Route to extend from Chapman Park to Oriole Park, tentative construction start this summer, trail would be part of network

Jim Jones was present at the start of the meeting Monday night.

“It’s one of the few times in my life I’ve been on time,” said Jones, former district superintendent and current Stanley Lions President as he looked at the clock and wrapped up a presentation to the Stanley City Council with Lion Ben Isenberger on a proposed bike trail through town.

“Mark that down,” Jones said as he shared that Council member Mike Henke knew what he was talking in regards to being on time.

If things go according to plan—and the plans are still in an early stage, a new bike trail through Stanley could provide a new way to get around town, pending a public hearing on those impacted by the change.

With letters to be sent to city residents along the trail path, the proposed 2.2-mile trail would extend from the south side of Chapman Park on existing pavement, before turning off Deer Park Road onto Eighth Avenue, continuing on this to Park Avenue, at which point the trail would turn south to Sixth Avenue, before heading east on Sixth Avenue past the stop sign at Jefferson and into the woods of uncharted territory, before coming out near McKenzie Street and linking into a stretch of already existing trail at the Stanley-Boyd Outdoor Education Center by the pavil- ion at the east end of Fourth Avenue, fi – PROPOSED TRAIL

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nally weaving its way through Oriole Park and back west across the bridge, coming out at First Avenue and Willow Street on the east end of town.

Still in the early stages, the 10-foot wide limestone trail would potentially be the beginning of a larger network, with parts to be played by the city, school, Lions and others.

The school district, Jones said-being confirmed by superin tendent Jeff Koenig—could not commit to more than allowing the use of its trail space in terms of contributing to the project.

“We just thought it would be nice to add a little section of trail by the school,” Koenig shared via telephone Friday regarding the school’s contribution to the plans. Planned initially as having a limestone base, the trail would have similar antecedents as to base materials.

“If you know up by Elroy, that’s what we’re talking about,” Lions President Jones said of the proposed 2.2-mile trail through town, the Elroy-Sparta trail being a bike path opening in 1967 and traveling 32 miles on an old rail bed.

Talking to Ryan Westaby, Jones said that expenditures were projected at $74,000 total, with the biggest individual cost coming from building a new trail section on city-owned land for a street extension that would require going through wetalnds and building a culvert to allow for water flow. “Most of it is digging through that section behind the apartments,” Jones said, with the cost almost $14,000 with topsoil added it.

Should it go forward, the proposed 2.2-mile would be part of a system, if things go ahead. Council members at the Monday meeting heard that Steve Millen had been working on a website for the trail, with a web address for readers at https://stanleytrail. com. More than one Council member had questions, with Jacob Huff asking about the asphalt road portion.

“So on Eighth you’re talking about adding a white lane on the road,” Council member Jacob Huff asked Isenberger.

"We would do it on the south side, traffic side," Isenberger said, saying the County could hopefully do the lines and city help out, along with closing off the affected areas to parking.

“We’ll need to get some stencils of a bike or that say bike path,” he said, with Police Chief Lance Weiland saying that the talk had been “ad nauseam “Just a quick point,” Huff said. “Before I would feel comfortable voting on this are we going to have a public forum, so that people who are affected would have their say?”

Yes, in a word, it was revealed. With Mark Fitzsimmons making a motion in the regular meeting seconded by Huff to move the Committee of the Whole recommendation forward, City residents along the affected route can expect to receive a letter in the mail at some point in the near future, with a projected start date of July 1 if things go forward.

“We have to have public input,” Huff said before the Council potentially approves the trail. “I’m not just going to vote on it.”

nated bike lane closed to parking and traffic. The trail would follow traffic flow for direction. Photo by Joseph Back.

Among the few places of new trail construction would be through the woods between Jefferson and McKenzie Street, the majority of the proposed trail both using or enhancing already existing pathways. Photo by Joseph Back.

Former district superintendent and current Stanley Lions President Jim Jones (photo right) was joined by current district superintendent and Stanley Lion Jeff Koenig (seated left of Jim Ericksen and Candy Jones along the back wall) with others as he pitched the idea of a bike trail to go from Chapman to Oriole Park before the City Council Monday night. Lion Ben Isenberger (at the table with Jones) said that it was essential to the trail that it be able to use parts of city streets for a desig-