Fundraising continues to help pay for the improvements
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The River Bend Trail is being extended to follow the former, and now abandoned, railroad line that generally follows the shoreline of the Wisconsin River from West Main Street, around Lincoln Wood Products property up to West and Chippewa Streets, so it is being dubbed the Lincoln Wood Products section of the trail. “The route is both scenic and historic in that the railroad serviced business for years,” said Jim Wedemeyer, one of the Friends of the River Bend Trail. “The route overlooks the river, where, for years, lumber was managed to provide raw materials for the woodworking factories.”
Recently, the trail was paved to make it more accessible for walking, biking, and all-around enjoyment of the trail. Paving the trail is just one step in the completion of this section of trail. Lighting along the entire trail and fencing are the next steps to be completed, and the Friends of the River Bend Trail are raising funds to make that happen.
“We are trying to raise money right now for the lights,” said Greg Hartwig, another Friend of the River Bend Trail. “We need to raise between $80,000 to $90,000 for the lights.”
“We are grateful that $20,000 was already donated, and it allowed us to install the bases for the lights and get the conduit connected,” he said. “Without those donations, we would have had to do that later and at a higher cost.”
The current fundraiser to complete the Lincoln Wood Products section of the trail is inviting donors to become a sponsor at various levels. The sponsorships are named with logging terms in recognition of the huge contribution the logging and wood industries have made, and continue to make, to the Merrill community. Sponsorship levels include: Feller $100, Water Slinger $250, Birler $500, Lumberjack $1,000, and Timber Baron $2,500. Donations can be sent c/o Merrill Chamber of Commerce, 705 N. Center Ave., Merrill WI 54452 or via PayPal to: [email protected]. You can add a note of up to five words that will be displayed on the donation board at the Main Street entrance when making your donation if you wish.
“We will be erecting a sign at the entrance to the Lincoln Wood Products portion of the trail listing the donors and levels of giving based on logging terms,” Hartwig said.
The Lincoln Wood Products expansion is a major step towards creating a permanent route from Culvers to the Merrill Area Recreation Complex (MARC), Wedemeyer said. “The new route will enhance the recreational use of the entire trail. We will be in a position to divide up the trail into several segments promoting several winter activities such as hiking, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. The route itself may provide the finest viewing along the entire trail.”
The new paved route will be more pedestrian friendly than the Cottage Street temporary route, he added.
“The River District Development Foundation (RDDF) of Merrill would like to thank Rick Bliese and the Lincoln Window Products, Inc. Board of Directors for their generous gift to the Merrill Community,” Wedemeyer added. That gift specifically was to grant the City an easement allowing the River Bend Trail to cross their property so that the trail could continue along the river and through the area toward the MARC. That easement makes this expansion possible.