Regional trail authority will ask county to join, consider loan or forgiveness to cover $180,000 shortfall
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Summary
The Kiwanis Regional Trail Authority approved talking points and a memo for a May 13 presentation to county commissioners that outline an estimated $180,000 project shortfall and three options the board will request: partial forgiveness, a loan with repayment terms, or county partnership. Members emphasized providing donor lists, timelines and DNR grant documentation in a single packet.
The Kiwanis Regional Trail Authority finalized a memo and talking points to present to the county board of commissioners on May 13 that explain a roughly $180,000 funding shortfall tied to engineering changes, post‑award construction modifications and unanticipated drainage and tree work.
The memo, reviewed at Tuesday’s meeting, lays out three requests the Authority plans to present to county commissioners: “Number 1, would the county consider partial forgiveness? Number 2, would they consider a loan repayment, you know, schedule? And then number 3… would the county join us?” said Unidentified Speaker 4, who drafted the memo and led the presentation of its talking points.
Why it matters: The Authority said it has already raised a significant private match (original fundraising aimed at roughly $370,000 in donations) but that post‑bid changes and pandemic‑era cost escalation left a gap that jeopardizes planned repairs and upgrades, including timber bridge rehabilitation, asphalt repairs, improved wayfinding and engineering for future connections.
Board members agreed to present a packet to commissioners that includes the donor list, a timeline of the project’s formation and grant applications, and documentation of interactions with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) so commissioners hear the full history before responding. Unidentified Speaker 2 stressed the Authority’s legal position in the meeting: the regional authority “is not on the hook for this money” and the packet should make the governance and liability situation clear to county officials.
Some members urged a partnership approach rather than an adversarial stance. “I don’t like the idea of throwing down a gauntlet or drawing a line in sand,” said Unidentified Speaker 3, urging that the Authority tell the whole story and invite the county to sit at the table as a partner.
The Authority also discussed previous examples of county‑involved regional trail projects to show how county participation has worked elsewhere. Unidentified Speaker 4 said the memo will include dollar figures and examples to give commissioners context for why the requests are being made.
Next steps: The board agreed to finalize the memo and supporting documents and to submit them for inclusion in the county packet at least a week ahead of the May 13 meeting. The Authority will ask commissioners for a public response after the presentation; no county decision was recorded at Tuesday’s meeting.
Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 373, topic finish SEG 956.
