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| County takes first steps on Mirada Surf West By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Thursday, April 23, 2009 11:08 AM PDT Phase II of the California Coastal Trail project along Mirada Surf West was given the go ahead on April 14. That means that cyclists, joggers and dog-walkers will have a freshly paved pathway to traverse between Miramar and the north end of Surfer’s Beach by the end of July, according to county Department of Parks Director Dave Holland. “This is a major connection. It solves the problem of people going out onto Highway 1,” Holland said. “And they’ll be able to ride bikes without going through that bumpy section of that existing dirt trail (on Mirada Surf West).” The plan calls for a 10-foot wide, 1,942-foot long section of the Coastal Trail, accompanied by animal-proof trash cans and cliff-top benches, to be dropped into the middle of the Mirada Surf property. Continuous erosion of the seaside bluffs in the area prompted planners to push the trail back from the beach, a design that should guarantee its stability for at least 50 years, Holland said. The piece of the puzzle planners now face is getting agreement on where to put a restroom on Mirada Surf. Holland said the current design would install a toilet on the south side of the property near Magellan Avenue, adjacent to a small wooden bridge that Holland said should be finished by the end of April. But he’s reconsidering some alternatives for a bathroom facility with showers that might end up closer to Surfer’s Beach and Pillar Point RV Park. Holland hopes to have the facility in place this fall. More than $480,000 is going into Phase II of the trail project, all of which is covered by a handful of grants from state and federal agencies. There is no cost to the county. “We’re doing pretty well leveraging between $2 million and $4 million in grants,” Holland said. “It’s a pretty good deal.” The county will start taking bids for construction of the trail “shortly,” he said. Meanwhile, the Midcoast Community Council has scheduled a meeting about trail connections on the Midcoast. That meeting is set for 7 p.m., May 13, at Cypress Meadows Event Center, 343 Cypress Ave., Moss each. (An earlier online version of this story misstated the venue.) Representatives from local, county, regional and state agencies with oversight on area trails are expected to attend. “We’ll be talking about connecting the different sections of trails on the Midcoast, especially through Princeton,” Holland said. |