Silver Lake trail planners host meeting after confusion spreads on social media

More youths may be walking or biking to school in Silver Lake soon after the Silver Lake Trail Planning Committee completed a master plan for trails throughout the community.

A meeting on Wednesday allowed people to share their preferences for trails to school.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is funding the planning process for the path through its Safe Route to School grant to Silver Lake Unified School District 372, but a larger framework created by the Silver Lake Trail Planning Committee could be used to expand trail access across the community.

The meeting was originally limited to discussing the Safe Routes to School grant, and a survey that collected information on what community members wanted from trails. But it also addressed community concerns after backlash on social media that spread far enough the city responded to it in a public post.

“The City of Silver Lake Mayor, Council and employees were recently notified of a Master Trails Plan that was posted on Facebook. The City of Silver Lake has not approved any part of this plan. The Trails Committee would be required to present the plan in Council for consideration,” the City of Silver Lake said on its Facebook account.

Safe Routes to School

KDOT announced Silver Lake won its grant on July 2 , and thus far USD 372 has collected surveys and held meetings with a Safe Route to School team. By the end of the year, it’s expecting to have engineering recommendations for the path, with a draft plan expected by March and a final plan by June.

After a final plan is completed, there will be another engagement session. But the plan won’t build the sidewalks by June, or even guarantee that all projects identified in the safe route to school plan gets built.

The survey , which is for guardians of students in Silver Lake, asks about how students travel to and from school. It will be open to responses through Oct. 11.

Silver Lake Trail Master Plan

The Silver Lake Trail Master Plan is separate from, but could connect with, the Safe Routes to School trail. The master plan itself is meant to make it easier for institutions like schools, the city or churches to unlock grant funding.

“The beauty of having a trail plan and a sidewalk plan is that when you go to apply for grants, it really looks good for you,” said Shawnee County Commissioner Bill Riphahn, who is a member of the Silver Lake Trail Planning Committee. “You have something that you can hang on to and show these guys that you're trying to get grants from that we have an idea. We have a plan. We have our ducks in a row.”

The master plan is divided into eight phases, with the first phase dedicated to a walking loop on the north side of town, a path around Silver Lake Grade School and a trail between US-24 highway to Rice Road through Little Lake Park.

But people involved in the plan stressed that the master plan is a wish list, rather than a concrete plan.

“This isn't an etched in stone where the trail is going to go, because in some areas where there may be future subdivisions or something that may alter where that trail is,” Riphahn said.

A couple attendees raised concern that the proposed paths could go near their property, but Riphahn said the planning process would typically avoid backyards, that feedback from neighboring property owners would be factored into the process and will most likely be altered to fit within newly constructed subdivisions.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Silver Lake trail planners host meeting after confusion spreads on social media