The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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October 22, 2009

River trail proposal heard

By Mark Fischenich

ST PETER — Proponents of a bike trail between St. Peter and Mankato couldn’t show visiting state lawmakers a planned route, because they don’t have one.

But they could show unity. They’ve got plenty of that.

Six local governments support the $400,000 request for state funding to study and design a trail between the two cities. And a homeowners association on Lake Washington has expressed interest in connecting to the trail.

St. Peter Community Development Director Russ Wille and Mankato counterpart Paul Vogel were both on hand at St. Peter’s Mill Pond Park — the proposed northern trailhead — to explain the trail proposal and ask for state help. Those cities are joined by North Mankato and the counties of Nicollet, Blue Earth and Le Sueur in formally backing the funding request.

That broad support comes partly from the fact that the route is still to be determined. If it goes on the west side of the Minnesota River, it will serve Nicollet County’s Seven Mile Creek Park and tie directly into existing Mankato and North Mankato riverside trails. If it goes on the east side of the Minnesota River, it will serve the Le Sueur County town of Kasota and possibly the Kasota Prairie preservation area.

“There have been roughly three plans developed, mostly by student groups,” Wille told members of the House Capital Investment Committee.

One sticks mostly to Highway 22, one is between the river and Highway 22, and one is on the west side of the river and uses an old roadway along the river bluff. A Minnesota State University class did extensive research into a west bank route that sticks more closely to the river.

Vogel told lawmakers that the MSU group estimated construction costs, including wetland mitigation, of about $2.2 million. But Vogel said the trail would advance the existing state goal of ultimately building a trail along the length of the Minnesota River, while also connecting to a growing network of trails in and around Mankato.

“It’s not just a trail proposal that connects two cities,” Vogel said. “It’s really a trail proposal that connects two trail systems.”

Committee Chairwoman Alice Hausman said trail proponents are getting more sophisticated in their presentations, no longer portraying them simply as recreational amenities. Now, backers talk about trails as a way for workers and students to commute, as a method of encouraging community health and as an economic development/tourism tool.

The committee is continuing to hear numerous trail requests, including one Thursday for $1.9 million to acquire land for a Chief Sleepy Eye Bike Trail between Redwood Falls and Sleepy Eye.

The St. Peter-Mankato proposal stood out in one respect for Hausman, who was struck by the amount of local park spending — including St. Peter’s transformation of a former city dump into a fishing pond and campground.

“The local community has already put a huge amount of investment in,” she said. “In this case, cleaning up a dump and putting in a beautiful park.”

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