(Estherville)– The Estherville City Council voted Monday evening to proceed with an application for funds through the Federal Recreational Trails Program. City Administrator Penny Clayton says it would help defray costs to extend a trail along the West Fork of the Des Moines River in conjunction with a dam mitigation project…
“Replacing that with two rock veins to still maintain the water level that we need to cover city infrastructure. We would be extending the trail to the south adding in the ADA fishing platform right along the bank that would be south of where the existing dam is right now. The trail would extend further to the south and cross School Creek with that little pedestrian bridge that’s shown, and then re-building the School Creek access. Currently if faces upstream which is a little challenging. The proposal would be to tip this, turn it to the downstream angle, adding in both a, at least one paved ADA stall and a paved pathway to the boat ramp and down to the water’s edge, and then it also includes this project as the second universal access which would be at midway, which is down near the old Riverview Golf Course.”
Clayton says the grant, if awarded, would cover about $650,000 of the project, which has a total estimated cost of $1.3 million…
“The remainder of the funding, some of it we have locally with monies that have been set aside for Excel Estherville and the Parks and Recreation budget, some of it we’re applying for other grants to match. For instance there is a state dam mitigation grant that I’ll be making application to for the dam mitigation portion. There is also a water trails enhancement grant that we’ll apply for for some funding for the two accesses. I believe that I have potential to get a couple hundred thousand dollars through that program. It isn’t formalized yet.”
In other business, with one abstention, the Estherville City Council also Monday evening voted in favor of the city purchasing 9.6 acres of land for $305,000, with the city being granted the right of first refusal. The land is located at the site of the former A & W drive-in on the city’s west side.
