Andover invests in its Redbud trail as it looks to become a certified trail town
Andover continues to invest in its Redbud Trail as it looks towards becoming a certified trail town.
Andover, Augusta and the Andover Augusta Rail Trail Initiative were awarded a $25,000 grant from the Sunflower Foundation and are using it to continue improving and developing its 6-mile long Redbud trail — a part of the larger trail that runs from Wichita.
“(The grant is) to do a couple of things,” Jolene Graham, Andover’s assistant city administrator, told The Eagle. “One is to do some real improvements to the trail itself, looking at things like . . . better signage and some lighting, so that’ll be a noticeable difference for people.”
The other portion of the grant is to fund an event with the other grant recipients, Graham said.
“Our goal is to kind of be that example for the rest of the communities . . . and to invite them to come and see communities that have some established . . . services (on the trails),” she said.
For example, the Redbud trail has restrooms and rest stops along the trail, as well as bike servicing areas. It also has Point Nine Trailside Eatery, which is a restaurant tailored to service those on the trail.
“The Redbud Trail already draws hundreds of users a month, you know, not just our own residents, but cyclists from the Wichita area that regularly ride this trail, and I think, too . . . it’s about putting Andover on the map as a trail destination,” Graham said.
The Sunflower Foundation is a healthcare foundation with “the mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans,” a news release from Andover reads.
The grant was part of the Sunflower Foundation’s Paving the Way – From Blazing Trails to Building Community initiative, which is specifically for expanding and strengthening trail connectivity between communities, the press release said.
There are three tiers of grants depending on how advanced and developed the trails are. Andover applied for the top tier one due to Redbud trail’s advancement, which led them to winning the $25,000 grant. This will help them become a certified trail town, Graham said.
“We really were looking at being able to be labeled and to be certified as a trail town because we have an established trail that we’ve really worked hard to develop and to promote,” she said. “That is really kind of the cool thing about the trail town program is this intersection between recreation and economic development, and how that ties to the trail.”
On its way to becoming a trail town
When cities receive these grants, they are offered the opportunity to join a learning series geared toward their trail’s development. Once Andover completes this learning series, they will officially be a certified trail town.
This is Trail Town program is new to the state of Kansas, with this being the first opportunity for Kansas towns to participate.
“The Trail Town model is a strategy that embraces trails as community development resources and economic drivers,” Megan Schapaugh, Andover’s public information officer, told The Eagle.
Graham said Andover is figuring it out as they go.
“We are required to attend classes, and we’ll be doing this with the other communities who are the grant recipients, and it’s kind of like this, a cohort model of learning, where everyone is working towards the certification together,” she said.
Overall, Graham said that she does not see the growth of Redbud stopping.
“One of the most exciting developments is the idea that a private entity (Point Nine Eatery) wanted to come in and really be a part of the trail in a way that was catering specifically to bring in people to come and eat at the restaurant and to stay in Andover and spend money in Andover,” Graham said. “I really do see more of that type of development coming down the line.”
Andover’s portion of the Redbud Trail begins at 159th Street East, which is about 1 mile west of Andover, and ends 4 miles east of Andover at Highway 54. The full trail is just short of 16 miles.
