Salmonberry Trail public meeting to be held in Timber

Timber- The proposed Salmonberry Trail will have a public meeting in Timber on Monday. The organization of the public meeting is largely due to the efforts of Trinity Herr, a local resident.  Herr had been in the process of working with a group of local residents about writing a letter of protest against the trail. “We felt that we hadn’t been consulted.” said Herr. “Then I went to the [Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency] meeting in April and realized there was still a lot left in the air.”

This meeting will be the first time any public meeting concerning the Salmonberry Trail has been held in Timber, and is aimed toward residents of the unincorporated communities of Manning, Buxton, Scofield, Strassel and Timber.  Previously, public meetings have been held in Banks, Tillamook, and Wheeler, with the Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency meeting in Banks, Tillamook, and Salem.

The proposed trail would travel through the heart of downtown Timber on its way toward the coast, and while it has been met with largely positive reviews from coastal residents, the proposed project has local Timber residents concerned about privacy, vandalism, and trespassing issues along the route of the trail. “I think there will be a lot of questions about public safety, ownership, and cost.” says Herr.

The meeting will be held on Monday, June 27th at 6 pm at the Timber fire station, 60900 NW Cochran Road. Confirmed attendees include Washington County Commissioner Bob Terry, State Senator Betsy Johnson, Salmonberry Trail Project Manager Dennis Wiley, and Mike Cafferata with the Oregon Department of Forestry. More information can be found on the meeting’s Facebook event.

This article was reprinted with permission from the Gales Creek Journal. Read the original article HERE.