Public Invited to Comment on Grizzly Island Trail

SUISUN CITY, Calif. - The public is invited to share its input on the Grizzly Island Trail project, which would create a pedestrian/bicycle trail from Grizzly Island Road to Marina Boulevard on the south side of State Route 12.

Any comments must be received by 6 p.m. Monday April 11, 2011. A hearing before the City Council will be scheduled for later in the month during which additional public comment can be offered.

This .9-mile concrete trail, will

• Eliminate or minimize the need for students who attend Crescent Elementary School and Crystal Middle School to cross Highway 12 to reach a sidewalk or bike path.
• Eliminate or minimize the need for Suisun City residents and visitors to cross Highway 12 when bicycling or walking to destinations on the south side of Highway 12, and to reduce the incidence of illegal/unsafe crossings of Grizzly Island Road and Marina Boulevard. These destinations include the Lawler Ranch neighborhood, the Lawler Ranch Commercial Area, the Waterfront District, and the multi-modal transit station, as well as the Solano County Offices and Downtown Fairfield.
• Augment and complement the existing natural educational programs administered by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District and the Suisun Resource Conservation District.
• Provide a visual and recreational buffer between the Highway 12 corridor and the adjacent Suisun Marsh habitat to encourage viewing of wildlife and the marsh area.

The total project cost is about $2 million with grant funding secured through the Solano Transportation Authority and the state Safe Routes to School Program. The project has a construction deadline of June 2012.

>> See the designs and learn how to share your thoughts with the City >>

Grizzly Island Trail Technical Studies RFP Issued

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City is planning to construct Grizzly Island Trail as part of an ongoing commitment to expand and improve the City's recreational trail system, and provide safe routes to school for residents of every neighborhood.

Grizzly Island Trail is designed to extend from Grizzly Island Road to Marina Boulevard and Driftwood Drive. This .9-mile concrete trail, will

• Eliminate or minimize the need for students who attend Crescent Elementary School and Crystal Middle School to cross Highway 12 to reach a sidewalk or bike path.
• Eliminate or minimize the need for Suisun City residents and visitors to cross Highway 12 when bicycling or walking to destinations on the south side of Highway 12, and to reduce the incidence of illegal/unsafe crossings of Grizzly Island Road and Marina Boulevard. These destinations include the Lawler Ranch neighborhood, the Lawler Ranch Commercial Area, the Waterfront District, and the multi-modal transit station, as well as the Solano County Offices and Downtown Fairfield.
• Augment and complement the existing natural educational programs administered by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District and the Suisun Resource Conservation District.
• Provide a visual and recreational buffer between the Highway 12 corridor and the adjacent Suisun Marsh habitat to encourage viewing of wildlife and the marsh area.

To facilitate this project, the Suisun City Community Development Department has issued an RFP seeking professional consulting services from qualified firms or team of consultants to prepare a wide range of comprehensive environmental technical studies. Staff will use the resulting studies to complete environmental reviews required for the Trail project.

Proposals must be submitted by April 5, 2010.

For detailed information on this RFP, please go to www.suisun.com/PublicWorks/Projects.html

Elk Season Near Suisun City

We're going to start sharing with you - our loyal readers - some of the great stories and tidbits we discover in our daily media and online reading. We'll try to come up with a catchy name for it, so if you have a suggestion feel free to share it in the comments link below.

Today, San Francisco Chronicle outdoor columnist Tom Stienstra had a great column on the tule elk of Grizzly Island Wildlife Area.

Here's a bit of what Tom had to say:

"Watching elk is one of California's sensational wildlife shows, and the curtain has been raised for the opening act at the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area. It closes to the public Oct. 1. That gives you 2 1/2 weeks to watch the annual September action.

Grizzly Island Wildlife Area is southeast of Fairfield/Suisun City, and just north of the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay. For the Department of Fish and Game, which manages the area for waterfowl, elk and other wildlife, it is a crown jewel of the state's wildlife program.

At Grizzly Island, the elk are wild, and tracking close enough for a picture requires stealth, skill, binoculars and patience. The technique is called spot-and-stalk, where you spot a herd in the distance, then try to stalk close enough, usually 100 to 200 yards, for a photograph."

Of course, we here in Suisun City like to lay claim to the area because the only way to get there is through our fair burg. If you are visiting from out of town, be sure to stop in the Waterfront District for a great meal or pick up something on the fly at a casual dining option at Sunset Avenue and Highway 12.