AGENDA #7

MEMORANDUM

TO: Roger Stancil, Town Manager

FROM: Kathryn Spatz, Director of Parks & Recreation

Bill Webster, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation

SUBJECT: Adoption of Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee

DATE: October 9, 2006

PURPOSE

The Council has an opportunity to respond to the recommendations of the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee and various recommendations from a number of agencies and boards. The attached resolution would:

Adopt the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee, with changes.
Authorize the Manager to negotiate and execute a contract for design work and then begin detailed design of all bridge crossings and the eastern portion of the trail, based on the findings of the concept plan.
Negotiate with the board of the Hillsong Church for a possible lease of parking spaces for trail users.
Authorize the Manager to discuss, with the Town of Carrboro, a process for the design of the Smith Level Road underpass.
Authorize the Manager to work with the Town of Carrboro on maintenance and management issues at such time as is appropriate.
Authorize the Manager to consider safety and security issues in the final design of all proposed underpasses.
Refer the idea of placing historical markers at old dam and mill sites along Morgan Creek to the Greenways Commission for further study.

BACKGROUND

On November 27, 2000, the Council adopted the Report of the Merritt Pasture Access Committee to the Town Council, which recommended that the Town build a first phase of the Morgan Creek Trail in order to achieve public access to the Merritt Pasture.

On May 29, 2002, the Council appointed the Morgan Creek Trail Concept Plan Committee.

In January 2006, the Council adopted an updated version of the Chapel Hill Greenways Comprehensive Master Plan which recommended development of a paved bicycle and pedestrian multiple-use Morgan Creek Trail from Culbreth Road to the Carrboro Town line at Smith Level Road. The Plan also recommended development of a side trail to access Merritt’s Pasture.

On June 26, 2006, the Council accepted and referred the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee to Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Greenways Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Transportation Board, Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools, OWASA, University of North Carolina, Town of Carrboro, and Town staff for comment and further recommendations.

DISCUSSION

Project Description: The Morgan Creek Trail is proposed to be a 10-foot wide asphalt or concrete trail that would begin at Culbreth Road and end at Smith Level Road. The trail would be an extension of the Fan Branch Trail. The proposed extension would provide access to the Merritt Pasture, the Southbridge neighborhood, Kingswood Apartments, Frank Porter Graham School, and neighborhoods near the Smith Level Road/Fordham Boulevard intersection. The Town of Carrboro is eventually expected to continue the trail to the west. The Fan Branch Trail provides access to Southern Village and is expected to eventually be lengthened to serve the Southern Community Park. The recommended alignment for the Morgan Creek Trail currently calls for five new bridges, a new underpass, and improvements to two existing underpasses. A parking lot would be necessary if lease negotiations with Hillsong Church for public parking on their property are not successful. For a complete description of the recommended alignment and other options please refer to the attached Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee.

Comments Received: Copies of the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee were sent to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Greenways Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Transportation Board, Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools, OWASA, University of North Carolina, Town of Carrboro, Hillsong Church, and the owners of Kingswood Apartments.

Most of the organizations that received the report did not respond or simply endorse the proposal without further comment. Following are specific comments that have been received:

1. Greenways Commission Comments and Recommendations: The Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend that the Council adopt the concept plan with one change. The Commission noted that Wilson Creek is an important feature and should be properly shown and labeled on the report’s maps.

Staff Comment: We agree with the Commission’s recommendation. In addition we have noted that other key features such as some streets were not properly labeled. We have illustrated and labeled Wilson Creek and other important features.

2. Town of Carrboro Comments and Recommendations: The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted unanimously (7-0) to support the plan and indicate its willingness to participate in the design of the section near Smith Level Road. The Board also made the following recommendations:

Safety and security considerations should be made in the design of the trail for the section that includes the underpass of Smith Level Road.
The Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill should develop a cooperative strategy for trail maintenance and management to promote consistency and establish expectations.
Consider placing historical markers near the remnants of the dam and mill sites along the proposed trail route.

Staff Comment: We agree with the Board’s recommendations. Specifically we have the following comments:

We believe that the overall design and construction of the trail would be best done as an east to west extension of the Fan Branch Trail. In the event that funds are not sufficient to build the entire project in one phase, this approach would allow users living in Southern Village to access the Merritt Pasture and the eastern portion of the Morgan Creek valley. However, the design of the portion of the trail at Smith Level Road could be accomplished as a separate project in the near term if Carrboro could contribute to the design process. The attached resolution would authorize the Manager to discuss a cooperative approach with the Town of Carrboro for the design of the Smith Level Road underpass and adjacent sidewalks.
We understand the safety and security concerns of the Board of Aldermen. We agree that security and safety are always one of the most important elements of trail design, especially when dealing with features such as underpasses. The attached resolution would authorize the Manager to consider safety and security issues in the final design of all underpasses.
We agree that as the trail systems of the two Towns grow together as a single system, that it would be vital to develop a cooperative relationship to deal with maintenance and management issues. Language in the attached resolution would authorize the Manager to take steps to develop such strategies at the appropriate time.
The attached resolution would refer the idea of placing historical markers at old dam and mill sites to the Greenways Commission for further study.

3. Hillsong Church Comments and Recommendations: A member of the Board informed us that the church is interested in discussing the possibility of a lease arrangement for trail parking.

Staff Comment: We believe that negotiations must be completed early in the design process if the parking lot at Hillsong Church is to be used in lieu of a Town-owned parking lot. We believe this is important because if we are unable to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement with Hillsong Church we would have to design and build a parking lot as part of the trail project. The attached resolution authorizes the Manager to enter into negotiations with Hillsong Church for the possible long-term lease of parking spaces.

Budget: We recommend that the Council establish a budget, utilizing both current and new funding, for the design portion of the Morgan Creek Trail. These funds would be used for design, soils testing, permitting, engineering services, and other work needed to bring the project to bid. We recommend using the following source of funds:

2003 Town Parks Bond (already allocated)	75,000
2003 Town Parks Bond (new)	156,000
Metropolitan Planning Organization Direct Allocation Funding And Local Match from Payment in Lieu (already allocated)	94,000
Total Funding for Design and Related Services	325,000

We anticipate bringing a budget ordinance to the Council on November 6, 2006 that would allocate $1,000,000 in 2003 Parks bonds for various greenways projects, including $156,000 to the Morgan Creek Trail project for design and related services.

NEXT STEPS

We have already started negotiations with the design firm that helped create the concept plan for the project. If the Council adopts the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee and authorizes the start of detail design we would begin work as soon as possible on the design and permitting of the trail, concentrating early on permitting for the various bridge crossings. The work would include all bridge crossings, the Culbreth Road underpass, and the eastern half of the project. If Carrboro agrees to participate in the design work related to the underpass of Smith Level Road we would work on that portion of the project as well.

We have already started the process of requesting a critical easement from Duke Energy for the access to Merritt Pasture. In addition, if the Council agrees, we would begin negotiations with Hillsong Church to explore the possibility of leasing parking spaces in lieu of building a parking lot along Fordham Boulevard.

RECOMMENDATION

Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution which would:

Adopt the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee with changes.
Authorize the Manager to negotiate and execute a contract for design work and then begin detailed design of all bridge crossings and the eastern portion of the trail, based on the findings of the concept plan.
Negotiate with the board of the Hillsong Church for a possible lease of parking spaces for trail users.
Authorize the Manager to discuss with the Town of Carrboro a process for the design of the Smith Level Road underpass.
Authorize the Manager to work with the Town of Carrboro on maintenance and management issues, at such time as is appropriate.
Authorize the Manager to consider safety and security issues in the final design of all proposed underpasses.
Refer the idea of placing historical markers at old dam and mill sites along Morgan Creek to the Greenways Commission for further study.

ATTACHMENTS

Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee (begin new page 1).
June 26, 2006 Agenda Item: Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee’s Recommended Plan for Development of the Morgan Creek Trail (p. 22).
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Recommendations (p. 23).
Greenways Commission Recommendations (p. 24).
Parks and Recreation Commission Recommendations (p. 25).
Transportation Board Recommendations (p. 26).
Resolution from the Carrboro Board of Aldermen (p. 27).