Working Group Meeting Agendas & Notes – click for full notes

April 26, 2023

• Fire Mitigation meeting with Capt Scott Winkler, Station 4
  • Station 4 is called to I Street about 4-5 times/year;  at least 2 of those visits include a trauma treatment evacuation; Bobsled trail (10-15/year) is much busier for SLC Fire than I Street; they have problems with cars blocking gate at trailhead; they prefer to have ambulance drive up to the side of the park; Has seen a helicopter land in the Meadow 2 times in 10 years; Meadow Trail is used for wildfire response; signage is totally worn out; Station 4 is City Creek to Emigration
  • What works for fire mitigation? Clear and concise signage “No campfires” “no fires” etc on all 2641 gates
  • Trailhead maps to Scott; Signage plan
  • Continue to clear out social hangout areas designed for after-hours socializing
    • City can consider designs that attract congregating closer to east side entrance, but not desirable enough to attract after hours use
  • Gamble Oak will not burn prior to August. After August when it’s dry, its a massive fuel. Pioneer Day is when alertness starts to peak. Through October.
  • Strategies:
    • Firewise inspection every year with Station 4 and Public Lands. 
    • Consider fuel mitigation tactics like mowing boundaries between homes and open spaces (like Jim Brown at Popperton) or bringing goats into key areas.
    • Signage at Bike Park for emergency response and fire safety protocols
• Internal Park Management Guidelines: Chris and Tyler will work with Carston and Jordan on scheduling community engagement for park users to inform of necessary new protocols as well as get input on additional desired amenities. This will occur in May and June, with plan to make adjustments to the park concurrent with the RMP project in July/August.

January 25, 2023

• External Safety & Compliance: fire mitigation, curfew and ordinance enforcement, emergency/accident prevention and response, 911/Police/Rangers. We invited Capt Winkler (Fire) and Deputy Chief Van Dongen (Police) to our next meeting to discuss long-term safety & compliance goals.
• Trailhead & Access: Speed calming, parking, transit, trailhead infrastructure. Review site visit with transportation (1/24) and discuss outcomes and next steps.
• Internal Park Management Guidelines: trail and feature maintenance, structural and functional amenities, guidelines, ecological care, risk management. Update group on bike terrain and utility impact assessment.
• Next Steps: Outlining community relations and communications goals

October 19, 2022

• Welcome and Introductions
• Review of Objectives and Goals of Group; Procedures and Processes
• Identification and Prioritization of Management Items
• Calendar Future Meetings and Homework

The property will continue to be owned by Public Utilities and will henceforth be operated and maintained by Public Lands.  The two Departments have agreed to the following:

The Public Lands Department will:

• Maintain functional fencing around the perimeter of the designated property boundary and signage designating expected guidelines for its safe, accessible, and environmentally sustainable use.
• Manage and evaluate the volunteer-led construction and maintenance of the trail alignments, jumps, and bike features within the property.
• Direct volunteer-led vegetation management within the property including invasive weed removal, care of existing trees and plants, and planting of native vegetation when applicable.
• Be responsible for related operations and maintenance, e.g. trash and waste removal, graffiti abatement, amenity upkeep.
• Supply two staff members to the I Street Bike Park Stakeholder Working Group.

The Public Utilities Department will:

• Manage the City’s water infrastructure in the area, including the Morris Reservoir (covered drinking water reservoir), and associated piping and overflow channels.
• Partner with Public Lands staff on the planning and coordination of major infrastructure improvements within the property and the adjacent 18^th Avenue Trailhead.
• Supply one staff member to the I Street Bike Park Stakeholder Working Group.

The role of the Stakeholder Working Group is to assist in the Public Lands’ creation of the I Street Bike Park Management Plan. After the plan’s initial implementation has been completed, the working group may continue to meet to evaluate and adapt the plan as necessary. After 2 years, the Public Lands Recreational Trails Manager, or other designated Public Lands staff, will be responsible for updating the community on the status of the property and will be the contact person for future community questions or concerns. The group will meet periodically (bi-monthly or quarterly) for up to 2 years to draft the plan to address factors including

• management of trail construction and maintenance, 
• environmental sustainability and vegetation maintenance, 
• safety related to park use,
• parking, and transit accessibility, speed control in neighboring streets, 
• relationships with the adjacent LDS Ward and its property, 
• connectivity to the 18^th Avenue Trailhead and its improved infrastructure. 

This group will invite representatives from other City departments or divisions including: Public Safety, Fire, Risk Management, Streets, Transportation, and Sustainability. 

Stakeholder Working Group Members

• Public Lands Recreational Trails Manager, Chairperson – Tyler Fonarow
• Public Utilities Deputy Director – Jesse Stewart
• Public Utilities O&M Superintendent – Jeff Grimsdell
• Public Lands Trail Maintenance & Bike Park Specialist – Chris Boudreaux
• Bike Park “Senior Steward” – Jordan Seldin
• Bike Park “Senior Steward”- Carsten Oliver
• Greater Avenues Community Council Board Member – Gwen Springmeyer
• Greater Avenues Community Council Board Member – Beverly Langue
• At-large community member – Ian McCubbin

The Group may convene with fewer or more participants if desired by City staff. The group is not a Board or a Council, but a volunteer group of community members who are committed to finding a common vision for a valued community asset. GACC Board Members can report back to the community council as needed and the Park Senior Stewards and Public Lands staff can post updates on signage at the Bike Park as well as through social media. 

Chris Boudreaux: Chris has worked for SLC Public Lands for 5 years. He was hired in 2018 to maintain the newly built 9-Line Bike Park and his responsibilities this year were expanded to include maintenance and planning within the Foothills Trail System. Before moving to Utah, Chris had spent over a decade volunteering at bike parks around the New York metropolitan area. Chris became involved with mountain bike advocacy in 2008 as a volunteer doing trail maintenance with the Wasatch Area Freeride Trails Association (WAFTA). He then served on the board of directors of the Salt Lake Valley Trails Society (SLVTS) from 2017-2021. Chris began riding at the I Street Bike Park as far back as 1999, visiting anytime he passed through the Salt Lake City area.

Jordan Seldin: Jordan is a Salt Lake City native who grew up on 2nd Avenue and began visiting the I Street Bike Park after college in 2009. He began his commitment to do volunteer trail maintenance and cleanup with the Wasatch Freeride Trails Association (WAFTA) soon after and then served as a trail steward position when Salt Lake Valley Trails Society (SLVTS) took over the park’s supervision around 2016. In addition to his trail maintenance stewardship, Jordan has volunteered for myrtle spurge weed pulling events for multiple years. Professionally, Jordan is a graphic designer for the Greenbike Utah bike share program and has done some trail and jump feature construction with Apex Trails and Sweetgrass Productions. Jordan has been recruited by SLC Public Lands to serve as an I Street Bike Park “Senior  Steward” for his extensive history and knowledge of I Street and his enthusiastic interest to create partnerships with community members.

Carston Oliver: Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Carston has been recreating in and exploring all corners of the Foothills his whole life and has been riding and digging at the I-Street Bike Park since the early 2000s. He has personally watched and helped the bike park develop over the years and appreciates the value it provides to the greater community. Carston is one of two “Bike Park Senior Stewards” who has been recruited to help guide the Management Plan for the park due to his intimate familiarity with the history, culture, and landscape of the park. This summer, Carston helped lead the technical mapping of the jump trails in preparation for collaboration with Public Utilities and Public Lands on an approved trail map. Professionally, Carston works as a hydraulic systems technician, bike jump and trail builder, pro skier, and avalanche educator. 

Gwen Springmeyer: Gwen is the current Chair of the Greater Avenues Community Council (GACC) and will remain on the board after her term as Chair expires in November 2022. Gwen has lived in the Avenues for fifty years in three different neighborhoods, currently near Popperton Park. Gwen’s varied professional experiences have included twenty years at the State of Utah Department of Corrections, managing the University of Utah’s Office of Olympic Coordination, working in Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson’s office doing constituent affairs, and serving as the director of the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) until her retirement in 2018. Gwen’s volunteer and leadership resume is too long to list but includes serving on the Public Lands “PNUT” Advisory Board, the Friends of the City Cemetery Board, and many other environmental and equity advocacy groups. Gwen has been communicating with the City regarding the bike park for ten years and hopes to help make the I Street Bike Park Management Plan a valued and effective contribution to her beloved Avenues neighborhood. 

Beverly Langue: Beverly serves as a board member for the Greater Avenues Community Council and has lived in the Avenues for almost 20 years where she has raised three children. Beverly works professionally as an architect having earned a bachelor’s degree in the United States and a master’s in Urbanism and Landscape in Europe. Beverly worked within the Salt Lake City Planning Department as a Plans Examiner, has been part of the Board of Appeals and Examiners, and currently works as a LEED certified architect at Hill Air Force Base where she has been initiating Installation Facility Standards and advocating for equitable access to resources for all employees. Outside of work, Beverly enjoys hiking from the trailheads near her home with her two dogs and loves the diversity of this area.

Ian McCubbin: Ian is a community member, residing on Northmont Way, and is a neighbor of the bike park. He is also a parent and he and his family recreate in the Foothills on a daily basis. Ian serves as a board member of the local Northcrest Pool, is an active advocate for public safety, and has built relationships with key members of various Salt Lake City departments (Fire, Police, Transportation, Public Lands) over the last few years. Professionally, Ian is a Systems Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory specializing in remote sensing and in situ instrumentation for studies of atmospheric & Earth sciences. He also has a position at the University of Utah in the Department of Atmospheric Science as a research engineer and site manager for mountain top station for air quality and precipitation studies in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Public Lands and Public Utilities have created a Letter of Understanding whereas Public Utilities will remain the property owner of I Street Bike Park and Public Lands will formally act as the property manager. Within this LOU, the Department of Public Lands will create a “Stakeholder Working Group” consisting of City staff, I Street Bike Park “Master Stewards”, and neighborhood community members, including a board member from Greater Avenues Community Council. The role of the working group will be to help the Public Lands team in the creation of an “I Street Bike Park Management Plan”.

The goal of the Management Plan is to allow for the continued volunteer-led community asset to flourish while protecting the critical utility infrastructure and natural environment under and around the bike park and respectfully coexisting with the immediate neighborhood and its needs. The Stakeholder Working Group will meet periodically (quarterly) for up to 2 years to assist Public Lands in drafting the plan to address factors including management of trail construction and maintenance, environmental sustainability and vegetation maintenance, safety, parking and transit accessibility, speed control in neighboring streets, relationships with the adjacent LDS Ward and its property, and connectivity to the 18th Avenue Trailhead and its improved infrastructure.

Passionate riders started building and jumping at the I Street Bike Park (Park) location owned by the Salt Lake City (SLC) Public Utilities Department in the late 1990s. Through dedicated care and hard work, the foundation of a volunteer-led, bike-community asset has evolved over the last two decades. For the last ten years, the SLC Public Lands Department has partnered with Public Utilities to oversee the management of the Park. Through agreements with local bike advocate organizations, the Park has been reasonably maintained by a community of builders and riders who understood the expectations to keep the Park running well.

More recently, these organizations have faded away and building in the Park has skyrocketed without any agreed-upon guidelines. This has led to concerns about user safety, weakened community relationships, and the conservation of our natural environment. Additionally, the Public Utilities Department has significant urban water system infrastructure around and under the Park, which needs to be protected.

Now, the City needs the Park’s riders to organize and partner with the City so that the Park can successfully coexist with the Upper Avenues neighborhood and the explosive growth of Park users. The City, as the property owner and land manager, desires to keep the Park open as a community asset and create a model for public spaces that are designed and maintained by its volunteer users and stewards. This will require riders to work with the City on a stewardship and maintenance plan for the Park.

The City hopes to work with local Park users, the Upper Avenues neighborhood, and the Public Lands and Public Utilities Departments to create a stewardship and maintenance agreement for the I-Street Bike Park. This agreement will outline guidelines for maintaining the Park, as well as restrictions and/or limitations to ensure the Park’s risks are minimized. Furthermore, the City will contribute financial support for the Park’s management. The ultimate goal is to respect the neighborhood and community, keep riders and builders safe and having fun, and keep the Park open for future generations.