Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition

1
Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition

• Public Input Meeting
• October 28, 2008

2
The Vision
3
The Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition

• 501c(3) created September 2008 to implement the
  Napa Valley Greenway Feasibility Study
  commissioned by the Napa County Transportation
  and Planning Agency (NCTPA)
• Phase One Engineer and build a 22 mile multiuse
  Vine Trail from Dunaweal Lane in Calistoga to
  Trancas Street in Napa

4
Our Pledge

• The process will be open and inclusive (e.g. this
  meeting)
• No vineyard land will be taken out of production
• All easements, use agreements, etc. will be
  voluntary
• Provisions will be made for ongoing maintenance
  upkeep
• The result will be as beautiful as our Napa Valley

5
NCTPA Greenway Feasibility Study

• Commissioned by NCTPA 12/2007
• Funded by
• Napa County
• American Canyon
• Calistoga
• Napa City
• St. Helena
• Yountville
• Confirms Feasibility
• Describes three alternative routes
• West Side (Hwy 29)
• Mid-valley (Along the Napa River or through
  vineyards)
• East Side (Silverado Trail)
• Combinations of routes likely

6
Our Board

• Founding Board Members (initial cash resource
  support)
• Land Trust of Napa County, John Hoffnagle
• Napa Valley Vintners, Linda Reiff
• Additional Board Members
• California Department of Fish and Game, Cori Gray
  (advisory)
• Calistoga Vitality Group, Dieter Deiss
• Friends of the Napa River, Barry Christian
• Napa Bicycle Coalition, Joel King
• Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency,
  Diane DIllon
• NCTPA Bicycle Advisory Committee, Eliot Hurwitz
• Napa County Regional Parks and Open Space
  District, Guy Kay
• Napa Valley Destination Council, George Goeggel
• Napa Valley Farm Bureau, Tom Gamble
• Napa Valley Sierra Club, Nancy Tamarisk
• Napa Valley Taxpayers Alliance, Michael Haley
• Community Members, Jake Scheideman, Chuck McMinn
• Committee Chairs
• In Discussion
• Association of NV Chambers of Commerce

7
Committees

• Engineering Bob Torres, Chair. Oversee the
  engineering of the trail including route
  selection, engineering and construction firm
  selection and design considerations.
• Community Andy Beckstoffer, Chair. Community
  outreach to affected land owners to solicit their
  support and deal with landowner specific right of
  way issues and concerns.
• Legal Dave Meyers, Chair. Develop legal,
  indemnification, insurance and liability plans
  and documents to protect landowners and obtain
  the required route access permissions.
• Grant Solicitation TBD, Chair. Work to
  identify and secure available public funding for
  a portion of the Trails cost.
• Capital Campaign Chuck McMinn, Chair. Organize
  and conduct fund raising of the private portion
  of the Trail capital.

8
Membership

• Annual membership, as Friends of the Vine Trail,
  is open to any individual or business. We are
  considering a membership fee of 50-100
  depending on the level of benefits we provide.
• Service on any of the committees is open to any
  individual who resides full or part time in Napa
  County who agrees to provide a substantial level
  of effort in furthering the Coalition's goals.

9
Logistics

• Monthly board meetings the second Wednesday of
  every month open to members
• Committee meetings as needed
• Periodic public input meetings
• This is the first one
• One on one and small group discussions with
  affected landowners
• Publicly accessible website at
• www.napavalleyvinetrail.org

10
Costs

• The Engineering Committee will be responsible for
  producing a full cost estimate
• A rule of thumb is that multiuse trails cost
  approximately 1 million per mile
• Phase 1 is 22 miles so 22 million is our best
  guess
• We believe that approximately half the cost can
  be funded with state and federal programs
• Ongoing maintenance is estimated at 250 thousand
  per year including trail patrols, upkeep,
  insurance and an amortization for trail
  resurfacing every 9 years

11
What are the Benefits?

• Its for us!
• Vine Trails are working in other places (France,
  Italy, Sonoma)
• Enhances local routes for our families
• Provides a commute alternative for our workers
• Connects our communities in the valley
• Improves bicycle safety for our residents and
  visitors
• Promotes a responsible wine tasting travel
  alternative
• Provides an exercise/healthy lifestyle choice
• Reduces the valley carbon footprint
• Educates the community about our vineyards
• Spotlights the beauty of the valley

12
Key Questions to Resolve

• How do we keep the trail from interfering with
  agriculture?
• Spraying, vehicle operation, vine damage, harvest
• How do we use the trail to educate the valley
  about what we do in the fields and vineyards?
• Wine does not come from a tap in the tasting room
• How do we minimize the CRPL problems?
• Crime (vandalism), Real estate values, Privacy
  issues, Liability

13
Designing to Eliminate CRPL

• Crime
• Studies of existing trails show crime on trails
  is almost always lower than crime in the
  surrounding community
• Implement best practices for the Vine Trail
• Real Estate Values
• Values around existing Trails are modestly higher
  and days on the market modestly lower
• Make sure we have a robust maintenance program
• Privacy
• Work with landowners to provide site specific
  screening, fencing, etc.
• Liability California Civil Code 846
• No Liability to owner for public recreational use
  of private land
• Exceptions
• Willful malicious conduct by landowner
• Owner invited guests
• Users for whom or similar to whom the landowner
  has charged a fee
• Provide Indemnification agreements, liability
  insurance coverage

14
What We Need From You

• Signup to become a Friend of the Vine Trail
• Suggest community board members Grant Committee
  chair
• If you are a willing to explore an easement, let
  us come talk to you
• If you have the time, indicate an area of
  committee interest
• Become a donor--sign up to hear more from our
  Capital Campaign Committee
• Look at the Map. Give us feedback--its your
  trail too!