(Juneau) The Dodge County Board is backing the Pelican Path project. It seeks to connect a five-and-a-half mile paved, non-motorized, multi-use trail from Hustisford to the Wild Goose Trail southern trailhead on Highway 60. Plans for the path would also see it connect to Hustisford’s elementary and high school as well as its library, downtown, and Neider Park.
The project is being led by the Pelican Path Trail Committee, a grassroots effort made up of members of PATH of Hustisford and Friends of Dodge County Parks. The Committee has raised $32,700 to fund a feasibility study that considered four route options and identified Highway 60 as the preferred route.
The estimated cost for design and engineering is $230-thousand-dollars which is to be paid 100-percent through grants and donations secured by the Committee. The resolution passed unanimously by the county board at their meeting this week allows them to act as a pass-through for any grant applications submitted by the Committee. Supervisor Andrew Johnson says he “strongly” supports this project.
“And one of the things I think is really awesome is this idea came born out of UW-Extension here in our building…right in this building here out of our economic development…it’s a charette we had…employees here in this building actually helped lead that,” says Johnson. “So, I think when our county helps initiate economic development and we come up with some great ideas…I think this is just a great example of a positive result that comes out of other investments that we’ve made.”
No county funding is being requested. However, once the trail is complete and gifted to Dodge County, annual county funding for routine maintenance will be required. Bill Ehlenbeck, Dodge County’s land resources and parks director, outlines the financial impact.
“Maintenance would be done by our seasonal caretaker…a trail caretaker…I believe the rates about fifteen dollars an hour…eight hours comes to a little over one-thousand-dollars,” says Ehlenbeck. “The additional amounts would be fuel and there is always miscellaneous supplies and things like that. And that’s based on what we’ve been doing…the experience we’ve had with Gold Star Trail two-mile section right now.”
It is estimated that the total annual cost will be between $3,000 and $4,000. The goal is to have the Pelican Path completed in at least two to three years.
Click HERE to read the Pelican Path feasibility study report. Click HERE to visit the PATH of Hustisford website to learn more.
