May 2008

Trail Updates

Three Mile Creek Trail Expansion

The city of Leavenworth is in the process of constructing Three Mile Creek Trail from Leavenworth Landing Park to Haymarket Square. The new segment will connect to the existing trail at Leavenworth Landing Park and follow the creek to Haymarket Square, a public market and general-use area that will also see improvements this year. Additional development along the trail will include a mixed-use complex that is part of the renovation of the old Tire Town structure.

The southern portion of the existing Leavenworth Landing Park has also seen recent improvements. The area was severely damaged in 2005 due to flooding. A major sanitary sewer line was repaired and the last phase of the project is nearing completion. The current phase includes the installation of slope stabilization to prevent future damage to the park. Sidewalks have been completed and lighting and irrigation will be installed in the near future.

The planning and development of trails in Leavenworth involves many departments. The Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for trail maintenance and the Public Works Department manages trail design and construction. The Planning and Community Development Department is currently reviewing the trail plan as part of the city’s comprehensive plan.

When combined with the Leavenworth Landing Park Trail, Three Mile Creek Trail will provide a total linear trail distance of approximately 1 mile. Other walking/biking destinations within the downtown area will provide a variety of routes. The trail project is funded by the city of Leavenworth and a Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Transportation Enhancement grant. The Three Mile Creek Trail project will be out for bid until June with construction planned for later this year.

Missouri River Trail

Construction of the Missouri River Trail (MRT) is taking place on top of the Riverside Quindaro Levee. The project, which entailed excavating the Burlington Creek bike and pedestrian crossing,  consists of an 11-mile trail between Riverside and Parkville in southern Platte County. It is one of the highest priority projects from the Parks System Master Plan (pdf) adopted in 2000 and the MetroGreen plan. The trail is funded by the county’s voter-approved, half-cent parks and recreation sales tax and a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The entire project is a partnership between Platte County and the cities of Riverside and Parkville. The county is responsible for trail development, while the cities will maintain and operate the trail once it opens to the public.

Currently, the first phase of the project is under construction and is scheduled to be completed by July 2008. This phase is 3.5 miles in length and will extend from E.H. Young Park in Riverside west to Burlington Creek.

Resources

Tree Resource Improvement & Maintenance Program

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is accepting applications for the Tree Resource Improvement & Maintenance (TRIM) program. In an effort to simplify the application process, MDC is providing a workbook with application examples. The workbook is available free upon request or can be downloaded.

Several free grant workshops will be offered in the spring. For more information about the workshops, contact Justine Gartner at (573) 522-4115 ext. 3116 or Justine.Gartner@mdc.mo.gov.

Future Projects

If your community has information about current and upcoming MetroGreen trail projects and local trail system accomplishments that you would like to share, please contact Jennifer Blattman, MARC Environmental Planner, at jblattman@marc.org or (816) 701-8275.

National Trails
Day Events

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