Effort to connect Carson City’s trail system continues

The Open Space Advisory Committee recommended applying for grants to help fund the acquisition of two Carson City properties.

About 100 people showed up at the committee’s meeting on Monday to show support for acquiring the two sites they said were key to connecting the city’s trail system.

“The strategic importance of this trailhead is huge,” said Juan Guzman, former Carson City open space administrator and currently president-elect of the Carson Valley Trails Association.

Guzman was referring to the Clear Creek site, 100 acres currently owned and managed by the Nevada Division of State Lands.

He and about 10 other people spoke during public comment concerning both properties, Clear Creek as well as 206 acres in the Timberline and Vicee Canyon area owned by Gerald and Luann Hamm.

The Clear Creek land is the former site of the Clear Creek Youth Camp. In 2015, the Nevada Legislature passed a bill which set aside money from the future sale of the property to rehabilitate and preserve the Stewart Indian School on Snyder Avenue.

Trails from Douglas County to Kings Canyon could be connected via the property using the underpass at Highway 50 East.

According to the staff report, state lands wants to sell the entire property and not a portion to accommodate a trail head. City staff is working with state lands to get a property appraisal. The 2018-2019 taxable valuation is about $1 million, which is lower than what the property would sell for.

The committee’s recommendation to the Board of Supervisors is to apply to the Forest Legacy Program, which requires a 25 percent match from the city, and other grants to fund the acquisition.

The committee also voted to recommend applying to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which requires a 50 percent match, and other grant programs to fund the purchase of the 206-acre Hamm property.

“This is another integral piece of the trail system,” said Jeremy Hall, a committee member. “If we lose this property we lose connections to the college and to new trails like the Secret Trail.”

The property already has well-maintained trails on it but they can’t be mapped for general public use because they’re on private property.

The land is listed for sale for $600,000, according to city staff, and the owners have a current offer for $450,000 from an unknown source.

The committee also voted to recommend the fiscal year 2018-2019 budget for the Quality of Life Open Space account.

The budget includes a bump in funds for professional services, money for employee physicals, and a new truck.

The current year’s budget is $1,043,918 and revenue, which comes from a portion of the city’s sales tax, is expected to be higher for the coming year.