San Marcos wins $350k grant for new urban trail project

SAN MARCOS — The city will begin design efforts on a new urban trail with the hopes of being completed by late 2014 thanks to a grant issued from the state and city funds. 

On Monday, the CNRA (California Natural Resources Agency) released a list of cities that would be receiving grants from the state for projects that provided beneficial effects to the environment.

The city will receive a grant of $350,000 for the creation of the North Twin Oaks Valley Urban trails project. The trail, north of Borden Road and south of La Cienega Road, will be designed to create an area for residents to stroll, hike and jog, according to Maryam Babaki, deputy city engineer with San Marcos.

“The North Twin Oaks Valley Urban trails project will construct approximately 900 feet of a decomposed granite permeable multi-use trail marked with native drought tolerant shade trees and vegetation along the trail with drip irrigation,” she said.

The city will also contribute $70,000 towards the project, which will, when completed, be identified as a trailhead and connect approximately 20 miles of trail in the northern area of the city, according to Babaki.

Out of 77 applications, 37 cities were recommended to receive grants for the projects. The grant comes from $10 million in funding from the CNRA.

“These grants will help balance the impact of new and improved transportation projects with our natural world,” said California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird in a statement. “The funding will go to projects that will offset vehicle emissions, provide roadside recreational opportunities, and allow for the acquisition, restoration and enhancement of watersheds, wildlife habitat, wetlands and forests.”

Babaki added that the project qualified for the grant as one of the mitigation measures for construction of the Borden Road Bridge that was completed earlier this year.

“It meets the statewide goals to decrease air and water pollution, reduce consumption of natural resources and energy, increase reliability of local water supplies and increase adaptability to climate change,” she said.