T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Andrea Boulton of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, TRAILS Inc. President Jeff Schneider, Marshall County Conservation Director Emily Herring and TRAILS Inc. Vice President Bruce Johnson stand before the Marshall County Board of Supervisors during Wednesday morning’s regular meeting. The board voted 2-1 to commit up to $2 million to the Iowa River’s Edge Trail grant application.

After spending nearly an hour discussing the pros and cons and hearing from those both in favor and opposed, the Marshall County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 to approve a $2 million contribution toward a federal grant application for the paving of the Iowa River’s Edge Trail project from Eldora to Marshalltown during Wednesday morning’s regular meeting.

As previously reported in several recent T-R stories, the city of Marshalltown is the lead applicant on a Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) grant that, when paired with non-federal contributions from governmental entities and private donations, would provide $19 million to finish the trail along an abandoned railroad track that runs from Eldora to Gifford to Union to Liscomb to Albion before ending in Marshalltown and connecting to the trails within the city.

TRAILS Inc. President Jeff Schneider and Vice President Bruce Johnson presented to the board, and Schneider noted that currently, about two miles of the trail are already paved in Marshall County from the city to Radio Tower Road. According to Schneider, it would provide 55 distinct miles of ridable and walkable trails in Marshall and Hardin counties.

“Some of the things this trail highlights are the diverse landscapes of central Iowa, wetlands, prairie, savannah, forest, everything. It really is a great example of what Iowa used to look like, and it showcases the beauty of this area,” Schneider said. “It’s really close to the water. There’s a ton of water recreation opportunities in the future. I think it’s a lot of things that people are really looking to see.”

The presenters provided a rendering of the future Ann Keyser Trailhead on South 6th Street in Marshalltown in the skatepark/softball diamonds area, and Schneider touted the way the trail would connect to different areas in Marshalltown and also praised the Raymon Veterans Park in Albion. As Schneider put it, the trail “isn’t just for bikes” as most of the current users in Marshalltown are walkers and runners.

“There’s hiking opportunities, camping opportunities, hunting, fishing, kayaking. All of these opportunities are available on this trail. It makes Marshall County a destination,” he said.

Additionally, Schneider noted that Iowa River’s Edge would eventually connect to two larger nationwide trails and touted the vibrancy and economic benefit it could bring to all of the communities along it — the smaller towns, Schneider felt, actually see an even more outsize impact in the long run.

Johnson said the trail would keep riders off of county highways, which is a major safety concern, and Schneider felt that it would help to combat Iowa’s “Brain drain” by convincing younger people to live, work and play here while generating economic activity and increasing property taxes. Currently, 70 percent of the population in Marshall County lives within five minutes of the Iowa River’s Edge Trail.

E Bikes have seen a recent surge in popularity, which Schneider and Johnson felt would make the trail more accessible for people of all ages, and it will always be free to use once it is completed. Schneider then addressed the urgency of the application, which is due by June 17, as Hardin County’s recent receipt of a $2 million grant reduced the needed funding gap from $4.7 million to $2.7 million.

At Monday night’s meeting, the Marshalltown city council committed $250,000, and TRAILS Inc. hosted a fundraising event at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) back on May 23. Schneider showed the seven medium to large bridges that would still need work to complete the trail and broke down the details of the funding and grant match.

“We think we can put together a really compelling application for this,” he said. “We really do think we fit the criteria really well, and we can win this (grant).”

He then made the formal ask: a pledge of $2 million spread out over the next three fiscal years contingent on the grant being won — if the application is unsuccessful, the county would have no obligation. Schneider said a broad base of support was a crucial determinant in deciding who wins the grant, and he noted that with the total price tag on the project sitting at $34 million, they were only requesting about six percent of that.

The floor was opened up to questions from the supervisors, and Carol Hibbs asked Schneider about the breakdown of miles in Marshall County as opposed to Hardin County, which he said was “about 50-50.”

Andrea Boulton of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation shared some history on the project and said that even if the ATIIP grant application is unsuccessful, the organizations involved have a “pretty robust” Plan B that would still allow the paving to move forward.

“The overall goal and the excitement and the momentum we’re building with this fundraising campaign to be competitive with ATIIP has really pushed a lot of… The state has noticed. The state has provided a letter of support for this federal grant,” she said.

Boulton was referring to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), and she added that they have also received Congressional letters of support for the federal grant. In response to a question from Hibbs, she went into more detail on what the selection committee looks for and said “historically underserved” communities, which Marshalltown could qualify as, have a better chance of winning. Boulton is not aware of any other applications for the grant from within Iowa.

Hibbs wondered about including snowmobilers and having a path alongside the trail, and Schneider said that while they were open to discussing it, they haven’t met with any snowmobiling groups yet and would need to consider the impact the vehicles can have on concrete.

Marshall County Conservation Director Emily Herring stepped forward to the podium and shared that she felt the trail would provide a major benefit to the county, especially in the rural areas and at county parks like Timmons Grove and Grammer Grove.

“I do think it will connect our recreational areas very well. I do have to say I have concerns about long-term maintenance, but I’m talking about repaving in the future and how to do that,” Herring said. “But I think most bike trail people have those concerns, and there are possible steps in the future and funding sources that will help us to be able to do that. In the long run, I think this is just a really vital and important part that will help Marshalltown and all of our communities. And with a $12 million grant match out there, I just feel like it’s something we can’t say no to.”

Herring said she has a group of volunteers who are willing to help with smaller maintenance, but she was more worried about “the bigger stuff” down the road. After more discussion about which rock would be used for the concrete, whether they would be applying for other grants available and the contingency plans if they do not receive the ATIIP grant, Board Chairman Jarret Heil asked for a formal motion and began to discuss how the county might fund such an expense, which is currently not budgeted.

If the board did opt to either amend the current budget or bond for the amount, Heil noted that there would still be protections for the taxpayer as hearings would need to be held. Hibbs then made a motion that the county commit up to $2 million to the project over a four-year budget period, and Steve Salasek seconded it.

Heil commented that the biggest question was how to pay for it, but with the potential return on investment through the federal grant, he felt putting in $2 million to potentially receive $12 million made sense.

“The project’s a great project. I don’t think there’s anything you knock on this project. It’s moreso how to pay for it, and we have the four, realistically three budget years to get this done,” he said. “My goal would be, obviously, to not have to borrow for it, work it into our budgets and find more creative ways.”

Salasek asked Boulton how a reduced award could affect the county’s obligation, and she responded that it would change the overall expectation so they would no longer be able to complete the whole thing but would be able to focus on the area of “greatest impact.” Schneider added that he understood it to be an “all or nothing” grant.

With the floor opened up to public discussion, the supervisors heard from voices with strong feelings on both sides of the debate. Harold Lanning, who said the presentation sounded “glamorous and glorious,” nonetheless shared adamant opposition to tax dollars being used for the trail, citing replacing rural bridges, expanding the tornado siren project and the Green Mountain sewer project as more pressing needs.

“Let’s do the needs first and then do the wants later,” he said. “As a homeowner, if I’ve got a roof that’s leaking, I’m gonna fix it vs. putting in a swimming pool that I might like to have. So don’t use my tax dollars, and don’t use other people’s tax dollars for this… Just because the city fathers spend their money recklessly and spend money for that kind of stuff doesn’t mean the county should do that either.”

He added that the current bike trail on Highway 330 near Melbourne is sparsely used and commented that the supervisors had spent tax dollars wisely in the past. Mark Eaton said he isn’t against trails as they’re a fun thing to do and can bring new businesses, but he felt any question of borrowing money should go before the voters of Marshall County. Eaton also reiterated one of his frequent arguments, that the onus for funding quality of life and recreational projects should fall on local nonprofits and not taxpayers.

He commented that he felt “misled” because at recent city council meetings, a list of people and entities who were going to make up the fundraising request was presented, but now, TRAILS Inc. was standing before another taxing entity to ask for money. Finally, Eaton expressed his personal misgivings with TRAILS Inc. as he alleged that the organization, which has a 28E agreement with the city, has not complied with open records and open meetings requests, and Schneider has denied him a list of the board members.

“I don’t think this is a good application of taxpayer dollars. I think if the people want it, the nonprofits and others can fund for it,” he said.

Sheriff Joel Phillips commented that he’s not against the trails and his office actually uses them for testing, but he did have concerns about enforcement and complaints related to parking, dogs and UTVs/ATVs. He asked the supervisors to keep the additional costs and responsibilities in mind, and Marshall County 911 Communications Director Rhonda Braudis asked that markers be included in the instance of an accident with people from outside of the area who may not know where they are.

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall touted the trail as a major economic development opportunity and used the example of a trail connection project in northeast Iowa around Decorah that resulted in the creation of 396 jobs, a direct economic impact of $25 million and an overall economic impact of $61 million. He later noted how a large number of visitors to the High Trestle Trail in the Des Moines area come from outside of the metro and even outside of the state.

“All of a sudden, you can start to see how the relatively small investment from the county is able to leverage a huge economic return for our area,” he said.

Amber Danielson, the director of the Arts+Culture Alliance, praised the trail as the kind of amenity that gets families like hers excited about living in Marshalltown for the long term.

“These are the things that are going to attract and retain and engage our residents and future residents, so this is super exciting,” she said. “It is just such a beautiful trail, and I’m so excited about the opportunity to use it more.”

Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) Director Deb Millizer was excited about the impact the trail could have on downtown businesses and noted that she and her husband recently bought e bikes.

“I really see this as a very positive impact economically and for our family’s health, our way of life, our well-being and all of that. I think that (with) my personal tax dollars, this is a little investment for a future return,” she said.

With the public comments wrapped up, Heil addressed the audience and said he appreciated the input from both sides of the aisle. While he knew the ask of taxpayer money was something he had to take seriously, Heil ultimately concluded that “if you want to have good things, you have to make these kinds of investments.”

“If you want to have your cake, you’ve got to eat it too, and if you’re gonna eat it too, we have to do our end of the bargain of being A) continuously fiscally responsible in our budget and finding efficiencies to help pay for it; B) Utilize our resources and try to find extra funding so it’s not coming from the property tax bucket, that we’re able to fund it in other ways,” he said.

The goal, he said, is to keep taxes within the margin of growth, and he noted that the money would not be immediately committed into the budgets and give the supervisors more time to figure out a way. Heil also appreciated Lanning and Eaton for “keeping him accountable” even if they were on opposite sides of the issue.

Salasek said he had been asked not to spend any property tax dollars on the trail project — nonetheless, he was “all about it” and was curious about other funding options including Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

“The timing for this is not good. I’m sorry to be a Debbie downer here, but we’ve got some troubled times ahead in Marshall County,” Salasek said.

Hibbs also understood both sides of the argument but said leveraging $2 million to get $12 million was an opportunity she didn’t want to pass up on Wednesday while leaving the door open for other grants in the future.

The motion passed 2-1 with Hibbs and Heil in favor and Salasek opposed.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the consent agenda with the items regarding the reorganization of the County Engineer’s office pulled for further discussion.

• Approved a $2,000 donation to the Marshalltown fireworks.

• Approved a low bid from Midstates Precast Products Inc. for a precast box culvert project.

• Approved a supplemental agreement with Calhoun-Burns and Associates of West Des Moines for Marshall County Bridge D-16.

• Approved a resolution for the reappropriation of funds for FY 2023-2024.

• Approved a resolution stopping eastbound traffic on 320th Street at the intersection with Abbot Avenue in Green Castle Township near the Tama County line.

• Approved the annual contract with YSS of Marshall County for $11,000.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.