SIKESTON -- City officials are seeking feedback from residents regarding the "rail-to-trail" master plan proposals.
An open house will be held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at Sikeston City Hall located at 105 E. Center Street. The rail-trail will act as a multi-purpose public path, converting the abandoned Union Pacific rail corridor along Malone Avenue into a biking and walking trail.
"The purpose of the open house is to show the public some very early preliminary design concepts and spark conversation about what people want the trail to look like," said City Manager Jon Douglass. "This is a chance for people to ask questions and give input. ... The more input we can get from the community at this stage, the better we can design a trail that meets the community's needs."
St. Louis consultants, Gateway Design Studio and The i5 Group, were hired by the city to prepare a master plan for the development of the recreational trail.
"Having a master plan will allow us to apply for grant funds for the construction of the trail," said Douglass.
There are several areas of particular interest that will be addressed by the plan.
The conceptual designs of the proposed trail will show the trail alignment; trailhead locations; street crossings; and links to other trails, parks and sidewalks. Also, there are other recommended features and amenities, signage, landscaping and safety features.
"(The rail-trail) is beneficial for the community," said Parks and Recreational Director Dustin Care. "It gets people active and attracts people downtown that will help businesses and allow more access to things that they want to do."
The plan will also identify potential construction of four phases so the project can be tackled one section at a time as funding allows.
The first phase is the Depot trailhead. It will be the central trailhead location for the trail, according to the preliminary designs.
"The community is blessed with a wonderfully restored historic Depot Museum and Gallery, which we hope to tie into the overall project and prominently feature," said Douglass.
The Depot trailhead is "going to have added green space for a play ground and the possibilities of adding other amenities. It's pretty exciting," said Care.
One of the "outside the box" options proposed by the developers was the conversion of Linn Street to a one-way street headed eastbound, Care said. "It was an interesting option."
According to Douglass, the most challenging section of the trail is moving pedestrians and cyclists through the area between Main and Pine streets, across North Main Street and around storm water systems between Ingram and Selma
"The master plan will offer options for moving people through that area while at the same time improving the capacity to hold and move storm water," Douglass said.
The comments received following the open house will help the city develop the final plan, which will be presented to the City Council for consideration later this year.
According to the preliminary designs, by the end of the four phrases, the rail-trail could potentially stretch from the Memorial Park to BB Highway.
But for now, "nothing is going to be official," Care said. "But it's nice to see what your possibilities could be. We want to make sure we're all linked up and have that transparency with the community."