Liberty Lake Residents Propose System Of Trails

A group of Liberty Lake residents wants to develop a trail system that would join the new MeadowWood development with the lake community’s older residential areas and eventually with the Centennial Trail.

The trail system would increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists, according to Liberty Lake Property Owners Association president Lance Whitney. The trails will also provide residents a place to bike close to home and link the community to Pavilion Park.

“I think people in this community live here because of the recreation it affords,” Whitney said. “The mountain biking. The water skiing. This is a very active community. I think people see something lacking that could really enhance the community.”

Off-road bike trails will run along Country Vista and Molter in the MeadowWood development, but will not loop through the existing neighborhoods. The property owners association plan calls for the Country Vista and Molter trails to connect with the proposed Liberty Lake Drive trail.

“At the end of the development the trails just end,” said Tom Specht, a member of the property owners association board. “Trails work the best when you have some loops.”

Whitney said an easement along Liberty Lake Drive provides enough room for a soft surface trail that would create a loop linking older residential areas with the new MeadowWood development.

Working out a safe loop to connect the trail system to the Centennial Trail is another objective, although longer term. The route that now gives Liberty Lake residents access to the Centennial Trail is not adequate, according to Specht.

“Harvard Road is the current loop,” he said. “I’ve done that loop before and it’s scary.”

Developer Jim Frank is hosting a tour today of the proposed trail system at his home. Anyone interested in getting involved is welcome to attend, Frank said.

“We are going to go out to look at some of the problems, issues and potential of the area … so that we have a good idea of what to expect when we hit the ground,” Frank said.

Specht is also coordinating a workshop Wednesday to begin planning. The preliminary agenda includes development of a mission statement and electing officers and forming committees.

Results of a survey conducted last spring and interest at a fall property owners meeting have fueled the interest in the project, Whitney said.

“We took a poll about a year ago and got over 120 responses,” Whitney said. “There was a large contingency of those who responded that wanted to see a bike path.”

Frank and Specht have spearheaded the push and put together a start-up group from the homeowners who showed interest in the project through the survey. The 10-member group held an April meeting at Specht’s house to get the project running.

“We decided, OK, there’s a lot of interest,” Specht said. “How do we make it happen?”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Tour and workshop A tour of the proposed bike trail route is planned today and a workshop is scheduled Wednesday. Anyone interested in getting involved is welcome to attend. The tour begins at 9 a.m. at 23328 E. First. The workshop is Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at 23820 E. First. For more information, call Tom Specht at 255-9435.