The Marshalltown city council voted unanimously to throw its weight behind a grant application that could play a major role in making the long-gestating dream of a fully paved bike trail along the Iowa River from Eldora to Marshalltown a reality during Monday night’s regular meeting.

City Consultant Cindy Kendall described the motion on the table, which was presented by City Clerk Alicia Hunter, as “a really unique opportunity” to join forces with TRAILS Inc., the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Hardin County Trails Commission on the application for a federal Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) grant and provide for the construction of the path covering 34 miles from Eldora to Union to Liscomb to Albion and eventually ending in Marshalltown. Currently, the first portion of the trail from Steamboat Rock to Eldora has already been paved, but the rest remains unfinished.

The total estimated remaining cost of the project is about $19 million, and Kendall said the other $7 million would come from contributions and private donations with several future fundraising events in the works. Councilor Mark Mitchell, attending the meeting remotely via teleconference, asked if Marshalltown taxpayers would be responsible for covering the cost of the bridges that will need to be constructed in Hardin County to cross the river, and Kendall said they would not.

Councilor Jeff Schneider, who also serves as the president of the board for the nonprofit TRAILS Inc., clarified the numbers on the total scope of the project and said the remaining $7 million would come from grants already awarded, cash on hand and the aforementioned fundraising effort.

“The construction would be covered by those $19 million raised how they are. This is just for the administration of the grant that the city would be doing,” he said.

Councilor Mike Ladehoff called the grant “an incredible opportunity” and said he previously didn’t expect the bike trail to be completed during his lifetime.

“We have this opportunity, (and) gosh, it could be done a lot quicker. So I’m all in favor of it. It provides a large economic impact to the city of Marshalltown when everything gets hooked up,” he said.

With no public comments, Mayor/Acting City Administrator Joel Greer noted that Mason City recently received a major trails related grant and touted the economic impact of trails in places like Madrid and other communities along the High Trestle Trail north of Des Moines. Locally, TRAILS Inc. has already raised north of $4 million, he added.

A motion to approve the grant passed 6-0.

Last week, Schneider sat down with the T-R to discuss the latest updates on the overall project and said that the Hardin County portion of the trail recently receiving a $2 million Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP) grant helped to make the ATIIP grant a more feasible opportunity.

“With the cash we have on hand (and) some existing grants we have in place, if we raise a minimum of $2.7 million, we can make this application that will allow us to complete the entire trail,” he said. “We can pave all the way south through Hardin County, complete the bridge work there, and then in Marshall County we would pave all the way from Radio Tower Road up to the county line. And then we would also pay for the connector between the Iowa River’s Edge Trail and the Linn Creek Trail where the future trailhead’s gonna go. And so it would be a completely rideable trail within five years.”

A long-term goal, Schneider added, will be to add more amenities after the trail is completed, but they’re taking it one step at a time. Once it all gets done, there will be a total of 51 miles of distinct trails in Hardin and Marshall counties, all connected to each other.

“That’s a day or two worth of riding even for a good rider. There are all sorts of hiking opportunities, walking opportunities. You know, with the advent of e-bikes, that’s another big deal too because even if you’re a little older and not in shape, if you jump on an e-bike, you can ride a long way and have a lot of fun,” Schneider said.

The ATIIP application is due by June 17 with hopes of finding out whether or not the Iowa River’s Edge Trail will receive the award by this fall. Schneider said the city will be asked to make a $250,000 contribution, which has been earmarked within the current budget, for the expense of the trails that will be added within city limits. The county supervisors will also be asked to support the project, but Schneider said he did not have any indication on what their level of financial commitment would be.

“$2 million would be a great number to start with (for the county). That’s less than 10 percent of the cost of the entire trail for the full benefit, so it’s like I give you a dime, you give me a dollar type of thing,” he said.

If the ATIIP application is for any reason unsuccessful, Schneider said the focus would turn to incremental progress in both counties, and the project’s supporters would continue to apply for other grants.

“The issue we have in Marshall County is (that) between here and Albion is the most expensive phase of the project on the entire trail, and it just requires a big amount of dollars to get bridges done,” he said.

An informational session and fundraising meeting will be held at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) on Thursday, May 23, and all of the proceeds will be put toward the project. A family event along the trails within the city of Marshalltown is also scheduled for May 30 with free food, a scavenger hunt and live entertainment planned.

And while there are still several hurdles to clear, Schneider is excited about the prospects of the trail both from an economic and recreational standpoint.

“It’s a greenway. It’s not street riding. It’s in the country. You don’t even realize where you are when you’re out there because it’s so, just in nature, it’s just beautiful,” he said. “We don’t have that moment like the High Trestle Trail does on the bridge over the Des Moines River, but our moments are longer.”

In other business, the council:

• Approved the consent agenda as listed.

• Approved the establishment of a general insurance storm, wind and hail deductible reserve fund.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.