The Camp Verde Town Council signed a memorandum of understanding at its meeting July 7 showing support for the creation of a regional Verde Valley trail system.
Camp Verde is the second municipality to sign the MOU so far, which offers its support in working with other towns and cities in the Verde Valley to support the Verde Valley Circle Trail Concept.
The concept would connect trails between Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Sedona and other portions of Yavapai County. So far, Camp Verde and Clarkdale have signed the MOU. The city of Cottonwood will likely be the next to review the memorandum.
“It just simply says we’re all kind of together in working to make this a reality,” Camp Verde’s Economic Development Director Steve Ayers said.
The project was spearheaded by the Verde Front Leadership Council, which has been in discussion for over a year about creating a non-motorized loop trail connecting the entire Verde Valley. Each municipality would be responsible for choosing existing trails, or creating new ones, to connect with the other towns and would also be accountable for funding any portion of the project within its jurisdiction should it need to construct new trails.
“Each one of us fills the segment within our own circle of influence,” Ayers said.
Ayers said the Town of Camp Verde plans to start its portion of the trail system at Grief Hill off of Cherry Road. The trail will then head over to Copper Canyon Trail and then onto a proposed new trail that would end in the Oasis area. It would then head through the town to the sports park, catch the VerdeVista Loop Trail, and connect to another proposed new trail that would connect Camp Verde with the Beaver Creek community.
The Clarkdale Town Council was the first to sign the MOU at its May 11 council meeting.
“With the actual concept of this agreement, the memorandum of understanding, it just basically is bringing our communities together for a unified concept and for us all to be working together,” Joni Westcott, the town’s parks and recreation manager, said. “It brings some credibility to what we’re trying to do in connecting those trails.”
While the Clarkdale council has yet to discuss exactly what its portion of the trail system would look like, it is excited to be involved in the regional project.
The city of Cottonwood is also still in the early planning stages of the concept. The council has yet to be presented with the memorandum, but Parks and Recreation Manager Jak Teel is confident the council will be supportive of the project.
“Part of our job as municipal employees and public servants is to create connectivity with our community, and trails are one of the greatest ways to do that,” he said. “Not just making connections with the citizens of your community, but also making connections with our natural resources. … It’s a huge factor in a healthy, connected community, and something that I know our city council is going to continue to support and make a priority for us.”
Once each municipality that wishes to be involved has signed the memorandum, the project will move into the next phase of the planning process.
