PERRY, Iowa, July 10, 2006 – The proposal to add a 33-mile-long “north loop” to the existing 56-mile-long Raccoon River Valley Trail received only favorable comment at a public hearing held by the Dallas County Conservation Board and attended by about 15 people here.

That additional stretch of trail is to be constructed on an abandoned railroad right-of-way going northeast from Waukee to Dallas Center, Minburn and Perry, then west to Dawson, Jamaica and on to Herndon. The towns of Waukee and Herndon are on the existing RRVT.

Also receiving only favorable comment was a proposal for restoration and renovation of the old railroad depot in the town of Dawson to serve as a combination trail reception station and museum.

The county’s conservation director Mike Wallace said the plan is to build the new traili 10 feet wide, while the existing trail is eight feet wide, and to use a hard surface of either asphalt or concrete. He said the development and surfacing costs for the 33 miles of trail are expected to be approximately 4.3 million dollars, and he reported considerable success in seeking funding from various governmental agencies and programs.

Wallace said work would start this year on the Dawson depot renovation, and probably will start in 2007 on the actual trail addition, if the final negotiations for purchase of the right-of-way are completed soon with the Union Pacific Railroad, as anticipated. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is negotiating the purchase for the county conservation board.

Wallace said the first stretch of trail to be completed will “probably” be from Perry west to Dawson, since that includes two bridges that must be surfaced, “and we’d like to get that done right of way since it’s one of the most difficult parts of the project.” He said the portion of the new trail could be opened during the 2007 summer or fall season.

He said “if all goes well,” the full 33-mile addition could be opened during 2008, “maybe.”

He reported that surveys now indicate there are 100,000 trail users annually on the southern half of the RRVT, not quite as many on the northern half, and that the numbers are expected to grow rapidly on all parts of the trail once the “loop” is completed.

Wallace has been involved in the development of the RRVT from its inception back in the middle 1980s. Back then, he was the conservation director in neighboring Guthrie County, which has 11 miles of the existing trail. — Chuck Offenburger

Article Published: 07-10-2006