Parker County Today July 2015 | Page 37

JULY 2015 be able to go up there and ride on it, but at the same time, somebody that likes to hike can walk those trails and get off that main asphalt trail and get back in the woods and see what else is in that park.”   Other opportunities Goodman said the trail could create include a new space for Weatherford ISD cross-country athletes to train on or for school groups to conduct nature walks.  “I think it creates a lot of other opportunities if that’s the right place and that’s where our citizens want it,” Goodman said.   Currently the city is looking for a consultant to begin developing its new parks master plan. Once a consultant is hired, Goodman said the best approach regarding the mountain bike trails is to move it into the master plan development process. Once this is done, the city will go through the process of getting public input on the bike trail and if/where it would be most appropriate in the city’s park system. “This master plan is the best possible scenario for a mountain bike trail system to go in because we are going to be looking at the whole picture of the city and where all of our land development is,” Goodman said. “ ... Whether you’re for the mountain bike trail or you’re not, it’s going to give everybody a clear direction.”   The current timeline for development of the master plan has the consulting beginning late-summer, Goodman said, and for the final product to be complete by spring of 2016, which will set the direction for approximately the next 10 years. Whatever the city decides about working with an outside group, “We ultimately control everything that happens in our parks,” he said     Both groups have a Facebook presence. Find more information at Weatherford Mountain Bike Club or Friends of the Beauty Way. PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY 35