A vantage point in the Ash Canyon area of west Carson City.
The Carson City Parks and Recreation Commission and Open Space Advisory Committee are meeting jointly Monday to evaluate a roughly $6.4 million potential federal grant for improvements in the Ash Canyon area including a new trailhead.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the board room of the community center, 851 E. William St.
The joint commission will make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors “regarding the use of approximately $60,000 from the Quality of Life (Open Space) fund to serve as a local match to a Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant (total project cost approximately $6,361,000) for trailhead/roadway improvements in Ash Canyon,” according to the agenda.
“This project is estimated at $6,361,000 and requires no local match, however priority is given to projects that provide matching funds,” reads the agenda.
A staff report says improvements would include roadway reconstruction from the intersection of Ormsby and Winnie Lane “up to the property line near the water tanks, as well as storm water improvements, and the construction of a new trailhead.” It states there is no developed trailhead in the Ash Canyon area and only one developed trailhead on the west side of town, the Kings Canyon Trailhead.
“The Ash Canyon area is the focal point for singletrack trail recreation on the west side of Carson City and it hosts many miles of regionally popular trails,” reads the report. “The trails in Ash Canyon provide access to federal public lands (USDA Forest Service) and the Spooner Lake and Backcountry State Park. Two nationally recognized local trails may be accessed from Ash Canyon: the Ash-to-Kings Trail and the Capital-to-Tahoe Trail, which together provide direct connectivity with the Tahoe Rim Trail (National Recreation Trail), and indirect connectivity with the Pacific Crest Trail (National Scenic Trail).”
The report lists current parking locations for Ash Canyon trails and says recreationalists often request amenities that would be provided by the new trailhead like a vault toilet and ADA parking spaces.
“A developed Ash Canyon Trailhead would address sanitation issues that are found at existing locations, as well as reduce concerns from residents on Foothill Drive about parking near their property and driveways,” reads the report. “The Kings Canyon Trailhead, completed in 2022 with FLAP grant funding, has been successful in addressing these same concerns.”
The project would need approval by supervisors and the Regional Transportation Commission, according to the report.
A fiscal impact statement says: “It is anticipated that approximately $60,000 would be contributed as matching funds on the trailhead portion of the project. The trailhead construction is estimated at approximately $1,230,000. There is currently adequate funding available in the undesignated line item in the Open Space budget that is not encumbered or obligated to other grant projects.”