Officials hope residents use area recreation trail

OACOMA — Lyman County is working to place trail markers on the new Roland Dolly Memorial Recreation Trail from Highway 16 to Cedar Shore Resort along the Missouri River.

The county has ordered a roughly $1,500 black marker with gold lettering and is applying for a free trail marker through the state Health Department’s Healthy South Dakota Program, County Auditor Pam Michalek said.

The program’s intent is to encourage residents to be more active by taking advantage of local trails, said Barb Buhler, state Health Department information officer.

The 1.25-mile trail along George Mickelson Shoreline Drive is virtually finished except for warning tracks required by the state Transportation Department, and it has been used by residents of Chamberlain and Oacoma, Michalek said.

“Before, people would walk along the highway on the side of the road,” she said, referring to Shoreline Drive.

Vice Chairman Leroy Choal, of Reliance, came up with the idea for the trail three to five years ago, Michalek said.

The county received a state DOT grant for about $209,000 for the $310,000 project, she said. County commissioners originally sought bids in July 2008, but they were too high, Michalek said.

Construction started last July and work finished either last fall or early spring. Construction on the Missouri River bridge at Chamberlain has limited access to the trail, but it still attracts users, Michalek said.

Oacoma had proposed a 0.7-mile trail project in town, with the hope of a future connection to the county’s trail on Shoreline Drive.

The town sought a $232,000 grant from the Recreational Trails Program administered by the state Game, Fish and Parks Department, Finance Officer Valerie Moore said.

The estimated $290,000 proposal involved a concrete trail from Holiday Inn Express to Al’s Oasis, she said.

“We have a lot of pedestrians and bicyclists who navigate that stretch of highway,” she said of Highway 16. “We wanted to improve safety conditions for those people and eliminate distractions for drivers.”

But town officials learned last week that Oacoma didn’t receive the grant, Moore said. She expected the town would not re-apply for funds for at least a year.

Meanwhile, Lyman County would like to dedicate its trail in September, Michalek said.

Tags: our towns, lyman county, roland dolly memorial recreation trail, trail markers, healthy south dakota program, pam michalek, shoreline drive, leroy choal, recreational trails program, valerie moore, news, oacoma, chamberlain