City finishes phase 1 of trail system

WILLIAMSBURG — The first phase of a new trail system in Williamsburg is complete, said City Manager Aaron Sandersfeld last week.

“It’s been in the works for a couple of years, and we just kind of got this first phase completed last Friday [Sept. 15].”

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The trail runs along the eastern boundary of the recreation complex south of town. The first phase stopped at East State Street near Circle J Grain elevators, Sandersfeld said. “We’re hopeful to bring on the second phase and get it all the way up to Highland Ridge.

“Now that we’ve got this in, I’ve had several people stop and ask questions about doing more,” said Sandersfeld. People have also asked about donating money to help the city complete the trail.

“We’re actually looking at grants,” Sandersfeld said, “but, of course, you have to have match money with those.

“We want the community more involved as well,” said Sandersfeld. The city thought the first phase would spur community interest. The city would like to create a steering committee to plan fundraising.

Phase one didn’t need all that, said Sandersfeld. In the 1960s, a group of local businesses started the Williamsburg Development Corporation. Residents and businesses gave money to the organization.

The Corporation disbanded in the 1990s “because they hadn’t met in years,” said Sandersfeld. But nothing was done with the assets.

Tom Claypool, the Corporation’s attorney, passed away, and his wife, Becky Claypool, who is also an attorney, contacted Sandersfeld to see if the city could help with the unused assets.

Sandersfeld contacted City Attorney Eric Tindal.

About 50 names were attached to the defunct corporation, and Sandersfeld contacted all of them or their next of kin. “We’d like to put this trail in,” he told them. “What do you think about using these funds to get this trail going?”

Everyone Sandersfeld talked to agreed that the trail would be a great deal for the community and thought the project would honor the members of the former corporation, he said.

During a special meeting in November of 2021, the legal representatives of the corporation voted to give the money to the city for the purpose of this recreation trail.

The city received additional funds from selling a piece of property beside the trail that was donated to the city. The city had intended to turn the land into ball fields, said Sandersfeld, but that wasn’t feasible, so the donor agreed to let the city sell the property and use the money for the trail.

The City also sold a right of way by the outlet mall that the city had platted and sold to El Pearl Boutique.

Part of the trail is on city land, and part of it is on land donated by the Holden family, said Sandersfeld. “Originally we were just going to get an easement from them, but they thought it would be cleaner just to donate … the land,” he said.

“They were a big deciding factor for the city to be able to move forward with this project.”

The first phase cost $164,281 for construction paving, $24,743 for engineering, $1,060 for grant writing (which was unsuccessful) and $32 for legal fees, said Sandersfeld.

Sale of city property provided $140,837, Williamsburg Development Corporation kicked in $107,984, and a single private donation of $10,000 helped the city reach the total of $258,822.

The second phase will cost more because it will need more engineering, Sandersfeld said. The Holden land had a path that was used for a base. That won’t be the case with phase two. More grading will have to be done, and the city will have to deal with a creek in the second phase.

The Parks and Recreation Board will probably have a meeting this fall to discuss the trail, Sandersfeld said. People have been asking what they can do to help.

“It’s a great project,” said Sandersfeld, and it’s getting the support of the community.