Missouri Bicycle News

The Taum Sauk Settlement was approved by the judge yesterday.

The settlement still includes the the trail agreement for the use of the Rock Island RR corridor to connect the Katy Trail to Pleasant Hill, on the edge of the KC metro area, and the $18 million needed to build the trail as a "rails-with-trails" project.

Your emails, letters, and phone calls during the public comment period (over 1800 in a space of 10 days) certainly played a part in ensuring that the Katy Trail portion remained part of the agreement.

The next hurdles:

• The $18 million will be part of DNR's budget, and that budget will need to be approved by the Missouri legislature.
  
  We are already moving to let legislators know of the tremendous public supoprt for the Katy Trail connection.
  
  
• Can DNR complete the Katy Connection within the 3 year time frame and $18 million budget that they have set for themselves?

DNR says it can and we are working to make sure communication happens between the DNR, cities, counties, agencies, and interested organizations to help DNR get it done.

-->MoBikeFed's analysis of the issues with the Katy Trail connection and the Taum Sauk Settlement.

The AP article about the settlement says:

A judge yesterday approved a $180 million settlement from Ameren Corp. to the state of Missouri about the collapse of a reservoir at a hydroelectric plant that injured a family of five and devastated a popular state park.

The settlement was reached in November, but Circuit Judge William Seay signed off on it in a Centerville courtroom to the relief of rural residents who count on Ameren’s tax dollars. . . .

Gov. Matt Blunt said he was satisfied with the ruling in part because it provided money to state parks, including the extension of a popular hiking and biking trail along an Ameren railroad easement.

"The expansion of the Katy Trail in particular shows that something positive can come from tragedy," Blunt said in a statement.

Related:

News: What the Katy Trail Connection to Kansas City would look like

News: Katy Trail Connection--where will it go?

permanent link to article: "Taum Sauk/Katy Trail Connection settlement approved by judge"
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/10/2008 04:05:00 PM |comment on this article