Paving Santa Rosa Creek trail wins OK

Sonoma County supervisors approved spending $365,000 for construction of a paved trail along Santa Rosa Creek between Willowside and Fulton roads, although a few area residents vowed to block the project.

Granting the job to Gentry General Engineering would have been a routine matter Tuesday, except for the objection raised by one resident who lives near the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Sheila Heim said she represented the Friends of Santa Rosa Creek, which contends the project lacks adequate environmental review.

“We oppose the paving of the trail. This should be a nature preserve,” Heim told supervisors. “We are preparing to litigate.”

However, Christine Culver, director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, disputed the group’s claim to represent the wishes of the public, saying Heim’s organization “only represents a portion of the trail users.”

A 16-mile pathway from Santa Rosa to Forestville — comprised of the Prince Memorial Greenway, the Santa Rosa Creek embankment, the Joe Rodota Trail and the West County Trail — has for two decades been a dream of bike riders, dog walkers, hikers and bird watchers. At issue Tuesday was an 8-foot-wide section running 2.1 miles atop the creek’s flood control levee.

Most of the trails have been backed by hikers and bike riders, although some trailside residents have objected to unwanted activity along the trail.

The levee paving encountered unexpected oppposition despite the fact that supervisors had reached a compromise by authorizing paving the embankment on north side of Santa Rosa Creek while leaving the gravel and dirt pathway on the south side.

Heim said her group, which she admitted was late in marshalling opposition, is concerned that the paved trail would bring intruders close to the habitat of the western palm turtle.

“I find it absolutely appalling what is happening,” she said.

Board chairman Paul Kelley said that objections from some area residents already had been reviewed by supervisors during public hearings last June.

“The merits of the project have already been handled,” Kelley said. “We already had a public hearing.”

The county received 11 bids, a high number on such a small project that officials attributed to the economic decline in the construction industry. The work involves earth moving, drainage improvements, asphalt and concrete paving, sign installation and erosion control.

Most of the construction will take place next year with completion of the trail scheduled for completion in March.