New Iowa City park gets money for trail

The city has received a state grant that will help it finish a trail system in the city's newest park.

The Iowa Department of Transportation State Recreational Trails Program has awarded a $281,000 grant for a trail in the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, the city announced last week.

The 188-acre park is named after the city's late parks and recreation director. It is located at 4213 SE Sand Rd. on the south side of Iowa City.

The grant will help fund the final phase of construction for a 1.9-mile trail system along the Iowa River. It will connect the recreation area with Napoleon Park and the Iowa River Corridor Trail.

The project will cost an estimated $375,000, which includes a local match of $94,000.

Other plans for the park include the construction of park shelters, a main lodge, restrooms, and parking areas, as well as two beach areas, fishing piers and a small marina.

The city also plans extensive landscaping to help return the area to a sustainable ecology, including dune and sand prairie plantings, and restoration of the area's native wetlands with aquatic and riparian plantings, according to a news release.