Snohomish opens last part of riverfront trail

SNOHOMISH – Steve Ergler, a stay-at-home dad with two boys, said he likes parking at Cady Park and watching the serene Snohomish River run, soothing his soul.

“Whenever I need to relax,” said Ergler, 42, of Monroe.

The area in the city of Snohomish’s southern end is “one of the last places” with public access to a riverfront in Snohomish County, he said.

Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald A ribbon of steel railing identifies the recently completed Snohomish Riverfront Trail. Built on pile-supported steel girders, the new section of trail stretches along the riverside near the historic downtown district.

Ergler was delighted to learn that the city has just finished renovating the Riverfront Trail that stretches along the water from Cady Park to Avenue D.

“It’s good to put money into that so that Snohomish stays alive,” he said.

The project included installing steel girders, planting vegetation and stabilizing the riverbank along the trail, which was damaged by a major flood in 1995, said Anne Caley, the city’s project manager.

The city started the $2.5 million project in 2004 and opened the last segment of the trail last week, Caley said. About $1.75 million came from state and federal money, and the rest from the city, she said.

In 2009, the city plans to connect the trail to the Centennial Trail that now ends at the corner of Pine and Maple avenues. The Centennial Trail runs approximately 21 miles between Snohomish and Arlington.

“That’s the next effort,” Caley said.

Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald Snohomish brothers Alex Brown, 6, (left) and Nicholas Brown, 4, test their speed on the newly opened Snohomish Riverfront Trail.

Connecting the two trails would likely cost the city about $2.5 million, she said. The city has secured a federal grant for about $2 million.

Rory Myers said he uses the Riverfront Trail about twice a week during breaks in his workout at a local gym.

“I think it’s great. It has a great scenery to it,” Myers, 43, said of the trail.

The trail, a third of a mile long, sits near downtown businesses and the visitor information center that opened in 2005. Along with walking on the trail, Myers enjoys looking for antiques and grabbing a cup of coffee downtown, he said.

“I usually come alone,” said Myers, of Snohomish. “It’s my time.”