March 29, 2024

Path from PC to Monroe officially named Red Rock Prairie Trail

Paving, construction slated to begin late 2018

The recreational trail slated to connect Monroe and the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City officially has a name — the Red Rock Prairie Trail.

Prairie City and Monroe Hometown Pride Committees came to an agreement on the trail name during their September meetings and sent it to the Jasper County Conservation Board for final consideration. The board approved Monroe and Prairie City Hometown Pride’s recommendation at its Sept. 14 meeting.

“Our board really liked the name and thought it was fitting,” said Keri Van Zante, county conservation director. “It shows those kind of connections the trail would make from Red Rock to Neal Smith. (The trail) is going to go on, but it’s a good connector name.”

The goal for both Hometown Pride committees was to agree on a name which would signify both Monroe and Prairie City. Tony Laudehoff is chairperson of Prairie City Hometown Pride. He said the trick laid in the trail route’s lack of a defining feature, such as the bridge on the High Trestle Trail near Boone. Since Iowa already has a Neal Smith trail, Laudehoff said the groups decided to combine what the area is known for — prairie — and the trail’s eventual destination — Lake Red Rock.

“Red Rock Prairie Trail is a combination of where each group is headed,” he said. “It’s a good fit since the trail is going from the wildlife refuge to Red Rock.”

The official name is the latest step in a process which began in 2014, when local leaders in both communities decided to pursue a roughly 11-mile rail bed being decommissioned by Iowa Interstate Railroad.

The project is developing an 8.3-mile link from Monroe to Prairie City, which will soon lead to Mitchellville, and an eventual goal to connect Lake Red Rock near Pella to the Gay Lea Wilson Trail in Altoona and the Des Moines metro and central Iowa trail systems. The abandoned rail corridor extends from Monroe to Highway F62 W southeast of Prairie City to Highway S27 near Mitchellville.

At Monday’s Monroe City Council meeting, Jasper County Hometown Pride Community Coach Jeff Davidson said Jasper County Conservation and Hometown Pride were unable to attain the remaining 3 miles of rail bed to complete the trail extension beyond Mitchellville linking with Altoona. This segment is still being used for rail car parking by Iowa Interstate.

Davidson is still hopeful within a few years the rest of the rail line will be taken out of service so phase II of the project can be completed.

“Otherwise, we’ll have to figure out another route. It will be a tentative route until we get done with the separated trail to Mitchellville,” Davidson said.

The Hometown Pride Committees and Jasper County Conservation have both worked closely with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to secure a nearly $1 million IDOT grant to purchase the rail bed land. According to Davidson, about $300,000 in remaining grant funds will combine with a $510,000 Federal Lands Access Program grant to construct and pave the recreational trail.

Van Zante is working to secure a contract with a project designer. Once the architect is on board, Davidson said the trail will take 4 to 6 months to design. Construction bids could go out by spring or summer of next year. An approximately 90-day construction process could put the trail in use by fall 2018.

Davidson told Monroe’s mayor and council Monday Hometown Pride and county conservation would seek estimates for both asphalt and concrete surfaces. City councils in both Prairie City and Monroe will be asked to consider making a taxpayer dollars available for facilities at the trail heads in both towns.

The ultimate goal, leaders say, is to add a quality of life element to both cities and bring outside spending and economic development to the area. According to Davidson, the Raccoon River Valley Trail generates between $70,000 and $100,000 in economic activity annually for the small towns along the route. In the larger communities, like Perry, it’s even greater.

“This goes back to that higher than average income (of trail users). People come, they ride the High Trestle, they ride the Raccoon River Valley Trail, they ride other trails in central Iowa, they make a weekend or week of it and spend money in the communities. That’s the kind of opportunity we have here in Monroe.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at
mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com