If you missed the December 6 community meeting at Westpark, you can still provide your ideas for enhancing the 1.8 miles of the Ventura River Parkway Trail within city limits by completing the community survey. The $5 million grant must be spent on the city segment of trail from Fix/Dubbers to city limits behind OST.
Message from the City of Ventura:
We want your feedback on design elements for the Ventura River Parkway Trail Improvement Project! Take the survey online in English or Spanish. The last day to submit feedback is Sunday, January 8, 2023.
This project uses a nearly $5 million Clean California Grant to improve elements such as paving, solar lighting, fencing, accessibility, public art, trail monuments, environmental and wayfinding signage, native and drought-tolerant plants, trash cans, and other amenities.
The Survey:
English----
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIl3wtPj2Tp_Rnsyy-pP9aOL0e9beK_PULgDp8cZ6qUrSCJw/viewform
Spanish----https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqMugPGFRHOgfyXCjsujJNjHqFtcBHsaNhgByeFB69941_BQ/viewform
“We’ve received overwhelming support for this project that will provide improvements that benefit an underserved area of our City and will greatly enhance the accessibility and amenities of the trail,” said Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “We are looking forward to giving our residents another opportunity to be involved in the project’s progress.”
Originally constructed as a rails-to-trails amenity in the late 1990s, the Ventura River Parkway Trail travels along State Route 33 and the east bank of the Ventura River, forming the western boundary of Ventura’s Westside neighborhood. Along the 1.8-mile City of Ventura stretch of the trail is a mix of residential, industrial, educational, and park land uses. The Ventura River Parkway Trail Improvements Project received input and feedback from residents and stakeholders in a virtual forum in January 2022 and celebrated the projects' grant award announcement with a community bike ride in May 2022.
“We remain grateful to Caltrans for awarding nearly $5 million in funding from the Clean California Grant and for the many supporters of this important project,” shared Public Works Director Phil Nelson. “This workshop will give the community an opportunity to share ideas regarding the reinvigoration and renovation of the trail as we prepare for construction in the coming year.”
Continuous improvements of the Ventura River Parkway Trail include repaving the bike trail, addition of solar lighting, and the removal and replacement of trail fencing. Targeted improvements include accessibility improvements to access the trail, public art, trail monuments, environmental and ‘no litter’ signage, native and drought-tolerant shrub and tree planting, trash cans, wayfinding to the trail, and other various trail user amenities.
To learn more about the Ventura River Parkway Trail Project, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/VenturaRiverTrail
