Local News
Ground broken for first trail
After several years of preparation, advocates of a countywide trail system finally had a chance to celebrate Thursday.
Trail Recreation Effingham County board members joined Effingham city officials in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the first phase of the trail system.
The ceremony was held at the north end of the proposed Calico Road segment of the trail near the intersection of Evergreen Avenue and Outer Belt West. TREC board Chairman Frank Brummer said A.J. Walker has 25 calendar days from Thursday to start the project — and another 45 working days to complete the segment, which is about three-quarters of a mile long through a wooded area just west of Interstate 57/70. The current project also includes a leg from Calico Road to the Little Wabash River — a distance of about a half-mile.
Weather permitting, Brummer hopes to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony sometime around Thanksgiving.
“This is one of the final steps of a long process,” said Brummer, who credited Effingham city and county officials with making the project possible through financial and other types of support.
“This project would have never come to fruition without the support of city and county officials,” Brummer added. “Not-for-profit organizations cannot be successful without the help of governmental entities.”
The City of Effingham has contributed nearly $300,000 to the project, while Effingham County board members have agreed to let TREC use the county as a repository for grant funding.
The trail project also is being funded by a $410,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, as well as $100,000 from a state earmark, $40,000 from Effingham County and $10,000 from Douglas County.
Brummer said the project also is being funded by $120,000 from the TREC board and committees, $100,000 from the Robert Wolters Jr. Foundation, and $50,000 from the Midland States Bank.
Effingham Mayor John Lange said the trail system will enable residents and visitors to enhance their health by engaging in walking, jogging or cycling activities on the trail.
“It also enables people to see the beauty of the countryside,” Lange said.
Much of the Calico Road portion of the trail is heavily wooded and hilly.
“We hope people will take advantage of this nice project,” Lange added.
Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 132 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.
- Local News
-
-
A dream come true
The Early Learning Center in Effingham has two new additions to its playground this year, and it’s not shiny new slides or colorful jungle gyms.
-
T-town village donates to school programs
Teutopolis hasn’t had a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program for more than a decade, but the village still had a fund for donations that had been made to the program.
-
Alcohol sales stir up extra revenue
Since voters allowed liquor sales in Farina earlier this year, village officials and store owners have noticed a change — and it’s positive.
-
Police release 'person of interest' sketch in Schmitt murder investigation
Effingham police released a sketch Tuesday of a "person of interest" in the June murder of Effingham resident Jack Schmitt.
-
Elderly couple escapes burning house thanks to neighbor
An elderly Shumway couple was able to escape a house fire unharmed Sunday night thanks to a neighbor who alerted the fire department and came to the aid of the husband and wife.
-
Giving Back
In many ways, Autumn Worton is like many other 21-year-old women.
-
Making a Difference
Mack Myers of Kinmundy has lived with a hereditary neurological disorder his entire life, and he credits the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for helping him cope with the disorder that’s affected him since 1947.
-
Area unemployment inches higher
Unemployment rates increased in nearly every area county last month, according to monthly statistics released this week by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
-
Local historians want to preserve, relocate bowstring bridge
The old Flensburg bridge is a rare glimpse into days gone by, though the modern-day resident has to use some imagination to see the bridge’s historical significance.
-
Drug checkpoint questionable
Motorists traveling southbound on Interstate 57 near Kinmundy Tuesday morning drove through a drug interdiction checkpoint — the first-ever in Marion County — even though the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a dim view of similar efforts.
- More Local News Headlines
-





