McCook receives funds for walking trail

A $56,312 grant from the state will free up some money for the city to use elsewhere.

City Manager Kurt Fritsch announced at Monday night's council meeting that the city received the grant from the Nebraska Depart-ment of Roads for Phase II of the 13.2 mile Kelley Park Walking Trail.

The city match for this grant is $37,955, out of $90,000 budgeted for the project.

This leaves $56,312 from this budget item that is now free to be used elsewhere, Fritsch said, pending City Council direction.

Phase II of the trail will construct a sidewalk on U.S. Highway 6 and 34 from East 11th to Westview Plaza and Heritage Hills Golf Course.

Initially, Phase II would have been to continue the trail from East H to Karrer Park, but because the Mc-Cook City Council wanted to address pedestrian safety issues along U.S. Highway 6 and 34, that section was put on hold until this portion was completed.

With this grant, Phase II is paid for, said Liron Yost, project manager. Total costs for Phase II came to $94, 267. Yost estimated that construction on this phase will begin in spring or fall of 2007.

The first phase of Kelley Park Trail, still under construction, will connect Community Hospital on East H to McCook Commnity College on East Fifth. Cur-rently in place are handicap accessible entrance ramps which were built with a grant from Southwest Public Health Department. Yost said the remainder of Phase 1 will be completed in the spring of 2007.

Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff cited Yost, Becky Kilpatrick and Tor Olson for their instrumental role in the project.

"They stayed on top of this trail project every step of the way," he said.

In the spring of 2007 the Trail Committee will be applying for grant funds for the Karrer Park Phase, which will link Karrer Park to Kelley Park. The committee will be applying to both the NDOR and the Recreational Trails Program offered by the Nebraska Games and Parks Commission.

With both grants, the community needs to raise 20 percent of the funds, while the grants provide 80 percent. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Trail Project can contact Olson at (308) 345-1615.