(Published Saturday, June 9, 2007 12:15:58 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Brian Reisinger/Gazette Staff
JANESVILLE
People exploring the hillsides overlooking the Rock River would have an easier time after a proposed overhaul of an existing trail north of Riverside Park, city officials said.
The city council will hear a proposal Monday night from Tom Presny, city parks director, asking it to approve the new trail and waive two city ordinances to enable its construction.
"It's a great opportunity to get into a part of the park that traditionally is not really accessible," said Mike Williams, city leisure services director.
The Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation, which heads up the statewide Ice Age Trail that includes paths in Janesville, would organize a group of volunteers to work from July 19 to 22, with the trail opening July 23.
Currently three dilapidated trails-lower, middle and upper-wind along the bluff next to the river past the north end of the park. The new trail would mainly be a cleared and widened version of the upper trail, Presny said.
The council will consider waiving two ordinances, temporarily extending park hours and allowing the volunteers to camp in Riverside Park. Other groups, such as the Boy Scouts and National Guard, Presny said, have received such permission in the past.
Other than oversight from city personnel, Presny said, the project would not require city money. The foundation plans to fund the $15,000 project through its own money, a federal grant and donations, according to the proposal.
"I think it will be readily accepted," by the council, Presny said.
The new trail would extend Janesville's 25 miles of continuous trails by 1 mile, Presny said. It also would improve Janesville's trail system as part of the larger statewide Ice Age Trail, he said.
Jim Chesmore, 62, of Janesville remembers clambering along the trails overlooking the river in the mid 1950s. Improved access to that area, he said, would provide important recreational opportunities to the public.
"I can remember when I was younger, going up there and just … enjoying the scenery," said Chesmore, a member of the Friends of Riverside Park.
He'd like to see an improved lower trail as well.
The new 3-foot-wide dirt trail would be strictly for hikers, diverting bikers on the Kiwanis Trail/Ice Age Trail to a series of side streets. Volunteers would clear vegetation, haul soil and construct retaining walls and possibly guardrails.
By the end, hikers would be able to safely enjoy the scenery Chesmore and others remember, Presny said.
