Trail connecting Columbia and Centralia still under discussion

According to a Columbia Missourian article:

For some, the idea is poetry to their ears: rail and trail, biking and hiking. For others, hearing the idea triggers a series of alarms: liability, easements and funding.

Creating a trail from Columbia to Centralia along the Columbia Terminal, or COLT, continues to have the support of mayors from both cities.

And while those conversations continue, a short stretch of the rail line in Columbia is already taking shape.

. . .

Meanwhile, Centralia Mayor Jerry Parmeley and Mayor Darwin Hindman said they hope to schedule an open forum meeting in March or April in Columbia to discuss developing a Columbia-to-Centralia trail.

"This trail is my dream," Parmeley said. "It's unique because it is built in the easement of an active railroad. I hope it will get off the ground."

Both mayors have been proponents of the project since its introduction in 2001 and held similar meetings last year - a May meeting in Centralia attended by five residents and a November meeting in Hallsville that attracted about 20 residents.