Future Funds tracks progress of hiking/biking trail – Paragould Daily Press

The city of Paragould is to review bids received to build the Eight Mile Creek biking and hiking trail at the end of this month.

The spearheading Greene County Future Fund has been tracking the progress on the project since its inception. According to information made available by Kimberly Dale of the Fund, it has lined up nearly $1 million in grants to make the project happen. And as previously reported, the city of Paragould appropriated $882,500 for the project in its 2020 budget. Of that total, the city spent only $48,040; the balance remains available for appropriation this year.

Paragould Mayor Josh Agee, also a member of the Greene County Future Fund, said on March 8 that the estimated cost of the project will be around $2 million. Well be taking bids at the end of March, he said, so well know.

The bids are to be opened on the 30th at 2 p.m. in City Hall, 301 W. Court St.

When finished, the trail will stretch about four miles from Bland Park on the west to the Highway 412 bridge over the creek between Eighth and 11th Avenues. The trail is to consist of a 10-foot wide, two-inch thick asphalt path, for walking and bicycling. Its aim when completed, according to information from the Future Fund, will be to:

Provide health benefits of biking and walking to area residents, and reduce the incidence of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Attract more businesses to Paragould and raise property values, in the expectation that (according to the National Association of Homebuilders) more people will want to move to a city with such amenities, creating more customers for those businesses.

Provide a physical connection among Paragould High School, Paragould Primary School, Greene County Tech Primary School, Harmon Park, Bland Park and Labor Park.

Although the route of the trail intersects Highways 412 and 49, the trail itself will pass beneath the roadways. Then-mayor Mike Gaskill had insisted the trail not actually cross roadways, and routing the trail along the creek beneath the roadways satisfied the concern.

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Future Funds tracks progress of hiking/biking trail - Paragould Daily Press