Rock Island Trail: Waiting for a trail that WILL come
Work is progressing to railbank the statewide Rock Island Trail--a rail-trail across Missouri potentially 217 miles in length, stretching from the heart of the Kansas City metro area to Washington Missouri. What are Rock Island Trail neighbors thinking?
Our partner the Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc. (MoRIT) which us unifying Rock Island neighbors all up and down the line, sent us this update:
Property owners and residents along the abandoned Rock Island Railroad are not waiting for a train that will never come. They are looking down the line anticipating the arrival of a recreational trail that will benefit their communities and potentially raise their property values.
As the process of transferring the long-idle rail line from Ameren to the state of Missouri continues, a lot of people are seeing a brighter future once the right of way is converted to a recreational trail.
That is generating excitement all along the line. Near Owensville on the eastern side of the 146-mile corridor, landowners Charles and Charlotte Skornia have already come forward with an offer to donate land for a trailhead. “We support the conversion of the Rock Island to recreational trail use. We don’t mind sharing the visual beauty of our farm with folks using the trail,” Charlotte Skornia said.
In Eldon, Superintendent of Schools Matt Davis sees value in development of the abandoned rail line into a trail. “Our vision is to not only improve the education of our students but also the quality of life of where they live,” Davis says. “What if our kids started walking or riding bikes to school? That is the start of a healthy lifestyle. The trail would give them this opportunity.”
Davis also sees opportunity for those who own property along the corridor. “At my grandparents farm we will now have to set the deer stand facing away from the tracks. I believe we will still have plenty of wildlife on the farm for me and my family to enjoy. In fact we might start a pumpkin patch, a produce garden, a corn maze, a fishing spot, or maybe even a zip line. The possibilities are endless with what we could do with our property. Development of the corridor is an opportunity for landowners,” Davis says.
Missouri Healthcare Network Inc plans to construct a 46,000 square foot assisted living facility adjacent to the corridor in Eldon. Spokesman Chris Foster says part of the MHN program is to encourage residents to stay active. “A recreational trail right next door would be a great thing for our residents and is an exciting aspect of our project,” Foster said.
“These are just a couple of the many great responses we are getting from people all up and down the Rock Island Line,” Chrysa Niewald, of Missouri Rock Island Trail Inc. said. “The excitement is really building for this wonderful project. We appreciate Ameren’s willingness to do the hard work of making this all possible.”
Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc. (MORIT) is a statewide nonprofit working toward development of the Rock Island Corridor into a recreational trail. The trail runs across the state south of the Missouri River from near St. Louis to Kansas City. Ameren has already facilitated development of the trail between Windsor and Pleasant Hill. If joined to the existing Katy Trail across the state, Missouri would be home to the nation’s longest rail trail conversion.
Excited about the birth of a major new trail in Missouri? We've just opened a new store with a number of Rock Island Trail commemorative items.
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