Before the Fullerton city council met last Tuesday, a crowd of around 30 people gathered outside city hall, holding up signs at ongoing cars in efforts to raise awareness of a Fullerton trail.
The Union Pacific Trail would expand on Fullerton’s network of trails and connect the eastern and western parts of the city by repurposing a former railroad right-of-way. The trail is part of a project that was originally approved in September 1999 known as the Union Pacific Right-of-Way Trail and Park Project.
The proposed trail in south Fullerton would go from Highland Avenue towards south Richmond Avenue and end at Independence Park. The current corridor is flanked by industrial buildings.
Funding for the second phase of the trail came from a $1.78 million grantrant, provided by the California Natural Resources Agency in 2021.
Phase one of the trail was completed in 2006 and connected Harbor Boulevard to Highland Avenue.
The demonstrators voiced opposition to the action taken by the council last month choosing to either terminate the grant for the project or request to reallocate the funding, according to the agenda report.
“We got a grant that will allow us to provide more green space in the community of Fullerton,” said Georgia Halkia, a Cal State Fullerton public health instructor and director of operations at Center for Healthy Neighborhoods.
Mayor Fred Jung, who voted to reallocate the grant funds, said he would like to see a more comprehensive plan for the trail and any relocation of the grant could go towards a similar project.
“It could go to the mission of opening that park, it could go to broadening a trail that already exists and extending it further,” Jung said. “In the hopes that at some point we’ll have all of Fullerton connected by trail in one form or another.”
Council member Bruce Whitaker, who also voted for…
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