Team effort enhances Sauk Trail
New Swan Lake loop, bridge replacements slated
By LARRY DEVINE
l.devine@carrollspaper.com
The Ride on the Sauk Rail Trail — including the loop around Swan Lake and four bridges in Carroll County — will be getting a lot smoother this summer.
The asphalt trail constructed around Swan Lake about 25 years ago has badly deteriorated and will be replaced with a concrete surface in July or August.
“Right now the asphalt is so cracked, it’s just dangerous (for bicyclists),” says Carroll County Conservation Director Jason Christensen. Even walkers and runners have to watch their steps on the trail, he adds.
The new 3.8-mile, 8-foot-wide trail will be built by Howrey Construction of Rockwell City, which was awarded the bid for the $508,000 project.
The concrete trail will provide “a nice, even, smooth surface to ride or walk on” and will last much longer than the asphalt trail, Christensen says.
The Sauk Trail runs 33 miles from Swan Lake to Black Hawk Lake at Lake View, in Sac County, and is completely hard-surfaced. A final stretch of pavement was completed north of Maple River five years ago.
The new surface at Swan Lake may accelerate increase in trail use. Christensen says Region 12 Council of Governments trail-counting equipment showed trail traffic doubled from an average of 34 users a day in 2012 to 68 in 2014. The Swan Lake trail has one of the highest traffic counts in Region 12’s territory.
Also this summer, three or four bridges will be resurfaced in the second year of a project to replace the 23 wood-plank bridges between Carroll and the Sac County border north of Breda with concrete. The surfaces on the wood bridges built in the 1980s have become rough and nails are popping out of them. Last fall, four bridges were replaced in the Hazelbrush area between Breda and Maple River.
With the Swan Lake trail and bridge replacements, it’s taking a team effort to make those improvements possible, and playing a crucial role is the newly formed Sauk Rail Trail Association. The SRTA kicked off last year, receiving approval as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization from the Internal Revenue Service. The SRTA is dedicated to promoting, maintaining and improving the Sauk Trail, and all funds raised by the organization go toward that mission.
Scott Kanne of Carroll, a member of the SRTA board of directors, says the SRTA is already exceeding expectations.
“I think we’re all beyond pleasantly surprised that the reaction of people is, ‘Hey, what can I do? How can I help? How can I donate?’” Kanne says.
Christensen says support of the trail has brought a number of significant improvements the last couple of years. He noted the bridge replacements, construction of three shelters that trail users can use to take shelter from storms or just relax, and paving of an 800-foot stretch parallel to the county road a mile south of Breda.
“A lot of the improvements — bridge pavements, shelters — are due to money donated to SRTA that has come back to help,” Christensen says.
Greteman said a number of people have indicated they’re ready to donate toward future bridge replacements on the Sauk Trail.
The SRTA hosts a couple of annual bike rides on the trail. The Rivalry Ride is held each fall on the Saturday of the Iowa-Iowa State football game and has been attracting nearly 300 participants, organizers say.
And the annual fifth annual Ride the Rail in the spring has been titled Red, White and Ride this year, with the SRTA donating part of proceeds to construction of a military veterans’ memorial at Lake View. The Red, White and Ride is slated for Saturday, May 23, and will offer participants their choice of four routes. The ride will begin at Lake View, with the White Route from Lake View Carnarvon and back, 10 miles; the Red Route from Lake View to Breda and back, 21 miles; the Blue Route from Lake View to Maple River and back, 36 miles; and the Red, White and Blue Route from Lake View to Carroll and back, 46 miles. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. in downtown Lake View. Registration cost is $15 in advance or $20 the day of the ride. Registered riders will receive a trail pass for the day and a commemorative bandana. Commemorative T-shirts will also be available, featuring the theme “Riding Free Because of the Brave. Thank You, Veterans.” T-shirts will cost $15 purchased in advance or $20 on the day of the ride.
Organizers say the Rivalry Ride and Ride the Rail showcase an excellently maintained trail.
“It’s a great trail. It’s probably one of the best-maintained trails in the state as far as how clean it is,” says Dr. Frank Greteman, a member of the SRTA.
Greteman said the Sauk Trail stands out in Iowa because it connects two state parks with lakes — Swan Lake southeast of Carroll and Black Hawk at Lake View.
“Swan Lake and Lake View (Black Hawk Lake) are beautiful. That’s what’s cool about the Sauk Rail Trail, it connects two lakes, two state parks,” Greteman said.
Greteman and Kanne say the SRTA pours all-out effort into the trail’s maintenance, improvement and promotion.
The project to replace the trail around Swan Lake drew $101,000 in private fundraising, which supplements a $250,000 grant received through Region 12 Council of Governments, $100,000 in Carroll County Conservation capital-improvement funds, and $75,000 from the Carroll County Board of Supervisors. The county will lend the balance to Conservation, and that will be paid back from the next fiscal year’s capital-projects funds.
“It’s a testament to how popular trails are,” Christensen said of the success of private fundraising.
He added, “You can see from the fundraising, whether it’s people who want to donate for the bridges and shelters or resurface out here (Swan Lake), they are willing to donate for the trail. I think it shows how important the trail is to the community.”
Greteman and Kanne also that tourism generated by the Sauk Trail pays off when visitors patronize gas stations, restaurants, motels, stores and other businesses.
The City of Carroll is looking to take to capitalize on the trail’s popularity by developing connection from the South Main Street crossing near Rolling Hills Park to the central business district. Representatives from Shive Hattery Architecture Engineering of West Des Moines will present potential plans to the City Council. The city has allocated $80,000 from next fiscal year for the project.
Greteman and Kanne said during their frequent rides on the trail they see people of all ages enjoying the trail — walking, running, bicycling or bird-watching. Picnic set-ups at shelters also have been popular, they said.
“It’s very family-oriented, and (the trail’s popularity) is getting bigger,” Greteman said. “That’s why Carroll is looking at tying into the trail. It makes sense.”
Kanne said, “Iowa in particular has become known as a biking state,” citing its numerous trails and the annual RAGBRAI cross-state ride.
In order to build finances for future projects, SRTA will soon be promoting introduction of legacy lifetime trail passes. Currently individuals or families can purchase only daily or yearly passes.
“Why buy a pass every year when you can buy just one time and be done forever?” Greteman said.
And if successful, the legacy passes will provide an immediate influx of funds for projects.
The SRTA not only gets behind the trail through fundraising, but members also put in a lot of volunteer labor. For instance they regularly groom the trail’s crossings with gravel roads, and members worked with Conservation personnel on the bridge replacements.
Information about the trail and upcoming events can be found at www.sauk-trail.com, which will be enhanced in the near future.
New Swan Lake loop, bridge replacements slated
By LARRY DEVINE
l.devine@carrollspaper.com
The Ride on the Sauk Rail Trail — including the loop around Swan Lake and four bridges in Carroll County — will be getting a lot smoother this summer.
The asphalt trail constructed around Swan Lake about 25 years ago has badly deteriorated and will be replaced with a concrete surface in July or August.
“Right now the asphalt is so cracked, it’s just dangerous (for bicyclists),” says Carroll County Conservation Director Jason Christensen. Even walkers and runners have to watch their steps on the trail, he adds.
The new 3.8-mile, 8-foot-wide trail will be built by Howrey Construction of Rockwell City, which was awarded the bid for the $508,000 project.
The concrete trail will provide “a nice, even, smooth surface to ride or walk on” and will last much longer than the asphalt trail, Christensen says.
The Sauk Trail runs 33 miles from Swan Lake to Black Hawk Lake at Lake View, in Sac County, and is completely hard-surfaced. A final stretch of pavement was completed north of Maple River five years ago.
The new surface at Swan Lake may accelerate increase in trail use. Christensen says Region 12 Council of Governments trail-counting equipment showed trail traffic doubled from an average of 34 users a day in 2012 to 68 in 2014. The Swan Lake trail has one of the highest traffic counts in Region 12’s territory.
Also this summer, three or four bridges will be resurfaced in the second year of a project to replace the 23 wood-plank bridges between Carroll and the Sac County border north of Breda with concrete. The surfaces on the wood bridges built in the 1980s have become rough and nails are popping out of them. Last fall, four bridges were replaced in the Hazelbrush area between Breda and Maple River.
With the Swan Lake trail and bridge replacements, it’s taking a team effort to make those improvements possible, and playing a crucial role is the newly formed Sauk Rail Trail Association. The SRTA kicked off last year, receiving approval as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization from the Internal Revenue Service. The SRTA is dedicated to promoting, maintaining and improving the Sauk Trail, and all funds raised by the organization go toward that mission.
Scott Kanne of Carroll, a member of the SRTA board of directors, says the SRTA is already exceeding expectations.
“I think we’re all beyond pleasantly surprised that the reaction of people is, ‘Hey, what can I do? How can I help? How can I donate?’” Kanne says.
Christensen says support of the trail has brought a number of significant improvements the last couple of years. He noted the bridge replacements, construction of three shelters that trail users can use to take shelter from storms or just relax, and paving of an 800-foot stretch parallel to the county road a mile south of Breda.
“A lot of the improvements — bridge pavements, shelters — are due to money donated to SRTA that has come back to help,” Christensen says.
Greteman said a number of people have indicated they’re ready to donate toward future bridge replacements on the Sauk Trail.
The SRTA hosts a couple of annual bike rides on the trail. The Rivalry Ride is held each fall on the Saturday of the Iowa-Iowa State football game and has been attracting nearly 300 participants, organizers say.
And the annual fifth annual Ride the Rail in the spring has been titled Red, White and Ride this year, with the SRTA donating part of proceeds to construction of a military veterans’ memorial at Lake View. The Red, White and Ride is slated for Saturday, May 23, and will offer participants their choice of four routes. The ride will begin at Lake View, with the White Route from Lake View Carnarvon and back, 10 miles; the Red Route from Lake View to Breda and back, 21 miles; the Blue Route from Lake View to Maple River and back, 36 miles; and the Red, White and Blue Route from Lake View to Carroll and back, 46 miles. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. in downtown Lake View. Registration cost is $15 in advance or $20 the day of the ride. Registered riders will receive a trail pass for the day and a commemorative bandana. Commemorative T-shirts will also be available, featuring the theme “Riding Free Because of the Brave. Thank You, Veterans.” T-shirts will cost $15 purchased in advance or $20 on the day of the ride.
Organizers say the Rivalry Ride and Ride the Rail showcase an excellently maintained trail.
“It’s a great trail. It’s probably one of the best-maintained trails in the state as far as how clean it is,” says Dr. Frank Greteman, a member of the SRTA.
Greteman said the Sauk Trail stands out in Iowa because it connects two state parks with lakes — Swan Lake southeast of Carroll and Black Hawk at Lake View.
“Swan Lake and Lake View (Black Hawk Lake) are beautiful. That’s what’s cool about the Sauk Rail Trail, it connects two lakes, two state parks,” Greteman said.
Greteman and Kanne say the SRTA pours all-out effort into the trail’s maintenance, improvement and promotion.
The project to replace the trail around Swan Lake drew $101,000 in private fundraising, which supplements a $250,000 grant received through Region 12 Council of Governments, $100,000 in Carroll County Conservation capital-improvement funds, and $75,000 from the Carroll County Board of Supervisors. The county will lend the balance to Conservation, and that will be paid back from the next fiscal year’s capital-projects funds.
“It’s a testament to how popular trails are,” Christensen said of the success of private fundraising.
He added, “You can see from the fundraising, whether it’s people who want to donate for the bridges and shelters or resurface out here (Swan Lake), they are willing to donate for the trail. I think it shows how important the trail is to the community.”
Greteman and Kanne also that tourism generated by the Sauk Trail pays off when visitors patronize gas stations, restaurants, motels, stores and other businesses.
The City of Carroll is looking to take to capitalize on the trail’s popularity by developing connection from the South Main Street crossing near Rolling Hills Park to the central business district. Representatives from Shive Hattery Architecture Engineering of West Des Moines will present potential plans to the City Council. The city has allocated $80,000 from next fiscal year for the project.
Greteman and Kanne said during their frequent rides on the trail they see people of all ages enjoying the trail — walking, running, bicycling or bird-watching. Picnic set-ups at shelters also have been popular, they said.
“It’s very family-oriented, and (the trail’s popularity) is getting bigger,” Greteman said. “That’s why Carroll is looking at tying into the trail. It makes sense.”
Kanne said, “Iowa in particular has become known as a biking state,” citing its numerous trails and the annual RAGBRAI cross-state ride.
In order to build finances for future projects, SRTA will soon be promoting introduction of legacy lifetime trail passes. Currently individuals or families can purchase only daily or yearly passes.
“Why buy a pass every year when you can buy just one time and be done forever?” Greteman said.
And if successful, the legacy passes will provide an immediate influx of funds for projects.
The SRTA not only gets behind the trail through fundraising, but members also put in a lot of volunteer labor. For instance they regularly groom the trail’s crossings with gravel roads, and members worked with Conservation personnel on the bridge replacements.
Information about the trail and upcoming events can be found at www.sauk-trail.com, which will be enhanced in the near future.
