Oregon Track Club Masters to Upgrade Worn Segment of Prefontaine Trail

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02/04/05 FRI 16:54 FAX 541 682 4882 EUGENE PW MNTNC & POS PW ADMIN ~ 001 P~~k~ ::end ear ~S ace: ~ ~ ~ ~ E A Q~ p wwwci.eug~~te or:usiparks February 4, 2005 CONTACT: ¦ Bill Brigmon, Alton Baker Park maintenance volunteer and event contact, 954-7291 ¦ Rob Hallett, Turf and Grounds Supervisor, 682-4935 ¦ Therese Picado, Parks and Open Space Public Information Specialist, 682-4814/682-4800 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oregon Track Club Masters to Upgrade Worn Segment of Prefontaine Trail On February 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers from Oregon Track Club Masters in conjunction with parks staff will upgrade 200 feet of Prefontaine Trail. They plan to spend most of their Saturday making this upgrade last 20 years by laboriously applying 35 tons of gravel to this worn segment of the trail, just north of the Walnut gate into Alton Baker Park. This effort is part of a partnership between the City and Oregon Track Ciub Masters to renovate the' popular running trail that winds four miles through Alton Baker Park. "The deterioration of the trail surface has accelerated due to a 10-fold increase in the use of the trail over the last few years," says Bill Brigmon, parks maintenance volunteer. °In the past, the life.expectancy of the bark top dressing was several years, but now it is less than two years." For more than a decade, Oregon Track Club has helped pay for and lay the bark for the Prefontai.ne Trail, but unfortunately, due to the increased needs of the trail, the funds are beginning to dwindle. Now, the group and the City are looking to extend the partnership to aN trail users, including runners, joggers; people walking the trail, high school trade programs, run organizers, and dog owners, in order to develop a long- term solution to the trail's ongoing maintenance needs. For more information about the efforts to improve the Prefontaine Trail, call 682-4935.