Rohnert Park trail project connecting to Crane Creek Regional Park hits funding snag

A decades-old proposal to build a trail allowing visitors to bike or walk into Crane Creek Regional Park east of Rohnert Park has hit a financial snag after construction bids came in significantly over budget.

Construction on the project was expected to start this fall but the Rohnert Park City Council in late October voted to reject construction bids and begin again.

The project would extend the Copeland Creek Trail that ends at Sonoma State University about 1.5 miles into Crane Creek Regional Park, expanding the existing network of creek trails in the region and providing visitors with greater accessibility to the popular open space east of Petaluma Hill Road.

Plans also called for a new traffic signal and pedestrian crossing at Petaluma Hill Road and Laurel Drive so trail users can safely cross the busy roadway.

Construction bids for both projects topped $4.08 million, nearly $800,000 more than the city’s $3.3 million estimated cost, according to city documents.

The trail project was first identified in city and county long-range planning documents in the 1970s but efforts over the past 15 years to complete the project were largely unsuccessful as the city struggled to access funding.

Rohnert Park partnered with Sonoma County Regional Parks, which operates Crane Creek, and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to line up funding, acquire the land, define the scope of the project and design the trail.

Former Rohnert Park Council member Jake Mackenzie, a longtime champion of the project, said he was excited to see the project finally get underway when the city issued construction bids over the summer and was disappointed by the latest delay.

He described the trail as a “missing link” in the regional bike and pedestrian network and said he’s eager to see the project finished.

“I had hoped it would be constructed long before I left the City Council but things happen,” said Mackenzie, who left office in 2020. “My enthusiasm for the project is as strong as it ever was and my interest continues in seeing this project to completion.”

Terrie Zwillinger, Rohnert Park’s capital improvements program manager, said city officials and partners at Regional Parks plan to revise the design in hopes of bringing costs down and anticipate reissuing bids in January.

Regional Parks also has indicated it would consider providing additional financial resources to bridge the financing gap, according to a city staff report.

The trail project sat on the books for decades until city officials began exploring funding opportunities to build the trail in the mid-2000s.

Mackenzie, who was first elected to the City Council in 1996, said he first learned of the proposal when he was looking through the city’s general plan.

The idea for a trail connection into the park piqued his interest and the more he and his wife visited the park the more he felt called to advocate for the project.

Mackenzie, who served on the Open Space District advisory committee, put the idea on the district’s radar and advocated for grant money for the project.

The city applied for a grant around 2008 but the award was contingent on additional fundraising that wasn’t successful amid the recession, said Steve Ehret, Regional Parks planning manager.

“We had hoped that with the grant award it would help propel the project forward but that didn’t happen,” Mackenzie said.

The project resurfaced in 2017 as the city worked to install a water tank, and city officials again applied for a grant.

Funding was awarded but construction never started as the vision and design for the project changed and it became more expensive, Ehret said.

The city and its partners reapplied for funding and secured a $1.3 million grant in 2020.

The total budget for both projects is just under $4.05 million, including the cost of environmental analysis, which was completed in 2020, and design. It is being paid for through a combination of grant funds, city funds, revenue from Measure M, the voter-approved sales tax for parks, and park fees.

City and park officials say the trail will expand public access to the park, allowing people to visit the open space without a vehicle.

Ehret said the small parking lot at the popular park is typically full on weekends and during the peak flower season so this could help more people visit without worrying about parking and will also encourage more people to head outdoors.

The Copeland Creek Trail begins on the west side of Rohnert Park off Rohnert Park Expressway near Rancho Verde Circle where the Laguna de Santa Rosa and Washoe Creek meet.

The trail extends east along the greenway which bisects Rohnert Park and through Sonoma State University to Petaluma Hill Road.

The planned trail extension will cut through a 128-acre property Rohnert Park acquired through a land swap with developers of the nearby University District housing development.

The trail will run along a paved water tank service road built in 2021 and the project calls for building a 7,400-linear-foot trail extending from the service road, around a grassy knoll and east into the park, connecting visitors to the 3.5 miles of trails within Crane Creek.

Drainage improvements, trail signage and new fencing also are planned.

The companion project calls for a new traffic signal and crosswalk at Petaluma Hill Road and Laurel Drive to provide a safe crossing for trail users.

As part of the project, Rohnert Park will transfer a 75-acre portion of the 128-acre property to Regional Parks for the expansion of Crane Creek.

The expansion will bring the park size to about 200 acres and will help protect open space and serve as a community separator, officials said.

“Making these kinds of connections from an urban or suburban area and linking to existing pathways is really huge,” Jennifer Kuszmar, the Open Space District’s acquisition manager, said. “Providing people all sorts of ways to access the park is important and to see that the prominent knoll on the eastern side of Petaluma Hill Road will be protected forever is also a nice feature.”

The city will retain the remaining 53 acres.

The two projects were advertised for construction in late July and the city received two bids for each project.

Bids for the trail construction came in between 16% to 25% over the engineering estimate while the traffic signal and crosswalk project came in closer to the city’s estimated cost but still over budget.

City staff have recommended making changes to the trail design to lower costs.

Zwillinger said that city staff is coordinating with Regional Parks to review the plans and believe modifications can be made to bring costs down.

City staff also hope more contractors bid on the project by rebidding in January, Zwillinger said.

Ehret said the partners are eager to finally award a contract and finish the project.

“We’re determined to see this through,” Ehret said.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.