Iowa City to use $200,000 grant for trail maintenance

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Matching growth and development seen in the area, Iowa City will be using a $200,000 grant to make improvements to the Sycamore Trail in the city’s southeast side.

The trail stretches more than two miles and connects to several neighborhoods and parks. The plans include working on the environment around the trail by getting rid of invasive plant species and working to restore prairies. There will also be benches and bike fix stations added along the trail.

”They provide nature right in people’s own backyard and they provide easy access for people to ride their bikes safely away from traffic,” Juli Seydell Johnson, director of the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Office, said. “It also gives you a chance to feel like you are away from everything else and out in nature.”

Over the years the city has gotten more than $2 million in support from the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant. Johnson says state contributions like these are invaluable when it comes to maintaining local parks.

”It’s been a great way for us to supplement our local funding and make projects happen that we wouldn’t be able to do on our own,” Johnson said. ”We are super fortunate that we’ve been able to do so much over the years.”

The city has to apply for the grant every year; they’ve been awarded the annual grant the 15 times total, 10 consecutively.

”Its target of restoring ecological restoration fits perfectly with our natural areas plan, which shows us which areas had potential to be even better natural areas.”

Johnson says as the city sees more development in the southeast side, her office hopes to see more people use the trail after the project.

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