Iowa County approves trail expansion on levee

MARENGO — Phil Brecht asked Iowa County last month for approval to expand Marengo’s trail system across the top of the county’s levee.

The Army Corps of Engineers has already approved the expansion, said Brecht, who spoke for the committee working an expansion of the existing trail at Gateway Park.

The trail committee received approval for the east side of the park from Highway 411 (Eastern Avenue) all the way to the railroad tracks, said Brecht. Later, the committed added 6/10 of a mile on the west side, and the Corp approved that as well.

“I don’t see … any problems with it,” said Travis Schlabach, Iowa County Drainage District Superintendent. However, he wants a clause in the contract that stipulates that the county will not be responsible for maintenance.

“The drainage district is not maintaining this,” Schlabach said.

Iowa County Conservation maintains the current trail, but Brecht said the trail committee plans to have volunteer cleanup days and to maintain the trail using donation money.

“We don’t want to add to any taxpayer costs,” said Brecht.

“I’m OK as long as the Corps is OK with it,” said Iowa County Supervisor Kevin Heitshusen.

Schlabach said he ran the plan by the County Attorney Tim McMeen who had no concerns about it.

Schlabach thinks that having the trail on the levy will have a positive impact. “When you do have activity, it keeps some of your critters … away,” said Schlabach. The presence of walkers and bikers on the rail might keep muskrats from burrowing in.

Schlabach said the drainage district will put up some staggered fences so people can walk right through without having to open gates.

The setup makes the bicycles slow down, said Schlabach, “so that they can’t just blow right across 212 or blow right across 411.“

The fences will be removable so Schlabach and the Corps can drive the levee if they need to.

Schlabach said one resident along the route asked that the city put up signage to keep people from leaving the trail and walking on his private property, and that will be done.

The trail will be gravel, said Brecht. “I do not want it concrete … because running on concrete is terrible. Gravel’s just a more natural environment.”

Parking will not be available by the levee, said Schlabach. “We have no place to park, so we are out of that.”

Parking is available at Gateway Park and on South Street at the Fairgrounds, said Brecht.

Marengo will be putting a sewer pipe over part of the levee in the next year or so, said Schlabach, a Marengo city councilman. The city sewer lagoon is going to discharge at the river.

After the pipe is laid, dirt will be brought in to cover it, and the trail will go over it. “They have that all engineered,” said Schlabach.

That part of the trail may not be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Schlabach.

That area is on a last little dead end, said Brecht. It will be a 5.5% grade. ADA requires 5% or less. But Brecht said engineers might be able to adjust the slope to 5% or under.

“We’re going to start applying for grants this year,“ said Brecht. Compass Memorial Healthcare gave ”a nice donation“ that will provides the 20% the trail committee needs to apply for matching grants.

The committee is also planning a fundraising campaign that will ask people to pay $40 for a ton of gravel for the trail.

“We don’t have to do the whole thing in one year,” said Brecht.