Supporters of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge that would span Elm Creek along South Washington Avenue may learn by the end of January if the project will be funded.
Damaris Kunkler, program director at Thrive Allen County, said Thursday the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks was in Iola recently for an on-site visit as part of Thrive’s application for a $197,000 KDWP grant.
The visit followed Thrive’s pitch in Wichita earlier this month, in which advocates “painted a clear picture of what we wanted here,” Kunkler said.
“They were impressed” with Allen County’s proposal, Kunkler said.
Kunkler spoke Thursday at the monthly Allen County Together meeting. Allen County Together is the committee borne from a series of countywide community conversations in the summer of 2015, in which each of Allen County’s communities’ residents spotlighted different areas of improvement, from Elsmore’s storm siren installation to downtown business development in Iola and Humboldt.
THRIVE already has $72,500 in the bank in support of the bridge, built through other successful grant applications, Kunkler said.
The latest came from the PeopleForBikes Coalition, which distributed nearly $50,000 in grants to seven non-profit, community bike programs and advocacy organizations across the country — out of 205 applicants.
Of the seven recipients, only three — including Thrive — received the full $10,000 grant they sought, Kunkler said.
THE AIM is to construct a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Elm Creek to connect Iola with the former Lehigh quarry site, now home to Elks Lake, the Lehigh Portland Trail complex and Elm Creek Park.
The bridge also would provide many of the 600 Gates Corporation employees easy access to either walk or bike to work.
“The site provides residents … with easy access to a growing network of multi-use and mountain bike trails for recreation and exercise,” PeopleForBikes wrote to Thrive.
With Thrive spearheading the bridge project, the city would oversee construction and installation of a 150-foot truss bridge, projected to cost about $260,000.
