HSVPOA Trails Committee met at the Coronado Community Center at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Some of the tasks the committee members will concentrate on this next month are to help repair and refurbish old benches, and clean out trail boxes. The committee members will also assist with the Audubon Festival of Wings Walk and the Cove to Grove Seven Mile Walk.
Committee Members present were: Buzz Carpenter, Chair; Pam Hartman, Secretary; Kathy Swanson; Paul Barnard; Janet Rowe; Guy Richardson; and Kim Botkin. Additionally, the committee welcomed two new members, Adam Birkner who is a designer/web programmer, and Paul Hedgpeth who has a BS in computer science. While both new to the committee, they have already jumped in to assist. Hedgpeth is hoping to highlight Animal Rescue at the Cove to Grove Walk and Birkner will be assisting with some technical and web design work this month.
Staff attending the meeting were Terry Wiley, Parks & Recreation Manager; Ginger Ladehoff, HSVPOA Marina and Outdoor Program Supervisor; and Tamara Orosco, Recreation Specialist.
Board Director, Gary Belair stood in for Board Director, Robert McLeod.
Jan Miles resigned from the committee. The Chair thanked Ms. Miles for being a great committee member.
Bench Repairs
Wiley said he wants to make a plan to begin repairing the wooden benches, beginning with Balboa Spillway Bridge. While every new bench the POA purchases is made out of metal, we still have a lot of the older-style wooden benches left, requiring periodic maintenance and refurbishment. Some of the memorial benches are 25 to 30 years old and if possible, Wiley wants to keep them. One of the tasks assigned to the new Recreation Specialist, Tamara Orosco, will be the coordination of the wooden bench repairs. Materials will be ordered and the Woodworkers Club will assist with the routing.
Every new bench that the POA buys is metal and costs the POA $450. The POA charges $650 which includes a concrete slab and installation.
Committee Re-commits to Cleaning Trail Boxes
Parks and Rec Manager Wiley said POA staff cleans out the trail boxes.
Committee Member, Paul Barnard said, “That is something we definitely need to do. There is no reason that our POA group [staff] should be policing our trail boxes. We definitely need to be out there cleaning them out and making sure they have the right information posted on them.”
Board Liaison Report
Director Belair gave the committee a rundown on what to expect at the April 20 Board Meeting. In addition, he said the Board will be having a Retreat in May where the Board will talk about current plans and also where they have been. He enthused, “If we’ve [the Board] did anything, we have [hired] a GM that is full of energy and wants the best for the Village.”
Belair shared that he feels the Trails Committee has a good reputation with promoting the trails and that everyone in the Village appreciates the good job they are doing. Belair said the Board is accessible to the community and willing to talk to the members.
Committee Member, Janet Rowe updated the Trails Committee on the progress the Cooper Land Evaluation Ad Hoc Committee has made. Rowe is the Vice-chair for the ad hoc committee. Click here to read the report on the ad hoc committee’s meeting.
Upcoming Trail Events
- Thursday, April 28 – Workday at Cooper Preserve – Friends of the Trails and Trail Committee Members will spend part of the day completing a bridge building project on Cooper Reserve Property. This project was started on March 22.
- May photo contest – click here to read about this.
- Saturday, May 14 – Festival of Wings (Audubon event) at Grove Park 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM with a short hike following the event. Click here to read about this event.
- Tuesday, May 17 – Grove to Cove Seven Mile Hike – The details regarding this walk are NOT set in stone at the time of this meeting. Tentatively, this walk is planned to start at Woodlands and end at the DeSoto Beach. From the beach, the hikers will take a short boat ride to Waypoint Cafe at Lake DeSoto Marina, where the hikers can kick back, relax, and enjoy the camaraderie. There will be water stations set up along the trail. Ladehoff is still looking for a volunteer bus to shuttle hikers from Waypoint back to the Woodlands after the event is complete. Ladehoff says that she needs the whole committee to help with this event and is still working on the final details. More information coming out soon.
- Thursday, May 26 – Workday – The committee and Friends of the Trails will tentatively use this day to work on the bench repair project.
The Trails Committee will meet again at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at the Coronado Community Center. Note: This meeting was originally scheduled for May 17, but is being moved because of the Cove to Grove Hike.
Cheryl Dowden HSV Gazette, April 20, 2022
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