Residents near the proposed site of a new Oxford trail are asking the city to reconsider the path for the next section of the trail.
City officials said the time for compromise on the proposal must happen before they vote on it again at the March 18 Oxford City Council meeting. Then, the city will move forward with the plan.
The Oxford Area Trails System (OATS), a project the city has pursued since 2007, is seeking to acquire land from Oxford residents to construct its Phase 5 pathways. Property owners still have concerns.
Michael Dreisbach, the city’s service director, said at the March 4 city council meeting that to build the connector trail, the city has to acquire 11 parcels of land, nine of which are so far secured. The two not acquired were addressed, including properties near Oxford Reily Road and Gardenia Drive.
“Our goal is to settle this and settle it fairly,” Dreisbach said.
Ben Mazer, the city’s assistant law director, said attempts to obtain this land outside of the appropriations process went through the correct channels. Mazer said legal action must be taken when no negotiation is reached with the private landowner. Fair value for the land will be given to owners as compensation.
At the March 4 meeting, residents spoke out against the transparency the city has used to acquire land. Laura Osborne, a resident of Oxford and owner of one of the parcels the city needs, said she believed the city had not given them enough notice or worked to resolve the issue enough outside of appropriations or litigation.
“We really want to work together, but what we keep getting is that everytime you find out about a meeting or even city council talking about your property, you discover no one ever mentioned it to you,” Osborne said. “We do not want to have an adversarial relationship on this, but it might go that route.”
Osborne asked the city to reconsider, citing a lack of trust between the property owners and the city council that she believes currently exists.
“Please stop and listen. Listen to us,” Osborne said. “We’re going to propose solutions. We have expertise, and we’re willing, but we need transparency and honesty.”
Osborne’s husband, Chris Shoker, expressed he was similarly disappointed in the city’s efforts to reach them, labeling them unsatisfactory. Shoker said no alternatives were presented to him regarding the connector, which he believed would affect their future property development. He asked city council to table the issue for another two weeks to give the council and staff time to re-evaluate.
“I really think this would be a benefit because once we open Pandora’s box, litigation gets expensive for everybody,” Shoker said.
Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene addressed the concerns from Osborne and Shoker and said the city is very interested in working out a solution with the property owners. Greene said the council worked with the property owners since March of last year but received no response from August to December from the couple. She said route alignment is no longer an option to keep the over $3 million in federal grants.
The resolution to continue obtaining the properties passed. The city will continue to seek appropriations to acquire the land. Greene said the city plans to work with property owners, including Osborne and Shoker, as the process progresses.
“I will commit, and on behalf of the team, that we will reach out and work with them over the next two weeks,” Greene said. “I hope we can bring forward a solution.”
According to the Oxford Area Trails’ website, Phase 5 of the OATS project includes building a connecting path between Talawanda High School and Talawanda Middle School. An additional path will help connect the new BCRTA and Amtrak Station, which are being constructed near Chestnut Street.
According to the Oxford Area Trails website, the OATS project dates back to 2007, when Oxford residents first rallied to add a new plan for trail expansion to the 2008 City Comprehensive Plan. In 2017, Phase 1 of the OATS project was finalized, connecting the Black Covered Bridge to Leonard G. Howell Park. Since then, three more phases have been completed, and Phase 4 is in progress, connecting Talawanda Middle School to the Oxford Community Park. Phase 6 is in planning, and at the March 4 meeting, the city council passed a resolution to apply for grants to continue the project.
