Bids sought for trailhead project

By Jeremy Twitchell

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 | midnight

The Henderson Planning Commission voted 5-0 Nov. 13 to approve the designs for three new trailheads along the Amargosa Trail in southern Henderson.

Park Planner Patricia Ayala said the trailheads are ready to go out for construction bids and should be completed by the end of 2009.

The first, the Siena Heights Trailhead, will be located between St. Rose Parkway and Siena Heights Drive, west of Coronado Center Drive. The other two trailheads will be built on opposite sides of Horizon Ridge Parkway near Paseo Verde Parkway. The Paseo Verde Trailhead will be built on the north side, while the Shaded Canyon will be built on the south.

Ayala said the city decided to build trailheads along Amargosa based on public feedback.

"What we got from a lot of the stakeholders — people who use the trail — is that they don't necessarily live in these neighborhoods," Ayala said. "They may be coming from another part of town to participate in a walking club or a jogging club, or to go biking."

Though portions of the trail have not yet been built, Ayala said the parts that are complete are frequently used.

"Even if (the trail) is not connected, a lot of the neighbors are using the segments that are completed — even if it's only half a mile — as a gathering place, a jogging path or a place to walk the dog," she said.

Two of the new trailheads — Siena Heights and Paseo Verde — will incorporate some park amenities to better serve the surrounding neighborhoods, Ayala said. Siena Heights will have tennis courts and open turf areas, as well as a pedestrian footbridge over St. Rose Parkway to connect to Cactus Wren Park.

Paseo Verde will have a playground and open turf areas as well.

"Hopefully these trailheads will just do a better job of connecting Amargosa, while providing some neighborhood park elements in areas where we don't have a lot of land," Ayala said.

The third trailhead, Shaded Canyon, will be simpler, because it is designed for mountain bikers, Ayala said.

Planning Commissioner Debra March, who used to serve on the city's Open Space Plan Advisory Committee, said she was happy to see the trailhead designs, because they represent the culmination of years of effort.

"I know that the we've worked long and hard to get to this point in the city where we can start to provide connectivity," she said.

Two residents spoke at a public hearing for the trailheads' design review. One expressed concern with the Paseo Verde Trailhead, questioning the fencing between the trailhead and nearby homes as well as the location of the playground, which would be near Paseo Verde Parkway.

Another resident said he liked the overall plan, but was concerned about the lighting that would be used at the trailheads.

Ayala said the Parks and Recreation Department encountered those concerns during the neighborhood meetings in 2006 and has designed the trailheads with safety features and downward-pointing lights to address them.

Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.

Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.