Phase 3 of TREC Trail Project Underway

Effingham County TREC Board members heard that Phase 3 of the TREC trail network is under construction.

TREC Board President Frank Brummer said the new phase involves a gradual grade alongside a cliff as well as a bridge financed by a contribution from the Schultz family in memory of their parents, John and Fran Schultz.

Phase 3 will run from Nazarene Church Road to Hilltop Estates and from the current trail to the Lake Sara area.  The project is valued at $1.5 million and TREC Board member Brad Beesley said the money to pay for the phase is already in-house through a $1.2 million grant and $300,000 in private donations including $50,000 contributed by TREC Board members.

Meanwhile, design work has begun on Phase 4 of the trail network.  The phase would run from the end of Calico Trail to Fayette Avenue, running along the remnants of Calico Road and under Outer Belt West to link up with the trailhead.

There's even a Phase 5 in Brummer's vision, telling Board members Thursday that he has five different projects in mind and anyone of those could end up being Phase 5.

Brummer was re-elected TREC Board President and the other three officers also won another term, including Vice-President Bill Austin, Secretary Dan Woods and Treasurer Ken Vogt.  That followed Brummer and Vogt's re-election to the Board.  Joining the TREC Board are Gary Welton, recently retired from IDOT who has helped with the trail network, City Tourism Director Jodi Jackson who replaces former Tourism Director Kim Jansen who asked not to be re-appointed, and Glenn Pankonen, who replaces Frank Kabbes who asked not to be re-appointed but is still actively working for TREC.

Brummer noted a $300,000 contribution to TREC from the three daughters of the late Joe and Suzette Brumleve through their foundation.  The Board also established an account for donated funds at Midland States Bank to join Crossroads Bank as depositories, and set up an account at Raymond James Securities for donations to cover trail maintenance costs.

Also, Jann Rhodes has agreed to head up the return of TREC tricycle races as part of the Effingham Artisan Fair in May, and County Coroner Duane Guffey said he and other emergency services people want to work with TREC on a trail marking system that would make it easier to locate those who might be in distress along the trail network.