Charles City officials are looking to turn a little more than a third of a mile of underdeveloped residential space near 11th Avenue into a bike trail connection that would help solidify a trail system it's been building up for several years now.
At one level, the 11th Avenue connection would be a huge asset for the Charles City Rail Depot which town preservationists known as "Friends of Save the Depot"are hoping to move to the area near 11th Avenue and Grand Avenue this year. Once it gets there, the 107-year-old depot would serve as a site for the American Passenger Train Museum and a trailhead for the Charley Western Trail.
The problem is that, as of now, the Charley Western Trail ends a few blocks east of where that site would be. There's no full loop for the most prominent trail in Charles City. So on top of being an ideal trailhead, the 11th Avenue connection would help close the loop.
"A lot of what we’ve been working on revolves around our trail system and making sure we have a connected, looped trail and that’s really a main link,"