Present
Leslie Veirs, David Dehlendorf, Tim Dustrude, Marc Islam, Tracy Roberson.

Notices of upcoming events:
1. SJI Trails Steering Committee Meeting: March 3 @ 4pm @ Library- all are invited
2. SJITC Winter Pot Luck Dinner (everyone welcome): March 4 @ 6pm @ The Grange
3. Bike Path Sub-committee Meeting: March 9 @ 5pm @ Whidbey Island Bank

Announcements:
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
Due to the unfortunate scheduling conflict with the Town Centennial Celebration, turnout for our meeting was very small. We agreed to revisit the non time sensitive agenda items as needed again at next months meeting. Action items:

1. Letter writing needed to Mayor and Town Council in support of including the pipeline trail in their feasibility study for the new water line project.

2. Washington state House bill 1659. This bill allows counties to use a portion of existing tax revenues for public trails. Action needed – write letters urging our representatives to support this bill.

Senator Kevin Ranker Ranker.kevin@leg.wa.gov
Representative Dave Quall Quall.dave@leg.wa.gov
Representative Jeff Morris Morris.jeff@leg.wa.gov

3. The SJ Island “Bike Club” headed up by Shannon Dean and Tim Dustrude has a website up and running where they will post announcements of upcoming rides and events.
Check it out at www.bikesanjuan.com

4. Tracy has been in contact with the author of the blog www.cyclesanjuanislands.com she shared a letter from him expressing his interest in creating a county wide movement, advocating for our bicycle community and promoting bicycling as “alternative and sustainable transportation, (to) make San Juans a premier cycling destination…and be a major resource for local and visiting cyclists.” He is looking for good writers who would be willing to contribute stories and ideas, and someone with website experience to help take things to the next level. Anyone interested should contact Tracy.

Update from Trails Committee Chair:
David Dehlendorf explained the status of the SJI Trails Committee affiliation with Island Rec. This will be discussed at the Island Rec Board meeting on February 19th. David also reported that on February 5th Cinda Pierce, Tracy Roberson, and he met with Public Works Director Jon Shannon, engineer Rachel Dietzman, and planning coordinator Shannon Wilbur. Public Works suggests the Trails Committee update our 2006 Trails Plan, with a prioritized list of trails including multi-use, and would also like more detailed design and graphic information for specific projects. Brainstorming about how to best accomplish this included: Creating a Task force, prioritizing multi-use projects and writing trail plans for the top 3 choices, providing trail design resources on the Trails website, and involving key community organization leaders in planning.
Magda Balise has volunteered to work on graphics and map updates. David will schedule follow-up meeting with Magda, himself, Rachel and Shannon to make sure we are all on the same page. He will also try to set up a meeting with the Land Bank and Preservation Trust to discuss Pipeline trail options.

Bike Paths Projects:
Tracy organized the potential projects from last meeting into categories which were reviewed and expanded upon by the group. These are not in order of priority, and include long and short term projects, further classification and prioritization is needed.

Multi-use Trails (with paved or permeable surface):

• Community ball-fields perimeter trail
• Land Bank Beaverton Marsh Preserve multi-use trail (adjacent to County Roadway) there is also a potential connection between this trail and the ball fields trail.
• Multi use trail along Beaverton Valley Rd beginning near Foxhall, if dump is re-located a huge need for a safe, off-road route will result.
• Expanding Airport Trails (toward town) for Bikes
• Pipeline trail connecting Town and Trout Lake Watershed
• Multi-use trail to get to Gravel Pit and Jackson’s Beach – thru Buck property
• Bike trail on Warbass
• Bailer Hill/Westside multi-use trail

Mountain bike trails:

• Insuring continued future access to Mitchell Hill DNR Land
• Exploring possibilities of a Mountain bike area in the Gravel Pit Park area

Town/County road safety improvements:

• Bicycle Boulevards throughout Town
• Review Bicycle Signage County-wide: “Share the Road” message
• Expanding shoulders on designated roads and pending road projects
• Bailer Hill, West side, West Valley, & Mitchell Bay Rd safety improvements

General Research

• Review and update Trails Plan for bike path potential
• Research Available grants and potential funding
• Research Multi-use trail costs
• Create graphic library with photos & details for trail construction
• Review & suggest updates to SJC Non-motorized Transportation Plan

Processes to be involved with:

County Parks Recreation and Land Preservation Plan (2009-2010)

Scenic Byways Corridor Management Plan (2009)

National Parks Service Mitchell Hill acquisition

SJC 6 year Transportation Improvement Program Plan updates

Wrap up:
Members present were encouraged to prioritize their top three projects from the list, so we can begin working on a detailed plan for our highest priority project. The hope is that at the March 9th meeting we can assemble a team to begin writing up the action plan. People are encouraged to continue to bring forward additional path ideas even if they are only currently wish list” possibilities.

Next Bike Paths Meeting:
March 9th 5-6:30 PM Whidbey Island Bank Community Meeting Room.