Happy Trails

This morning Emily and I spoke with Jeff Pimentel, Project Manager with Caltrans. We talked about the many safety projects on 4th and 5th street in Eureka, from a new signal at L Street, High Visibility Crosswalks, Intersection Bulbouts and more.

Cliff Berkowitz and Emily Sinkhorn talk with Phil Dow about the MCOG Rail with Trail Corridor Plan.

Cliff talks with Jen Rice and Nancy Stephenson about the transition of The Trails Trust to the Humboldt Trails Council.

Cliff talks with Emily Sinkhorn and Chris Jenkins about trafic safety for back to school

Emily Sinkhorn and Jenny Weiss talk about back to school bike safety and a victory regarding a bike lane on Harris in Eureka.

Cliff & Emily Sinkhorn and Miles Slattery discuss the Eureka Waterfront Drive Trail and the portions that are about to be completed.

This morning Emily and I spoke with Kerry McNamee, Project Manager with the North Coast Regional Land Trust. This Sunday from 1pm to 5pm will be the Grand Opening of the Freshwater Nature Trail. Kerry explained that this is a project that was 10 years in the making, but real work on the trail began about a year ago. This trail includes a non-motorized boat launching facility and beautiful views along the path.

This morning Emily and I had Justus Ortega and Daniel Aslan in the KHUM studio us to talk about a studio they are doing at HSU about Biking & Exercise in the 65+ Population. The study deals with mussel efficiency. An earlier study showed that while muscle efficiency declines in the older population, it remains comparable to the younger population when running is the exercise. A new study is now looking at biking and strenuous exercise with devices such as elliptical machines. Anyone 65 and older, in good health who would like to participate in the study should contact Daniel Aslan at [email protected].

This morning I spoke with Emily Sinkhorn who was on the road in Wyoming. She had just attended the National Safe Routes To School Conference in Columbus Ohio. The event was well attended and she shared some new ideas from other towns and that attended. She also talked about the trail system in central Ohio (mostly rails to trails and over 265 miles of trail between Cincinnati and Cleveland - the Ohio Erie Trail.

This morning Emily Sinkhorn and I spoke with Hank Seemann, Deputy Director of Humboldt County Public Works and Brian Gerving, Eureka Public Works Director about Measure U which is a countywide measure on the ballot next Tuesday. Measure U would help fund road maintenance and repairs, trail maintenance programs, and help us secure matching funds for future infrastructure projects. As state and federal funds are dwindling, this self help measure will enable Humboldt County to keep its infrastructure functioning. This is a 1/2 of one percent sales tax increase. However, with our sales tax dropping by 1/4 percent in January, this will only be a net increase in our sales tax of 1/4 percent. That means for every $100 spent, you will be taxed an additional 25 cents.