Where Will Trail Go Through Umatilla?

    Exactly where a proposed recreational trail might go through Umatilla is yet to be settled, but nearly 40 people turned out last Tuesday night in Umatilla to see proposals and offer their input, giving city and trail officials lots of ideas on how a proposed trail could pass through town.
   The trail, proposed from Astor to Eustis and joining with a larger statewide trail system on either end, has been discussed for several years, and has gained steam recently as more funding has become available. Locally, surveys have been taken north of Umatilla for a potential trail corridor that runs along SR 19.
   But where would the trail be located in Umatilla? Fearing that tight right-of-ways through downtown could make a trail difficult to build along SR 19, the city has begun developing ideas that could see the trail snake through town in different ways.
   At Tuesday's meeting, the city unveiled several concepts. One brings the trail through Umatilla's west side, around Golden Gem Drive, and up onto Guerrant Street before coming back heading north. Another idea has the trail passing to the east side of town, using elements that include Trowell Avenue and Cassady Street. Other ideas include the trail heading out Rose Street toward the Umatilla airport and heading north to the North Lake Community Park before heading back to SR 19 north of downtown.
   It’s all very preliminary, but city officials have voiced the potential of creating the city’s own trail system on city and county roads, eliminating the need to meet state road requirements to get the trail through town. While that idea has regulatory appeal, it runs in opposition to the idea of trails as economic engines for small towns, as Umatilla’s retail economy is based on SR 19.
   One thing that was universally agreed on Tuesday night was the idea that the idea of a recreational trail through Umatilla was a good idea. Towns like Winter Garden in Orange County have seen relative economic booms along their trails, and Umatilla hopes to experience the same results once its trail is in place, even if the trail is still years away.