A preliminary report on suggested in-town walking paths and trails was presented to the Council by a group of University of Iowa planning students headed by Vanessa Fixmer-Oraiz.
Vanessa said the students worked at getting good community input in their research of safe routes within the city. She noted people preferred walking on sidewalks instead of the streets for safety purposes.
They also studied the possibility of a trail system connecting various areas of the city and a trail in City Park. They also stated they hoped it could connect with a regional trail.
Priority 1 would include reducing posted speed limits and signage for pedestrian crossings. It would include paving in the Park loop plus other sidewalk paving. Total cost of Priority 1 would be $92,565.
Priority 2 would include signage plus paving of a trail on 14th Street. Total cost of Priority 2 would be $13,460 to $16,650.
Priority 3 would be sidewalk paving along J Avenue from 14th to 3rd Street. Total cost of Priority 3 would be $62,570. They estimate a cost of $167,035-$171,965 for Phase 1.
Although the school year is over, the students said they would like to pursue finishing the project and help the city get grants to help pay for the in-town trails project.
Additional recommendations included extending trail to Kreekside area, do an assessment of lighting infrastructure, plant native grasses along the trail and promote the trails.
The UI students broke the project down into several stages.
Besides Fixmer-Oraiz, the students were Liza Minor, Kelly Darla, and Ashley Zitzner. Professors present for the presentation were Dr. Chuck Connerly and Dr. Jerry Anthony. The girls are all graduate students in Urban and Regional planning at the University of Iowa.