‘Train has left station; here we go!’

State takes ownership of Rock Island Corridor, adds trail to state parks system

DNR Director Dru Buntin shakes hands with Mark Birk, senior vice president for customer and power operations at Ameren, after signing the land donation agreement. DNR and Missouri State Parks now own the Rock Island Corridor.
DNR Director Dru Buntin shakes hands with Mark Birk, senior vice president for customer and power operations at Ameren, after signing the land donation agreement. DNR and Missouri State Parks now own the Rock Island Corridor.


From rail towns to trail towns, 20 communities across Missouri will begin to see historic state investments in an effort to create the Rock Island Trail.

The Rock Island Corridor is a 144.3-mile section of land, stretching from Windsor to Beaufort, that was formerly used for railroad transportation.

On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Parson joined leadership and staff from the Department of Natural Resources to announce Ameren Missouri was transferring ownership of the land to DNR and Missouri State Parks, which will then use it to develop a bike and recreation trail.

A crowd of about 100 gathered at Rock Island Park in Eldon to celebrate the announcement.

Parson said he's prepared to commit millions of dollars in state resources to help get the trail developed, noting it would be an investment for generations.

"This is why the Rock Island Trail is going to be so important," Parson said. "Because there is going to be kids going down there, there's going to be families going down that trail that none of us will ever know. But we'll be part of making Missouri a better place for a lot of people."

Ameren, which owns Missouri Central Railroad Company, donated the land after it entered into an agreement, known as an Interim Trail Use Agreement, with the state in 2019.

However, the state's interest in the land dates further back.

Since 2015, DNR has had access to the corridor to review its conditions and estimate the cost of developing a trail.

A few years later, the Legislature then created an endowment fund to support the development of the trail, which Parson signed off on.

In December 2019, DNR signed the Interim Trail Use Agreement, which gave the department two years to raise funds for trail development before accepting ownership.

Mark Birk, senior vice president for customer and power operations at Ameren, said cleanup on the trail was complete and that meant a transfer of ownership was in order.

"We believe it's in really good shape," he said. "I know it's got a ways to go, but we believe we're really turning over something really cool to the community."

Birk said Missouri Central Railroad Company has been removing plant growth and steel rails in preparation of the expected trail.

Ameren works with the state on a lot of projects, he said, and the development of a 143-mile trail goes along with the company's mission of serving Missouri communities.

DNR already owns and operates Rock Island Spur, a 47-mile trail along the larger Katy Trail, which is located on the Rock Island Corridor.

Missouri State Parks Director David Kelly said he's excited to add the entire Rock Island Corridor to the state parks system.

Kelly said the new trail will significantly expand Rock Island Spur, offering visitors more recreation options in Missouri.

As the second trail to come from a railroad system, Kelly said the Rock Island Trail will also serve as a southern complement to the Katy Trail, the longest developed rail trail in the United States.

"Last year, we saw record attendance on the Katy as people discovered it and came from all over the world to experience this great rail trail system, and we're really excited to add to it with the Rock Island Corridor," Kelly said.

More than 500,000 people visited the Katy Trail last year.

Under state ownership, DNR will be responsible for developing and maintaining the Rock Island Corridor. Development alone is expected to cost $100 million.

To raise the funds, DNR Director Dru Buntin said the department will be relying on state, private and corporate investments.

Maggie Kost, acting director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, announced Tuesday the department was contributing $2.7 million to the trail development with grant funding it received from the federal Economic Development Administration.

Kost said the state's current abundance of resources should be used to make investments that improve life in Missouri. Creating a new trail, she said, should help do just that.

Specifically, Kost said the DED's investment in the trail supports Missouri's tourism industry, local economic development throughout the communities the trail will run through and the state's natural resources.

Additionally, the Missouri State Parks Foundation has raised nearly $1 million in funds for the trail development so far and will be working to secure more funding as the project progresses.

John Riddick, president of the Missouri State Parks Foundation, said it's been a long process so far, but state ownership is an exciting new starting point.

"Even though now we really can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and we've got a lot of bridges to cross, it feels to me like the train has left the station," Riddick said. "Here we go!"

In addition to the $3.7 million on hand, Buntin said he's confident DNR has additional funding sources available to make the trail a reality.

Parson pledged his support in using state revenue to make the trail happen, in large part because it would strengthen Missouri's tourism industry, which brought 36.3 million people to the state last year.

"If we have to invest millions of dollars in this project on the state level, I believe, with the help of the Legislature, we're going to make that investment," Parson said.

Parson said he's working on a plan for how much the state will pay to develop the trail, which might involve using federal COVID-19 relief dollars in addition to community and corporate donations.

The governor said he expects the project would be completed in three phases, so he would likely approach the Legislature about funding at each phase.

"Local communities have to buy into it," he said. "And I think we can use federal resources, state resources, local counties and cities, and just the private sector to be able to do things like this. It makes for a heck of a lot better product."

Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, sponsored the 2019 legislation to establish the endowment fund for the trail.

Bernskoetter said he'd like to wrangle some funds to add to the trail endowment, but he doesn't see a need for any additional legislation at the moment.

"Hopefully, like the governor mentioned, with the Legislature and his input we're on the right path to getting this going," he said.

Bernskoetter said the trail development will take a long time, but he's impressed with the progress during the last two years.

State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, said the Rock Island Trail won't affect his district too much, but he supports the development in neighboring districts.

Griffith said he doesn't have plans to create legislation that would impact the trail, but he would support the other state representatives with what they need to help develop the trail in their districts.

State Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, said he remembers the Rock Island railroad line and saw the economic impact it had on the area.

"That was unfortunately lost," Veit said.

The proposed trail would act as a kind of replacement, he said, restoring some of the economic activity in the communities it runs through.

"It is a balancing act to try to bring back some of the economic benefits to the community and to the state," Veit said.

He said he supports the trail but would listen to all parties that want to express support or opposition to its development.

The trail proposal has left some farmers unenthusiastic about their land sitting next to a state park and the potential it poses for trespassing.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins said the organization opposes the state's decision to move forward with the trail.

"It remains to be seen whether terms of the agreement between the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Ameren calling for $9.8 million in public, private and corporate funding to cover initial development costs will be met," Hawkins said in a news release. "We remain opposed to the use of taxpayer funds for trail conversion. We will work to ensure landowners' fencing needs and property rights are addressed in accordance with state law."

Parson said the state and its farmers have learned from past trail developments, and the economic and community impacts of a trail have far-reaching benefits that outweigh the concerns of a few.

"I think we can co-exist doing both," he said. "Giving a little bit and taking a little bit."

Parson said he supports the trail wholeheartedly because he expects it to bolster economic activity and tourism in the state, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trail is expected to take years to develop as it will be completed in phases, Buntin said.

To start, DNR will begin hosting community meetings in locations along the trail in January to gather public input.

The first community meeting will be Jan. 18 at the Morgan County Library in Versailles.

  photo  Gov. Mike Parson addressed roughly 100 people at the Rock Island announcement Tuesday in Eldon.
 
 
  photo  Gov. Mike Parson sits between DNR Director Dru Buntin and Mark Birk, senior vice president for customer and power operations at Ameren, as they sign over ownership of the Rock Island Corridor. DNR and Ameren have had an agreement over the land since 2019.