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Board approves shared-access easement with private landowner along Heart of Iowa Nature Trail
Summary
The board approved Resolution 25-80 to enter a shared-access drive easement with Phyllis Jean Maxwell as trustee to formalize a private access lane along the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail, a step staff said will remove existing informal, lengthwise trail crossings by the landowner and reopen cleared legacy accesses.
The Story County Board of Supervisors approved Resolution 25-80 on May 20, 2025, authorizing a shared access drive easement with Phyllis Jean Maxwell as trustee for property in Section 29, Township 82 Range 22 West that intersects the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail.
Staff told the board the landowner had been using the trail for lengthwise access to farm fields for years. As the county improves and paves portions of the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail, staff said the shared easement will formalize an access lane along the common lot line between the county and the private parcel so the landowner will use the dedicated access lane rather than traversing the trail.
Staff said the conservation office and project manager coordinating trail paving had reviewed the proposal and that the easement would alleviate current informal access across the trail; the board had no public comment and voted to approve the resolution.
Supervisors asked whether other similar situations exist along the trail; staff and the project coordinator said a few locations already have formal crossings or reinforced crossing points but this appears to be one of the last instances where a landowner uses the trail lengthwise to reach fields. The county will proceed with clearing or reopening older access lanes as part of the trail improvements.
