Groups cut ribbon on Rodeo Connector trail

More to do

"We’re really excited that we’re connected, but there are still a lot of clean up pieces that we want to get done before we start talking to the county to expand outside the city limits."”

Angie Budnik, PORT committee chairwoman

FORT MADISON – Officials took time Wednesday afternoon to officially christen the Rodeo Connector Trail just south of the Rodeo Arena.
Great River Health Systems officials, including CEO Dr. Mike McCoy, espoused the partnerships in health and how important Fort Madison’s PORT trail efforts are to the health of area residents.
McCoy was joined by Fort Madison city officials, Tri-State Rodeo officials, and the community cutting the ribbon on the trail connector.
The trail was completed with funding from a Community Hospital Foundation underwritten by Great River Health and the former Fort Madison Community Hospital.
The foundation gave funds to complete the trail from 18^th  Street and B east to 15^th Street and north up Rodeo Hill to the arena.
Angie Budnik, the chairperson for the Promote Outdoor Recreational Trails (PORT) committee, said officially designating the Rodeo connector is just another exciting part of an ever-growing project.
“We’re really excited that we’re connected, but there are still a lot of clean up pieces that we want to get done before we start talking to the county to expand outside the city limits,” Budnik said.
The group’s next immediate plans are to connect a 10-foot trail from the 3^rd Phase, which runs from 48^th Street west to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center’s Fort Madison campus, to River Valley Road.
Budnik said the Fort Madison School District also has plans to put in a trail-width sidewalk on their property along 48^th Street as part of the construction plans going on there now around the new PreK-3^rd grade construction.
“The school is also planning to put in a trail on their side with all the construction they are doing which will connect Phase 2.”
Budnik said strategic planning also includes extending the trail to Chalk Ridge Road on Bluff.
“Bluff has been there a long time, but it’s not our trail per se, so we’d like to turn that into our trail from Chalk Ridge. Then you can come off and catch Phase 1 all the way to the Rodeo Connector, which is very exciting.”
Future planning also includes connecting Quality Inn to the PORT trail via the hospital campus.
“So people staying there can get on the trail and walk and connect to the hospital, which will literally get us to the end of town,” she said.
Large trail connections and plans are getting attention from state and federal funding resources. Budnik said Southeast Iowa Regional Planning has dabbled in discussions for comprehensive trail plans in Lee County.
She said the city of Fort Madison has also talked about more comprehensive trail plans.
“We’re celebrating today with the connector and we’re thankful for the hospital funding. There is still funding from the Community Hospital Foundation that is sitting in a fund to leverage future grants.
She said Community Hospital Funds have also been applied to the jetty wall at the marina, which has a concrete path on top that is part of the city’s trail network.