Dallas County Conservation is in the midst of raising funds for the connector trail from Perry to Woodward, and they continue to receive donations from unexpected sources.
Earlier this year, they received a $350 donation from 10-year-old Tate Boyd of Urbandale, who devoted his birthday to the project. That donation inspired many others like it, and now the Hotel Pattee in Perry is encouraging people to keep up the momentum with a special promotion. From now and into the foreseeable future, the hotel is offering a free night’s stay to anyone who donates $350 of their own to the “Let’s Connect” project. If that weren’t enough, the promotion is further sweetened with a free registration to the 2019 BRR Ride.
Conservation Outreach Coordinator Ken Keffer says it’s been great to see so much support recently for the project, as they seek to link the Raccoon River Valley Trail in Perry with the High Trestle Trail in Woodward. He adds, anyone interested in taking advantage of the Hotel Pattee promotion can do so through Conservation. “We’re going to process all the donations on our side, so you can stop by the Forest Park Museum complex (or) give us a call. You know, we’ve got some donation forms online. Just make a note that it’s for the ‘Let’s Connect’ project, and yeah, we’ll pass them along to the hotel and they can take care of those details. But start with us at Conservation Board.”
The first mile-and-a-half of the nine-mile connector trail is now complete, starting in Perry. Phase two will begin next summer with a similar stretch of trail starting from Woodward. Keffer says the progress of construction will be dictated by funding, so he’s hopeful people will take advantage of the Hotel Pattee promotion to move things along. The project is currently almost 60% funded, with the total project costing $5 million.