March 28, 2024

Prairie City approves final piece of grant match for rec trail

Prairie City has pledged $20,000 as part of a local match to a federal grant that, if awarded, will complete funding for the Red Rock Prairie Trail’s construction.

The city council agreed to commit the money in a resolution passed Jan. 10 during its regular monthly meeting. The vote was 5-0.

The money is part of a 20 percent local match for the federal Transportation Alternative Program Grant. Jasper County Hometown Pride Community Coach Jeff Davidson told the council Jan. 10 the grant would bring an additional $300,000 to the Red Rock Prairie Trail project, $240,000 from the federal government and $60,000 from local parties in Jasper County.

The Monroe City Council approved its $20,000 contribution toward the match Jan. 8, as well as $5,000 toward the design of a new trailhead pavilion in the city’s Red Rock Park. Jasper County Conservation had already pledged the final $20,000. Combined with the $891,000 in cash already available from federal and state grants, this would reach Hometown Pride and Jasper County Conservation’s $1.2 million goal for the Red Rock Prairie Trail development.

The $20,000 promised is contingent on the federal government awarding the grant to Hometown Pride and Jasper County Conservation.

The first phase of the project will develop an 8.3-mile link from Monroe to Prairie City. Phase II will 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 project has been in development since 2014, when Jasper County Conservation and local leaders enlisted the help of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to acquire an 11-mile abandoned rail bed running from Monroe to Highway F62 West, southeast of Prairie City to Highway S27 near Mitchellville.

The former Iowa Interstate Rail bed will be used as the base for the majority of the trail’s length. The county has also been partnering with Monroe and Prairie City’s Hometown Pride Committees and the development of trailheads within city limits.

Although all five council members were in support of contributing the money, councilman John Lee told Davidson and mayor Chad Alleger he was displeased with the short notice. Monroe’s city council was informed of the grant and the grant’s February deadline in December, and Lee felt Prairie City should have also been given the same amount of time to consider the resolution.

“I for one, don’t like to have surprises,” Lee said. “ I don’t like things being put in my lap and all of the sudden you have to make a decision because there’s a due date involved, and I don’t particularly like it when there’s ample opportunity. I firmly believe this $20,000 is a good thing. But I think it’s wrong when you come to us, dump it on our laps and only give us 20 days to think about it.”

Lee said he wants to see communication from staff to city council on these types of issues improve moving forward.

Councilwoman Diane Taylor agreed with Lee’s point, but she said the $240,000 return for the $20,000 investment is worth the cost. Taylor, who is also Prairie City’s Hometown Pride secretary, first became aware of the grant in November. She defended the work Davidson and Jasper County Conservation Kerri Van Zante have done finding outside funding for Red Rock Prairie Trail, as well as resources Hometown Pride, through the nonprofit Keep Iowa Beautiful, has brought to the county.

“I’ve been on the Hometown Pride Committee from the beginning, and aside from the money the city council has ponied up as our part of the fee for the wonderful community coach (Davidson) we have, we really have not had expenses from a city standpoint,” Taylor said.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendehall@myprairiecitynews.com