Winsted Trail Master Plan
All of Winsted’s future trail possibilities are featured in the City of Winsted’s trail master plan, which is a comprehensive trail plan for 2007-2025.
A trail committee, made up of the Winsted Park Commission, Winsted Chamber representatives, City Administrator Brent Mareck, and Mark Kaltsas of MK Land, a landscape architect, have been working on the extensive plan since February of 2007.
The plan includes a program for short and long-term implementation of new trails, as well as maintaining and enhancing existing trails.
Formal approval for the plan has been given from the trail committee and the park commission. It now requires approval by the city council, which will conduct its own individual public hearing.
A major change awaiting city approval is making Kingsley Street into a one-way, then running the Luce Line Trail down Kingsley to the City of Winsted’s future lakefront promenade, using the trail.
The original idea to connect the Luce Line Trail to the lakefront promenade came with the Minnesota Design Team in 2004. The idea was to have the trail bring people into town and encourage people to see what Winsted has to offer.
Even before the Minnesota Design Team came to Winsted, people in the area were talking about Winsted’s trail system.
Discussions included landowners who were interested in swapping or selling land to extend trails to possibly connect the Luce Line gap in Winsted.
Many of the past suggestions are included in the master plan, with some new ones, as well.
MK Land was hired by the city to put the trail into a plan format that can be used to acquire additional funding, made easier with everything presented in a professional format.
The first goal of the trail committee is to get the plan in place for the community. Then, the committee will look at it at a regional level to see where it can be connected to gain the most benefit for local residents.
A huge benefit will be turning a two-mile trail into a 30-mile trail. That is when significant funding opportunities become available through the DNR and the State of Minnesota.
Funding for the trail master plan includes money from the Winsted Area Chamber of Commerce and several local businesses, as well as the City of Winsted.
A well-developed trail system in Winsted will provide a “connectedness” to all new developments, the city, even to the new Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted School campus.
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