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The revised Jerry Ryan
Pavilion bid has been accepted and work will start 8/1. It is
scheduled to be completed in time to be dedicated 10/22, the
anniversary of Jerry's accident. |
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The pavilion in
Prentiss is nearing completion. |
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Bike Walk
Mississippi has proposed renting an office in the Gateway and
sharing an employee with the Trace. The PTLRRTT board has agreed and
BWM has started a search for an executive director.
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If you have
suggestions on the bike event to be held this Fall please
contact Butch Sims. |
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The Friends may ask
the USM Art department to create a mural on the storage units at
West Hills Drive. |
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MS Tank has been
sold to USM and the property will eventually be converted to
athletic fields, greatly improving the aesthetics of the Gateway.
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The Friends have
planted butterfly gardens at each station. Diane Lafferty, an expert
gardener with the Hattiesburg Audubon Society, planned the
gardens so they would be in bloom 11 months of the year. Volunteers
are needed to help maintain these gardens. |
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Volunteers are also
needed to man education check points on occasion. See the April 3rd
minutes for more details.
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The Friends are
also planning to plant native shrubs along the Trace to complement those
already there. Melinda Lyman, the curator of the Crosby Arboretum,
and Diane Lafferty an expert gardener with the Hattiesburg
Audubon Society, are advising. |
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Plans are for the
trail to extend downtown and be 3 lanes from the Gateway to
downtown. This would allow
busses
or trolleys to use the Trace on special occasions. The environmental studies
on the extension to downtown are nearing completion. The board has
budgeted the money to cover their part ($150,000) of the purchase
price when asked. No design contracts have been let. Completion of
this extension is thus still several years in the future
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Jeff Davis County is
thinking of building a paved trail from Jeff Davis Lake to the Trace
along a power line right of way, and is in the process of applying
for grants. Mayor Blount plans to be at a Friends meeting soon to explain the plans for this new
trail. |
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The Jeff Davis Lake
trail would be a great side trip and is one of the
"Loops of Interest" the Trace hopes to have in place one
day. Other loops could be to historical sites, businesses and farms
of interest, or tours of towns along the Trace. If you have a good
idea for a loop, let us know. |
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More items as things
develop. |
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