Trail plan heads to DMC supervisors

Sun June 04 2006
Posted Jun 4, 2006
5,805

Board will vote on contract Tuesday. By SHAWNA RICHTER srichter@thehawkeye.com A preliminary contract between French–Reneker–Associates and the Des Moines County Trail Advisory Committee will be presented to Des Moines County supervisors Tuesday for approval. But Thursday, the advisory board and Kent Rice of French–Reneker did a final review of the 18–part contract at its monthly public meeting. In the previous few meetings, the group mapped out a strip of land 15 miles long, connecting the Port of Burlington to Big Hollow Recreation Area in Dodgeville. The trail would be complete with pit stops and historical and cultural lookouts. The Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission received $500,000 in Vision Iowa funds for the trail and committee. Once complete, the trail will be the first of its kind in southeast Iowa and a model for all other trails built in the region. Eventually, the committee would like to see the trail become a part of a regional trailway, with Geode State Park serving as the hub. "I think this is an ambitious project," said supervisor Bob Beck. "I think it's a needed asset in the community." Before anything can be done with the trail, the supervisors need to approve the contract. Then the committee will have the go–ahead to contact landowners. About 50 who will be affected by the trail. Landowners will be contacted four times. A letter and call will inform them the committee will be in contact with them about the proposed trail, which heads west from the north end of Burlington along property lines. The first formal meeting between the committee and landowners will cover the project plan, easement fees and other details. Each parcel of land will be appraised for value. The interviews should be completed by the end of June. The second meeting will fine tune the details, and the third will be the signing of the easement for the land to be used for a certain amount of time. "There would be a reversing clause (if no one uses the trail)," Rice said. Permits for public property also will have to be filled out. Rice foresees the land acquisition meetings running through the end of the year. Once land acquisition is complete, trail plans can begin. However, the land will need to be surveyed first. Aerial photos will be taken of the parcels of property. Rice said 17 of the parcels are easy to describe for mapping purposes, 34 will not be easy and 39 will be difficult. The committee also will have to apply for grants and other funding for the project during this section of planning. The preliminary budget for this portion of the project is $196,000. Design and actual construction will be included in the cost of the next portion of the trail project. "I know we are all feeling like this is a lot of money with the budget here right now," Rice said. "But we can try and keep the cost down however we can and we can probably hire out jobs onto someone else with a lower rate." The committee isn't concerned with the cost just yet. Members know the trail will take time, money and funding. (Construction on the trail will begin in 2007, and the trail will be completed by June 2008, when the property deadline is set.) What is important now, they said, is that the land owners be notified of the plans. "We need to know if we are on the right track," Rice said. For more information on the trail, contact Andrea Chase at Southeast Iowa Regional Planning, (319) 753–5107, ext. 205.