URGENT YOUR LETTERS NEEDED TODAY - SUPPORT LINKING RRVT & HIGH TRESTLE

Wed October 26 2011
Posted Oct 26, 2011
2,157

Perry, IA October 25, 2011 BIG NEWS: Dallas County officials have decided to apply for federal funding that could build a paved connection between the Raccoon River Valley Trail at Perry and the High Trestle Trail at Woodward. The connector trail would be built on road rights-of-way in conjunction with a new road paving project. Letters of support for the grant application are needed immediately, and in this story we tell you where to send them. Dallas County officials have decided to apply for federal funding that could build a trail between Perry and Woodward that would connect the expanded Raccoon River Valley Trail and the popular new High Trestle Trail, and the application is being completed on a very tight deadline.

YOU CAN HELP

Letters of support for the project are needed now to include with the grant application being prepared by Dallas County Conservation director Mike Wallace. Those letters can be emailed as attachments to him at mike.wallace@co.dallas.ia.us, and he must have them by midday Thursday, October 27. The funding possibility is in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “TIGER” grant program, with that acronym standing for “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.” Applications will be filed for projects across the nation, seeking portions of $1.5 billion total grant money being made available. For the Dallas County connector, the project description envisions a trail being built between Perry and Bouton, in conjunction with the paving of what is now a gravel road between those two towns. Perry is located at what could be described as the northeast “corner” of the Raccoon River Valley Trail, which will be 89 miles long once a new “north loop” is completed in 2012. From Bouton, the trail would be built on the right-of-way of the already-paved county road that goes on east from Bouton to Woodward. The town of Woodward is the west trailhead of the High Trestle Trail, which is 25 miles long, stretches to Ankeny and includes the 13-story-high trestle bridge between Woodward and Madrid. Here is the full project description, so that those who might write letters of support — representing themselves or various central Iowa organizations — can have a good understanding of it: “This project consists of paving a rural gravel road that connects the Cities of Perry and Bouton. This project also consists of the development of a trail that connects the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the High Trestle Trail (connecting from Perry to Woodward). The connection of the two trails is connecting two of the most significant trails in the state of Iowa. The Raccoon River Valley Trail will be 89 miles in length and contain a 72-mile ‘loop’ making it the longest paved ‘loop trail’ in the nation. By connecting this trail to the nationally recognized and award winning High Trestle Trail bridge, we are creating a one of a kind nationally important trail system. This trail connection utilizing the paving of a much needed rural road enhancement will create numerous economic, recreational, improved transportation opportunities. “The paving of 130th street from Perry to Bouton helps both communities to have the ability to grow in development potential. Many current road users from Perry especially in the north part of the community head north on U.S. Highway 169. The proposed paved road would connect the north part of the city with Highway 169 directly. Current paved access to Highway 169 require road users to go through the city of Perry south to Highway 141 then back east to connect to Highway 169. This is a very inefficient transportation connection. There is a similar situation in the city of Bouton. They have to go south to Iowa Highway 141 and then back west to get a paved access to Highway 169. The Dallas County Road Department initiated a significant effort in the mid 1980s to straighten 130th Street from Perry to Highway 169 and built three bridges crossing Beaver Creek. The goal has always been to follow-up with a paving project. “The Raccoon River Valley Trail and the High Trestle Trail are two major nationally recognized multi-use paved recreational trails. The closest connection between the two would be from Perry to Woodward. Perry is part of the Raccoon River Valley Trail north loop. Woodward is the west starting point of the High Trestle Trail. Between Perry and Woodward is a 9-plus-mile segment. Four miles of this consists of gravel road from Perry to Bouton. This is proposed to be paved as part of this application. The remaining five miles is an existing paved county road that would be enhanced with the construction of a paved trail within the Right of Way corridor, also part of this application. “In addition to the benefits of the paved road, this project would also help alleviate a growing concern of bicyclists riding on the busy four-lane Highway 141 from Woodward (High Trestle Trail) to Perry (Raccoon River Valley Trail). This Tiger Grant application will make a safer trail connection and a more efficient overall transportation system for this region. The trail project alone will make possible the connection of six counties and 21 cities.” Besides studying that project description, those who would write letters of support might want a sample letter. Here is one: CLICK TO SEE A SAMPLE LETTER