Yes! Touchet Valley Trail supporters hit the streets

DAYTON-More than a dozen Touchet Valley residents hit the streets of Dayton with "YES Touchet Valley Trail" signs on Wednesday, May 12, to show their support for the project and the Port of Columbia.

"The mission is a positive opportunity for the community and expanding the valley for everybody," said Joanne Goldsmith of Dayton. Goldsmith was one of the organizers of the event.

One Dayton resident and avid cyclist, Genie Crowe, said she has two friends who have been struck by vehicles while riding alongside a highway. Both cyclists, Crowe shared, have suffered grave injuries.

"One is a quadriplegic now, and the other had a concussion that led to depression, that led to two years of being totally nonfunctional," Crowe said. "I have done a tour from LA to Seattle, and I have been on some roads that have no bike lanes at all, and it was scary. I tried to wear as bright of clothing as I could, and we were safe, thankfully, but it was scary."

Increased traffic has made the scenic ride between Dayton and Waitsburg unsafe for many cyclists, limiting where they can ride. Crowe shared that her husband often rides with her, but he refuses to ride along the highways. The proposed Touchet Valley Trail would play a crucial part in creating a safer route for cyclists, runners, horseback riders, and pedestrians.

Crowe plans to ride a rails and trails route in Prosser, WA, similar to the proposed TVT trail. She looks forward to 'seeing how that looks' and comparing it to how the TVT trail could look.

"The Port of Columbia did a great job with their presentation last month," Crowe said. "I have zero concerns with the trail."

During the online presentation on April 26, the Port presented speakers to address the current status of the project, hear from the trail designers and landscapers, and address public comments and concerns submitted to the Port. The meeting is available to view on the Port's website, http://www.portofcolumbia.org. The website also features the 30% plans, preliminary maintenance plans, the executive summary, and a preliminary economic impact study that will be updated in October 2021.

Another supporter at the walk, Cathy Lee-Haight of Dayton, said she was a part of the original idea formation while serving on the Community Council roughly six years ago.

"Our conclusion was 'trail development should be a priority,' and then it went and worked its way through the process," Lee-Haight said. "This particular trail, because the Port owned most of the land and had right-of-away, looked like the easiest one to start within the region."

Lee-Haight said the Port agreed to take the lead on development, and she has attended all of the trail meetings and forums.

"We stayed kind of quiet, because we thought we had expressed our opinions, many times," she said. "The 'no' side started to be more obvious. We have a group who meets once a week, to discuss local issues, and we decided that it was time to have a 'yes' group. At this point it's the 'no' group versus the Port, but it was not the Port who came up with this idea. Hundreds of other people were involved."

Lee-Haight said the group chose this particular Wednesday to begin expressing their support because it was the day the Port closed the public comment period offered during the April 26 Informational meeting and extended through May 12. The time and location was chosen to avoid any conflict with those who might show up in opposition of the project.

A small group of three to four who oppose the project stood in front of the Port facility during the Port's regular commissioners meeting which was held on Zoom. As they did during the April 26 meeting, demonstrators chose not to attend or participate in the Zoom meeting.

When asked about any concerns with the planning and development of the trail so far, Lee-Haight said that she had none.

She acknowleged work the Port of Columbia has done with other projects in the area, noting they have been well managed, maintained and economically beneficial to Dayton.

The majority response from passersby to the dozen or more walking in support of the trail was positive and included waving, honking and the occasional "woo hoo."