By NIKKI RILEY | Truckee
This summer, the corner of Jibboom and Bridge streets in historic downtown Truckee will undergo a serious facelift. The Trout Creek Pocket Park, a community benefit project spearheaded by Mountain Area Preservation (MAP), is slated to break ground this June. In 1997, Truckee’s Downtown Specific Plan identified this location as an ideal place for a small, green gathering space and, a few years later, MAP took the lead on the project. Today, the site is an eyesore, a neglected piece of property where snow is stored, garbage collects, and the hidden gem — Trout Creek — is barely visible to passersby.
The Pocket Park project will accomplish many goals through its rehabilitation process. The existing site is paved with asphalt, or consists of compacted earth, allowing runoff and snowmelt with its pollutants to be deposited directly into Trout Creek, a tributary of the Truckee River. Water quality improvements include a drainage inlet to divert runoff into an underground trench, allowing the water to pass through a filtration system before it is released back into the creek. Additionally, pervious pavers will take surface water into the ground, filtering it through the earth instead of directly into the creek. Non-native vegetation currently clogs the creek banks, and noxious weeds have overtaken the unpaved areas. Prior to construction, all noxious weeds and overgrown plants will be removed to make room for drought–tolerant native plant species.
The Pocket Park will provide a place for people to gather and enjoy this urban, natural resource. ADA–compliant game tables with built–in chess boards will be installed, benches will be placed around the site, two solar light features will be installed, and an informational kiosk with interpretive panels will educate visitors and locals on the flora and fauna of the creek. For cyclists, the park will create a hub, linking trails from the north and the south. Two of the highlights of the new park will be the Art Bike Rack and an in–ground footing for rotating public art. The intent is to feature a different artist every year, capitalizing on the incredible talent in this region. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we believe the Trout Creek Pocket Park will be a catalyst for future green spaces, helping to spark the revitalization of our town’s core.
A restoration project of this scale requires persistence and a lot of fundraising. The responsibility for generating funds falls on MAP’s shoulders, as we are the project lead. These efforts began in the early 2000s with a Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation grant for initial designs of nearly $95,000 in funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Since that time, we have received support from the Queen of Hearts Foundation, the Martis Fund, Tahoe Mountain Resorts, the Town of Truckee, the Truckee Donner Public Utility District, and Truckee–Tahoe Lumber. We submitted almost $90,000 in grants in February and are actively engaging the public to support this community benefit project by becoming a ‘Friend of Trout Creek.’ The request for construction bids will be released in March, with the goal to break ground in June.
For almost 29 years, MAP has been protecting open spaces and mountain vistas threatened by excessive development, which is no small task. Land–use planning is not an easy topic to explain, making it difficult to rally people around a common cause and generate revenue to sustain a nonprofit. Now is the time to get involved. Support the Trout Creek Pocket Park and be an advocate for the environment. For more info, visit mountainareapreservation.org.
~ Nikki Riley has been MAP’s development director since September 2015, after stepping down from her role as president of the board and serving as a director since 2009. She lives in Truckee with her husband Brendan, their two sons Dylan and Harlan, and their dog Ajsa.
