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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... U.S. CELLULAR COMMUNITY PARK Prefontaine-style running trail proposed in south Medford Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted May. 18, 2015 at 6:32 PM Updated May 18, 2015 at 6:33 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted May. 18, 2015 at 6:32 PM Updated May 18, 2015 at 6:33 PM » Social News Build a sports park with baseball, softball, football and soccer fields, and they will come. That's been proven by increasing numbers at Medford's U.S. Cellular Community Park. Backers of a proposed running trail hope to follow suit with a 1.5- to 2-mile cross country course looping through the 132-acre park straddling Bear Creek between Interstate 5 and Highway 99. "We're looking at an all-natural surface course, where everything about it is runner-friendly, spectator-friendly, coach-friendly," said Josh Wallace, who has coached cross country at South Medford High School for nearly a decade. "In my mind, it would compete with the Prefontaine running trail in Eugene. We don't have anything like that now." The loop would begin in a grassy area in the southeastern corner of the park, go north along the eastern perimeter and then cut back across the bike path, crossing Bear Creek beneath the bridge and then running through the wooded areas between the creek and bike path on the west side. Wallace appeared before the Parks and Recreation Commission along with Rogue Runners president Justin Rosas in April 2014. He first considered approaching the city seven years ago, when the softball diamonds east of Bear Creek were built. "There was too much construction at the time," Wallace said. "You can't have races going on with backhoes working at the same time. When they finished the last softball field this past year, I decided now was the time to do it." The trail, however, figures to meander through a planning process before it can become part of the sports park's roster of activities. "This was not in the original parks master plan, and would require modification to the park's conditional use permit," said Rich Rosenthal, Medford's assistant parks and recreation director. "This shouldn't be framed as probable, it should be considered a prospective amenity." Among the sticking points, he said, is that Hawthorne Park work and other capital projects are consuming the staff's planning efforts. Because the course would deviate from the designed Bear Creek Greenway path into riparian areas, it would collide with existing use conditions permitted by the city. "It would trigger planning actions because of the conditional use along the corridor," said Pete Young, parks department planner. "We'll have to look at the feasibility, floodplains and design challenges. Part of infrastructure involves storm water outflows that drain into the riparian corridor. There is space in the riparian corridor, but the question becomes how to do it properly, given it's in a sensitive area." Should funding be set aside for the project, however, he said it was workable. "If there is enough money, you can usually go through the planning process and find an appropriate solution to the obstacles," Young said. Although Wallace is South Medford High School's cross country coach, the proposal hasn't been vetted by the Medford School District, Rosenthal said. "We're basically talking about a facility that would greatly benefit the school district," he said. "I would sense the district needed to be involved in the conversation going forward." Wallace, however, brushed aside the notion the course primarily would be used by one high school team. "For me, this trail is not simply for cross country teams," Wallace said. "It would be more widely used by runners on a daily basis. Southern Oregon Runners would host races and anyone who wants to run or walk on a nice, soft surface would use it." Wallace said he would lead fundraising efforts to pay for the project and round up volunteers to carve out the trail. "Most of it can be done with volunteers with pickaxes and rakes," Wallace said. "I'm optimistic we can find guys to donate bark. We'll make it runner friendly and then you're good to go." The commission requested that the city staff develop placement options for the course late this year when staff time becomes available. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted May. 18, 2015 at 6:32 PM Updated May 18, 2015 at 6:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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