The funds will go toward improving a trail in the city’s southeast side.
Matching growth and development seen in the area, Iowa City will be using a $200,000 grant to make improvements to the Sycamore Trail in the city’s southeast side.
The trail stretches more than two miles and connects to several neighborhoods and parks. The plans include working on the environment around the trail by getting rid of invasive plant species and working to restore prairies. There will also be benches and bike fix stations added along the trail.
”They provide nature right in people’s own backyard and they provide easy access for people to ride their bikes safely away from traffic,” Juli Seydell Johnson, director of the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Office, said. “It also gives you a chance to feel like you are away from everything else and out in nature.”
Over the years the city has gotten more than $2 million in support from the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant. Johnson says state contributions like these are invaluable when it comes to maintaining local parks.