Local News: Breaking ground on the PlyWood Trail (12/21/21) – Le Mars Daily Sentinel

(Sentinel Photo by Allen Hamil)Ground was broken in Merrill at the site of the trailhead for the portion of the PlyWood Trail heading north towards Le Mars. Donors, civic leaders and other supporters of the trail were on hand for the ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.

MERRILL The PlyWood Trail Foundation held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday in Merrill.

Ryan Meyer, the Executive Director of the PlyWood Trail Foundation, said the day marks the end of the beginning part of the project.

We are very excited to be here this afternoon for our official groundbreaking ceremony, Meyer told a crowd of people gathered for the event. For those of you who have been with us since the beginning of this journey, this goes back to even pre-2015 so were seven years into this. This moment, we just want to pause and reflect. It marks a culmination of an extreme amount of work.

The groundbreaking took place at the spot which is to be turned into a trailhead for the portion of the trail which leaves Merrill to the north toward Le Mars.

Phase 1A of the project goes from the north side of Merrill over the Floyd River and ends just north of the river. The Phase 1A portion includes a pedestrian bridge over the river with the total length of Phase 1A being just under half a mile.

Work is expected to begin in the coming weeks as dirt will be moved to build up the banks on both sides of the Floyd River in preparation for a bridge that will be installed in the spring. After the bridge is in place, work to install storm sewers along with the grading and installation of the concrete trail and trailhead will occur.

On July 6, the Le Mars City Council awarded the bid for the 1A phase of the project to Godbersen-Smith at a cost of $1,513,754.24. No tax dollars are being spent as it will be funded by the PlyWood Trail Foundation and the funding sources that have donated to it.

The foundation has raised over $4 million to support the project from a combination of public and private sources. They have also sought out grants to help fund the trail.

Meyer thanked several donors including Mike Wells, whom he asked to say a few words.

Ive looked forward to this day for a long, long time, Wells told the crowd. As many of you know, Im a triathlete, Im an avid biker and Im super excited to be able to have the opportunity to have access to safe trails and continue to do the things that I love to do.

(Sentinel Photo by Allen Hamil)Mike Wells addresses the crowd gathered at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Phase 1B of the project is then expected to extend from that point to the intersection of C-38 and Key Avenue where the Le Mars Recreation Trail ends.

On Aug. 3, the Le Mars City Council approved an agreement for engineering services for Phases 1A and 1B with McClure Engineering at a cost of $231,800. The city of Le Mars was expected to pay the invoices to McClure, with the PlyWood Trail Executive Committee then reimbursing the city.

The full PlyWood Trail project is intended to connect Le Mars, Merrill, Hinton and Sioux City along an approximately 16-mile long stretch.

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Local News: Breaking ground on the PlyWood Trail (12/21/21) - Le Mars Daily Sentinel