Saturday Special: Recreation Trail on South Side of River Moves on to City Council

A confusing council meeting yields a positive recommendation from a Council Committee

On September 25th, the Troy City Council's Recreation and Park Committee met to deliberate on a grant application to be submitted to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC). During the discussion, it became evident that not everyone attending the meeting shared a common understanding of the proposal being discussed. A concerned resident aptly articulated the prevailing confusion:

“Until tonight, I thought we were talking about a $4 million project that was going to impact the City of Troy, and now we found out, it’s only $250,000.  I couldn’t read through the document that was with the agenda where the $250,000 was broken out.  I am not sure about all the blankety-blank federal, state and local and all the other agencies we have to get money from.  But a sentence that would have said that ‘The City of Troy is only responsible for $250,000 of this would have been really, really helpful.’ I read through all this stuff and it’s like give me a break!  For someone who comes to council meetings, give me a break.  Give us some information so I can make an informed decision.” - Steve Henriksen, Resident

The document in question was undoubtedly the staff report to the committee that is shown below. The Staff Report provided in the Agenda for the Recreation and Park Committee, which can be seen below.

The subject under discussion was an urgent request for the City of Troy to apply for $750,000 in funding from the MVRPC to create a “toe” in the levee and install a recreational trail on the south side of the Great Miami River.

As voiced by a number of concerned residents, the details of the project remain unclear, including the total project cost and the demarcation between different project components as well an on-going maintenance concerns. Initially, the Recreation and Park Committee received an estimated cost of $4 million for the construction of a recreational trail on the south side of the river, which included the installation of a "toe" on the levee. The "toe" represents a flat section of the levee designed to accommodate the trail.

One Project or Two?

Confusion arose when the City Administration suggested that the toe and the recreational trail were actually two separate projects. According to their account, the southside recreational trail was budgeted at $250,000, while the toe's estimated cost was approximately $3.75 million. This argument is perplexing because, without the toe, there can be no recreational trail. Additionally, if the trail was only going to cost $250,000, why is there a grant request for $750,000?

Furthermore, a report provided to the city from United States Fish and Wildlife Service clearly lists the levee toe and the recreational trail as a long-term project in their 2021 Dam Removal Study. The levee toe and recreational trail were added to the scope of work purely at the city’s request and not from a pressing ecological or enviornmental need to improve the quality of the Great Miami River.

During the meeting that was also ambiguity regarding the trail's precise route. Will it run along the top of the levee to allow access from bridges or adjacent properties? Alternatively, will the toe and trail be incorporated into the levee, permitting access solely from Treasure Island or Crawford Street? The committee was informed that these specifics would be determined during the detailed design phase.

The Emergency Nature of the Legislation

This raises questions about the "Emergency" nature of the legislation. Undoubtedly, the City Administration aims to expedite the request as an emergency action requiring immediate council approval. Why? Because the announcement of funding availability for the Carbon Reduction grant program was made on September 7th, and grant applications must be submitted to the MVRPC by October 11th.

Considering that this issue is set to be presented before the council on October 2nd, there isn't enough time for the customary three-reading process. Furthermore, resolutions typically become effective thirty days after being signed; hence, an emergency clause is essential to ensure the prompt implementation of the resolution.

However, it's vital to note that this grant application should not be viewed as the city's sole opportunity to secure funding for the project. The MVRPC recently introduced the Carbon Reduction grant program last year and funded eight separate projects at over $1.7 Million. This funding cycle is the second cycle with a safe assumption that other funding cycles will be announced in future years.

Even if the Carbon Reduction grant program is not futher supported, MVRPC also funds recreational trails through their Transportation Alternatives grant program. Since 2017, the MVRPC has annually accepted applications for this funding, having awarded 34 distinct projects with a total expenditure of grant dollars of over $11 million.

This resolution will be debated and voted on by Troy City Council at their next meeting on Monday, October 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at Council Chambers in the Municipal Building.

It all comes down to communication

Much of the confusion in Monday’s meeting comes back to Mr. Hendriksen’s comments that he delivered to the committee; information that comes from the City (as with many local governments) is often scant and confusing.

The original staff report in the agenda packet was a scant 371 words. On the other hand, this publication attempted to break down this request and provided 751 words and sourced other public documents and materials to provide more context of the request. Now, let’s not confuse the quanity of the words over the quality of the ideas and questions put foward. As I am reminded, “Many times, less is more”.

But, if one was to watch the video of the committee meeting, one would find this project has received the support of outside groups and was part of a larger vision linking the Great Miami River to the community’s south east side, none of which was part of the original narrative put foward by city staff, but lends additional credibility to this request. Instead of providing good quality information up front, governments often provide as a little information as possible.

This publication has gone to great lengths talking about the value of good communication when it comes to civic affairs. One of this publication’s most popular entries is devoted entirely to government communications.

The entire goal of this Civic Capacity project is to help rebuild trust between local governments and its citizens and open, honest communications is a part of that work. Thank you for taking the time to read this publication. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas in the community section.