Ozark Public Works Director Jeremy Parsons says every city is trail crazy right now.
Parsons was speaking during Ozark’s regular Aldermen meeting to get approval to pursue a series of grant opportunities to help fund new trails in the city. The funds come from the Ozarks Transportation Organization, the city would be expected to match 20%. He cautioned that there would be no costs this fiscal year to apply, and he expects the grants will be competitive, as communities throughout southwest Missouri continue to follow northwest Arkansas’s lead on expanding their trail networks.
Parsons presented four projects that his office expects would total $2.6 million dollars, with Ozark's costs estimated at $520 thousand.
Parsons explained the city’s goal is a web of trails, the plan “is to create the Chadwick Flyer spine, that connection to Springfield and of build off that,” he said, as he described the phases presented at Monday’s meeting as small but “very important, very critical,” parts of the bigger picture.
The proposals include: an expansion along Jackson Street would connect a commercial subdivision just north of the Ozark School District Offices with the Chadwick Flyer trail, two expansions to the Finley River trail that would extend it west from the OC to Highway 65 and from Jackson Street to Finley Farms.
A fourth project would just be entering the engineering phase, with no construction planned, it would see detailed plans for what the city calls its Avenue of Heroes, a trail and military memorial planned around a historic cemetery on city property between the Finley, and Jackson, 3rd and Church streets.
Ozarks Aldermen did approve pursuing the grants.