29-03-2025
City commits to trails grant application for west end
OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa City Council approved an application by the Wapello County Trails Council to pursue grant funding for about half a mile of new trail on the city's west end.
During a special meeting on Thursday at the Amtrak Depot, Kim Hellige of the trails council discussed the project, which would be a two-phase project, with the first phase installing almost 2,500 feet of concrete trail just off the railroad tracks on West Second Street to Harrow's Branch.
Also as part of the project, a 30-foot bridge would be built to cross Harrow's Branch.
"We did chip this section back in 2014 from the railroad tracks all the way to Forest Avenue, but the bridge was never installed, so that section did not get a lot of use," Hellige told the council. "If you go up there today, you can't even tell there had ever been a trail there. So the bridge is really critical."
Hellige said the decision to use concrete instead of asphalt will not only be cheaper, but provide for a longer life for the trail.
"We've got some sections of asphalt (on trails) that are not in very good shape," she said. "When we first started, asphalt was substantially cheaper, but then there was a shift when asphalt and concrete were about the same price. So the longevity for concrete is substantially better than asphalt.
"We probably will never do asphalt again."
The grant the trails council is seeking is from the Iowa Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). The grant is an 80-20 match, and the trails council is raising 20% for the match.
The cost of this phase of the project is estimated at $377,000, and the trail is expected to break ground in 2027, with city public works director Philip Burgmeier overseeing the construction. The bulk of that cost is the trail itself, which is expected to be 10 feet wide and 6 inches thick.
The trails council has been active in trying to connect parts of the city to each other through trails. There will be construction of a major trails project near the oxbow on the south side of Ottumwa next year, followed by the 2027 project along West Second Street.
