One can at a time

Five cents may seem like a drop in the bucket when staring down a multi-million dollar project, but members of the Hartley Recreational Trail Committee are unfazed.

The group has been collecting cans and bottles from its downtown Hartley drop-off location since last June. It was previously operated by Keith and Jackie Stoltz, who processed more than $30,000 worth of can donations for Hartley's new pool over a four-year span.

"It's been going well so far with strong community support," said rec trail committee member Dave Vander Broek. "People are used to having it there and are more than willing to donate."

So far, Vander Broek said the rec trail committee has processed $3,800 worth of can and bottle donations. The group last took a load to the redemption center in Cherokee in October, so members will have their work cut out for them when the weather warms.

The group ran into a bit of a roadblock – a lack of wheels. The trailer members had been using to transport their haul to Cherokee was temporarily taken out of commission, Vander Broek explained, which caused logistical issues.

"That's a situation that we thought we could work around, but the problem with trailers is that the people who have them usually have them full or are using them for something," he said.

While the trailer situation sits in limbo, the group is still collecting cans and bottles. Trail rec committee member Justin McCarty has been housing the donations in an unused hog confinement building on his acreage. Vander Broek said two bays have been taken over by the group's horde.

"When we sort them, all the members have been there, which helps," he said. "We're hoping to clear out some of the backlog."

The cans and bottles are sorted by size. The redemption center also takes glass containers in addition to plastic and aluminum.

"It's been a good little moneymaker for us," Vander Broek said.

• Trail development moving slow, but steady

If built, the 14-foot wide trail would encompass Hartley starting at Neebel Park for total distance of approximately four miles. It would be paved with cement and ideally have a gravel shoulder, which is a better surface for joggers. The cost per mile of trail is estimated at $400,000.

Vander Broek said funding and land acquisition will be the biggest hurdles if the trail is to become a reality. Only a short stretch of the planned route from Neebel Park to Vine Avenue lies in city-owned property, so all other easements will have to come from private landowners.

"We've been working on it, but so far we haven't gotten any easements," said Vander Broek. "It's not an easy process."

As far as notable funding, the group received an Empower Rural Iowa Grant Program worth $20,000, which will be used to purchase and install a system using Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRBF) to cross Highway 18. Plans call for the RRBFs to be located by the school so students have a safer location to cross the highway in addition to trail users.

The trail rec committee is hoping a little luck gets thrown into the funding mix as well.

The group was selected to present their project to the United Way on Tuesday in Spencer, as the organization is looking for community projects to assist. Vander Broek was unsure when the committee would learn whether it was picked to receive funding.

"We'll see how that goes," he said. "That would be a nice chunk of change to have."