Dakota Dunes pledges money to trail project

Tue September 19 2006
Posted Sep 19, 2006
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Funding comes with nine stipulations By Nicole Paseka Journal staff writer DAKOTA DUNES -- Members of the Dakota Dunes Community Improvement District Board voted unanimously on Monday night to allocate $50,000 to the proposed recreation bridge between Sioux City and Dakota Dunes. "This is the first step in a long process," said District Manager Jeff Dooley. A public forum about the bridge on Sept. 13 drew more than 100 residents and feisty, drawn-out debates. Dooley said Monday that he received a petition against the project, signed by 110 residents. CID member Dennis Melstad said some Dakota Dunes residents were opposed to the project because "they wanted to remain isolated -- unique and quiet." Residents also voiced safety concerns and privacy issues. The proposed bridge would connect Sioux City's trail system with Dakota Dunes. CID members said they were able to come up with a compromise since the public forum. Sioux City will not receive the $50,000 from Dakota Dunes unless the following nine conditions are met: -- The district manager (Dooley) will proceed with additional research, investigation and discussion regarding the recreation bridge. -- The balance of the cost of a recreation bridge will come from private donations or other sources and must be secured prior to construction. -- The CID will coordinate with Sioux City to connect its trail system across the Big Sioux River to Dakota Dunes as a site within the Two Rivers Business Park. -- The connection of the recreation bridge will not be directly connected to the existing residential trail system at Dakota Dunes that was constructed in 2005. -- The CID will spend the remaining grant funds from the 2006 trail project on any connection requirements from the recreation bridge to the streets in the Two Rivers Business Park and/or for a connector trail across the overpass of Interstate 20. The balance of the cost would come from private donations or other sources and must be secured prior to construction. -- The CID will require satisfactory safety and security issues to be defined and agreed upon by Sioux City and the CID and will coordinate with Sioux City for the location, design and operation of the recreation bridge. -- The CID will agree to maintain the trail bridge on a shared basis with Sioux City. -- The CID will construct an acceptable entry feature with an adequate fence to prevent a direct access to the existing Dakota Dunes residential trail system. -- The district manager will provide a final plan, including costs and time-frame for completion, to the CID Board for review and approval. Dakota Dunes residents received a copy of these stipulations in a recent letter. "I think the major concern was privacy issues," Dooley said. For a limited time, the city of Sioux City has grant money available to fund half of the project, and officials said they will do so as long as Dakota Dunes pays for the other half. Dooley said he knows there is a lengthy process looming. "Now it's time for the city and us to sit down and say how we're going to define the project," he said. Construction could start as early as spring 2007.