"I rate the quality of Okanogan Trail Construction’s design and construction at the top of the chart. They are one of the best in the business, and bring a level of expertise and professionalism that is hard to find. Through all the projects we have worked together on, there is not an area where OTC has not excelled. They understand the needs to the land manager, as well as the needs of the trail users. They are easy to communicate with, and are excellent at predicting potential issues ahead of time, and developing plans to address those needs. The work that OTC has done is one of the reasons that our residents and visitors love the Scottsdale Preserve. OTC has always completed our projects on time and on budget. My experience working with Matt Woodson has always been excellent. He has a great breadth of knowledge and expertise in all-things trail-related. I first worked with OTC in 2008/2009, when the City contracted with OTC to design and construct the Tom’s Thumb Trail. This was a very high profile project, and the topography of the area is extremely challenging. OTC was the perfect professional trail building company for the job. Matt brought a wonderful trail design ability, and was able to navigate the complex terrain to develop a trail alignment that was highly sustainable, respected the conservation goals of the Scottsdale Preserve, while also meeting the needs to the users. The Tom’s Thumb Trail has turned out to be one of the shining stars of the Scottsdale Preserve, and experienced an estimated 150,000 visits in 2020. Following the TT project, OTC designed and constructed many other trails for the City of Scottsdale, including the Marcus Landslide Trail, the Brown’s Mountain summit trail (and many miles of other trails in the area surrounding Brown’s Mountain), the Jane Rau Interpretive Trail at the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, and many other trail maintenance projects throughout the Scottsdale Preserve. OTC has also constructed trails for us in the “urban” areas of Scottsdale, including the Via Don Trail and the 124th Street Trail. " -Scott Hamilton, Senior Planner City of Scottsdale, McDowell Sonoran Preserve "The Desert Mountain Desperados have enjoyed a ten-year working relationship with Okanogan Trail Construction. In that span, Matt Woodson and crew have designed and constructed more than 20 miles of superlative trail and trail improvements. Because of Matt's design expertise, our trails were awarded Best Developer Trails by the American Trail Association, the largest trail organization in the world. But even more than that, Matt and his crew are responsible for enhancing and enrich our lives by providing our community with an unparalleled hiking experience. In 2020, trail counters registered over 26,000 hikes were enjoyed on our trails making them one of the most popular community amenities in Desert Mountain. Thank you Matt Woodson and Okanogan Trail Construction!" -Troy Gillenwater, Desert Mountain Desperados Co-Founder Desert Mountain Community "Dear Matt: This note is to thank you for the fabulous job you and your company have done in building our roads and trails systems on our Northern Properties. You have been excellent in all aspects including helping us create our trails and road system Master Plan, beautifully designing each of our trails, repairing and rerouting our road system, and constructing our trails complex. In particular it has been remarkable how trouble free and sustainable our trails are in the heavy rains and storms. The design is so well executed that we sustain virtually no damage. We appreciate that all work has been done on schedule and always within our budgets. Our quarterly maintenance arrangements works very well for making sure the trails and roads are well kept for our community members. We believe your great design and quality construction was the reason that the Desert Mountain Trails System was awarded the Best New Trail System in America in 2012! We look forward to a long relationship with Okanogan, and building many more roads and trails in the future. Please feel free to use us as a positive reference at any time." -Robert Borsch, Board Member and Trails Development Team Leader Desert Mountain Community |
"Matt and his team at OTC have been doing work on our desert preserve trail systems for almost 10 years. He and his crew are very talented and passionate about their work and it shows in their workmanship. They have certainly mastered the art of designing and building sustainable trails in a wide array of terrains and environments, on time and within budget. Matt and OTC have always been reliable and available to us whether to address an emergency trail safety issue or ongoing trail master plan implementation. He has always been honest with suggestions and fair in pricing. Matt and OTC are great to work with and I highly recommend OTC for trail projects of any scope and scale." -Renee Gillespie, RLA, Landscape Architect II, Project Manager City of Phoenix, Parks and Recreation Department "Over the last 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with Okanogan Trail Construction on many natural surface trail projects in both Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. The OTC team is always professional and completes quality work for a competitive price. Matt’s extensive trail construction and maintenance background shines, whether you are planning a new trail or trail system or reviewing existing trails for maintenance needs. Something that stands out with OTC compared to many other trail contractors is the level of trail finish work. The OTC team strives to provide a high-quality trail and overall trail experience, and does not accept anything less. Customer support and satisfaction is a priority. Finally, Matt has also spent countless hours training volunteers in proper trail maintenance techniques and methods. He knows that a well-trained volunteer will extend the solid trail foundation that OTC has built, and he provides this training at no cost to managing agencies and trail groups." -Claire Miller, Preserve/Park Supervisor City of Phoenix, Natural Resources Division "Yavapai College initiated a project in 2002 to build a 1.5 mile multi-use trail on the Prescott Campus. After researching general trail building methods and understanding more about the possible increased maintenance costs and problems that were associated with poor design, we sought out Okanogan Trail Construction's services to aid in the design of the trail. The key focus was to construct a trail for community use that would be able to highlight the natural features and vistas available from the open space around the campus and be sustainable for the 25-year commitment we made to the State of Arizona to keep the trail operational as part of the Arizona State Trail system. The trail connects to other multi-use pathways and serves as a break for our students looking for a lunchtime respite from their studies. OTC was able to help prioritize our needs in the design process and establish a trail that could serve both recreational and educational purposes. Okanogan Trail Construction began construction of the trail in 2004. The trail design and construction employs current trail building techniques that allow for lower maintenance costs and optimized experience for all users. Careful consideration was made to design the trail in ways that made it both accessible and safe for all users through design that provides good visibility and controls speed for both bicyclists and bikers. Additionally, the trail design took advantage of water flow on the trail to provide supplemental water when it rains to vegetation that lines the trail. Throughout the construction process, OTC provided regular, clear communication about the status of the trail, worked with our adjoining city, federal, and tribal neighbors to minimize and sometimes improved our b orders with them where the trail intersects their property, and delivered the end product in a timely manner. Now, ten years later, the trail is in regular use by the general community, Yavapai College students, and other outside organizations such as other colleges and recreational groups and requires only occasional maintenance provided by our Facilities Management Group." -Kirsten Adaniya, Foundation Studies Instructional Support Specialist/ Purchasing Liaison Yavapai College |
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