604 views • posted 12/29/2017 • updated 10/02/2019
Polluted site to trailhead park!
With a $40,000 RTP grant as initiative, Flat Branch Park was transformed from a polluted site to a beautiful trailhead park for the 8.9 mile city/county MKT Trail. Amenities provided by in-house staff include bicycle racks, benches, tables and seating, gazebo, lighting, drinking fountain, sidewalks, landscaping, and historical plaques.
The old industrial site was razed, contaminated soil removed, topsoil added, creek debris removed, and streambed restored with native limestone, and native plantings. The park provides green space for downtown Columbia and serves as a gathering place for special family events, outdoor movies, lunch concerts, a community "circus," and the annual Mayor's Challenge: Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week.
The MKT Trailhead Committee, working with Public Works, and Parks and Recreation Departments, played an extraordinary role in fund raising of grants and private donations.
With access to the State managed 225-mile Katy Trail, Flat Branch Park serves the City of Columbia and Boone County, and has regional and State impacts, users being able to access local services.
2021: Vermilion Falls Trail
2021: Climax Tunnel Rehabilitation
2020: Blue Ridge Tunnel Rehabilitation & Trail Project
2020: Milan Trail Huggers Nash Stream Bridge
2019: Weed Patch Mountain Trail
2018: Ouachita National Recreation Trail Shelters - Arkansas and Oklahoma
2017: Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area - Pennsylvania
2016: Kanab Creek OHV Bridge - Utah
2015: Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point Trail Project - Colorado
2015: Joanna Trail Project - Missouri
2014: Abbott Motocross Park - Nebraska
2014: Millersburg Historic Park and Trailhead - Michigan
2013: East and West Twin Creek Bridges - Michigan
2012: Chattahoochee Nature Trails - Florida
2012: Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway - Nevada
2011: Iron Range OHV Recreation Area - Minnesota
2010: Agassiz Recreational Trail - Minnesota
2009: Sam Houston Multiple-Use Trail - Texas
2008: Wanoga Snopark Shelter - Oregon
2007: Potato Knob Trail at Holly River State Park - West Virginia
2006: Indian Canyon Trailhead - California
2006: Upper Waiakea ATV/Dirt Bike Park - Hawaii
2006: County Line Acres Bikeway - Ohio
2005: River Bluff Trail Project - Indiana
2005: Red Creek Bridge - Michigan
2004: Diana Bend Conservation Area Trail Project - Missouri
2004: Sweetser Switch Trail Project - Indiana
2003: Jane Addams Trail - Illinois
2003: Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Area - West Virginia
