New section of Katy Trail opens in Sedalia

A new section of Katy Trail State Park in Sedalia will officially open Tuesday, June 24, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today.

The 1.5-mile section is located between Boonville Street and Griessen Road in Sedalia. The department will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. June 24 at the intersection of the trail and Boonville Street. Local and state officials have been invited to attend, along with representatives from the Department of Natural Resources.

The trail is built on the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad corridor, which the department is leasing free of charge from the Sedalia/Pettis County Community Service Corporation. Development of the trail was made possible through the generosity of the William A. Kerr Foundation, which provided matching funds for a federal Recreational Trail Program grant received by the department.

"I would like to thank both the William A. Kerr Foundation and the Sedalia/Pettis County Community Service Corporation for making this section possible," said Steve Mahfood, director of the Department of Natural Resources. "Every section goes a long way in helping close the gap between the Katy depot and the remainder of Katy Trail State Park." The new trail reduces the distance trail users must ride or walk on the city streets through Sedalia. Mahfood also emphasized the importance of federal grant programs, such as the Recreational Trail Program. "This trail project shows how beneficial federal programs such as the Recreational Trail Program can be to communities," he said.

The trail opening is being held in conjunction with the Katy Trail bicycle tour, which is sponsored by the department and the Missouri State Parks Foundation. Approximately 350 bicyclists from all across Missouri and more than 25 other states are participating in the five-day 225-mile tour. The ride beings Monday, June 23, in Clinton and bicyclists will travel through Sedalia on their way to St. Charles on the Katy Trail.

For more information about Katy Trail State Park or other Missouri state parks or historic site, contact the Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf), or visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com. For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/oac/calendar.htm.

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