Clayton Council Approves Maintenance Agreement

The Clayton Board of Aldermen approved a maintenance agreement Tuesday with the Metropolitan Sewer District for a new recreational trail at Shaw Park.

Aldermen Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Joanne Boulton, Michelle Harris, Cynthia Garnholz, Mark Winings, Alex Berger and Mayor Linda Goldstein all voted in favor of the agreement.

MSD requires a maintenance agreement for the project because it includes the installation of storm water management facilities, according to documentation provided at the meeting.

Clayton Director of Parks and Recreation Patty DeForrest called the trail a “multi-use trail,” as it will be used for walking, biking and running. Parts of the 1.8 mile long trail are an extension of an existing trail while the rest has yet to be constructed.

The trail, once completed, will take bikers and runners on a trip through the entire park, DeForrest said. The project was a reaction to public opinion, according to DeForrest.  

“We wanted to make it into a bigger path and take it to the north end of the park and we wanted more consistent surfacing,” DeForrest said. “In all of our community surveys for the past three years we’ve heard is that this is the No. 1 priority—better trails and amenities.” 

DeForrest also said she expected the trail “to improve the health and fitness of the community.”

The council first put together a proposal three years ago and started researching sources of grant funding. The budget for the new trail is roughly $450,000, said DeForrest.

Ellisville contractor Krupp Construction will build the new trail. Construction is st to begin Oct. 30 and the targeted completion date is April 2013.

DeForrest said the funding came from a Missouri Department of Natural Resources grant, private donations for the Clayton Century Foundation and the city’s capital budget.    

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new trail will be held on Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.at the South Shelter in Shaw Park.