Homers -- What's going right

FACILITATING FITNESS: Kudos to Hiawatha Elementary School and its parent-teacher organization for collaborating to build a fitness trail around the school that includes five activity stations and a climbing wall. Students can use it at recess and it's also near Guthridge Park trails, encouraging adults to make use of the school facility. Donations and a grant raised $24,000 to cover the project, a good step toward fighting the obesity epidemic.

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DECORAH GEM: The new 11-mile Trout Run Trail around Decorah was recently completed. A variety of scenic views along the trail includes the famed eagles nest that millions of people around the world have watched via Internet video. The $8 million public-private project aims to provide health, recreation and tourism benefits.

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UNIQUE REST STOP: The Grant Wood-themed, rebuilt rest stop on Interstate 380 just south of Cedar Rapids added finishing touches - art installations - in late August. If it helps increase tourism in this, the famed Iowa artist's home territory, it might also tame critics' complaints regarding the project's cost of about $2.23 million, which is still less than the price of building an entirely new facility.

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