Trail Timeline

Completed Trail Projects

 

Salem Church Kiosk

Friends of the Trails presented a Dogwood Tree to Salem Church in recognition of the church's support of a bike trail spur that was built in the Church's Heritage Park at 9th and State St. Friends also recognized and thanked Jacob Zimmerman, Eagle Scout from Troop 56, who developed the kiosk/bike rack area at Heritage Park for his Eagle Scout project.

Gardner Museum of Architecture Kiosk

Friends of the Trails constructed a Dogwood Trail kiosk at the Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design. Many thanks go to the fine people at the museum for their support of the Dogwood Trail.

Indian Mounds Park Kiosk & Landscaping

Friends of the Trails recently presented a certificate of appreciation to Phillip Baird of Quincy. This past summer (2005), Phillip installed trail marking signs and did some landscaping work in Indian Mounds Park for his Eagle Scout Project. The signs installed at the park highlight the developing trail system and assists users of the systems paths.

Quincy Bikes - Work Day

Friends of the Trails recently held a Community Work Day for the Quincy Bikes - bike loan program. Volunteers donated their time to help rehabilitate bicycles that will be used for the program.

RJ Peters Drive Project 2007

The portion of RJ Peters Drive connecting Gardner Expressway to 8th Street was previously an unsafe area for pedestrians and cyclists but now is a safer route on the Dogwood Trail due to the construction of a new 1,700 ft. walkway.  The new walkway was made possible by a generous $10,000 donation from Gardner Denver, Inc. and with the coordination efforts of the University of Illinois-Extension-Adams/Brown Unit, Friends of the Trails, and the City of Quincy and Quincy Park District who contributed labor and equipment to the project.  Speaking on Gardner Denver's involvement in the project, Ross Centanni, Chairman, President and CEO, said, "Gardner Denver is proud to have been a part of this worthwhile endeavor. With the new sidewalk through Indian Mounds Park, everyone, including our employees, can now safely enjoy a walk through the park. The safety of our employees is our No. 1 priority at Gardner Denver and this reinforces our commitment to safety. We are glad to give to the community in this way and hope the citizens of Quincy willenjoy the safety, health and recreational benefits this walkway offers for many years."  John Frankenhoff, President of the Quincy Park Board, stated, "The Park District appreciates the generosity of Gardner Denver and the initiative taken by Friends of the Trails. This combined effort has resulted in a very substantial improvement that will be used for years to come."   More enhancements to the RJ Peters Drive/Indian Mounds Park area will be coming soon. According to Mike Parks, Executive Director of the Quincy Park District, amenities including a parking lot, cluster picnic sites and a trailhead/kiosk have been approved for the area.

Maine Street Bicycle Racks

Friends of the Trails put in the order for 30 bicycle racks for the Maine Street area to go along with the Maine Street improvements.  The bicycle racks will be installed in a couple of months, so that cyclists will be able to have a place to park their bikes.  The bicycle racks were made possible through the Illinois Main Street Grant.  The bicycle racks are seen below in the same style, but were ordered in black to match the street lights and improvements on Maine Street.

Great River Road Kiosk

The City of Quincy will be installing the Great River Kiosk in Clat Adams Park later this Fall.  The Great River Kiosk is just one of the Kiosk's in the project that will be placed along the riverfront.  The Kiosk's will be placed in ten different communities along the riverfront.  The different locations include Moline, the Mississippi Palisades State Park, Fulton Dutch Windmill, Fort Defiance Park (Carbondale), Fort Edwards Monument (Warsaw), Albany Mounds State Historic Park, Mississippi Rapids Welcome Center, Nauvoo, Hamilton, and Quincy.  As you can see from the picture the Kiosk resembles a paddle wheel, as was popular on the river boats that cruised the Mississippi.

Monroe Safe Routes to School Project

The Monroe School Safe Routes to School Project was completed this past year (2009) along Payson Road and Highway 96.  The project consisted of installing a sidewalk from 24th Street to 36th Street to give area students a safe place to walk in order to get to and from school if they lived in the surrounding neighborhoods.  After our follow-up surveys we have received numerous positive reports of the impact the new sidewalk has had for the area.

Upcoming Trail Projects

 

Safe Routes to School St. Dominic's & Baldwin School

Friends of the Trails recently supported the City of Quincy in the second application to the safe Routes to School Program.   Safe Routes to School success is growing. The City of Quincy was awarded $322,000 in the 2007 application cycle to implement a sidewalk in front of Monroe School on Payson Road. The construction began in the Spring of 2009 to widen Payson Road and install sidewalks from 24th St. to 36th St. IDOT was working on updating the intersection at Payson Road and 36th this summer also.

The City of Quincy also submitted two grants for the application cycle of 2008 for funding to address biking and walking problems at St. Dominic’s School and Baldwin Intermediate School. This summer we found out that both of our grant requests had been granted. This is a huge success since we are the only Illinois community outside of Chicago to receive this type of financial support. We received $250,000 for improvements by Baldwin School. This encompasses changing the four lane road into a two lane road with a center turning lane from 30th-36th Street on Maine. It will also put in sidewalks where they are currently not present and insert a full intersection at 33rd. This intersection will allow the schools to close two of the other entrances/exits present.

St. Dominic’s was awarded $206,139 for road widening and sidewalk placement on the north side of the road. The funds will be used to fix the current crosswalk putting in curb gutter and sewer to create a formal area for students to cross the road. The construction looks like it will take place in 2011 at this time, due to the lengthy letting process from all the stimulus projects in the works in the state.  Even though the program is helping us address barriers to children walking or biking to school, we additionally need to consistently encourage area students to walk and bike to school.

If you would like to learn more about the Safe Routes to School Program and how you can help, please log on to www.saferoutesinfo.org for more information.

Lincoln Heritage Trail

The Friends of the Trails and members of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission have been working together to identify a trail that would travel past all 18 wayside exhibits that were installed after the Lincoln Douglas Sesquicentennial Event.  The organizations have identified a trail which they have coined the Lincoln Heritage Trail.  Currently the Friends of the Trails and Lincoln Bicentennial Commission are working on a map/brochure to advertise the trail way system, promote bicycle safety, advertise local bike rental programs, and provide brief historic information on each wayside exhibit.  Friends of the trails has secured funds from the Quincy Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Pepsi, and other fund-raising efforts.  The organization is seeking additional funds at this time to be able to install trail signage along City right-a-way to identify the trail way to the community and area visitors.

Riverfront Trail Development

The City of Quincy continues to move forward with approved HUD funds that were awarded to the community for the riverfront trail development.  The City also received additional funds through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program to go towards the Riverfront Trail improvements.  The City is currently waiting on the Illinois Department of Transportation to approve the contracts for the project to be able to move forward.  This project will connect Clat Adams Park to Edgewater Park putting in a paved roadway and matching brick paved walking path for area residents.  This portion is part of the riverfront trial identified in the Quincy Greenways and Trail Plan that was adopted in 1998.