Dear Editor:
On the evening of September 19 the Cole Camp City Council with a vote of 3 to 1 performed a vile disservice to the residents of Cole Camp and Benton County by voting to kill the Rock Island Trail Head project. They essentially destroyed the only viable economic development plan on the horizon for a town suffering economically because of the lack of any solid development plan. When Mayor Burdick was interviewed by the Courier before her election, she stated she did not know anything about “economic development” and by the action of the Council she certainly has demonstrated that fact.
The Council, out of gross ignorance and dereliction of duty, turned down a half million dollars from the MODOT grant that would have cost the city almost nothing for the construction of the trail head.
In turning down the grant they not only guaranteed they will not get another from MODOT, they also will become the laughing stock of other towns that have and are now accepting the trail for their communities.
The cost to the City would have been minimal as a local landowner and business person had offered to donate the land for the project. All the City would have had to do was build a ¼ mile portion of the trail using the existing roadbed. This would have entailed contributing some labor to clear the road bed and add gravel, which also could have been donated. There was also talk of an investor wanting to build facilities for overnight stays such as RV parking and hook ups. This would have attracted many who only want to ride a short portion of the trail and Cole Camp would have seen these people coming into town for meals, supplies, and general shopping. The Rock Island Trail Head would have made Cole Camp a more attractive destination for tourists and day trippers.
The turning down of the grant by Cole Camp and the removal from participating in what will become the largest bike trail in the U.S. when combined with the Katy Trail, sends a chilling message to would-be investors as it appears Cole Camp is not a town of the future but just another small town clinging to the past.
The Rock Island Trail, like the Katy Trail will be built but perhaps the name of Cole Camp should not appear on the map. Perhaps they could name the trail head Lonesome Prairie, or better yet the old name of NAY, which would be much more appropriate.
Sincerely,
Kenneth L. Bird
