MUKILTEO — Rarely does anyone use the makeshift path Kevin Stoltz carved through Japanese Gulch several months ago.
He’s hoping that changes soon.
Stoltz, a Mukilteo City Council member, is rounding up volunteers to build a groomed, quarter-mile trail connecting Mukilteo Boulevard with the waterfront at the mouth of the gulch.
“With all of the access we’ve lost to the waterfront from the various construction projects going on down there, here’s a chance for us to provide an access point that allows people to walk through a wooded environment on city-owned property,” Stoltz said.
The trail would provide a much-needed path connecting neighborhoods in Old Town with the city’s waterfront, Stoltz said. The trail would end at the Mount Baker Avenue railroad crossing, which is expected to be reopened soon after work is finished to install new crossing gates.
The city has $80,000 in its budget for trail work and has offered to pay for the project, Stoltz said.
People who want to help build the new trail can attend an informational meeting planned for 7 p.m. today at Rosehill Community Center.
“It’s an opportunity to get a volunteer program going within the city to actually build trails,” Stoltz said.
Mukilteo officials and local land conservation groups are considering buying privately owned land in the gulch to be preserved as parks and open space. A California-based developer recently backed off of a plan to build a light industrial park on the western side of the gulch.
Jeff Hall, president of the Mukilteo-based Sustainable Living Institute, helped Stoltz choose the route of the proposed trail. He said the political climate is ripe for building a trail in the gulch.
“If we can provide a wonderful access through that area, I think that will cultivate support for more park facilities and the protection of habitat in Mukilteo and south Everett,” Hall said.
Mukilteo resident Chris Chase, who has also pledged to help build the gulch trail, has spent years riding his mountain bike and making trails in the gulch.
Although Chase said he appreciates the city’s desire to build more parks, he said people need more places to be active — places like Japanese Gulch, with trees, hills, fresh air and plenty of dirt.
“What’s important to your community when you have healthy, active-minded people is being able to recreate out your back door, to have it close by,” Chase said. “The more recreation you can create in your neighborhood, the better off you are.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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