10/18/2007 10:20:00 AM Cowboy Trail to be head of river walk development
Courtesy PhotoThe North Fork Development Project will include land near the Elm Street tennis courts. This would actually be the south end of the segment that a “Safe Routes to Schools” grant is being applied for. Schools that would be connected by this trail would be Northeast Community College, Norfolk Middle School and Norfolk Senior High, as well as the Norfolk Family YMCA facilities.
River walk plans have been in the works for a long time in Norfolk.
But now it's time to make that reality, supporters say.
The easiest way to do that is to create some trails that will connect with the river walk being proposed next to the North Fork River, said Mike Brogan, member of the oversight committee of the North Fork River Walk Development group.
"The trail component is the key to getting things started. There's been a lot of publicity about how this has been a dream, but we want to see some tangible results," Brogan said. "Probably one of the easiest and fastest things to do is to expand on the trails that have already begun.
"Then once you get some of the infrastructure in place, it makes it more attractive to have businesses and builders buy up adjacent land, or develop it in such a way that it works," Brogan said.
There are several trails in or near Norfolk, including the Skyview Lake trail and the Cowboy Trail.
The North Fork Development Foundation also is applying for a grant to create a "Safe Route to School" trail that will connect Northeast Community College, Norfolk Middle School and Norfolk High School, as well as the Norfolk Family YMCA facilities.
Cheryl Johnson, trail committee member of the group, said the hope is to connect existing trails with the river walk development.
One idea involves having the river walk connect to a new trail east of town and connect with the Cowboy Trail east of Ta-ha-zouka Park.
"One of the main goals is to get the river walk connected to the Cowboy Trail," Johnson said.
The other plan is to have the river walk go along the North Fork River and break away into a trail south on Seventh Street and work it behind the Sioux City Truck Sales building, over the viaduct and into Ta-ha-zouka Park to the Cowboy Trail. The committee also would like to create a wetlands behind the Sioux City Truck Sales building.
"The downtown river walk would become a trail head for the Cowboy Trail," Johnson said, adding that the development committee has plans to have some artwork and informational kiosks along the river walk. "Ride the Cowboy Trail, do some things downtown, shopping, restaurants, making it an experience."
They said the new trails would give people a chance to get away from the rat race and be able to reach all their destinations within easy walking distance. Downtown Norfolk would once again become the "hub" of the city.
"Mayor (Gordon) Adams said it pretty well that, in general, cities of any size that have been growing over time sort of rot at the core - the center part of the city - as people move to the suburbs and commercial areas move outward for space, such as we have along the bypass," Brogan said. "But there's a trend that would indicate that younger people, or people of different ages, would prefer the conveniences of living where there's some vibrancy downtown as long as the amenities are there, as long as it's an attractive area."
