Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance has been awarded a Regional Park Program Grant by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
SORA will receive $1,101,218 to improve Mt. Shasta Nordic Center by constructing a new guest services lodge with lighting, 5.06 miles of Gateway trails, an ADA double vault toilet, interpretive panels, and a maintenance area with two trailers.
Justi Hansen, SORA Executive Director stated, “This grant award is a game changer for the Mt. Shasta Nordic Center. The new lodge and vault toilet will allow us to create a more user-friendly experience for the public and staff—and to better serve school groups, seniors, and people with physical disabilities”.
Mt. Shasta Nordic Center Director, Mandy Burkholder noted, “We’re thrilled to utilize this grant to build upon the foundations of the Nordic Center, and to take this community asset into the next generation.”
The new lodge design was guided by a comprehensive public input process. SORA worked closely with Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Mt. Shasta Trail Association, and Trail Labs, Inc. on the project proposal. “This collaborative effort will have a positive impact on our local economy and public health for years to come” says Hansen.
The guest lodge will be comprised of two 10-foot x 30-foot snow-load rated portable trailers joined together and solar powered. The trailers will house rental gear, a guest lounge, an entry station and a small retail area, and a private office for the staff.
“We’re also thrilled that the project includes construction of 5.06 miles of new Gateway trail”, says Hansen. SORA will work closely with Mt. Shasta Trail Association to develop the new trails. MTSA President John Harch included, “This significant grant is a result of months of work by SORA, along with some technical input from the Mount Shasta Trail Association. It means that along with the new facilities that will make the Nordic Center more accessible to a diversity of skiers and snowshoers, we’ll be able to build another five miles of new trail in the Gateway Trail System. The board of MSTA is extremely excited because it brings us so much closer to having all 46 new miles of trail funded. This is truly a community effort!”
