Another dollar, another mile

Thanks to a $40,000 Matching Assets to Community Health (MATCH) grant received from the Wellmark Foundation in September, work on the Prairie Land recreational trail in Cerro Gordo County will soon be one step closer to complete.

According to Cerro Gordo County Conservation Director Mike Webb, the trail — which is approximately 21 miles long and runs from 240th Street at the south edge of Mason City to 100th Street, south of Meservey — was acquired by the Cerro Gordo County Conservation Board (CGCCB) about 10 years ago. But up until recently, nothing had been done with the trail area that passes through Mason City, Burchinal, Swaledale, Meservey and Thornton.

However, as of the end of September, the first six miles of the future hiking and bicycling trail have been developed, and covered with a subbase and a lime chip surface to be able to withstand foot and bicycle traffic. The plan as a whole is to perform the same work on the entire 21 mile-long trail, and the $40,000 Wellmark Foundation grant, coupled with other grant funding, will help develop the next two miles of the Prairie Land trail between fall 2018 and spring 2019.

Read the full story in the October 12 edition.