Bob Foos
Construction of a bike and walking trail connecting the Frisco Greenway and Ruby Jack trails is going to get underway despite denial of a grant request.
Not getting the Missouri Conservation grant was a disappointment, admits Robert Herbst, project manager of the Joplin Trails Coalition. But the board decided the money it’s been saving to match a potential grant is enough to get started.
“Our thinking is we’ve got the money so let’s do it,” Herbst says.
The initial phase will start with a parking lot at the Webb City recycling center on North Madison Street and follow the old Frisco Railroad trackbed north between two ponds to a tributary that flows into Center Creek. The trackbed is north of the east edge of the limb piles on the road to the Center Creek 201 Wastewater Treatment Plant. To the right of the trackbed is a gully and the hill with a north-facing cliff.
All of this initial phase of the connector trail will be on property owned by Webb City.
City Administrator Carl Francis and his staff are coordinating with the coalition board, motivated by the desire to make the area easier for the public to enjoy the area for recreation.
“We think it will be a very desireable location” Herbst says. “It’s really pretty. I like to go out there and look. There’s a lot of wildlife.” He adds that eagles and blue herrons are among the birds he’s spotted.
Future phases of the connector will cross Center Creek and meet up with the Ruby Jack Trail on the north side of Oronogo. And to the south, the plan is for it to reach Stadium Drive in Webb City.
By going ahead with the project, Herbst says board members believe they will be “showing we are serious about the connector.”
The first phase may deplete the coalition’s savings account, but Herbst says it is hoped construction, not just planning, will build momentum by attracting more supporters.
“Our philosophy is that it’s always easier to invest in something you can see,” says Herbst.
The coalition is now accepting construction bids. Herbst gives a lot of credit to Mike Atkinson, the coalition president, for designing the project. Atkinson is also vice president of Allgeier, Martin and Associates consulting engineers.
The initial trail will be less than a mile long, “but it will be a trail,” Herbst says.
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