Ground broken for Wobegon Trail extension

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

The festive air of a family reunion filled Waite Park’s River’s Edge Park Aug. 22 when people gathered for the groundbreaking of the long-awaited Lake Wobegon Trail extension.

By next spring, the 3.2-mile extension from St. Joseph to Waite Park is expected to be completed at a cost of $4.9 million. In the future, the extension will join up directly with St. Cloud’s Beaver Island Trail, but currently hikers/bikers can access that trail from Waite Park via current trails in the area.

Using gold-painted shovels, 12 officials broke ground at the park, digging up dirt beneath the grass and eliciting applause and hoots of approval from the dozens of spectators.

St. Joseph City Council member Dale Wick, one of the many speakers at the park, told the audience the trail extension had been “a long time coming.” He recalled being on the city council back in 2003 when the extension of the trail from Avon to St. Joseph was finally completed. Wick, who was a participant at the St. Joseph Trailhead dedication, said the Waite Park trailhead will be welcomed not just for recreational purposes but also for quite a few people who already commute via bicycle to and from work on the trail.

Those who attended the groundbreaking in Waite Park were county officials, city and township officials, an employee of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Co. and Stearns County Parks Director Pete Theismann.

Theismann praised all of the people who worked so hard to get the extension approved and funded. The extension, he said, will be easier and safer for bikers and hikers and will be a great addition to the existing trails on the Wobegon Trail network. He said he can envision users of the trail having a good time by stopping at various places to enjoy ice cream, chocolate or to drink a beer.

Among the many speakers were Waite Park Mayor Rick Miller and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis. Both praised the area’s residents for voting in favor of the regional half-cent sales tax, without which the trail network would not be possible.

Stearns County Commissioner DuWayne Mareck thanked people who for years had a vision that caused them to work so hard on the Wobegon Trail and its extensions. He praised especially Jaycees clubs for their early involvement and fundraising.

“It (the trail) is a great example of citizen involvement,” he said.

Among those thanked was former Stearns County Commissioner Mark Bromenschenkel of Sartell, a long-time advocate for the extension to Waite Park. Bromenschenkel’s successor, Joe Perske of Sartell, also a fervent trail supporter, attended the groundbreaking. Perske is also a member of the Stearns County Parks Commission, as is Kaye Wenker of Sartell, who also attended the groundbreaking.

Sartell will also benefit from the Wobegon Trail extension to Waite Park because current and future trails will connect the system to the many miles of walking-biking trails already well-used in Sartell.

Background

The Lake Wobegon Trail is comprised of more than 50 miles of hiking-biking trails that are 10 feet wide and surfaced with bituminous overlay.

The trails were made possible by negotiations with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Co., whose abandoned rail beds the trail was built upon.

The first part of the trail, built in the late 1990s, extended from Sauk Centre to Avon. In 2003, the trail was extended to St. Joseph. Trail extensions now reach other trails to allow bikers to go without a gap all the way to Fergus Falls and to Osakis to the west and from St. Joseph to Holdingford on a northern extension.

The Lake Wogebon Trail was named for Lake Wobegon Days, a gently satirical novel penned by author/radio personality Garrison Keillor and set in central Minnesota, where Keillor lived and worked as a young man.

The Wobegon Trail is truly regional in nature as it connects so many cities and towns in the entire area – and beyond. The trailheads that are now connected via Wobegon and other trail systems include Avon, Collegeville Station, St. Joseph, Albany, Freeport, Melrose, Sauk Centre, West Union, Osakis, Bowlus, Holdingford, Blanchard Dam and what’s known as the Highway 10 Trailhead for a trail that stretches to north of Royalton (Soo Line Trail).

The trail network is patrolled and maintained by county park departments.

Extension funding

The 3.2-mile trail extension to Waite Park was paid for mainly through Minnesota Legacy Fund grants, including a recent one of nearly $1 million. Others also contributed, including a private donor who gave $5,000 for the trail-extension project.

Some speakers at the groundbreaking in Waite Park noted how the trail and its extensions are good for business and help stimulate local economies. The trails bring biking groups from long distances to participate in biking events on the trails – some events being fundraisers, others just for the pleasure of groups of people biking or walking. In addition, many avid bikers do cross-country treks and use the trails on their way through central Minnesota.

The trail and its extensions involved a staggering number of officials from the railroad, city councils, township boards, county commissioners, park-department planners, county surveyors, state recreation experts, local service clubs, citizen fundraisers, state legislators, environmental services and more.