Why does the extension of the Prairie Spirit Trail make sense for Iola? Where it ends now is north Iola!
Let’s make it more useful to all of Iola. Continuing the trail to Riverside Park would make a lot more sense and add a lot more users, especially in good weather. I think many would take advantage of the trail to walk down to the park for ball games or swimming or play in the park with children or grandchildren. The trip to the park would be much safer than the present route along State Street.
And, 80 percent of this new trail would not be paid for by local money. The money already has been set aside by the Kansas Department of Transportation. If Iola doesn’t get it, it will go to another community. The proposed extension would be similar to what was de-veloped in Garnett, which has had new restaurants open which cater to the trail traffic.
Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing for Iola!!
Extending the trail would create more opportunities for people to be active. Allen County’s public health is ranked 94th of 105 Kansas counties.
The trail is a positive for Iola and would be an improvement to help in recruiting new young people to Iola. Young families and seniors look for “quality of life” amenities when choosing a community in which to live. With Allen County losing 1 percent of its population every year it’s important that we invest in our community’s parks, trails and recreation programs.
Thank you,
Karen Gilpin
A citizen of Iola for more than 30 years
