Earthwork began this week on the two latest legs of the Let’s Connect Trail Project. The trail extension will eventually connect the Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) and High Trestle Trail (HTT), making Perry a two-trailhead town and a magnet for tourism and commerce in Dallas County.
Construction of phase 3 has begun, with land clearing and grubbing proceeding eastward from Quinlan Avenue to the completed trail at R Avenue. The estimated cost of phase 3 is $569,000.
Construction is also underway on phase 4, which extends the trail eastward from Perry along 130th Street to M Avenue, including building a bridge over Beaver Creek. The estimated cost of phase 4 is $669,300.
In this year’s grant application cycle, the Dallas County Conservation Board applied for but did not receive grant funding from the Iowa Department of Transportation State Recreational Trails program for a $1 million plan to build from M Avenue and along Beaver Creek to U.S. Highway 169, a distance of a little more than one mile.
Some 85% of the project’s estimated overall cost of $5 million to $6 million has been raised. Donors can support the “Let’s Connect” Trail Project by visiting the project website. All donations are tax-deductible. Donors of $1,000 or more may choose to receive recognition on trailhead signs.
For more information, contact Dallas County Conservation Board Director Mike Wallace at mike.wallace@dallascountyiowa.gov.
