(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Trails Board has identified the Pioneer Beach area on the northeast side of East Lake Okoboji for a possible expansion of the county’s recreational trail system.
Steve Litts of the Trails Board met this (Wednesday) morning with representatives from the board of supervisors and the cities of Spirit Lake and Orleans. Litts told the gathering the Trails Board has moved the Pioneer Beach area up in its list of priority areas to a tie for third place with the Henderson Woods area in Arnolds Park.
Litts says the key to completing the Pioneer Beach trail within the next couple of years hinges on the approval of a federal grant that would cover roughly 70 percent of the estimated $410,000 construction cost. The grant would require a local match, with the Trails Board and the cities each picking up about $41,000.
Litts added some preliminary engineering has already been done on the proposed project, but wants commitments from the two cities before proceeding any further. The Orleans city council will consider the matter at its meeting this coming Monday; Spirit Lake will take it up at its meeting this coming Tuesday.
