GHORBA : Messages : 754-794 of 864

When the trails in Memorial Park need attention, it’s the trail’s users who help fix them. Earlier this month, they helped build a new path for joggers and off-road bikers, clearing vegetation and installing user-friendly surface materials.

The cooperative effort involved the Memorial Park Conservancy Inc., the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and the Greater Houston Off-Road Bikers Association.

It’s not unusual for volunteers to handle such an undertaking, said Peter Tyler, executive director of the Conservancy. In fact, they provide the labor for many projects.

“It’s neat to see people taking ownership” of the trails they use, said Jamie Hendrixson, a GHORBA member who helps maintain trails all over Texas.

One of the perks of working the trails is being the first to ride them, she said. “We put it together and ride it the same day.”

The new segment provides access to a portion of the woods in the area known as both “Hogg Woods” and “The Triangle” because it is bordered by Memorial Drive, Loop 610 and Woodway Drive.

The project is part of the Memorial Park Conservation Master Plan, approved by the Houston City Council in September 2004 and being implemented by the Conservancy.

“We review, approve and assist. They recruit the bodies,” said Rick Dewees, assistant director of the Parks Department and city liaison for Memorial Park and Hermann Park. The new path links the existing trail within the woods to the rest of the park by improving the area near the rarely used equestrian tunnel, located by the entrance of the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.

“There was no good way to get to the tunnel,” Tyler said. The new trail hugs the roadway and jogs down a hill to the tunnel.

The design had to be sensitive to the needs of the Arboretum, which does not allow bike traffic or joggers, he said. The trail has fencing and signage to keep users on the correct path.

The new 250-foot trail was “short but challenging” to prepare, Tyler said. Working on it required sweat equity — and patience. Most trails in the park are flat. The new one has a grade, a few turns, loose soil and some potential for erosion the designers have taken into consideration.

The improvement made it attractive, long-lasting and safe, he said.

One unique aspect of the project was how the inclines were re-enforced. Slabs from old concrete sidewalks were installed upside-down so the craggy, undulating surface is revealed. Tyler said there were several reasons for this: The slabs are so heavy they won’t move, they help stabilize the soil beneath them, they give trail users a surface that isn’t slick and they’re stronger than dirt.

The idea was one of many provided by consultants to the project who call themselves “Trail Docs.”

Over the next six months, the Conservancy will double the footage of crushed granite trails in the park to six miles, upgrading perimeter trails and adding new access to existing natural trails, Tyler said.

Trail improvements are funded by a $100,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and are mostly in the form of granite, equipment and wood, Tyler said.

The grant requires matching funds from the city, though that component can be in the form of labor and volunteer time, Dewees said.

To help with future trail projects, call 713-863-8403

Yahoo! Groups Tips

Did you know...

Messages

Take a tour of thanks for the holidays

Houston cyclists have quite a lot to be happy about

Maintaining access

Lone Star benevolence

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail
	Sign In New User? Sign Up
		Sports - Groups - Help