2022 Missouri Parks Association Rock Island Trail Sign-On Letter
The Missouri Parks Association is organizing a sign-on letter in support of the $69 million appropriation to build the Rock Island Trail between Eldon and Beaufort, proposed by Governor Parson in his 2022 budget.
Organizations, agencies, or businesses, cities, or counties, and elected officials who can support the proposed funding for the Rock Island Trail, can sign on to the letter.
(Individuals: Please contact your own Missouri State Senator and MIssouri State Representative and ask them to support the full $69 million ARPA appropriation for the Rock Island Trail.)
Because the Rock Island Trail is a project of statewide importance, it is particularly helpful if organizations and agencies from all parts of Missouri can sign the letter. Organizations outside of the state and national organizations with an interest in the trail are welcome to sign on as well.
Full text of the letter is below.
Sign-on deadline is March 27th, 2022 - however, the sooner the better as events are moving quickly! And sign-ons after March 27th can still be accepted and may be helpful later in the legislative session.
Background
The $69 million appropriation for the Rock Island Trail proposed by Governor Parson is enough to build the major part - and the most difficult and costly sections - of the 144-mile Rock Island Trail section between Windsor and Washington, MO. This is the Rock Island Trail section that Missouri State Parks finally accepted into the Missouri State Parks system last December.
The $69 million is federal funding that the state has received as part of the federal stimulus funding package - federal ARPA funding. So it is money the state must spend within the next few years or it will be lost.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime to get the Rock Island Trail/Katy Trail loop system - over 500 miles of interconnected trail all across Missouri - actually built and open.
The $69 million is not enough to build the entire 144-mile rail trail. But it is enough to do the hardest and most expensive portions - including the three major tunnels and two major bridges. Missouri State Parks believes that the $69 million is enough to complete the easternmost portion of the trail, from Eldon to Beaufort.
With that most difficult portion complete, the remainder can be completed over time using regular funding sources.
Sign-on Letter Text
The sign-on letter is written to members of the Missouri Senate and particularly, the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee and the Appropriations Committee leadership, and similar members of the Missouri House.
Note that slight details may be changed to address any current developments - for example, the House ARPA subcommittee has recommended only $40 million for the appropriation, and in the letter to House Budget Committee leadership the wording will be changed to ask them to restore the original $69 million appropriation request.
No substantive changes in the letter will be made, however.
Date
The Honorable (full name)
Missouri Senate (or Missouri House)
201 W Capitol Ave
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Subject:Support for HB 3020 - America Rescue Plan Act Appropriations for the Rock Island Corridor
Dear Senator (or Representative) (last name),
The undersigned organizations/communities write to express our endorsement for the funding recommendation of $69 million for the Rock Island Corridor included in House Bill 20 (America Rescue Plan Act Appropriations). The addition of the Rock Island Corridor to the state park system on December 14, 2021, actively sought by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Missouri State Parks since 1993, is an outstanding opportunity for the state to provide a cross-state trail experience through the rugged northern Ozarks. The requested appropriation would enable DNR to move forward with development of the former rail bed into a hiking and biking trail in partnership with the many small towns and numerous civic organizations along the route.
Missouri will benefit from the development of the Rock Island Corridor through statewide economic benefits and local community revitalization in the nineteen eager and welcoming rural towns along its route. The 144-mile Rock Island Trail will build off the success of the existing Katy Trail State Park. Both trails combined will benefit the 40 percent of Missourians who live within 50 miles of the corridor along with countless other Missourians and visitors to our state. In 2020, the Katy Trail recorded more than 500,000 visitors, and in a study years ago when visitation was not as high, the Katy generated nearly $18.5 million a year in economic impact for the state. The Rock Island, with even more communities and small businesses along its route, should generate even greater returns to the state, and it will also pay local dividends in child health and safety and social and cultural enrichment.
The Rock Island/Katy Trail loop will connect Missouri from east to west through the scenic Ozarks and back along the Missouri River and will be one of the longest contiguous trail loop systems in the world, with unique potential to drive significant regional, national, and international tourism to Missouri. Partnerships are already being forged and grants applied for by local communities in order to supplement ARPA funds and the continued fundraising for the Endowment Fund.
Development of the Rock Island Trail is a significant infrastructure investment for Missouri that will have far-reaching benefits for generations. Thank you for your consideration of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impact such a large part of our great state and my local community.
Sincerely,
XXX
XXX
c: Director David Kelly, Missouri State Parks
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