The maps-in-progress, pre-marked with an approximation of the Vine Trail route, were propped on saw-horses and placed to form a small-scale Vine Trail Adventure Course, covering the 47 miles of Vine Trail in a bite-sized 200’ span. Kids of all ages, from those on trikes and training wheels to even the trick-riding BMX master cyclist, had fun loping figure-8s as they serpentined up and down the Adventure Course.

 

While Vine Trail volunteers talked with hundreds of festival-goers about the Vine Trail project, Arts Council artist Sarah Hall, with assistance from Marie Baillargeon inspired kids and grown-ups at the art tables to draw what they will see –or hope to see–along the Vine Trail. Then they would head over to one of the section maps and proudly pin their creations to the trail collage.

Missed us this time? We are hoping to recreate the “Vine Trail ART + ADVENTURE Course” October 12 for our 4^th birthday party.

Check out our Facebook photo album to see some very interesting art and a lot of smiling faces.

Special thanks to Napa Bike for putting on this great event, to Arts Council Napa Valley for helping bring a little art to the Vine Trail, to artist Sarah Hall for her creativity and enthusiasm, and always, to our stalwart volunteers who haul chairs, pitch tents and brave the noonday sun to help spread the word about the Vine Trail!
  

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Join Team Chappellet “For the Vine Trail” on the new Grand Fondo Ride!

We are thrilled that Team Chappellet is once again riding to benefit the Vine Trail in the Sonoma Napa Echelon Gran Fondo, a European style cycling event.  This event has something for everyone.  There are rides for every fitness level, musical entertainment, a great festival featuring local food and spirits, along with the opportunity to support our worthwhile cause. The event starts out on the historic Sonoma Plaza this year, rather than downtown Napa as in previous years. It’s not too late to ride with Team Chappellet and of course it is never too late to donate!

WANT TO RIDE? This year you can opt to ride the mini course, 11 miles, the 50 mile course or the big 75 mile course!  The course starts in Sonoma.  Team leader, Carissa Chappellet, created a new Team Chappellet Jersey–complete with Vine Trail logo proudly on the sleeve, or you can wear one from prior years.

Please follow the link below to the team page. From there you may register to ride (both Non-Fundraiser or Fundraiser registration is available), sponsor a rider, or just mark your calendar to attend the festival.  The Vine Trail will be there at the Chappellet wine booth. Come see us and maybe even buy yourself a team jersey!

Team Chappellet’s online registration or donation page:

https://ssl.charityweb.net/echelongranfondo/napa/teamchappellet.htm

To Donate by mail (just put our team chappellet in the memo on your check and Echelon will mail you a receipt and credit our charity team):

PlanetZ/Echelon, Inc.

107 Reed Ranch Rd.

Tiburon, CA  94920

Email Carissa if you have any questions! Carissa@chappellet.com 

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In addition, Solage’s sister properties, Auberge du Soleil and Calistoga Ranch, have been among our staunchest supporters from the very start of the Coalition, donating a combination of guest and corporate contributions annually.

Another of our great business partners in both Napa and St Helena is local favorite, the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company. Roastmaster Charlie Sange organized a fun “coffee cupping” last summer, where a group of volunteer Vine Trail tasters created a custom blend of coffee, the Vine Trail BLAZER Blend, available in-house or on-line. Ten per cent of BLAZER blend sales have been coming to us every month since!  From the tasters: “What’s rich and bold like the flavors of Napa Valley? The new Vine Trail “BLAZER” blend–with a complex 30% Tanzanian/50% Sumatran/ 20% Guatemalan.” Give Charlie and Doug a call and order some BLAZER blend today! St Helena: 707-963-4491 or Napa 707-224-2233

BREAKING “Earth Day 2012″ NEWS IN BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS:

The team at Cuvaison is committed to sustainability all year long, but in additon, for Earth Day weekend (April 20-22, 2012), Cuvaison will donate 5% of their wine club case sales to the Napa Valley Vine Trail! THANKS, CUVAISON!  See more details on Cuvaison’s website here.  After you place your big wine order, read more about Cuvaison’s green commitments–such as their ride-sharing and bike-to-work program encouraging employees to bike or carpool, which saved a whopping 17,000 miles on the road last year–at this link.

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Contributions from Resort and Guests Will Support Development of 47-Mile Multi-use Trail

April 17, 2012--As part of Solage Calistoga’s Earth Month 2012 activities, General Manager Richard Hill yesterday presented the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition Executive Director and Board President, Chuck McMinn, with a $16,000 donation in support of the organization’s continued development of a 47-mile biking, walking and running trail.   The Vine Trail is thrilled to have the support of the great folks at Solage. Solage and the Napa Valley Vine Trail share a deep commitment to a greener Napa Valley future. THANKS to Solage and to all the patrons of the resort, spa and the award-winning SolBar restaurant for this big show of support AND for continuing this wonderful donation program!

Some words from the Vine Trail’s leader, Chuck McMinn: “By helping to spread the word about the Vine Trail, through partners like Solage, we hope to accelerate the construction of the project and deliver a safe and beautiful walking and biking trail that will benefit the environment and open up a unique, more personal way to experience the entire Napa Valley.”

Solage’s Richard Hill agrees: “The Vine Trail is an exciting eco-friendly project that will benefit the lifestyle of locals and visitors of the Napa Valley alike.  “We strongly believe in the mission behind the Vine Trail which is a great match with our sustainability efforts at Solage. We are committed to continuing our support this year and to raising guest awareness for this vital link from the Vallejo Ferry to our doorstep here in Calistoga.”

Solage Calistoga – widely known for its sustainable design and eco-friendly approach that impacts all facets of the resort’s operations – provides complimentary cruiser bicycles (like the ones Chuck and Richard are on below) with each studio so guests may explore not just the 22-acre Solage property, but also nearby wineries and downtown Calistoga shopping.

The Vine Trail offers huge appreciation to our friends and neighbors at Solage for your support and invites all our supporters to head up to Calistoga to enjoy the beauties of Solage — and leave a little “tip for the Trail” while they are there!  Here are some fun pictures celebrating this exciting donation!

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NAPA VALLEY VINE TRAIL COALITION       WALK   RIDE   LIVE   2012 WINTER QUARTERLY E-NEWS  GROW   MOVE   LAND  Happy 2012 to all our members and supporters!       WHO WE ARE The Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition is a community-supported nonprofit working to create a continuous 44-mile walking/biking trail system connecting the Napa Valley like never before—from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal to the foot of Mt. St. Helena in Calistoga. Together we are building a Napa Valley future that is safer, greener, healthier, more economically vital…and more FUN for people of all ages and abilities.    ONE TRAIL…CONNECTING PEOPLE & PLACES, CULTURE & COMMERCE, RESIDENTS & VISITORS. 2011 ACCOMPLISHMENTS  Our 3rd year saw tremendous progress towards bringing the Vine Trail vision to reality—and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing  members and supporters! See some of the year’s highlights below. Big appreciation to our hardworking board and committees–Route, Capital Campaign, Marketing/Business Partnerships–for your time, creativity, and dedication. 2012 OUTLOOK NEW CONSTRUCTION: After the excitement of two ribbon cuttings in October 2010, we are finally looking forward to more construction in 2012! This section, along Solano Avenue, will connect the Yountville Mile south toward the existing Napa Commuter Trail, which crosses over Hwy 29, paralleling the Wine Train tracks,  into downtown Napa near the Oxbow. FEDERAL POLICY: 2012 promises some serious challenges to federal funding assistance for active transportation–safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. We will keep you informed of developments and might ask your help several times this year to write or sign letters to key decision makers. VINE TRAIL OUTREACH & PRESENTATIONS: In 2011, the Vine Trail set up tables and shared our vision with thousands of folks at gatherings such as Cheers! St. Helena, Harvest Festivals, Oxbow Locals Night, and with speaker presentations for service clubs and professional gatherings. If YOU have a suggestion of an event for us to calendar or would like to help us organize speaking to your group or event, please contact Shannon@vinetrail.org.    DONATE OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP The Vine Trail’s ranks of members and supporters have grown to over 5,000 since we started in 2008. THANK YOU for your support and advocacy! Your dollars and volunteer hours are at the core of our ability to bring this ambitious plan to reality. PLEASE CONSIDER A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TODAY TO BECOME A MEMBER OR CONTINUE YOUR ACTIVE SUPPORT OF THE NAPA VALLEY VINE TRAIL.  We also greatly appreciate our business partner donations through such programs as Patagonia’s 1% For the Planet (THANKS Sportago, A Man’s Store, Massican Winery and more!) orNapa Valley Coffee Roasting Company’sdelicious custom “Vine Trail BLAZER Blend” availableonline or in the Napa or St Helena stores. Our capital campaign to raise $20 million in private funding is kicking into high gear in 2012. If you know someone or some group we should reach out to for major gifts, please let us know! You may donate directly to the Vine Trail with your credit card or Paypal account.  More info here or contact Operations Director Shannon Kuleto, shannon@vinetrail.org http://vinetrail.org/advocate/donate/ P.O. Box 93, Saint Helena, CA 94574       Charitable Tax ID 26-3426758 THE YOUNTVILLE MILE, the Vine Trail’s first completed portion, hosted many users and events in 2011 to rave reviews. We even welcomed federal Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Congressman Mike Thompson for a site visit in May where the secretary delivered remarks on the importance of bike and pedestrian trail funding and took a walking tour of the “Yountville Mile.”  VINE TRAIL WINS $2.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL TCSP FUNDING In August 2011, we were thrilled to make the grade in a tough national competition for federal funds.  These dollars, in combination with other funds, including Vine Trail philanthropic donations, will allow Napa County to begin building the Vine Trail to connect Yountville to the City of Napa along Solano Avenue.  “This grant provides the pivotal funding to connect 60% of Napa County’s population together between Yountville and the City of Napa on a safe walking and biking trail separated from Highway 29,” said Vine Trail Executive Director Chuck McMinn.  WE HOPE FOR GROUNDBREAKING LATE SPRING 2012 ALONG SOLANO. ROUTE ALIGNMENT The Engineering Committee, ably led by trail planner Philip Sales, worked long volunteer hours in 2011 and will be rolling out results in 2012, including section maps, a design manual, kiosk/rest stop design (special thanks to the work of design firm 38 Spatial), more finely tuned cost estimates & other details. The Vine Trail is being designed in full cooperation with all the Valley’s communities, governments and the Ag Preserve. It is the key connector in the Napa Countywide Bicycle Plan (NCTPA) and the Napa Valley Trails Master Plan (NCRPOSD). 44-MILES DIVIDED INTO TEN AVA/CITY SECTIONS The Napa Valley is world-famous, above all, for its vineyards and their appellations.  To reflect this unique sense of place, ten sections of the Vine Trail’s 44 miles will be named for the city or vineyard AVA (American Viticultural Area or sub-appellations) the trail passes through.  Each section offers a donor pledging $1M high visibility recognition on all Way-Finding Signs in that section, on Vine Trail maps and on-line.  These ten sections will also add safety and convenience for all Vine Trail travelers. CALISTOGA Section ST. HELENA Section RUTHERFORD Section OAKVILLE Section YOUNTVILLE Section OAK KNOLL DISTRICT Section CITY of NAPA/COOMBSVILLE Section LOS CARNEROS Section AMERICAN CANYON Section VALLEJO Section The new construction south of Yountville along Solano, for instance, will be part of the “Oak Knoll District Section” of the Vine Trail.  VINE TRAIL OCTOBER BIRTHDAY & MEMBER APPRECIATION PARTY We had so much fun at our 3rd birthday party on the beautiful Riverbend Plaza on the Napa River Trail behind the historic Hatt Building in Napa that we are planning to do it all again for our 4th birthday! SAVE THE DATE—Friday, October 12, 2012– VINE TRAIL 4TH BIRTHDAY & MEMBER APPRECIATION PARTY Have you had a chance to check out the pictures from our 3rd Birthday Party?  Thanks again to our great guests,  donors and volunteers–and special thanks to those of you, members old and new, who match all three categories!   For up-to-the minute news about the progress of the Vine Trail, or to share your news and photos, please follow us on Facebook!  For those of you not on FB, you can now follow our Facebook posts right on ourwebsite, without the need to be a Facebook member! http://vinetrail.org/ HAPPY TRAILS IN 2012…AS WE MOVE AND IMPROVE OUR LIVES!

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__________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENT: Public forum on Light Rail feasibility Mon 9/26 5:30 YVL PUBLIC INPUT SESSION Monday 9/26, 5:30-7:00 Yountville Community Center.

Is a light rail system on the Wine Train tracks synergistic with the Vine Trail?  Is it feasible and safe? The newly formed Napa Transit Investors (NTI) is exploring the possibilities over the next two months. There will be a public input session next Monday 9/26 from 5:30-7:00pm at the Yountville Community Center Heritage Room open to everyone who would like to know more, add comments, or raise questions and concerns.

NTI president Chuck McMinn, who is also founder and president of the non-profit Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, will lead the discussion along with NTI founder Keith Rogal.

This effort is important to Vine Trail supporters as this transit option intends to integrate completion of the Vine Trail along the full extent of the Wine Train corridor, from Kennedy Park/Napa to Deer Park/St Helena, and would offer substantial intermodal connections with the Vine Trail, such as easy on/easy off for cyclists.

Please join this conversation as the citizens of Napa County seek to understand if light rail is something our community would like to see.

CONTACT: Keith Rogal
Founder, Napa Transit Investors
707-251-0123
keith@rogal.net

CONTACT: Chuck McMinn
President, Napa Transit Investors
707-967-5410
chuck@vineyard29.com

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The Napa Valley Vine Trail will be receiving $2.5 million in federal transportation funding for a bike trail between Napa and Yountville, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena announced Friday.

The money will be used to construct the Solano Avenue section of the trail between north Napa and Yountville.

The project is already under design, with the prospect that construction could start next year, said Paul Price, executive director of the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency.

Once completed, the Vine Trail will span 44 miles — from Calistoga to the Vallejo Ferry Building — giving pedestrians and bicyclists across the valley a clean and reliable form of transportation.

“The Napa Valley Vine Trail is exactly the kind of smart, targeted investment that will strengthen our economy while improving the quality of life in our local communities,” Thompson said in a statement. “Thanks to the generosity of the Department of Transportation and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, we’re one step closer to making this forward-thinking transportation project a reality.”

Friday’s announcement comes less than three months after Thompson and LaHood toured the Yountville Mile section of the trail, which was officially opened to the public earlier this year.

Vine Trail organizers say that the funding will go a long way toward to the goal of linking the city of Napa with Yountville in the north. (read more…)

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A Napa Valley trail? Yes, we can!

By Juliane Poirier

I’ve never met Chuck McMinn in person, but we’ve both asked the same question when enjoying multi-use trails in other communities: “Why can’t we do this in the Napa Valley?”

Now, thanks to McMinn and others, we can. As word gets out (email fans exceed 5,000) and donors step forward, the Napa Valley Vine Trail will be built in sections over about 10 years—a 44-mile multi-use path that starts in Vallejo and runs the length of the entire Napa Valley, making it possible for San Francisco visitors to get off a ferry in Vallejo and bike or walk all the way to the foot of Mount St. Helena in Calistoga.

Shared equally between local residents and the 4.7 million visitors traversing the Napa Valley each year, the Vine Trail could eliminate an estimated 150,000 car trips per year. “We will get to enjoy this beautiful place without having to see it only through the window of a car,” McMinn tells the Bohemian. “And the path is for all abilities, including moms with strollers, kids on tricycles and people in wheelchairs—not just those Spandex-wearing bike riders.”

Eschewing Spandex himself, McMinn didn’t even own a bicycle when he got the trail project rolling. He simply liked the idea of a walkway for public use. “When I’d ask why we couldn’t have a path through the Valley,” says McMinn, “people would say, ‘Great idea, but the wine industry would never let it happen.’”

Yet—who knew?—it was the Napa Valley Vintners Association in 2008 who plunked down the first $5,000 donation to create the Vine Trail nonprofit, of which McMinn is now (unpaid) director. The second $5,000 of support came from the Land Trust of Napa County, and the third from the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. Supporters of the Vine Trail now include nearly every community sector from the sheriff’s department to the local Sierra Club.

McMinn, a vineyard and winery owner of Vineyard 29 north of St. Helena, says his nonprofit is eager to partner with all five municipalities and the County to help complete environmental reviews and about a third of the engineering documents to get the project “shovel ready” and eligible for federal and state grant money. Cost sharing will be critical for this $50 million project, although $1.5 million has already been raised without much strain. “We haven’t even begun our fundraising,” explained McMinn, who expects to raise $12.5 million for construction and $7.5 million for an endowment to cover maintenance.

“This is a legacy project for the Napa Valley,” declares McMinn. “It will benefit our kids and our grandkids.” And though it may not make him a Spandex guy, McMinn does at least own a bicycle now—a gift presented, good-humoredly, by the Vine Trail board.

To support the Vine Trail, visit www.vinetrail.org.

Send a letter to the editor about this story.

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The Vine Trail’s ranks of members and supporters have grown to over 5,000 since we started in September 2008. THANK YOU for your support and advocacy! Your dollars and volunteer hours are at the core of our ability to bring this ambitious plan to reality.

The Coalition is our grassroots effort to implement the Napa Greenway Feasibility Study, a study commissioned by the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency that outlines a plan for a multi-use trail from Calistoga to Vallejo.  The northern portion of trail implementation runs from the Napa bike trail at Trancas Street and Highway 29 in Napa, to the Calistoga Bike Trail at Dunaweal Lane in Calistoga – a distance of 22 miles. The route here will follow Highway 29 and the Wine Train tracks.

The southern portion of the Vine Trail extends from Trancas and Highway 29 southeast across Napa, along the Wine Train Tracks to Soscal Avenue, and then south along the river through Kennedy Park to American Canyon.  From there, both a river route and an inland route are under investigation to meet up with the existing biking and hiking path in Vallejo that currently ends at the intersection of Highways 29 and 37.

We want to make this effort as open and available as possible to the entire valley community and so have created this website to communicate up to the minute information on what’s happening. The downside of course, is that this information will change over time, and often.  Our modest disclaimer: though you’ve seen it here, it may not be a done deal. All the more reason for the most open of communication lines; we’ll continue to rely on your comments on every aspect of what we are doing.  Please send us your thoughts, suggestions and ideas… the Vine Trail is for you!

Throughout this process we pledge to the community that:

• The process will be open and inclusive
• No vineyard land will be taken out of production
• All easements, use agreements, etc. will be voluntary
• Provisions will be made for ongoing maintenance & upkeep
• The result will be as beautiful as our Napa Valley

For an in-depth look at the goals and processes of the coalition and the Vine Trail, please peruse The Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition Case Statement here.

A week ago, a mile of the planned Calistoga-to-Vallejo Vine Trail was dedicated in Yountville.

On Wednesday, another 1.8-mile link — the so-called commuter bike path through the heart of Napa along Napa Valley Wine Train tracks — was ceremoniously opened.

Built by the city, the Napa trail is a mini-freeway for two-wheeled, people-powered vehicles and pedestrians running from Redwood Road at Highway 29 to Vallejo Street at Soscol Avenue near downtown.

The idea of converting a portion of the Wine Train right of way to a bike path was first conceived 17 years ago by former Public Works Director Mike O’Bryon. Wine Train’s founder, Vincent DeDomenico, was an early supporter.

O’Bryon realized that a large swath of Wine Train land could be better used, but it took years of planning and fundraising to make it happen, current Public Works Director Jacques LaRochelle said.

The bike path is noteworthy for having its own bridge across the freeway. The span was built as part of the Highway 29/Trancas Street interchange project.

Cyclists have the ability to trigger traffic lights at both Jefferson Street and Lincoln Avenue, enabling them to cross major roadways safely.

At Wednesday’s dedication, cycling advocate Mark Lucas said facilities like the railroad bike path may help to get people out of their cars to do chores close to home.

Including the freeway overcrossing, the 1.8-mile bike path cost $5.4 million, virtually all of it from state grants, officials said.

Ghilotti Construction Co. of Santa Rosa built the final two-thirds of a mile for $1 million, including the traffic signal at Lincoln.

Napa Councilmember Jim Krider remembered operating a bike shop in Napa 30 years ago when a facility like a dedicated bike path would have been considered a “dream.”

“We’re getting to where we wanted to be,” Krider said.

Chuck McMinn, executive director of the Napa Valley Wine Trail Coalition, said Napa was the valley’s leader in bike trails. When a planned trail is built by the flood control project between downtown and Imola Avenue, the city will have seven of the Vine Trail’s nine miles of trail, he said.

“What a great example the city of Napa has set for what we now need to do everywhere in the Napa Valley,” McMinn said.

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