MetroGreen® event celebrates 20 years |
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On Oct. 12, 2011, a celebration marking two decades of the regional MetroGreen® vision was held at the Legacy Park Community Center in Lee’s Summit, Mo. A brief presentation provided an overview on how the vision grew, the progress made over the last twenty years, and what the future holds. Lee’s Summit Mayor Randy Rhoads welcomed the crowd and introduced the speakers, all of whom have helped drive MetroGreen’s vision and successes over the past twenty years:
Following the program, guests visited with each other and enjoyed scenic Legacy Park by walking the Lake Trail Loop. |
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Local Trails News |
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Phase One of Cleaver II Trail nears completion
(courtesy Kansas City Parks & Recreation) Construction is nearing completion on Phase 1 of the Cleaver II Trail Project in Kansas City, Mo. The Cleaver II Trail is 1.8 miles in length and runs along the west side of Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard from Chelsea to Elmwood Drive where it connects with the Brush Creek Trail. The project includes construction of ten-foot-wide reinforced concrete trail, accessible street crossings, site grading, restoration seeding, and associated site work. The multi-use trail will serve a diverse population of Kansas City and provide a continuous trail system from the Country Club Plaza all the way to the VA Medical Center. Work is expected to be completed by January 2012 on this new connection to jobs, neighborhoods, schools, and recreation areas. The Cleaver II Trail is just one of several new Kansas City trails projects to have recent extensions. Line Creek, Indian Creek and Blue River have grown in recent months. A video featuring the two latter trails can be viewed online. New trails and greenway connections underway throughout Platte County(courtesy Platte County Parks & Recreation)
Since September seven new walking and biking trail projects in Platte County have been under development, helping to implement the Northland Trails Vision Plan and expand the MetroGreen system. The progress on these projects is due largely to successful collaboration among several local partners. “The level of cooperation to build new trails in our county is unprecedented,” commented Platte County Presiding Commissioner Jason Brown. “Partnerships between the state, our county, and our cities are bringing some long awaited projects to reality by working together without duplicating services.” Trail projects completed this fall include the third phase of the Line Creek Trail and two trails inside Platte County parks. The Line Creek Trail, a new half-mile section from 68th Street to Frank Vaydik Park along Line Creek, was funded by the city of Kansas City, Mo. Learn more about Platte County’s trail progress» Future of the Rock Island Corridor
Urban planning and landscape architecture students from Kansas State University and the University of Kansas spent much of the past semester studying the former Rock Island railroad corridor, which runs from Pleasant Hill, Mo., to the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Mo. The students have been working on ideas and alternative land-use futures for properties along the corridor, On December 7, they shared their concepts with the community during a public open house event in Raytown, Mo. Guests were invited to view students’ visions and comment on the projects. The former Rock Island railroad corridor runs from Windsor, Mo., northwest into Kansas City. This abandoned rail line is a promising opportunity for a key MetroGreen corridor connection. The Rock Island line could link Kansas City to the Missouri KATY Trail State Park system in the near future. |
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Future Projects |
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Share information about your MetroGreen and local trail system accomplishments; contact Tom Jacobs at tjacobs@marc.org or 816-701-8352. |
Imagine KC highlights |
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Episode 7 of Imagine KC, a TV series co-produced by KCPT and MARC, focused on natural resource conservation in the built environment, exploring why planning for what we don’t build matters just as much as planning for what we do build. MetroGreen and other local efforts were featured. |
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KCMO Parks offers video tour of recent trail progress |
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Kansas City Parks & Recreation created a video showcasing the how the Indian Creek and Blue River trails have grown in recent months. |
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