CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC A rendering included as part of a presentation during Monday night’s city council meeting shows the glow trail concept for the Franklin Field/West End Park area. The council voted unanimously to move forward with the plans after hearing from Parks and Rec Director Kelsie Stafford and Marshalltown Community School District Superintendent Theron Schutte.

Marshalltown could become one of just three communities in the state of Iowa with a glow in the dark trail, and Parks and Recreation Director Kelsie Stafford discussed the opportunity with the city council during Monday night’s meeting.

Stafford and City Administrator Carol Webb have engaged in conversations with Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) leadership and are researching the potential project with Public Works Director Heather Thomas. What they are proposing is a new trail expansion and bridge installation in West End Park. The bridge would be the city’s responsibility, and the school district would install most of the glow trail to connect Franklin Elementary School and Franklin Field to 13th Street, which would run through the city-owned West End Park property.

According to Stafford, the glow aggregate has a 20-year lifespan, and if the school district moves forward with the plans, it would be one of just three in the state of Iowa. Currently, the city has $600,000 allocated for the second phase of West End Park improvements, and that was originally set to go toward a new parking lot on 14th Street and a restroom building. Conversely, the cost estimate for an eight-foot glow trail and trail-width bridge is $617,595, and Stafford said city staff is committed to fundraising for the additional costs over the allocated budget.

Councilor Greg Nichols asked if the glow stones would replace lighting, and she said it would probably replace at least some of them as the glow comes from solar power.

“Right now, there is no lighting back in that area in West End Park, so we do think that it would give some light to that area right now. I don’t know if future expansion would be necessary for lighting in that area,” Stafford said.

Councilor Mike Ladehoff commented that he’s seen pictures of glow lighting, and it looks “incredible” with a limited cost in the grand scope of the entire project.

“I think this is one of the opportunities the city has to collaborate with a different organization but also installing something that will help with safe walks to school. It will revitalize West End Park even further,” Stafford said. “It would be really an interesting way instead of just a plain way to elevate that trail and connectivity and walkability in that area.”

Councilor Jeff Schneider, who serves as the president of TRAILS Inc., offered his wholehearted support of the project, and Councilor Barry Kell applauded the collaboration with the MCSD as both entities are working to improve the area through the Franklin Field and West End Park renovations.

“It just makes sense that we come together and continue to push this forward and to elevate it,” he said.

Mayor Joel Greer was complimentary of the previous collaboration with the MCSD on pickleball and tennis courts, and Webb then explained the financing situation — using the $600,000 from a previous bond issue and reissue additional bonds to complete the originally planned work in the future. During the public comment period, Lonnie Hogeland asked for clarification on the location of the proposed trail route and where it would lead, with Councilor Gary Thompson pointing to locations on the map and Greer jokingly referring to him as Vanna White, the famed longtime co-host of “Wheel of Fortune.”

Nichols wondered if the glow aggregate would provide sufficient lighting in all areas, and MCSD Superintendent Theron Schutte came forward to the podium to offer more details, shouting out Thomas for approaching him about the trail as a result of construction challenges at Franklin Field related to the 13th Street sidewalk knowing that “time is of the essence.”

“We looked at what would it take to turn the whole sidewalk from Main and 13th basically where the south ticket booth is at that intersection to the north ticket booth, what would it take to make that an eight-foot sidewalk instead of a six-foot sidewalk that currently exists? Because the project was gonna compromise maybe ¼ to â…” of the sidewalk, and so we would have to invest in replacing the whole sidewalk to make it a minimum width, as I understand it, to qualify as a trail,” Schutte said. “And then, obviously, the intent would be to take that trail down to the northern boundary of Franklin Field where the visitor entrance used to be and then hook it to the edge of our property line so that it could eventually connect with the city’s part of the trail.”

A school board member showed him an article about a glow trail installed in Ankeny, and Schutte contacted their Parks and Rec director to learn more about who to reach out to and what it would take financially to make it happen. He found out that the glow trail is the most effective without other lighting, but he would want to examine what would be needed to provide safe access and use.

Schutte worked with Webb and Stafford to get a better sense of the city’s long-term plans for the area as he hoped to avoid creating a glow trail that didn’t lead anywhere.

“This all has come about pretty quick. A lot of it is opportunity based on our circumstance with our Franklin Field project, and I commend Heather and Carol and Kelsie for their support and willingness to have further discussion as to can we make this happen for the community? And I agree wholeheartedly with all the comments that have been made with the renovation and rejuvenation of that 13th Street District, which includes the city’s role as far as West End Park. I think this would just be further icing on the cake for that if there’s a willingness and appetite to take it on,” Schutte said.

Thompson commented that he agreed with Schutte about competing light negatively affecting the glow trail, and Councilor Melisa Fonseca asked how dark it would need to be for the glow trail to work and wondered about the recently enacted curfew and what the public should expect from it.

Stafford responded that she wasn’t sure and would need to work with Webb to do more research and bring back additional information to the council. She did say, however, that it would be open during regular park hours.

“I personally think, with the school district, it’s exciting to think of a football game happening at Franklin Field and people being able to have dinner on 13th Street or what have you and walk through West End Park on the glow trail and get to the ticket booth at Franklin Field, so that’s what I’m picturing in my mind,” Stafford said. “The park does close at 11:30 (p.m.) currently, so that would be the hours that it would be closed.”

A motion to direct staff to proceed with the new plans, as the item was only up for discussion, passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

“(It’s) very exciting. I’m excited about it,” Stafford said.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.