A federal program that helps restore nature trails has provided $143,434 in funds for re-surfacing the entire Old Creamery Nature Trail, from Vinton to Garrison to Dysart.
"The grant will fund the re-surfacing of the entire 15 miles of the Old Creamery Nature Trail," says Conservation Board member Randy Scheel.
This re-surfacng will include preparing the trail base (grading and spraying vegetation), laying a 2" clean base rock for the wet areas of the trail and to raise it 2" to 4" in height, rip rap around the 9 bridges, laying down a weed barrier, surfacing the trail with lime chip 12 foot across the trail and 4" thick, and grading, rolling and watering the trail to ensure firmness.
"In other words, the trail will get a huge facelift," said Scheel. "As much as anything, this is so exciting for all three communities along the trail. The trail has been in pretty rough shape since the flooding of 2008. We have basically been able to patch together parts of the trail to keep it passable at times. But with the windstorm in July 2011 and flooding again in the spring of 2013, we have some areas of the trail that are wore down to the original bed and difficult to cross on a bike. This grant will really help put the Old Creamery Nature Trail back on the map."
The Conservation Board has set a fund-raising goal of $20,000 to go towards the 20% match that is required as part of this grant.
"The total grant is $179,293; the Recreational Trails Program will fund $143,434, and our match is $35,859," Scheel explains.
See the Old Creamery Trail page on the Iowa Trails web site
HERE.