Shawnee to relocate trail after it flooded and eroded during last summer’s rain
Shawnee wants to relocate and reopen one of its trails in order to prevent future damage after last summer’s rain created unsafe conditions.
The Stump Park Trail connects neighborhoods near Woodland Drive and 47th Street to the Gary Haller Trail. The trail currently sits near a 30-foot high stream bank, which flooded last July and eroded parts of the trail, Manager of Park Facilities Brett McCubbin told the City Council during Monday’s meeting.
As a result, the Parks and Recreation department closed portions of the trail to the public, and safety fencing remains in place, McCubbin said.
In an effort to reopen the trail to the public and make it safer to use, the City Council unanimously approved a contract with Mike Dusselier Concrete Company on Monday night to remove and relocate the trail further west away from the creek bank.
Shawnee plans to cover the $133,056 price tag for the removal and relocation. But, the parks and recreation department will need to approach the county for an easement to conduct work, McCubbin said.
“We are covering all the costs on this because it’s our trail,” he said. “The current trail is on an existing easement on their property (the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District) and we’re actually needing to move it further west, encroaching on their property.”
The city and county have worked together to stabilize the stream bank in the past — with most recent efforts occurring in 2020. However, “the stabilization efforts are failing,” the staff report stated.
“The proximity of the trail and the height of the bank is hazardous for all trail users.”
If the county approves the new easement, Shawnee will install a new, 10-foot wide concrete trail closer to the Okun Fieldhouse fence and build it on a 5% slope, following “best practices for trail grades to maintain access,” McCubbin said.
The Shawnee Parks and Recreation Department will approach the District during its next meeting, which will be in mid-April, he said.
Pending on the county’s approval, Shawnee hopes to have the trail work done by July 30.
