WARSAW, Mo. (KY3) – The city of Warsaw has six miles of trails, but soon that number will double. <\/p>\n
A $249,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is allowing Warsaw to add seven more miles of trails in the city and extend them out into the county. <\/p>\n
Master and comprehensive plans noted that the city should become an outdoor destination by expanding outdoor recreation, particularly by connecting its trail system to state trails. <\/p>\n
The hope is that it will attract more visitors and generate economic impact while also benefiting the people who call Warsaw home. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we want to get lost in the fact that it\u2019s for tourists only,\u201d said Warsaw city administrator and planner, Randy Pogue. \u201cOur residents are experiencing something right now that they totally enjoy. It improves the quality of life here, and it\u2019s gonna give the opportunity for residents to be able to travel into their parks and their downtown by bicycle, by walking, so it\u2019s a community improvement for attracting tourists. Still, it\u2019s also a community improvement for creating a higher quality of life for our community.\u201d <\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t the only expansion. With $28 million in additional grants, the city is implementing a complete streets initiative to improve roads, including the addition of sidewalks and bike lanes. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll together about ten miles of sidewalks and bike lanes will be able to attach to the trails,\u201d Pogue said, \u201cor people can go from the trails out into their community to hotels and everything. This is a bigger plan than just trails along the waterfront. It\u2019s also an opportunity to make our roadway a part of the trails system.\u201d <\/p>\n
All of these improvements will help make the area better for residents and visitors, boosting overall economic impact. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs we started to capitalize on outdoor recreation,\u201d said Pogue, \u201ccreate these trails, creating other outdoor opportunities too, like access to the water, we just expanded our amazing playground to 10,500 square feet. That creates an opportunity for other economic development with the restaurants expanded, the downtown revitalizing, and the other retailers now starting to fall in because we have more visitors.\u201d <\/p>\n
The complete streets construction is underway in sections of the city. The trail\u2019s expansion is in the environmental study phase, and that is expected to take one year. <\/p>\n