progress: COMMUNITY
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CHARLES CITY PRESS | WWW.CHARLESCITYPRESS.COM | FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025
However, those initial plans came with a price tag of more than $3 million and would have required the public to approve a bond referendum by the state-required 60% ma- jority. Instead, city of fi cials sug- gested using general corporate purpose bonds, which allow the City Council to issue up to $910,000 without requiring a public vote. In February 2024, the City Council approved an engineer- ing agreement with JEO Con- sulting Group of Ankeny for the updates and repairs to the swimming pool, at an estimat- ed cost of $808,000. The project includes pool fl oor and wall expansion joint repair, gutter and handhold re- pairs, leak-proo fi ng the surge tank and plunge pool and ADA compliance improvements. Additionally, the mechanical system will be overhauled, re- placing the recirculation pump and fi lter system. Fixing those problems will realistically give the facility another 25 to 30 years of life, said a JEO engineer on the project. The Parks & Rec Board hopes to add additional fea- tures as funds become avail- able. About $42,000 will like- ly be available because of a change on the fi ltering system, and more might be available if some of the contingency fund- ing built into the cost estimate is not used. If money is available, the Parks & Rec Board can con- sider some of the other new features that had originally been suggested for the pool, PARKS Continued from page B3
Mitchell said. Other than those projects, Mitchell said he is focused now on having another good summer season at the city park facilities, including Wildwood Golf Course. “The big things we want to do is try and keep up on every- thing,” he said. “I know ball fi elds and ball tournaments are starting to happen a lot more throughout the summer. So try and keep up, keep good on those, keep those parks look- ing extremely nice as much as possible. “We had a very good season at Wildwood” last year, he said. “We need to keep work- ing at doing well at Wildwood, being successful there. “Budget-wise, the big thing I was looking for was that all-inclusive playground, which they’re in the process of fi nishing up now,” he said. A lot of discussions about other plans for city park and recreation facilities will likely come about through the devel- opment and implementation of the master park plan the board is starting. Board members have ranked a list of nearly 60 priorities for city parks and recreation after touring the parks last summer. Top projects include renovat- ing existing pickleball courts at Sportsmen’s Park, extending the Charley Western Recre- ational Trail to improve con- nectivity and converting public restrooms to family restrooms. Other ideas, such as building multiple splash pads, renovat- ing or replacing the Wildwood Golf Course clubhouse and making other upgrades at the golf course, and improving the Charles City Whitewater and Riverfront Park, remain on the table, depending on funding.
Charles City Recreational Trail supporters push for updates, additions Press fi le photo The Charley Western Trail Committee celebrated the opening of the trail’s latest expansion at the railroad depot on Saturday, Nov. 2.
By Bob Steenson bsteenson@charlescitypress.com A group of avid bicycle trail enthusi- asts continues to work for improvements on the Charley Western Recreational Trail in Charles City, following up on recent accomplishments and working with the city to spend available funds this year on much-needed trail repairs. Tyler Mitchell, the director of the Charles City Department of Parks and Rec- reation, said about $167,000 will be avail- able this spring to repair the trail where it passes by Charles City High School, Mid- dle School and beyond. Problems include tree roots causing cracks and dips in the trail and problems with drainage. “They’re going to take the top few layers off. They’re going to repave that,” Mitch- ell said. Cory Mutch, a member of the Charles City Parks and Recreation Board, said the funds will be used to take care of one of the most damaged parts of the trail. Bids will likely be sought early this spring with hopes that the project can get underway quickly. If there are funds left, Mutch said, the city can see if it’s enough to address trail issues along the river. “Riverside isn’t heavily bike traf fi cked, but it is a very important part of the of the trail and tons of people walk that,” he said. “It’s seen its better days down there, too, so we de fi nitely want to get that fi xed up so people can see that we’re putting back into the trail system.” Mutch said his vision is that the more the city fi xes and maintains the trail, and
the more the Charles City Trail Committee adds with small projects along the trail like the ones he and fellow committee co-chair Mark Melrose have spearheaded, then the more support they might get when they have bigger projects. Another project will be establishing sig- nage along the Charley Western Trail. The Trail Committee received a $7,000 grant from the Floyd County Community Foundation to be used for signage. Melrose said the signs could provide his- torical context at pivotal points, including where the trail previously branched toward Marble Rock, details about the old and new bridges, and the Sherman Nursery spur. Melrose and Mutch are working with Floyd County Museum Director Mckenna Lloyd and railroad historian Cody Ritter for historical narratives and images that might be incorporated into the signs. Mutch said he would like to see the trail expanded through Sportsmen’s Park and out to Westwood Park in the northern part of the city. Much of that could go through land that the city already owns or has rights of way to, he said. Another dream would be to go into the Maple Heights area in the northwest part of the city, but that would likely be a much bigger project, involving signi fi cant private property. “But I don’t think you can continue to ask for people to help and get money for those things if you don’t put back into the trail itself the way it is right now,” Mutch said. “So trying to keep these things main- tained, I think, that’s our biggest push.” He said the $167,000 in city money –
left over from when the trail bridge over the Cedar River had to be replaced several years ago – will help with sorely needed trail repairs. But he also said people may be surprised how little it can accomplish. “I tell that at the Park and Rec meeting, you don’t get very far anymore,” he said about trail paving projects. “It’s expensive. It’s ridiculous.” Mutch said another project could be a new detailed map of the trail route, but fi nal decisions on that will await deciding on some other projects, such as where the signage from the Community Foundation grant money will be located.. Over the past year, signi fi cant trail proj- ects included volunteers with the Trail Committee establishing the “End of the Line” trail stop where the Charley West- ern Railway ended, featuring a bench in memory of cyclist Ellen Bengtson, donated by Cambrex Charles City. Volunteers from the Bike Around Tuesday group cleared the area extensively, with new rock, railroad ties and fencing installed. Also completed was the trail extension past the relocated Milwaukee Road train depot along 11th Avenue to North Grand Avenue. The American Passenger Train History Museum, which owns the depot, is current- ly in a fundraising campaign to continue renovating the depot. It is eventually intended to serve as a sort of trailhead for the Charley Western Trail, with public parking and restroom facilities in addition to its use as headquarters for the passenger train museum.
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