Community Corner

Work on the Pike River Pathway Continues

The Mount Pleasant recreation trail will eventually wind from Old Spring Street to the county line.

Residents who spend time walking, jogging or riding the Pike River Pathway will soon have more pathway to enjoy.

A new quarter-mile section of the route will go under construction this summer, and another length of path will get paved as well, leading visitors from Highway 20 south to the old railroad right-of-way to tie in with the east-west county bike path.

The pathway work coincides with village efforts to rehabilitate the Pike River, which started out as a drainage ditch for farmers more than 100 years. 

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Originally slated to last 10 years and cost $17 million, rehabilitating the Pike River began in 2002. The plan was designed to add green space, recreation areas and native plants along half-mile sections of the river each summer. Work this year will include grading the banks into a deep "V" shape and planting native plants and grasses to improve water quality and to slow soil erosion. 

"We're still moving along despite the funding setbacks over the years," said Mount Pleasant Village Trustee Sonny Havn. "I think it's realistic that we'll finish in 2015."

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Costs of construction and land acquisition for Phases 1 - 5 total $7.13 million. 

This summer, the first half of what is considered Phase 6 will get underway. It will start just south of Durand Avenue and end next to where Promotions Unlimited stands. Bill Sasse, director of engineering for the village, said estimated costs are $845,000 with the majority of those funds coming from state and  federal grants.

"We have been very fortunate to have received almost $3 million in state and federal grants," he said. "With that money, the village has acquired almost 320 acres so residents can have more opportunity for outdoor recreation."

Havn also pointed out that while the costs for the entire project may cause a double-take, stormwater fees have not increased, and the village has not borrowed any money.

"We're very proud that through good money and time management, we've been able to pay for the Pike River through grants and the stormwater fund without raising taxes or borrowing any money," he said.

While parts of the pathway will be paved this summer and construction will begin on the new quarter-mile portion of Phase 6, Sasse and Havn are working with engineers and county officials on how to get the bike path safely across Durand Avenue.

The second half of Phase 6 through Phase 9 is expected to come in at $9.7 million, but Havn and Sasse hope the Army Corps of Engineers will pitch in the manpower and about $5 million for Phases 8 and 9.


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