Meeting Reminder for Lewis and Clark Trail Study

Subject: Public Information Meetings Reminder for Lewis and Clark Trail Study

As the plan for the Lewis and Clark Multi-Use trail begins its refinement, the Iowa Department of Transportation invites the public to attend community workshops to assist in determining its course. These drop-in workshops, to be held in five communities during the week of September 21, will feature maps highlighting areas where a blended network of trails could knit together roads, waterways, parks, greenways, towns, businesses and attractions.

“These workshops will provide people with the chance to work along with us on designing the trail system. At them, we will exchange ideas and work together to create a system that is both economically feasible and meets the needs of the many groups with an interest in the project, “ said project manager Dolores Silkworth of RDG Planning and Design. “The sessions will be very informal and collaborative, a chance to discuss ideas and work together with resource materials,” she continued.

More than 100 community members participated in fourteen individual sessions during the Iowa Department of Transportation’s traveling workshops for the Lewis and Clark Trail Study in July. Topics of conversation were as diverse as the attendees, and included such subjects as route ideas, economic and tourism development potentials, safety, trail design, protection of property rights, trail themes, and attractions and resources. “The information and insights that we received from our summer workshops are causing us to look at trail ideas in new and exciting ways. “A particularly important direction involves capitalizing on the different types of experiences and environments that the study area provides,” said Silkworth.

The Lewis and Clark Trail would extend from the Missouri border to Sioux City and will provide contemporary explorers with the chance to discover the beauty and richness of western Iowa. The goal of this network is to strengthen the economies of communities involved, provide wonderful individual and family experiences, improve health and wellness, and build a greater understanding of the region and its assets.

Planning workshops for the Lewis and Clark Multi-Use Trail will be held as follows:

· Monday, September 21, Hamburg Fire Station – 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

· Tuesday, September 22, Glenwood Public Library Annex - Drop-in workshop from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

· Wednesday, September 23, Missouri Valley, Iowa Rand Senior Center - Drop-in workshop from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

· Thursday, September 24, Onawa Community and Recreation Center - Drop-in workshop from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

· Friday, September 25, Sioux City, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center - Drop-in workshop from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.