look into ways to talk about safety on the trails, add signs and speed limits. Board – There is a concern of safety, but also noise. With everything being motorized we are being bombarded with noise and the trails are one of the few placed to get away from all that and it concerns me that we might be taking that away is we allow e-bikes on the trails. Board – When the staff looked at this a couple of years ago, what were their concerns? Staff – At that time there was only one or two people who were inquiring about this, so there was not extensive research done. Staff had concerns of safety and noise and Council agreed at that time to leave the ordinances as they were and not allow motorized vehicles on the trails. Board – As part of the process will they be looking at other Cities? Staff – Yes, we will be looking at other Cities to see how it is working for them. In some cases like Lincoln, NE it is not very good, but we will try to find examples where it is working. Board – Should we look at other solutions, like adding another path for bikes? Staff – It would be cost prohibitive, and in some cases we don’t have the right-of-way available to allow for another path. Board – What is the demand for e-bikes? Board – If we do allow and there are accidents due to misuse, how will this be enforced? Staff – Parks doesn’t have the staff or the training to do any enforcement. The Natural Area Rangers help us, but they are understaffed for the amount of trails they have to cover. There are only 7 rangers for 30 hard trails, natural areas, natural trails, etc.; so enforcement will be difficult. There is no budget associated with this policy. Board – The more I hear about this, I would like to see the e-bikes allowed for benefit of the aging community. I would like to see if we could come up with a win-win. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 4 of 18 Board - I think we need to trust the community who want to do this with good intensions. There may be some abuse, but maybe the use of the e-bike would encourage some people to use the trails. I also think we should have a balanced approach to this and not make decisions based on fears of what might happen. Board – Maybe a pilot program, not set in stone, along certain trails as a trial run to see how it will work. Board – In riding horses along the trails, I can say that the noise will be a factor for the horses, so that will need to be something addressed. Board – I would feel better if they could only go about 10 mph. Board – How fast to regular bike riders go, 15-20 seems very fast. Board – What are the accident numbers in the Streets with bikes? Staff – We’ll see if we can get these numbers, but many times accidents on the trails and on the streets are not reported. Board – A survey with the older community would be interesting to see if they are interested in using an e-bike. Board – I think we should table a recommendation until we get more information from public outreach and staff. Staff – We’ll bring this back to the Board when we have more data, and are ready for a Council recommendation. Plan Fort Collins Plan Fort Collins is ready to go to Council and we are in need of the Board’s recommendation. Discussion Board - Did the Council have a lot of questions on the parks and recreation portion of the Plan? Staff – They had some questions on the Cultural side, but not a lot on parks and recreation. Board – It seems like we need to have a liaison from the Board at the Transportation Board. Board – Communication is "key" to everything with Boards. Board – In December there was a meeting with the Chairs from each Board to share information as a whole. Board – Is there a place in City Plan for this? Staff – You can always attend other Board meetings as citizens or read their minutes for content to see if they are discussing “same” issues. Board – Would like to be more than citizen attending, it would be nice to add input and influence. Staff – The other Board would have to want a liaison from this or another Board. Board – Perhaps staff can discuss the possibility with other staff liaisons. I would also like to focus on the P&R Boards work plan items and decide what we want to work on and then we could decide if it would be beneficial to be involved with another Board. Staff – You need to be careful that what you’re discussing at other Boards is a P&R issue if your there representing the P&R Board as a member, and not a citizen. Board – For instance the privately owned area at the corner of I-25 and prospect, is Natural Areas aware of interest for this land? Staff – Natural Areas is aware and interested in this land, but a lot of work has to take place before they can move forward in obtaining this land. All City staff, from the various departments, work together on long-range planning; so at the department level we all know if we need to be involved with decisions that could impact our areas. Board – Do we have a motion? Motion: A motion was made by Selena: The Parks & Recreation Board has reviewed all aspects of the Plan Fort Collins, specifically related to parks and recreation and we support the plan as related to parks and recreation. We also wish to acknowledge the assistance of staff in our review of this material and extensive public participation process. Seconded: The motion was seconded by Bruce Henderson Vote: 9:0 – all voted in favor Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 5 of 18 Wrap up 2011/2012 Budget In general we are thankful that the tax increase passed, and Council restored the parks and recreation budget. There is a process taking place now, to track the Resourcing our Future (ROF) money so that it can be reported on to citizen to show that the ROF money is being used efficiently. We would like to thank the Board for their part in helping to pass the initiative. In 2012 we’ll start the 2013/2014 budget. We are not a highly visible department so many times the public is not aware of how we are using the money. So our goal will be to make the public more aware of how the ROF money is being used. Discussion Board – Can we help in getting the message out, maybe write some letters to the paper? Staff – Anyone can write letters Board - Perhaps we can formalize this on the Agenda with who will be responsible for writing the letter. Board – Could letters be posted to Parks web page? Staff – Yes Board – Did Council fund everything for parks and recreation? Staff - Yes Staff Updates Park Updates • There will always be a Beattie Park, even if the school was closed but the school is okay for now. • Sheldon Lake ice skating is now open. It is heavily used, and we try to bring in portable lights once, for night skating. • On February 1, the ice rink in Old Town Square will be coming down. • Our reorganization is in the final step, and we’re in the application process for four Park Technicians. Our target for hiring will be the end of February or first part of March. Discussion Board - Does the City have a position on the Library and Library Park. I’m nervous about the building taking away park land. Staff – What the Library District is proposing will not really take any park land away. Currently the building is designed with their second level overhanging their first level. What they are proposing is to create walls closing the gap, which will increase inside space. Recreation Updates Our goal for the year is to create a Management Team Strategic Plan for Recreation. We currently recover about 65% of our revenue. In 10 years we want to close the gap and become self-sufficient. EPIC pools will be converting to UV lights in all three pools. This lighting provides more comfort and safety for swimmers because less chlorine has to be used and more “bugs” are killed. This should hopefully be done by March. The Director of Recreation was also funded, and we’ll work on hiring this position in 2011, but no timeframe has been set yet. Discussion Board – How much will it cost to have the UV lights installed? Staff – About $80-$90,000 Board – Will the pools have to be shut down? Staff – Maybe a day, but it should be a major shut down. Board – I thinks it’s great that you are looking for ways to be self-sufficient. I still think the Board should have this as a long-term goal to find ways for parks and recreation to not rely on the general fund. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 6 of 18 Board – What about a Park District? Staff – It’s complicated there are good and bad things to consider when you create a district. Board – Is the Board information going to be updated on the Recreator? Staff – Yes, John Litel has been informed of the changes for the next addition. Park Planning Updates • Waters Way and Registry Ridge parks are back in line for construction. We are working with the contractor to construct Waters Way in 2011 and Registry Ridge will go out to bid in January for construction in 2011. • Transportation money ($368,375) will help to fund some of the Mulberry Trail project. • CSU has started the design phase for the new Disc Golf Course to be located at Hughes Stadium. We are applying for a GOCO grant to help fund this project. GOCO requires a recommendation from City Council, so we need to have a recommendation from the P&R Board to Council for the February 15 Council meeting. Motion: A motion was made by Danna: Move to recommend to City Council that they support applying for a grant for the disc golf course at Hughes Stadium. Seconded: The motion was seconded by Shirley Christian Vote: 9:0 – all voted in favor Discussion Board – Is there any worry about parking at Hughes? Staff – No, the poles will be removed on game days. Board – Is there any issue with theft? Staff – No. Board Work Plan Updates • Look over the Work Plan so we can get a strategic plan for next meeting on what we want to work on. • The election of Board Officers is next month, so be thinking about what position you would like to hold. Discussion Board – Can we get a tour of the parks? Staff – Sure, we can set something up when the weather is nicer. Board – Do you know if the cabins at the Museum will be moving to the new Discovery/Museum site? Staff – Not sure, but we will find out. Board – It would be good for us to be at the ground breaking for the new parks. Board – When will the Lincoln Center be open? Staff – The end of April was the date, but with the issues they’ve had, it will probably be more like June or July before they are open. Bicycle Advisory Board Liaison Update • They are planning to apply for Platinum level designation for a bike friendly community. We are currently Gold level. • They are working on a bike safety/education plan, and there is a meeting on January 27. They will be discussing history, groups that advocate for bicycling, accidents, working with other departments. • In the Recreator there is a new item: Senior Rides. • The e-bike issue will continue to be on their agenda for discussions. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 7 of 18 Adjournment: Greg Miller made a Motion to adjourned meeting, Seconded by Shirley Christian – meeting adjourned 8:10pm. Respectfully submitted, VtÜÉÄ etÇ~|Ç Carol Rankin Administrative Support Supervisor Parks Department Board Approved the minutes of January 23, 2011 – 8:0 Board Attendance Board Members: Rob Cagen, Brian Carroll, Michael Chalona, Shirley Christian, Bruce Henderson, Greg Miller, Danna Ortiz, Selena Paulsen, Dawn Theis Staff: Marty Heffernan, JR Schnelzer, Craig Foreman, Mike McDonnell, Carol Rankin Guests: Josh Kerson & Elana Hurwitz Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 8 of 18 Parks and Recreation Board January 26, 2011 Park Planning and Development work items: Plan Fort Collins (City Plan): The Plan is in draft form. City’s web-page can be viewed to obtain the complete plan. Policy Plan: The draft of the Environmental/Sustainability Best Management Plan Manual has been completed and staff is reviewing. Budgeting for Outcomes: 2011/2012 BFO has been approved with Resourcing Our Future included. BOB Park improvement funds – 2009 funds to Roselawn Cemetery for improvements. Park improvement funds in 2015. NISP: Supplemental EIS may not be ready until 2011/12. Park items: 1. Waters Way Park: (New) working with the contractor to award the project for construction in 2011. 2. Tennis court plan as to how many courts and where are they located is being processed with Poudre School District to include their court plans. 3. Registry Neighborhood Park: (New) project heading to Purchasing for bidding in January for construction this year. 4. Richards Lake Neighborhood Park: playground has been installed and is open for use. 5. Staley Neighborhood Park: Park is in the pilot program for The Sustainable Site Initiative program. Public process and design will begin in 2011. Trails: 1. Poudre Trail at Nix Farm: Staff will be developing the tree resting area design. Natural Resources has seeded the area with native grasses (the crested wheat has been cut). We are sensitive to this costly effort and will plan our construction of the tree resting area for a later date to minimize disturbance to the new grass. 2. Power Trail: Keenland underpass of the UP in approval process and in the second step of the railroad approval process. 3. Fossil Creek Trail along Stanton Creek north of Carpenter Road planned for 2011 construction. 4. Poudre Trail at Lemay: Mulberry Bridge to be replaced by CDOT. The design team has incorporated our trail bridge needs downstream of Lemay into the floodplain analysis. Latest from CDOT is they are planning for construction to start in the fall of 2012. (New) The MPO has awarded $368,375 toward the construction of the $530,000 project. 5. Fossil Creek Trail and underpass at Highway 38E: Project is moving into the final phase of design with the project on line for construction in the spring. GOCO grant. 6. Poudre Trail to Timnath: Scoping of the project in 2011. 7. Staff will start to work with CSU/Environmental Learning Center for an easement for the trail to extend to Drake Road. 8. County Road #11 and trail underpass on hold due to limited Street Oversizing funds. 9. Spring Creek Trail east of Centre Avenue to the railroad tracks. R.O.W. is working with CSU (CSURF) about the new trail easement process. Miscellaneous: 1. Veteran’s Plaza at SCCP. Info can be obtained at the web page of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, News and Events section, and into Veteran’s Plaza page. (New) Construction to start on the project in March with completion set for May. 2. Disc Golf: The Hughes Stadium design effort starting. The disc golf course is part of the plan. The design of the course holes has started with Bill Wright doing the design and staff assisting with CADD work. We are proposing using Conservation Trust funds for the development of the course and are hopeful the disc golf community can find grants, even GOCO, etc. for development and maybe adopt to help with O&M. 3. Water Craft Course – NISP impact unknown at this time and fund raising very slow. 4. Old Fort Collins Heritage Park stake park lights – Group of users are attempting to find funding to supply lights at the skate park. 5. Discovery/Museum Center – we are coordinating on this project. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 9 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 10 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 11 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 12 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 13 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 14 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 15 of 18 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 16 of 18 MEMORANDUM DT: December 20, 2010 TO: Darin Atteberry, City Manager FR: Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager RE: Electric Bikes on Paved Trails INTRODUCTION: Members of City Council have expressed interest in considering allowing electrical assisted bicycles on City paved trails. This Memorandum provides background information on the topic and outlines the relevant issues. QUESTION: Should electric assisted bicycles be allowed on the City’s paved trails? BACKGROUND: The City Traffic Code (§ 2002 (11)) defines an “electrical assisted bicycle” as a vehicle having two tandem wheels or two parallel wheels and one forward wheel, fully operable pedals, with an electric motor not exceeding 750 watts of power and a top speed of 20 mph. The Traffic Code (§ 1412 (15)) states that a rider of an electrical assisted bicycle shall not use the electrical motor on a bike or pedestrian path. The City, pursuant to C.R.S. § 42-4-111, can regulate the operation of bicycles and electrical assisted bicycles, and even require registration and licensing along with the imposition of a registration fee. This includes the right to authorize the use of these vehicles on bike or pedestrian paths. Please note, the question presented concerns only paved trails, it does not include sidewalks which are pedestrian paths where use of the bike’s electric motor is currently prohibited. The City Code, at § 23-203 (a) (1) and § 23-193 (d) (18), prohibits the operation of a motor vehicle or other motorized means of conveyance on City trails. Electrical assisted bicycles are a “motorized means of conveyance” and consequently are prohibited on City trails. The Code allows people with mobility impairments to use a motorized wheelchair or similar assistive device on trails. State law also defines electrical assisted bicycles (C.R.S. § 42-1-102 (28.5)), using the same definition as the City Code. State law (C.R.S. § 42-4-1412 (14)) prohibits the rider of an electrical assisted bicycle from using the electrical motor while on a bike or pedestrian path unless allowed by the local jurisdiction. Along with Fort Collins, Boulder and Aspen prohibit e-bikes on their trails while Denver, Colorado Springs and Longmont allow them. Federal law (23 U.S.C. § 217 (h)) prohibits motorized vehicles on nonmotorized trails and pedestrian walkways constructed with Federal transportation funds but authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to permit electric bicycles where appropriate. The Federal Consumer Products Safety Act (15 U.S.C. § 2051) also defines and regulates electric bicycles but only in the context of product safety; it does not regulate their operation. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 17 of 18 Recently, a group of local citizens, including local business owners selling e-bikes, have been advocating for a change to the City Code to allow e-bikes on paved trails. They have spoken with the Transportation Board, the Parks and Recreation Board and the Bicycle Advisory Committee. The Transportation Board and the P&R Board plan to review and discuss the issue in early 2011 and develop recommendations for Council. The Bicycle Committee has already come out in support of allowing e-bikes on paved trails after discussing the issue at their November 8 th meeting. A City staff team has been assembled to investigate the various issues presented by the use of e-bikes on City paved trails. The team consists of representatives from the City Manager’s office, Police Services, Transportation, CPRE and the City Attorney’s Office. ISSUES: 1. Safety. E-bikes can travel up to 20 mph continuously without effort from the rider. E-bikes may also accelerate more quickly than bikes without motors. E-bike riders may be less inclined to regulate their speed because it is not associated with physical exertion. The City’s paved trails are designed for recreational use. They are not designed for continuous high speed travel. There are many tight turns and segments with limited visibility. The paved trails are heavily used by everyone, including small children, seniors and dog owners. E-bike riders may increase the risk of accidents on the trails due to their ability to accelerate and reach high speeds without exertion from the rider. Common safety practices avoid mixing pedestrians with motorized vehicles. The City Code prohibits pedestrians from walking in traffic lanes or on-street bicycle lanes where motorized scooters are allowed. Although the number of e-bikes in Fort Collins is currently low (estimated at 50 bikes) their popularity could greatly increase with a consequent increase in the number of e-bikes on the trails. Higher numbers of e-bikes increase the risk and severity of accidents. Information on the number of accidents or injuries occurring on City trails is not available. However, over the past five years the City’s Risk Management office has received only three claims involving bicycle accidents or injuries on City trails. 2. Enforcement. Natural Area Rangers are primarily responsible for patrolling the trail system but they are also responsible for 35,000 acres of natural area, so their presence on the trails is limited. Consequently, if e-bikes were allowed on trails, e-bike riders riding irresponsibly or using a larger motor than allowed may avoid citation. It could be very difficult to stop e-bike riders who break the law because they can travel faster than our Rangers, who use non-motorized bikes. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – January 26, 2011 Page 18 of 18 3. People with disabilities. The City Code currently allows people with mobility impairments to use electric wheelchairs or similar assistive device on City trails. E-bikes may not fall within this exception as they are unlike wheelchairs and can travel much faster. The Code could be changed to specifically allow people with mobility impairments to use e- bikes on the paved trails. 4. Impacts to the quality of the trail user’s experience. Natural Areas, parks and trails improve the quality of our lives, in part by providing a respite from the urbanized world around us. Our parks, trails and natural areas are designed to minimize the intrusion of the urbanized, motorized world. Trails underpass streets where possible, parking lots are limited in size and placed on perimeters, even motorized model airplanes, boats and similar toys are prohibited. We do this consciously to create places that are truly recreational--places to recreate ourselves. Allowing e-bikes on the paved trails allows a motorized vehicle into many of our parks and natural areas, as the paved trails frequently run through them. This will degrade the quality of our natural areas, parks and trails as places of respite. 5. Benefits. Allowing e-bikes on our paved trails will afford some members of our community the opportunity to use and enjoy our trails, members who may otherwise not be able or willing to use the trails. Some members of the community may choose to commute by e-bike instead of using a car. There may be a modest economic benefit as the sales of e-bikes may increase if they can be used on the paved trails. 6. Public Outreach. Our paved trails are used by a large cross-section of our community. We do not know how the community feels about allowing e-bikes on our trails. Staff could prepare a survey or conduct other public outreach on the issue. We estimate this could be done and provided to the Council in the first quarter of 2011. 7. Implementation. If Council is interested in allowing e-bikes on City paved trails the City Code could simply be amended by ordinance to create an exception for e-bikes from the current prohibition or restrictions on their use on paved trails. Regulations addressing the safe operation of e-bikes on trails and enforcement issues may also need to be addressed. Cc: Marty Heffernan; Karen Cumbo; Hal Dean; Joe Olson; DK Kemp; Ingrid Decker; Kraig Ecton