USFS finalizing plans for Tallac improvements
The U.S. Forest Service wants to make improvements to the Tallac Historic Site based on what the public believes should happen at the South Shore facility.
An alternative that was developed in response to public comment was chosen as the preferred alternative. People who previously commented have until mid-July to make more comments on the draft Historic Facilities Best Management Practices Retrofit project.
The project is designed to improve water quality and improve recreation opportunities at the site. Improvements would include infiltration basins, planted swales, and slope stabilization along the shoreline. Other work calls for the installation of barriers to prevent off-pavement parking, configuring better pedestrian routes, planting native plants, and repairing existing fences.
At Kiva Point informational signs would be installed, the pathway from the parking area to the beach would be upgraded to meet disability accessibility standards, and some user-created trails would be removed. A restroom would be built at the parking area, 20 additional parking spaces would be constructed, and a fence would be installed between the beach area and Taylor Creek Marsh.
The proposed project is designed to improve traffic by reconfiguring the three entrances along Highway 89 (Valhalla, Tallac, and Taylor Creek) into two entrances located at the existing Taylor Creek Visitor Center intersection and across from the Camp Richardson corral entrance. An internal road would connect the intersections.
The Tallac Site parking area would be expanded to include an additional 90 parking spaces. The Valhalla parking area would be expanded to include an additional 45 spaces. And the existing unimproved parking area near the Valhalla entrance would be paved.
The volunteer campground at the Baldwin Trailer Park site would be upgraded and reconfigured to include 15 additional campsites that meet accessibility guidelines.
If funding comes through, work on the 10-year project could begin next May.
For more information, go online.
I agree, more parking is needed at Valhalla and other sites. Seniors, not only the handicapped, who can no longer walk the distance, need access up close to the events. I’d like to see these changes in a sketch, easier to imagine.
To clarify, the official comment period is over. We are now in a 45-day objection period, which means those who previously submitted comments may submit objections. Read more at http://www.fs.usda.gov/ltbmu.