Jones County Raising Funds to Extend Grant Wood Trail

Source: <a id="MainContent_MainColumnContentPlaceHolder_hlSource" href="http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Jones-County-Raising-Funds-to-Extend-Grant-Wood-Trail--254869881.html" target="_blank">KCRG ABC 9
Author: Heather Hubbs
Posted By: <a id="MainContent_MainColumnContentPlaceHolder_hlPostedBy" href="/Profile/bikeiowa">bikeiowa
Modified: <span id="MainContent_MainColumnContentPlaceHolder_lblModifiedBy" title="4/23/2014 9:31:50 PM by bikeiowa">Apr 23, 2014 by <a id="MainContent_MainColumnContentPlaceHolder_hlModifiedBy" href="/Profile/bikeiowa">bikeiowa

Heather Hubbs
Wed April 23 2014
Posted Apr 23, 2014
13,891

Outdoor enthusiasts want more room to move in Jones County. The Grant Wood Trail is less than four miles long, and that's divided into two segments that aren't connected.

There is a section of trail in Olin. The other section, in Martelle, is only about 3/4 of a mile long. The plan is to extend that Martelle portion about a mile connecting it to the Linn County section of the Grant Wood Trail.

Officials would eventually like to extend the trail from Martelle all the way to Olin. The Grant Wood Trail Association and Jones County Conservation are working together on this effort.

The biggest obstacle is money.Around $200,000 is needed to make all the desired improvements. A lot of that money would go toward purchasing land along the route -- while some is owned by the county, more needs to be acquired before the trail can be extended. For that, they need donations.

"Trails are expensive," said Gary Smith of the Grant Wood Trail Association. "Right now trail money from the government is very hard to get. There's almost none that exists. There is some grant money out there, but it's tough to get because so many people are trying to get it."

The Grant Wood Trail Association is holding a pancake breakfast fundraiser this Saturday. It's from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Lawrence Community Center in Anamosa. That same day Jones County Conservation is holding an Earth Day Fair at the Lawrence Community Center, it's from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grant Wood Trail Donations:
Jones County Conservation
12515 Central Park Rd.
Center Junction, IA 52212
Memo: Grant Wood Trail