Ribbon cut on first leg of RRVT-HTT connector trail Friday

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Wielding the big scissors, Joyce Conklin VanKirk of Perry, in orange, cut the ribbon on the first leg of the Perry-to-Woodward connector trail as representatives of the county, city, school district and private enterprise celebrate their latest success Friday. Photo courtesy Dallas County Conservation Board

Representatives of the county, city, school district and private enterprise celebrated their latest success Friday when the ribbon was cut on the first 1.5 miles of the Raccoon River Valley Trail to High Trestle Trail Connector project.

Land for the connector trail’s first phase was donated by the VanKirk family of Perry, and Joyce Conklin VanKirk wielded the big scissors at the ribbon ceremony under cloudy skies, where the new trail intersects with the city of Perry’s trail system at 18th Street north of the Perry High School.

Construction of the 1.56-mile phase-one portion cost about $570,000. About 7.5 miles remains to be built in the $5 million connector-trail project. The timeline for phase two is less clear, according to Dallas County Conservation Board Director Mike Wallace, but construction will likely start next summer.

The construction of phase two will proceed westward along the old rail bed from S Avenue in Woodward possibly to Quinlan Avenue, but progress depends on grant funding, Wallace said.

The application for a State Recreational Trail grant was submitted in July, and the deadline for a Federal Recreational Trail grant falls this month. The connector-trail project received $366,000 in state grant funding last years and $162,000 in federal funding.

The city of Woodward is also acquiring land inside the city limits for the connector trail’s link to the High Trestle Trail.

For more information or to make a donation toward the Let’s Connect project, visit the Let’s Connect website.

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