Efforts continue to connect the hike and bike trail from Des Moines to Lake Red Rock with the purchase of a rail bed corridor between Prairie City and Mitchellville.
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the $882,548 purchase, which is completely grant funded.
“We’ve done grant writing, we have everything set up for this, the transfer of property from just south of Prairie City at Highway F62 all of the way into Mitchellville,” Jasper County Conservation Director Keri Van Zante. “This will connect with the trail that we already have at F62 to Monroe.
This portion of the hike and bike trail project has been in the works for more than a year after Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation purchase the property on behalf of the county.
“We’ve been working with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation,” Van Zante said. “INHF is a conservation holding company. They purchase the property until all of our grants are in place. They have been holding the purchase for us until money is in place.”
INHF initially purchased the property for $860,000. That price is $40,000 less than the appraised value of the property at $900,000 and more than $20,000 less than the total the county will pay.
The increase to $882,548 comes from more than $6,000 for an appraisal, $2,900 for recording fees, taxes and additional legal processes and $13,170 in interest.
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