Bicycle trail from Prairie City to Monroe is still a possibility

Thu February 05 2009
Posted Feb 5, 2009
6,533

Newton The Jasper County Board of Supervisors wrapped up the first round of budget talks Friday with non-profit organizations and county department heads. Here are some highlights from the last day of talks. Jasper County Conservation Board Director Keri Van Zante told the supervisors that her department had a very busy year in 2008. Shoreline stabilization at Mariposa Lake was a project for much of the year, with additional rip-rap and prairie plantings at the lake as well. A wetland area at the north end of the lake is being planned. Van Zante said a dredging of Mariposa is still on the DNR’s list for funding. The bicycle trail from Prairie City to Monroe is still a possibility for funding from the Central Iowa Regional Transportation Alliance, Van Zante said. The cities of Prairie City and Monroe have plans to finish their portions of the trail, and plans are being made to connect the trail to Lake Red Rock’s Volksweg Trail as well as a trail at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Supervisor chair Rick Tiedje said he favored the project. “I would support the trail, not for itself, but for what it could become,” Tiedje said. But supervisor John Parsons was more skeptical. “There’s a lot of grandiose plans that never come to fruition,” Parsons said. “They will never connect Red Rock with Monroe.” The Conservation Board has added Nathan Unsworth as a second full-time naturalist this fiscal year, along with Katie Cantu, and the new Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors (O.W.L.S.) program, has been engaging the Congregate Meals participants at the Community Center. Secondary Roads “Overall, our budget looks pretty reasonable,” Jasper County Engineer Jim Christensen said. “Some concerns I had a year ago have gone away.” Christensen said the lower price of gas recently has eased some of his concerns. The county’s bridge construction crew will conduct about a dozen bridge replacements next fiscal year, Christensen said. Other projects coming soon include the completion of the Ike’s Road intersection at Highway 14, a resurfacing of Highway T38, and crack filling project on several roads throughout the county, including F70, S6G, and F48. The county will be receiving $919,000 as its portion of stimulus funding, and $414,000 will be coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for flood repairs. Christensen said that in a worst-case scenario in which he absolutely had to make budget cuts to the Secondary Roads Department, he probably could cut one maintainer territory. Assistant Financial Director Carol Kielly said the state is not fully funding the homestead credit and is considering lowering it next year. Also, the county gets $1.3 million in mental health property tax relief, and the state has recommended lowering that funding as well. Not fully funding tax credits is like raising taxes, Kielly said. Kielly is now working on a final version of the budget for the supervisors to peruse next week. The budget must be completed for publication on Feb. 20, and submitted to the State Auditor’s Office by March 16. John Jennings can be contacted at 792-3121 ext. 425 or via e-mail at jjennings@newtondailynews.com.