Portions of county trails to get a lift with stimulus money

Areas of the trail in Dickinson County will get a boost thanks to an asphalt repaving project funded through stimulus funds and the Trails Board's maintenance budget, including the Poyzer Trail, Lower Gar State Park Trail and Spine Trail, pictured above. (Photos courtesy of the Dickinson County Trails Association)

Total Cost: $233,932

Contractor: OMG D/B/A Tri-State Paving of Estherville

The plan: Resurfacing, crack filling, patching and treatment application to existing asphalt on trail

The recent allocation of $186,000 in state federal stimulus money will help give a boost to existing portions of the Dickinson County trail through a series of repaving projects.

Governor Culver announced the recipients of approximately $358 million through the Recovery Act; as well as an additional $830 of funding through the I-JOBS initiative.

OMG D/B/A Tri-State Paving of Estherville was awarded the bid for the project, which totals $233,932.

Steve Litts, Dickinson County Trails Board executive director, notes that the board was able to use around $44,000 in carryover funds from the Trails Board's maintenance account in addition to the stimulus funds in order to complete the project.

"We do have some carry-over and we have used some of the county money, but the stimulus money enabled us to do the project the way it should be done rather than just a patch here, and a patch there," Litts said.

Points for improvement

Trail areas getting a boost start at the south end of the trial, near Klaussner Furniture in Milford and continue north at points including the Spine Trail and the Poyzer Trail on the east side of Big Spirit.

Plans are still in the works for the Rails to Trails project connecting Dickinson and Osceola county trails through 37 miles of abandoned railway from one mile west of Superior to about six miles west of Ocheyedan.

While eagerly anticipating work on the project, Litts notes the importance of not neglecting the existing structure.

"When you build a trail just like when you build a house or anything, you've got to also maintain it; otherwise its going to fall into disrepair," Litts said. "The county, with our agreement with the various towns in Dickinson County ... takes full responsibility for the maintenance of the trails once they're built."

Projects planned despite unclear grant guidelines

The trails board made progress in repaying their Rails to Trails agreement through the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, who purchased the railway last year from previous owner John Larkin for $855,126.

Litts had felt the State Recreational Trails grant, awarded in October, might make the project more attractive as a recipient of similar grants, including a State Enhancement Grant and the Federal Trails grant.

Now, Litts is retracting some of his earlier confidence, noting a DOT policy that does not allow the same trail project to receive funds from numerous grants. Litts was encouraged, however, to re-apply for the grants, as the proposals received high scores.

The stipulation is not the only hurdle facing the Rails to Trails loan payment.

"There's high competition; there's not a lot of money available," Litts said. "We're hearing that it's very possible that the State Recreational Trails Grant won't even be funded this year; and that's $3 million; and then there were some almost 30 applications for state recreational trails grant money last year and I think there were five programs funded with the $3 million."

Litts knows what the funding discrepancies mean for the Rails to Trails Project.

"The Iowa Natural Heritage foundation will be waiting for their money for another year, that's what it boils down to," Litts said. "We'll have some interest to pay on that that we wouldn't have had otherwise; and it will slow down by one year grant applications to actually start laying the trail down."

Litts says funding setbacks are not uncommon in these types of projects, but that the Dickinson County Trails board will continue to persevere in securing funds to aid the success of the county's trails.

"We're going to be resubmitting grants in October for that project and we're also looking for other projects that need funding such as the Angler's Bay Trail and the Jones Pasture Trail that will connect to the Angler's Bay Trail," Litts said.