Crosstown trail

The Shelton City Council on Sept. 3 gave preliminary approval to accepting a $200,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce for construction and design on the city's 2.5-mile crosstown trail.

At the same meeting, the council gave preliminary approval to accepting a $275,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation for construction design for phase 2 of the project, from Kneeland Park to the Oakland Bay Marina.

Both measures can pass with a vote by the council at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Shelton Civic Center.

Phase 1 would be a pathway from the western boundary of the city on Railroad Avenue to Kneeland Park, a 1.5-mile stretch that follows Simpson Lumber Company's former railroad line.

Phase 2 would be a 1-mile pathway from Kneeland Park to the Oakland Bay Marina running parallel to state Route 3.

Jae Hill, the city's director of community and economic development, said the 12-foot-wide multimodal path will eventually be paved with asphalt or concrete. He said he envisions users on "bike, scooter or skateboard, walkers, joggers, strollers, dogs, horses."

The city's long-term goal is to complete the path in the next six years, which will depend on funding, Hill said.

The $275,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation is part of its Connecting Communities program.

"They're trying to fund specifically communities that have pedestrian impacts related to state highways," Hill said. "One state highway and one federal highway come through town that disrupts pedestrian flow."

On the proposed path from Kneeland Park to the Oakland Bay Marina, "We don't have a route for that yet, but that's what part of the grant funding would be for," Hill said.

"We will cross Goldsborough Creek somehow," he said. "We'll figure it how it's going to get there."

The path then will run parallel with Front Street and through town founder David Shelton's pear orchard. The city will study a proposal from a few years ago for a boardwalk through the orchard, Hill said.

"We hope to have full-plan documents at the end of this process," he said.

The city will seek ideas for the pathway from residents, organizations and the city's Parks and Recreation Committee, said City Manager Mark Ziegler.

"Trails have ranked the highest of projects within our parks and recreation spaces and trails plan for probably the last 16 to 20 years, so I'm happy we're making some movement here," Ziegler said. He added, "This is an exciting step in the right direction."

"As a dog walker, this trail is amazing for the possibilities and for the health of our community as well," said council member Miguel Gutierrez.