Chair Chuck McGrady called the meeting to order, stating that the main business would be a preliminary review of the Ecusta Trail’s 90% project design; Conserving Carolina and Friends of the Ecusta Trail (FOET) provided updates. Kieran Roe said that joint fundraising efforts were continuing with FOET, with a focus on Brevard, and that while initial trail fundraising budget goals had been met last year, increased costs necessitated revising the projected amounts. Mark Tooley added that the Davidson River bridge removal will begin in the near future, and that TPD Construction has been selected to finalize the design of the Transylvania County end of the trail. He relayed that Ecusta has joined the Great Trails State Coalition, whose purpose is to work with government entities for trail funding. Work is being done toward a RAISE grant due in February, for a June award.

McGrady announced that construction of the first section was on schedule, with Chris Todd, Henderson County Business and Community Development Director, concurring. Marcus Jones, Henderson County Director of Engineering, mentioned an item on the proposed agenda for next week’s Board of Commissioners meeting that would expand the ability for encroachment to allow access to the trail, including a provision that RTAC would become an appeal body for any access issues.       

Joel Setzer from JMT (previously known as Vaughn and Melton) then reviewed the various portions of the 90% design plan. The plan highlights construction detail such as plans for pipes and culverts, as well as plans for connecting sidewalks and design elements with existing structures. It also includes environmental considerations, including erosion control, landscape architecture, and environmental impact profiles.. Highlights include how some aspects of the trail, such as occasional narrowing of its width, were initiated by both environmental issues such as keeping an area above base flood elevation, and expediency in the permitting process. The design sought to bypass issues that would require a lengthy regulatory process. Setzer also noted that permitting was to begin in the next few months and actual construction was planned for the beginning of the third quarter of 2023.

Hunter Marks from Watermark discussed landscape architectural features, including directional signage. Trail access points will include stations with interpretive signs about river intersections and railroad history as well as signs to show mileage to different points on the trail. Plan details also include fences, guard rails, dog waste stations, waste cans, and possible bike rack locations; all of which, along with signage, will come from private funds. The Ecusta Trail will have its own identity in signage, but efforts are being made to make it compatible with local  trails.

Setzer covered the remainder of the plan including traffic considerations during construction. Some areas will have traffic lights to control greenway versus vehicle right of way, while others will  utilize traditional yield signs. He then showed an example of the 160 sheets that display the cross section of every 50 feet of the trail. The last pages involved bridge design. All bridges will be constructed from pre-fabricated steel, with a load capacity sufficient to handle maintenance and emergency vehicles. Some longer bridges will have trusses while others won’t, though faux trusses could be added for visual continuity.

Mark Tooley led off public questions by asking about efforts to recover railroad artifacts, with committee response that while effort will be made to identify those that could be repurposed, many have already disappeared. Lynn Huffman asked if there were opportunities for pocket parks, and if there is buffer space on signs to later add information on connecting trails. The response was yes, though the current plan contains nothing specific . Marcus Jones reiterated that these kinds of details are being left to private developers.

Chair McGrady motioned for a special meeting January 25^th to vote on the proposed 90% project plan. Once approved, a version of the documents will be placed on the Henderson County home page; in addition, the plan is a public document accessible to anyone by contacting Henderson County offices, and specifically Marcus Jones, with any questions.

Henderson County RTAC Special Called Meeting January 25, 2023, submitted by Lynn Huffman

Chris Burns presided over the meeting and announced that feedback from the 90% design phase was primarily positive. There were some concerns over wayfinding and signage, which is not a part of the approval process for this 90% phase.

Kieran Roe introduced Kristin Cozza, the new Trails and Greenways Coordinator, in his Conserving Carolina update.

Chris Todd (Henderson County Business and Community Development Director)

Marcus Jones, Henderson County Director of Engineering, stated that approval of this 90% plan will allow it to be submitted to permitting agencies. Responses from those agencies can be incorporated into the final design. A cost estimate is not yet available.

Joel Setzer (JMT) stated that the 90% plan will be tweaked for the permitting process around streams and wetlands, but that nothing of significance is to be changed.

In answer to a question by Dave Adams regarding proposed DOT roundabouts, it was clarified that the DOT will not be building those roundabouts for 2+ years. NCDOT will be responsible for how to incorporate the trail into the roundabouts and will be asked to bring any design to the attention of the RTAC.

Selena Einwechter asked what type of mile markers are in the design. Hunter Marks (Watermark) explained that there will probably be mile marker posts every mile, with painted mileage every tenth of a mile.