A new riverwalk project is set to begin later this month in North Jefferson City, though at least one community member has voiced strong objections to the plan.
The plan to develop a riverwalk on the north side of the Missouri River, from the end of the pedestrian bridge through the Noren Access and to Turkey Creek, was put forward by Alan Mudd through a Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce initiative called the Big Idea Sharing network.
The plan involves 356 feet of a 10-foot concrete trail in the first phase, with a future phase planned to extend the trail to Turkey Creek. The planned trail will improve an already-existing natural trail Mudd has said can be difficult to walk on in inclement weather.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost $30,000, and Mudd said Friday that enough donations have been collected to start the project in the next week or two, depending on the weather. Once the project starts, he said, he hopes to see more donations come in.
The donations go directly to the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Foundation, and Mudd did not have the exact amount of donations collected so far.
He said, so far, the community has been largely supportive of the project. However, Joe Wilson disagrees.
Wilson, who is known to many for his work on the north side of the Missouri River, said putting in a concrete pathway will disturb the natural beauty of the environment, which is why people are drawn to the area.
"Concrete? This is nature," Wilson said. "This is nature, and this is the way people want it."
Wilson said he believes people are against the new trail, adding many come to the existing nature trail to get away from concrete and be immersed in the natural surrounding.
"It works great the way it is," Wilson said. "Nobody ever took a survey or talked to the people."
Wilson said he also has concerns about trees that may be removed to make way for the path and what that may do to the "buffer zone" the area provides when the river rises out of its banks and floods the nearby areas.
When asked about Wilson's objections to the project, Mudd said he greatly respects Wilson and all he has done for the river, but he believes, once the project is underway, people will see "what a wonderful opportunity it is" to experience the serenity of being near the river.
"The river is one of our major assets that we have not developed enough," Mudd said.