PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON
[quote style=”2″]Large Crowd Turns Out for Oxbow Trail Opening[/quote]
With 10 snips of a ribbon, the Oxbow Trail officially opened Saturday morning, and walkers, bikers and joggers took to Hermiston’s newest non-motorized path.
About 250 people gathered at the trailhead off Southwest Elm Street to celebrate the trail’s dedication and walk the paved path, despite forecast wind gusts of up to 26 mph. Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotzmann welcomed visitors under a well-anchored awning set up for the dedication.
“It wouldn’t be Hermiston without a nice, easy breeze,” Drotzmann said. “This is a great day for Hermiston.”
The Oxbow Trail travels 1.5 miles through land managed by the Bureau of Reclamation along the Umatilla River. The trail, through the former homestead, starts at 1100 S.W. Elm Street, west of Good Shepherd Medical Center, and ends at Riverfront Park.
Oxbow is part of a larger parks plan to have a 6-mile loop around Hermiston. Today, the loop includes Riverfront Park, the Oxbow Trail and bike lanes and walking paths down Elm Street to First Street. The loop will travel down First Street to Highland Avenue, where it will connect back at Riverfront Park.
Hermiston Parks and Recreation Director Larry Fetter said the Oxbow Trail is Hermiston’s only true separate multi-modal path, which means it is paved, divided from motorized traffic and open to walkers, joggers and cyclists. Although the trail is now open, Fetter said additional improvements will be installed in the near future, including metal benches and trash cans – funded through $5,000 donations from each Altrusa, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs of Hermiston – and interpretive panels.
The city will also post rules for the trails, such as a leash law and general etiquette guidelines. Planners predict up to 100,000 visits to the trail over the next year.
Funding for the city’s next planned path was recently awarded in the form of a grant by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Development of a separated trail on the railroad corridor near Highland Avenue will take place in the 2015-2018 funding period and will complete the loop.
Drotzmann invited Isel Tejeda, a seventh-grader at Armand Larive Middle School, to help cut the ribbon. Tejeda submitted a letter to the city asking for more walking trails. Tejeda said walking trails and outdoor activities are important for the community.
“It’s important because not only is it a fun thing, but it helps people’s health,” Tejeda said Saturday. “I was really excited when I received the call (about the dedication). This is a good thing.”
The day also marked the opening of the Trail Trakkers Hermiston summer walking program, and more than 80 people signed up for the program on Saturday. In Trail Trakkers, participants log walking miles through mapmywalk.com and can receive prizes. Participants can also join in “Walk & Talk” events, where Good Shepherd educators will talk about nutrition, wellness and fitness tips every Tuesday and Thursday.
The walking program runs from May 3 until Aug. 31. Registration is $10 and includes a Trail Trakkers T-shirt, water bottle, activity log and prizes. For more information, visit the Trail Trakkers website.
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