Two of our members have been appointed to the Parks Board by the City Council: Bill Baskerville and Rogers Williams. Congratulations to Bill and Rogers and thanks for volunteering to serve on this important board

Matt Gruene of Gruene Bikewurks reports that they are starting to lay out trails for a private off-road bicycling ranch near McQueeny. It is across FM 725 from the Acme Brick factory if you know where that is. The ranch will be a pay-per-ride facility with three levels of trails: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Henne Hardware is now offering Comal County Trails members a 10% discount on non-sale items. They are conveniently located in beautiful downtown New Braunfels.

Gruene Bikewurks has a new home. They have moved to 1965 Post Road, Suite 308. This is where Post Road cuts off from the Interstate right behind the Visitors Center. Stop by and check out their new digs!

Comal County Trails has just learned that TxDOT has awarded a $609,578 grant to the City of New Braunfels for the Gruene Road Hike and Bike Trail as part of the federal TEA21 transportation enhancement program. This 3.2-mile hike and bike trail will run from the Faust Street Bridge, through the Churchill area, along Post Road and Gruene Road to the Village of Gruene. It will connect downtown New Braunfels with New Braunfels Marketplace, the Churchill neighborhood, Goodwin Primary School and Canyon Middle School, Conservation Plaza, the Post Road neighborhoods, the Gruene Road neighborhoods, Cotton Crossing, and the businesses and residences in Gruene.

"It is a great day for the City of New Braunfels," David Stinchcomb, president of Comal County Trails, said. "This project will provide a much need facility for safe transportation and fitness for both residents and visitors. A trail like this provides basic mobility for children and seniors. It encourages exercise and helps fight the rising problems of childhood obesity and adult-onset diabetes. Since much of the trail will be off-road, it benefits drivers by providing a separation between traffic lanes and the pedestrians and bicyclists. It is a big win for everyone."

"This is a culmination of the efforts of a lot of folks in our group who have worked to secure a TxDOT enhancements grant over the last several years," Stinchcomb added. "In particular, we need to thank Rogers Williams, Sandy Wray, and David Volbrecht for their hard work putting the grant proposal together. Also, we owe a big thanks to Mayor Williams and the members of the City Council for their support, as well as Jeff Wentworth and Edmund Kuempel. The Herald-Zeitung helped publicize the need to write letters to the TxDOT commissioners and many residents and officials responded. I believe it was this level of public support that turned the decision in our favor. It demonstrates a real recognition of the importance of New Braunfels at the state level."

The project will begin with a detailed design process involving both the City and TxDOT. The design will integrate the hike and bike trail with the planned drainage and roadway improvements along Gruene Road, Post Road, and the Churchill area. Public input will be a key element of this activity. The timetable for implementation will depend on the outcome of this planning process.

For a complete list of the TEA21 projects that have received grants from TxDOT, see: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tdotnews/newsrel/001-02.htm
(The New Braunfels project is listed under the San Antonio district).

Information about the enhancements program can be found at: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/des/step/introduction.htm

The Comal County Trails web site is at: http://www.comaltrails.org

Source: Comal County Trails