LeClaire hopes to move forward on trail

By Mary Louise Speer | QC Times Monday, February 25, 2008

LeCLAIRE, Iowa — LeClaire city officials hope to follow through on plans to construct a multi-use recreation trail from north Bettendorf to Lost Grove Road, Princeton.

The other governments involved in the project are Princeton, Iowa, and Scott County.

The critical factor is determining how much LeClaire and each partner can afford to contribute toward the project. The initial estimated cost for the project is about $1.2 million dollars. The trail will run along U.S. 67 and the Mississippi River.

Certainly, the trail would be a benefit for recreational users. “It increases tourism, people coming here. It gets us noticed and provides a recreational opportunity for residents,” council member Mary Farmer said.

The project has received a $799,740 trails grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation. But that leaves the three parties about $121,094 short of their original request to the state, City Administrator Edwin Choate said.

Also, the Iowa DOT has confirmed that it will not do any shoulder work within the area contemplated for the trail in the long-term, foreseeable future, he said.

That would mean a half-million dollars more in costs for a revised total of about $1.7 million to design and construct the trail, according to Choate.

“As you can see it’s a pretty significant increase,” he said. ”The IDOT will not allow us to change the scope of the project. If the project is to go forward, additional funding must be obtained.”

Bi-State Regional Commission has prepared a detailed engineering request for proposals, he said.

Farmer wants to meet with Princeton and Scott County to see what their intentions are on the project.

Mayor Robert Scannell and council members Ron Leiby and Lane Bleeker advocate waiting until completing budget preparations for the next fiscal year before city officials decide what the city can afford.

“We’d better wait and see what our budget is going to look like. If’s it’s not going to make a difference or not, we can wait a month,” Scannell said.

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