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| Open house next week on Calhoun trail proposal | |
| Jul 20, 2012 | |
| Tom Bott | |
| The Telegraph | |
| Pertains to Mississippi River Trail, Katy Trail, Calhoun County, Hardin, Golden Eagle, Brussels | |
| HARDIN - Members of the Calhoun Community Foundation are hoping the public agrees there are a lot of benefits to developing biking/hiking trails in Calhoun County. The Calhoun Trails Partnership, a committee of the CCF, is urging the community to attend an open house at the University of Illinois Extension Office in Hardin on Wednesday, July 25, to learn the results of a biking/hiking trails feasibility study. Voters will be asked on the Nov. 6 ballot whether they support the trail as proposed by the study. Heartland Conservancy from Mascoutah, the group that has been working on the feasibility study since last fall, will present the results of their work at 5 p.m. Wednesday, then the public will have an opportunity to ask questions. "We formed the CCF, a 501(c)3 organization, in 2008 or 2009. It came about as a result of a study by (Western Illinois University) to look at the economic health of the county," CTP Chairman Dale Hagen said Monday. "The CTP was formed in 2010 to look at developing a trail for economic growth. We applied for a $20,000 planning grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Calhoun was the only county in Illinois to receive the grant to look at the feasibility of a trail through the county. The beauty of the county really makes this an appealing idea." Heartland Conservancy, formerly Southwest Illinois Conservation Resource and Development, has worked to promote biking/hiking trails in Madison and St. Clair counties, Hagen said. One of the biggest misconceptions voters may have is that by voting against the proposed biking/hiking trail, they can prevent bicycles from using county roads. There already is a biking trail through Calhoun County coming through Pleasant Hill, following the Mississippi River to the west side. The trail is marked on Illinois Department of Transportation maps and travels along existing roads. Hagen said constructing a biking/hiking trail along the shoulder of the highway would make things safer for bikers, motorists and farmers. "On the IDOT maps, it's called the Mississippi River Trail. That starts up north in Minnesota and goes to the Gulf Coast," Hagen said. "Various people have taken the position that they don't want bikers or hikers in Calhoun County. You can't prevent hiking or biking in the county. The vote in November carries no weight, but it will gauge public opinion." The CTP is sending out brochures to every mailing address in Calhoun County, expressing the idea that biking/hiking trails are good for the whole community by promoting public health, providing an opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the land, increasing road safety by reducing the need to share the road and improving local economies by bringing tourists into the market. "We sent out 2,200 brochures in the county. We'll send out another one in September or October, telling people about the results of the July 25th meeting," Hagen said. Money for the mailings is provided by the IDNR grant. "The county is not funding any part of the project," Hagen said. "The grant from the IDNR was funneled through the County Board, so the state can track the money and audit it." Hagen, who was born in a log cabin in Golden Eagle, has heard the arguments against developing a hiking/biking trail, but he hopes people attend the July 25 meeting and keep an open mind. He said he talked to the people who developed the Katy Trail, and they faced opposition at the start, too. "Now, the people along the Katy Trail can't do without it. It's a large part of the economic development," Hagen said. "People think the trail will change the nature of the county. I want the county to continue to have the rural environment, with some economic development. It's a great rural area, but if we don't do something, we will lose our schools and churches, because there is no tax base here." Hagen said he has not seen Heartland's proposal yet, but he hopes the recommended route will be along County Highway 1 from the Brussels Ferry to Brussels and then to Hardin. Besides providing room for the bikes, a trail along that route would encourage IDOT to take over maintenance of that highway - something many residents feel should have been done already. "That would be a great route. It would be a good route for the trail. Farmers could get equipment off the road and let cars go by," Hagen said. "State statute requires the state to take over roads that connects two state roads, like the highway between Hardin and Brussels. We think the state maintained it until county commissioners took it back for some reason in the 1930s. That was a mistake." Hagen also has heard people are concerned that land may be taken for the bike route through eminent domain. "That will never happen," he said. If voters approve the non-binding referendum in November, development of a trail still would be years away, Hagen said. "It would be foolish to proceed if the public is against it," he said. "If they approve it, the next step would be securing funding for development and maintenance. If the state takes over the highway, the state would maintain it." "Trails will provide improved places for walking and bicycle riding. Trails will also be attractive to visiting families who want to get out of their cars to walk or bicycle and enjoy the county's natural beauty," the CTP brochure states. |
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