Grizzly Island Trail To Face Questions Next Week

A plan to pave a path to Crystal Middle School on the south side of Highway 12 from Grizzly Island Road to the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Driftwood Drive is headed for some questions next Tuesday.

At a request to the Suisun City Council to get additional money to do some environmental studies requested by Caltrans, Public Works Director Dan Kasperson gave a short presentation on the concept so far for the Grizzly Island Trail, prompting City Councilman Mike Hudson to declare he would vote against it as is.

Kasperson described the project as preliminary and subject to the budget of a grant the city won through the Solano Transportation Agency and the Safe Routes to School Program.

As it's concieved, the trail might run from a parking lot on the west side of Grizzly Island Road to a small plaza at Marina Boulevard and Driftwood Drive, skirting the edge of Highway 12 in a meandering fashion. At one point there could be a boardwalk over parts of the marsh in the area.

There are also preliminary plans to have a parking lot and a bus stop area on Grizzly Island Road near the entrance to the trail there. Other entrances would be at Highway 12 intersections with Grizzly Island Road and Marina Boulevard.

The proposed benefit would be threefold: Provide a safe way for Middle School students to get from Grizzly Island Road to Crystal Middle School, give them an outdoor science classroom and provide a way for local residents to get closer to the marsh areas near town.

Kasperson said the Grizzly Island Marsh area was “a natural wonder that too many ignore as they speed down Highway 12.”

Councilman Mike Hudson said he could not support the estimated $2 million project as is, but was prevented from going into more detail because the concept of the plan was not up for debate Tuesday night when Kasperson gave his presentation. What was up for debate was an additional $85,000 authorization to have a consultant conduct the environmental studies Caltrans wanted.

Without a public notice that the concept of the trail was up for debate, the city would run afoul of state open meeting laws. Mayor Pete Sanchez scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, March 29 to discuss the matter in more detail.