Trail Ride Video: Ely to Czech Village
Thank to you community member Paul Jenkins for submitting this video! Any trail users that have video or photos to share can always send them to LCTA! We have a great collection of trail supporters and creatives in the region! Thanks for sharing your work Paul!
An email from: IA Bicyclist Coalition
Alert: Funding for bicycling is at risk. Ask your member of Congress to support Transportation Enhancements.
Click to send a message to your member of Congress.
This year, around $700 million of Federal transportation funds, which in reality is less than 2 percent of total transportation dollars, will be spent on bicycling and walking. In 2012 that figure might be a big zero. We expect that in the next few days, Senator Coburn (R-OK) will ask Congress to eliminate the federal Transportation Enhancements program – the primary funding source for the past 20 years for bike lanes, trails, bike racks on buses, bike education etc. This isn’t safe or smart; it’s not good for the economy or the environment; this is bad health policy and bad transportation policy. But they are going to try because they don’t think bicycling matters.Even though bicycling projects create more jobs per dollar than highway-only projects and cutting enhancements won’t impact the deficit – the money just won’t be spent on bicycling – some Members of Congress want to force us backwards to a 1950s highway-only mindset: as if oil embargoes, congestion, smog, the obesity epidemic and climate change never happened.Now is the time to Save Cycling, so we are asking you to contact your Senators and urge them to support continued funding for biking and walking. Don’t let them take away this vital investment program for smart, sustainable, safe transportation choices.
Please Take Action Today.
Thank You,
IA Bicyclist Coalition
Cedar Valley Nature Trail Improvements
A notice from Anderson-Bogert Engineers and Surveyors
RE: Cedar Valley Nature Trail Improvements
Linn County Conservation Department Project No. 3-10
Dear Property Owner:
The Linn County Conservation Department is in the process of completing final design work on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail Improvement Project from County Home Rd to Schultz Rd. The project includes paving the length of this trail segment with asphalt, drainage improvements, and seal coating the crossings at intersecting county roads. Currently used field access locations crossing the trail will be maintained.
You are invited to a public open house on Tuesday, September 13th, at Linn County Conservation Board Room, 1890 County home Road from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. You will have the opportunity to see project renderings, schedules, and speak with engineering staff and County representatives. You may come at any time during this period.
This trail improvement project (County Home Rd to Schultz Rd) is scheduled for construction beginning in Spring 2012. We are requesting input from adjacent property owners along the project corridor to provide input during the final design process.
We have attempted to notify all property owners along the corridor. However, in case we have missed someone, we encourage you to share this information with your neighbors and other stakeholders. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Todd Happel, with Anderson-Bogert Engineers & Surveyors (319-377-4629 – [email protected] ). Thank you for your input on this trail improvement project.
Sincerely,
ANDERSON-BOGERT ENGINEERS & SURVEYORS, INC.
Todd J. Happel, P.E.
Project Manager
The Bike Lane
The Bike Lane
CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER
Progress towards a Bicycle Friendly Community
September 2011
ANNUAL LINN COUNTY MAYORS BIKE RIDE ON LABOR DAY SEPTEMBER 5
The annual Linn County Mayors’ Bike Ride will be on Monday morning September 5, 2011. Linn County Trails Association and the Bicycle Advisory Committee and Bicycle Ambassadors are hosting the ride which will start and end at the Ellis Park swimming pool parking lot. It’s free and open to the public. Helmets are required.
Registration starts at 9:00 am in the parking lot near Ellis Blvd and Ellis Lane NW. Ride starts at 10:00 am. 2.5 or 8 mile route. Last year approximately 400 cyclists participated.
Live music from KantiRocks will follow in Ellis Park 10:45 am – 12:45 pm. www.kantirocks.com
Food and beverages will be available for purchase: Blue Strawberry will have hot coffee, cold coffee, smoothies, muffins, scones, cookies, and other breakfast items. Linn County Cattlemen’s Association will have burgers, chips and pop after the ride. Proceeds will be donated to Linn County Trails Association. www.linncountytrails.org
After the ride, there will be a drawing for a Northtowne Cycling and Fitness $25 giftcard.
The Linn County Mayors’ Bike Ride sponsors include Linn County Trails Association, KantiRocks, Northtowne Cycling and Fitness, Acorn Acoustics, Parlor City Pub, Cedar River Landing, Linn County Cattlemen’s Association, Blue Strawberry Coffee Company, Jules Bakery and Cedar Rapids Bicycle Ambassadors.
LINN COUNTY SAFE KIDS DAY AT FARMERS MARKET SEPTEMBER 17
Linn County Safe Kids Coalition will have several booths with safety information including car seats, fire safety, and bike safety at the Farmers Market in Greene Square Park on September 17 7:30 am - Noon.
They will be fitting and giving away 200 free bike helmets for kids. They are a member of Safe Kids USA, a nationwide network of organizations working to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14.
Linn County Safe Kids Coalition is lead by the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and Cedar Rapids Police Department. They educate families, provide safety devices such as child safety seats, helmets and smoke alarms to families in need and advocate for better laws to help keep children safe and healthy. The Fire Department will have a fire truck on display at the Farmers Market.
FIRST ANNUAL PAWS IN THE PARK FUN RUN/WALK SEPTEMBER 24 AT NOELRIDGE PARK
Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control and Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids will host their first annual PAWS in the Park fun run/walk on Saturday Sept. 24 10 am – 2 pm at Noelridge Park. Emcee at the event is Brain of 98.1 KHAK’s Brain and Steel Show. Fly Ball and Agility demonstrations, exhibits, pet food and supply vendors, pet information booths, and food vendors. Walk/run alone, with a pet, with a friend, with your family, or with a group or team. Enter your pet in the pet contests to win prizes.
Register online www.pawsintheparkcr.com or at local veterinary clinics. All registrants receive a goodie packet, PAWS in the Park T-shirt and a doggie bandana. Participant collecting the most money over $500 in pledges receives a $200 prize. Proceeds benefit the Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control Spay/Neuter Fund.
http://www.cedar-rapids.org/government/departments/animal-control/pages/default.aspx
http://www.crittercrusaderscr.com/
BIKESTOCK IOWA 2011 AT HAWKEYE DOWNS OCTOBER 8 AND 9
BikeStock Iowa is a 24 hour bike relay and music event on the half-mile oval at Hawkeye Downs Speedway and Expo Center in Cedar Rapids. Bands include West66, Dani Lynn Howe Band, Exit 113, The Blue Band And Greenbrier. The Iowa Hawkeye football game versus Penn State will be shown on a large screen. Food and beverages available for purchase.
Register online for ½ hour shifts.
http://register.myonlinecamp.com/camp.cfm?sport=24&id=17062
Proceeds will be donated to the Especially For You Foundation breast cancer awareness program.
Great Video!
A special thank you to Rich Gray for submitting a video to share on the LCTA website. The video is his collection of photographs from various parks, trails and lakes throughout the area. Enjoy the video! Click the link to enjoy: http://youtu.be/NRXbv_GQqA0
Reminder- Mayors' Bike Ride
Please mark your calendar for 9:00 on Monday September 5th. Linn County Trails Association invites you to participate in the annual Mayors' Bike Ride Event. Thank you to all the partners who help organize this event, the elected officials who participate and the bicyclists that continue to support trail development! For full details, visit the events page of the LCTA website.
lLCTA Supporter Campaign
Linn County Trails Association is inviting trail users to get move involved with LCTA by becoming a Trail Supporter. There are multiple ways to become a trail supporter, and more importantly, many reasons why. To learn more about LCTA's Trail Supporter Program, click here.
Temporary Cedar River Trail Closure 9/6-9/9 42nd St to Werner Ave
August 31, 2011; 3:54 p.m.
Cedar River Trail Maintenance Scheduled for September 6-9
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - August 31, 2011 - The Cedar River Trail will be closed from 42nd Street NE to Werner Avenue NE for retaining wall repair from September 6 through September 9, 2011.
City Seeking Input from Residents about 1st Avenue East by Aug. 31
Don’t forget to complete the 1st Avenue East survey!!
You can use this survey opportunity to advocate for safe, pedestrian/bicycle connections from completion of this project.
City Seeking Input from Residents about 1st Avenue East by Aug. 31
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – August 26, 2011 – To date, the City of Cedar Rapids has received input from 450 residents about improvements to 1st Avenue East from 27th Street to 40th Street. The online survey will only remain open for input through Wednesday, August 31. The survey is available on the City’s website at www.Cedar-Rapids.org. The City encourages all residents that live, work or travel along this corridor to provide input regarding the future development of this road to help us identify corridor problem areas, neighborhood concerns and improvement options. This stretch of 1st Avenue East is a commercial center and main corridor between downtown and residential areas of Cedar Rapids. This important transportation corridor is nearing traffic capacity during some periods of the day, which has had an impact on traffic safety and access to local businesses. The 1st Avenue East corridor between 27th Street and 40th Street will be rebuilt as a “Complete Street Improvement,” which means a street design that provides for safe, comfortable and convenient travel for all users, including motorists, bicycles, pedestrians, and transit riders. The new design may include additional turning lanes, driveway consolidations, medians, sidewalk improvements, CEMAR trail crossing, utility upgrades, accessible transit, trees, and other landscaping enhancements. To complete the survey, residents are encouraged to go to www.Cedar-Rapids.org and click on the “First Avenue East Survey” link on the home page. For more information, please contact the project team at [email protected].
Linn County Trails Association Presents $96,250 to Linn County Conservation Board
For more information, contact:
John Wauer
Board Member
Linn County Trails Association
[email protected]
August 22, 2011
Linn County Trails Association Presents $96,250 to Linn County Conservation Board
Linn County, Iowa – Today, Linn County Trails Association presented the Linn County Conservation Board a donation of $96,250 to complete the funding necessary to pave the Cedar Valley Nature Trail from County Home Road to Lafayette.
In 2009, Linn County was awarded funding from Iowa Department of Transportation Enhancement fund to pave the Cedar Valley Nature Trail from County Home Road to Lafayette. The project involves the reconstruction and surfacing of approximately 3.5 miles. Work will include re-establishment of drainage, clearing and grubbing, grading, placement of rock base material, surfacing, seeding with native grasses and wildflowers, and planting of trees and shrubs. In 2010, Linn County Conservation Board received notification of another financial award to continue to the project to Schultz Road, another 2.5 miles of paving. The total cost of the project is approximately $2 million.
The Conservation Board approached Linn County Trails Association (LCTA) about a public/private partnership to fundraise the remaining $96,000 to complete the project. LCTA accepted the proposal because of the wide-spread benefits for trails users. For example, with a paved surface: the trail can be used as an additional four months of the year; there is increased accessibility for all wheeled activities, including wheelchairs, strollers, and rollerblades; and less maintenance costs for Linn County. Data from LCTA shows that trail usage increases when trails are paved.
LCTA President John Wauer, who presented the check, explained that building trails takes many partners and is not an easy task. “It is the role of Linn County Trails Association to be a catalyst for the development and growth of a system of connected, multi-use trails through Linn County and Eastern Iowa. However, the development of trails takes partnerships. The partnership between Linn County, LCTA and all the financial contributors is why the announcement today is so exciting.” Donations for project have come from 227 foundations, companies and individuals. This is a demonstration of the wide and strong support for trails in Linn County.
Bidding for the project is expected to begin in November, with construction starting in 2012. The estimated completion for the project is fall of 2012, depending on weather.
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