The Poplar Bluff Trails Coalition and Poplar Bluff Kiwanis Club are teaming up to make big improvements at Bacon Memorial Park over the summer.
Work is expected to begin in early June and will be done in two phases, said PBTC volunteer project manager Jon Breithaupt.
Phase 1 will include the installation of a footbridge, wooden steps and landscaping around the Apple Street access point to the park.
“The trail to Bacon Park from Apple Street was overgrown and eroding. Also, there is a wet area that people were having to traverse through. The footbridge eliminates walking through the dampness. The new steps make it much easier to walk into the park and aesthetically just looks better,” said PBTC President Brock Littles.
Phase 2 will entail the construction of a half-mile trail, which will connect the park’s existing paved walking trail and spur to the Poplar Bluff Middle School.
The trail, PBTC’s first new trail construction project, Breithaupt said, will not be paved, but will be open for hiking, trail running and mountain biking.
“The new multi-use trail will provide several different loop options and will traverse a steep hillside with mature oak trees and a lush understory on the park’s west side,” Breithaupt said.
The trail also will connect with others in the city.
“Eventually, you’ll be able to hike, run or bike from the park to Poplar Bluff Middle School and all the way out to the Wolf Creek Trail System, as the Wolf Creek Connector Trail is developed,” Breithaupt said.
PBTC hopes to hold volunteer work sessions weekly to build the trail.
“Our plan is to host volunteer work nights every Tuesday night in June outside of June 15,” he said. “The events will be called Trail Building Tuesdays, and we will meet at the Harper Street parking lot.”
The work, Breithaupt said, is expected to take four to six weeks, depending on the number of volunteers, weather conditions and other factors.
“The work will be done using primarily hand tools, such as McLeods, Pulaskis, shovels and loppers. It is physically challenging work, but folks are encouraged to come join us if they’re up for it,” Breithaupt said.
Continued improvements at the park, according to Kiwanis Club member and PBTC board member Kenny Rowland, “make Bacon Park an enjoyable experience for all citizens and stretch back decades. We believe these improvements will contribute to the positive impact the park contributes to the region by allowing easier access and improved features for our daily visitors.”
Littles added, “I think it’s great that the Kiwanis Club has partnered with the Poplar Bluff Trails Coalition allowing us to implement the new trail in Bacon Park. The trail will be perfect for someone to utilize over their lunch break or to introduce children to hiking. It will be a nice little escape right here in the middle of Poplar Bluff.”