Lifetime Sauk Trail passes introduced
Conservation and SRTA seek to raise revenue for major projects
By LARRY DEVINE
l.devine@carrollspaper.com
Looking down the road to future success of the Sauk Rail Trail, recreation users are now offered the option of purchasing a lifetime legacy pass rather than daily or yearly passes.
“Sauk Rail Trail Association and Carroll County Conservation came up with the idea to offer lifetime legacy memberships,” said SRTA Board member Scott Kanne.
SRTA is a nonprofit organization formed in February 2014 for the express purpose of working with Carroll and Sac counties’ conservation boards on trail promotion, upkeep and improvements.
Kanne and Carroll County Conservation Director Jason Christensen said sales of lifetime passes will generate an infusion of funds allowing bigger projects on the 33-mile trail, which spans from Swan Lake State Park southeast of Carroll to Black Hawk Lake State Park at Lake View in Sac County.
“If we can sell more of the lifetime passes,” Christensen said, “that would give us a quicker, bigger pool of money to spend on major projects.”
Kanne and Christensen noted some current trail priorities:
— Replacing the original 28 wood-plank bridges, which are deteriorating, with concrete surface. Four bridges in the Hazelbrush area between Maple River and Breda were replaced last fall, and more replacements are slated this year. Funds for last year’s projects came from individual and business donations plus funds from rides sponsored by SRTA. Carroll County Conservation employees did the labor with assistance from SRTA volunteers.
— Adding more shelterhouses along the trail. There are currently shelterhouses just west of Carroll, in Hazelbrush and north of Breda.
— Replacing the asphalt section from Carroll to Maple River with concrete. That original section of the trail is about 20 years old. The rest of the trail from Maple River to Lake View is concrete.
— Trail head and safety improvements.
Kanne said of the advantage of lifetime passes, “You can pay just one time in your life, then forget it forever. And this also makes is a capital campaign. This is a way individuals and families can contribute to the future of the trail and also have benefit of use of the trail for their lifetime.”
The lifetime passes are $250 for individuals and $350 for couples or families with children under age 18. Those who buy lifetime passes will receive a sticker for their bike or a card.
Passes can be purchased at the Conservation Education Center at Swan Lake State Park or on the SRTA website (www.sauk-trail.com). Envelopes also are available at various trail-head locations. More information is available from Christensen at 792-4614 orjason@carrollcountyiowa.org. Kanne said SRTA members would even be willing to personally deliver passes locally.
“It’s important for people to understand,” Christensen said, “to have a nice trail to ride you can’t just put it out there and it’s there. It takes funds for upkeep.”
Kanne added, “We’d like people to look at it as an investment in the future of the trail. We’re competing against urban trails in the Des Moines area. We have to keep up trail quality, and we thought this would be a good way to do it.”
All funds generated by passes go to trail work. Carroll County Conservation manages all trail-pass funds, but since 25 percent of the trail is located in Sac County, the conservation board there receives 25 percent of the funds.
The SRTA and Carroll County Conservation are officially launching the lifetime passes now, however, the passes have been available for awhile, and 33 (30 individual and three family) had been sold as of last Friday.
Kanne said anybody who has a year’s pass for 2015 may apply that purchase toward a lifetime pass, making the cost $235.
Christensen said daily ($2) and yearly ($15) passes will also remain available. Those passes have been raising about $8,000 to $10,000 a year. That has covered cost of yearly maintenance and upkeep, but doesn’t allow expansion into other projects, Kanne and Christensen said.
SRTA has supplemented those funds by sponsoring two rides each year — Ride the Rail in the spring and Rivalry Ride on the Saturday of the Iowa-Iowa State football game in the fall. This year Ride the Rail was on Memorial Day weekend and was coined Red, White and Ride in honor of military veterans. Despite cool weather, 120 registered for the ride.
This year’s Rivalry Ride, on Saturday, Sept. 12, is also offering raffle of an $1,100 Canondale road bike, provided by Lakeshore Cyclery of Storm Lake. The bike’s on display at Whylie Eye Care Center in downtown Carroll. Tickets are $10 apiece or three for $25, and drawing will be at the Rivalry Ride.
SRTA has 501c3 status, and contributions to the organization are tax-deductible.
Christensen said of SRTA, “It’s nice to have a group focused on the trail. They’ve been great.”
——--
Replacement of the recreation trail around Swan Lake will begin the first or second week of August, according to Carroll County Conservation Director Jason Christensen.
Howrey Construction of Rockwell City will grind out the current asphalt trail, lay that material back down as a base, and then resurface with a 5-inch-thick concrete top. The asphalt is the original surface built about 25 years ago and is badly deteriorated. The trail is 3½ miles long and 8 feet wide.
The contract calls for completion of the new trail within 30 working days.
The $550,000 project cost is being paid with private fundraising, a grant, county allocation and conservation funds.
Conservation and SRTA seek to raise revenue for major projects
By LARRY DEVINE
l.devine@carrollspaper.com
Looking down the road to future success of the Sauk Rail Trail, recreation users are now offered the option of purchasing a lifetime legacy pass rather than daily or yearly passes.
“Sauk Rail Trail Association and Carroll County Conservation came up with the idea to offer lifetime legacy memberships,” said SRTA Board member Scott Kanne.
SRTA is a nonprofit organization formed in February 2014 for the express purpose of working with Carroll and Sac counties’ conservation boards on trail promotion, upkeep and improvements.
Kanne and Carroll County Conservation Director Jason Christensen said sales of lifetime passes will generate an infusion of funds allowing bigger projects on the 33-mile trail, which spans from Swan Lake State Park southeast of Carroll to Black Hawk Lake State Park at Lake View in Sac County.
“If we can sell more of the lifetime passes,” Christensen said, “that would give us a quicker, bigger pool of money to spend on major projects.”
Kanne and Christensen noted some current trail priorities:
— Replacing the original 28 wood-plank bridges, which are deteriorating, with concrete surface. Four bridges in the Hazelbrush area between Maple River and Breda were replaced last fall, and more replacements are slated this year. Funds for last year’s projects came from individual and business donations plus funds from rides sponsored by SRTA. Carroll County Conservation employees did the labor with assistance from SRTA volunteers.
— Adding more shelterhouses along the trail. There are currently shelterhouses just west of Carroll, in Hazelbrush and north of Breda.
— Replacing the asphalt section from Carroll to Maple River with concrete. That original section of the trail is about 20 years old. The rest of the trail from Maple River to Lake View is concrete.
— Trail head and safety improvements.
Kanne said of the advantage of lifetime passes, “You can pay just one time in your life, then forget it forever. And this also makes is a capital campaign. This is a way individuals and families can contribute to the future of the trail and also have benefit of use of the trail for their lifetime.”
The lifetime passes are $250 for individuals and $350 for couples or families with children under age 18. Those who buy lifetime passes will receive a sticker for their bike or a card.
Passes can be purchased at the Conservation Education Center at Swan Lake State Park or on the SRTA website (www.sauk-trail.com). Envelopes also are available at various trail-head locations. More information is available from Christensen at 792-4614 orjason@carrollcountyiowa.org. Kanne said SRTA members would even be willing to personally deliver passes locally.
“It’s important for people to understand,” Christensen said, “to have a nice trail to ride you can’t just put it out there and it’s there. It takes funds for upkeep.”
Kanne added, “We’d like people to look at it as an investment in the future of the trail. We’re competing against urban trails in the Des Moines area. We have to keep up trail quality, and we thought this would be a good way to do it.”
All funds generated by passes go to trail work. Carroll County Conservation manages all trail-pass funds, but since 25 percent of the trail is located in Sac County, the conservation board there receives 25 percent of the funds.
The SRTA and Carroll County Conservation are officially launching the lifetime passes now, however, the passes have been available for awhile, and 33 (30 individual and three family) had been sold as of last Friday.
Kanne said anybody who has a year’s pass for 2015 may apply that purchase toward a lifetime pass, making the cost $235.
Christensen said daily ($2) and yearly ($15) passes will also remain available. Those passes have been raising about $8,000 to $10,000 a year. That has covered cost of yearly maintenance and upkeep, but doesn’t allow expansion into other projects, Kanne and Christensen said.
SRTA has supplemented those funds by sponsoring two rides each year — Ride the Rail in the spring and Rivalry Ride on the Saturday of the Iowa-Iowa State football game in the fall. This year Ride the Rail was on Memorial Day weekend and was coined Red, White and Ride in honor of military veterans. Despite cool weather, 120 registered for the ride.
This year’s Rivalry Ride, on Saturday, Sept. 12, is also offering raffle of an $1,100 Canondale road bike, provided by Lakeshore Cyclery of Storm Lake. The bike’s on display at Whylie Eye Care Center in downtown Carroll. Tickets are $10 apiece or three for $25, and drawing will be at the Rivalry Ride.
SRTA has 501c3 status, and contributions to the organization are tax-deductible.
Christensen said of SRTA, “It’s nice to have a group focused on the trail. They’ve been great.”
——--
Replacement of the recreation trail around Swan Lake will begin the first or second week of August, according to Carroll County Conservation Director Jason Christensen.
Howrey Construction of Rockwell City will grind out the current asphalt trail, lay that material back down as a base, and then resurface with a 5-inch-thick concrete top. The asphalt is the original surface built about 25 years ago and is badly deteriorated. The trail is 3½ miles long and 8 feet wide.
The contract calls for completion of the new trail within 30 working days.
The $550,000 project cost is being paid with private fundraising, a grant, county allocation and conservation funds.