BOONE, Iowa—The Boone County Trails Advisory Committee (BCTAC) has announced the kick-off of a fundraising effort to close the funding gap for constructing the first new segment of trails in the county since the opening of the High Trestle Trail in 2011. Fareway Stores, Inc. has posed a challenge grant of up to $150,000 with the committee’s goal to raise another $150,000 through private contributions.

The BCTAC began actively fundraising in late 2019 for the development of a 2.1 mile stretch of pedestrian trail that would connect the current High Trestle Trail at QF Lane up to Swede Point Park, and to-date has raised more than $630,000 of the roughly $930,000 needed to design and construct the new trail. The trail will cross Highway 210 at QF Lane, make its way east toward QM Avenue before heading north and into Swede Point Park. Aside from a short section of QF Lane that has been paved and marked with Bike Advisory Lanes, the trail will be constructed as a separated side-path, with trail-users able to safely make their way to and from Swede Point Park without having to ride on busy roads.

The 2.1 mile segment is intended to be the first piece of a larger trail system that would ultimately connect the High Trestle Trail to major attractions throughout Boone County including the Iowa Arboretum, Ledges State Park, and those in the city of Boone. The committee has established a charitable fund with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and created a number of ways for trails supporters to contribute to the project.

· Signs will be erected along the High Trestle Trail featuring a QR code link that takes users directly to the donor portal via their cell phone.

· The Committee has also created a new Facebook page, @BooneCountyIATrails with posts that include links to the “HTT to Swede Point Trail” donor portal.

· The group has also developed a donor brochure that will allow trail supporters to submit contributions by mail.

All gifts made to the trails initiative are tax deductible. Preliminary design work is already underway with bid letting scheduled for later this year, and construction on Division 1A set for Spring of 2022.

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The Boone County Trails Advisory Committee (BCTAC) is a trails-focused and volunteer driven sub-committee of the Boone County Conservation department. Established in 2011, the goal of the committee is to develop a network of safe pathways that bring citizens closer to nature, encourages outdoor recreation and conservation education while preserving and protecting the beautiful habitat of Boone County. The committee meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6pm on the fourth floor of the Boone County Courthouse. For more information about the committee’s efforts or would like to become more active in trail development in Boone County, contact Katie Healy at Boone County Conservation: khealy@boonecounty.iowa.gov.