Fund-Raising Under Way for Bike Trail Expansion

The event was kicked off at Urbana Monument Square Dog Days on Friday, June 5, 2009

L-R Martin Shaffer, Dorothy & Dave Case, Nancy Lokai-Baldwin

Urbana schoolchildren are leading the way in a fundraising campaign to extend the Simon Kenton Trail north through Urbana, eventually on to West Liberty and Bellefontaine.

Students in Urbana’s elementary schools collected more than $2,500 in pennies for the Pennies for the Path drive. The money has been donated to the Simon Kenton Pathfinders to be used as part of local matching dollars for a Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant. The Pathfinders have submitted an application for the grant to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. A decision on the application is expected in October.

Following up on the students’ success, the Simon Kenton Pathfinders have launched the next phase of fund-raising, the Help Pave the Path …Every Dollar Counts campaign. The campaign began Friday, June 5 at Urbana’s downtown celebration and will be promoted through the summer at the Champaign County Farmers’ Market and other events.

The first phase of the trail expansion project will extend the trail 1.6 miles north from the Urbana Station Depot to the northern city corporation limits near Grimes Field airport.

For more information about the fund-raising campaign and trail extension project, call Nancy Lokai-Baldwin, president of the Simon Kenton Pathfinders, 605-2434.