WESTON, Iowa (KMTV) β A trail project in Pottawattamie County is making progress toward connecting communities across southwest Iowa. The first phase will eventually run from Council Bluffs to Walnut through Iowa's second largest county.
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I recently joined Joe Munch, chair of the Pottawattamie County Trails Association, on a stretch of trail near the community of Weston, just north of Council Bluffs. Within a year, this trail will extend into the city and eventually become part of the Great American Rail Trail.
"If you come traveling through here during a sunset it's hard to beat," Munch said.
The long-term goal includes linking up to trails systems across southwest Iowa.
"And the intent is to connect all of the communities around the county and all of the county parks," Munch said.
Connie Casson, a member of the Pottawattamie County Trails Board, acknowledges the scope of the project.
"We got a long way to go, but every segment counts," Casson said.
The trails board is working in collaboration with other nonprofits and the county to make this vision a reality.
"I've done bike tourism all over the Midwest and I've just seen the ways that it connects communities, drives tourism, drives economic development," Casson said.
Both Munch and Casson, who are Neola residents, believe the trails can attract new residents to small towns.
"You give people a reason to come to your community. You give people a reason to stay in your community," Munch said.
The project represents a significant financial investment, with costs running roughly $1 million per mile.
"These are complicated and expensive projects but we have a lot of people rowing in the same direction," Casson said.
They say the trails also can create safe paths to school for kids and promote public health.
"Embrace what we do have here and really build that appreciation for what it means to be an Iowan," Munch said.
The Pottawattamie County Trails Association will host its annual fundraiser on Saturday in Mineola. More information is available on the organization's website.
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