Henry County asks for more trail information

Mon September 20 2004
Posted Sep 20, 2004
5,587

County won't accept responsibility for trail until fully informed. By AIMEE TABOR atabor@thehawkeye.com The HawkEye MOUNT PLEASANT — Henry County officials need more information on a bicycle and walking trail being built in the county before accepting responsibility for it. Chris Bittle, president of the Henry County Conservation Board, and John Klopfenstein, vice president, told the supervisors Thursday the board recently tabled taking action on a resolution accepting the trail. "The resolution was to accept the easements and basically for the trail to be incorporated into our parks system for us to maintain," Bittle said. The Henry County Trails Association is building a section of trail about a half mile long and is looking for the county to take it over so it's not abandoned. The trail will be between 249th Street west of Iowa Avenue to Oakland Mills Road. The section of trail could eventually connect to the city's trail system, which is expected to be an 11–mile stretch looping around the city when it's completed. The association is looking for some help from the county on its portion of the trail in the form of materials and a commitment that it will be part of the county trail system. Association members have been meeting with the supervisors and city officials to discuss the status of the trail system. The conservation board decided to table action on it to get more information. "We still have a lot of outstanding questions," Bittle said. The issue is expected to come before the conservation board again at a 9:30 a.m. meeting on Sept. 28. As it stands, the county does not own the trail, nor has it put any money into it, Bittle said. The conservation board also hasn't made any commitment to take the trail over, Bittle said. "We've made no decision until we get enough information, and we haven't received enough information," Klopfenstein said. Some of the questions the conservation board has include liability, future expansion plans and how the county trail will fit into the city's plan. Bittle wondered if the conservation board were to accept responsibility for the half–mile long trail now, whether that mean the county would be responsible for future additions. "I think what we want to see is what their plan is now, what their plan is long–term and what their ultimate goal is," he said. Maintenance costs for the section being built could be about $1,000 per year, but could increase as the trail ages, Bittle said. "I just have a lot of questions," he said. "We want to try to get a grasp on all the variables so we can make an educated decision." Source: http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/ln7_0919.html