Walkers and joggers along the Shelby Road Trail in Poplar Bluff now have several places to stop and rest, something some users of the trail said was badly needed.
Spaced along the trail now are nine concrete benches, and a 10th will be installed soon.
Four of the benches, Parks and Recreation Department Director Lanny Corcimiglia said, are located along the trail between North Westwood Boulevard and Highway PP, while a fifth will be placed at the northeast corner of the intersection of Shelby and Highway PP.
“We’re going to lay a large piece of concrete and that will be our main trailhead,” said Corcimiglia.
“There will be a big map showing trails into town, to McLane Park, down to Highway 53 and down PP to the Wolf Creek trailhead,” he added.
The remaining five benches are located along the trail between Highway PP and Highway 53, Corcimiglia said.
Each bench, Corcimiglia noted, is 6 feet long and weighs about 500 pounds. Each also sits on a 4X8-foot concrete pad.
The benches, Corcimiglia said, were installed by park department crews over the last month.
The benches were purchased through a substantial donation from Poplar Bluff’s Gregory family.
“We thought it would be a good idea to put some benches out there. It’s something we needed,” said L.W. Gregory, who coordinated the donation.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people that would like to walk out there, but they all said the same thing … ‘I can’t walk that far and there’s no place to sit down,’” Gregory said.
The problem, Gregory noted, is particularly troublesome for older walkers.
The benches already have seen considerable use, Corcimiglia said.
“This was a no-brainer,” he added. “We haven’t had anything but compliments on them.”
Corcimiglia feels the new benches “turned out well. They’re all engraved and say ‘donated by Gregory Family 2021.’”
Park department staff plan to paint the engraved lettering on the benches to make it stand out.
Gregory also is happy with the benches.
“They look nice, and I think they’re going to be sturdy and last a long time,” he said.
“I’ve had four or five different people come thank me for them and say they really liked them and appreciate them being out there,” Gregory added.
In the short term, Corcimiglia said, the park department will keep the number of benches where it is, “but the option is open if somebody wants to do something else.
“We take donations whenever anybody wants to give and if it fits into what we’re trying to do.”