Over the weekend of April 21st to 23rd Jesse, Carmen and Kate participated in a community design workshop in Hagerman to explore valley pathway connections.
The Hagerman Bike and Walk Committee and the Hagerman Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the City of Hagerman; the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance; the Idaho-Montana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects; and a diverse group of local and regional experts to design ways to make better connections between the many cultural, natural, and scenic wonders in the Hagerman Valley.
The workshop focused on producing creative solutions for linking the proposed pathway system to local schools and businesses; city, county, state and national parks and other destinations in the valley. Further focus was on creating a unique identity for the trail system and promoting the different types of use it can support, like walking, biking, birding, horse-back riding, etc.
The vision for the pathways is a network of pathways that connects Hagerman Valley communities and over 30 natural and historic wonders along a 20-mile corridor of the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway. The first three pathway phases include a separated 10-foot paved pathway along Highway 30 between Billingsley State Park and the town of Hagerman; bike lanes through the center of town, and a pathway to the fish hatcheries south of town.
Other Idaho community projects that have benefited from charrettes like this one include the Barber Pool Conservation Area Interpretive Trail, Caldwell’s Indian Creek Daylighting Project, and the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. All reaped positive results that turned good ideas into on-the-ground actions. About half of this year’s 35 workshop participants are from Hagerman Valley, evenly matched with regional experts and landscape architects coming in from Twin Falls, Boise, and Pullman.
Goals of the charrette were to:
- Create safer, more accessible places for alternative ways of travel (walking, biking, horseback riding, paddling, etc.) for all ages and abilities
- Increase the vitality and economic development of the Hagerman Valley, including downtown Hagerman
- Connect residents, visitors, businesses, schools and other community assets with the valley’s well-known cultural, natural and recreational resources
- Provide more access to recreation activities like fishing, birding, outdoor education, camping, kayaking and horseback riding
- Increase physical activity and promote community health and wellness
- Engage area youth in pathway projects
- Work collaboratively with pathway partners, land managers and the community in planning and developing the pathways
I think the charrette was a total success. I feel like we have them headed in the right direction and helped raise public interest and support for the project. – Jesse Buster, PLA
Hagerman Bike and Walk envisions the town of Hagerman as a pathways hub and destination for both residents and visitors. Charrette design solutions focused on creating an enhanced town entrance, vibrant downtown streetscape, and connections to schools, the city park, library, and other community assets. Connections with the valley’s cultural, natural and recreational resources were also be explored, such as all five units of Thousand Springs State Park, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Malad Gorge State Park, the historic Owsley Bridge, Snake River access sites, fishing ponds and hatcheries, hot springs, the Oregon Trail, and other valley treasures.
The Hagerman Valley Pathways project is the main focus of the Hagerman Bike and Walk Committee. Formed in 2016, the Hagerman Bike and Walk Committee is a non-profit group interested in linking the many scenic, historic, and unique Hagerman Valley features. For more information visit the Committee website at: https://hagermanvalleychamber.com or the Pathways Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com
INTERESTED IN TALKING WITH US ABOUT PLANNING YOUR PARK, PATHWAY SYSTEM, CAMPUS OR LANDSCAPE?
CONTACT US anytime to talk about possibilities.
