The Paris City Council has approved an amended application to the Texas Department of Transportation’s statewide transportation enhancement program for funding of a 2.36-mile Trail de Paris addition in west Paris.
On Oct. 22, the council approved the initial application, but the project has changed twice since then, primarily because Kiamichi Railroad is in the process of being sold. The city wants to acquire land where crossing of the track is involved near the old depot at Bonham and 11th Street.
Shawn Napier
Shawn Napier, director of engineering, planning and development, said the project would provide a transportation corridor between Heritage Park, Justiss Elementary “Safe Routes to School” project, Leon Williams Park, Boys & Girls Club, Red River Valley Fairgrounds, and T.G. Givens School.
“This project is part of the overall master plan for the Trail de Paris,” Napier said.
The cost of the project has gone up by almost one third from when it was first proposed at $533,260 – to $696,207, Napier said.
The TxDOT grant requires a minimum city match of a minimum of 20 percent, but the more city involvement, the better its chances. Napier estimated the city’s involvement at $181,014, which would not be required until the 2013-2014 budget year.
The city also would be responsible for $90,000 for engineering costs, driving the total to $271,014.
The city’s responsibility would be offset by local grants in the amount of $43,000 – with more possibly to come – secured by Trail de Paris advocate Earl Erickson:
Also, Campbell Soup has made a request to its corporate office for a donation to the project, Napier said.
The plan “will provide improved access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians to join neighborhoods, schools, parks, fairgrounds, and the local boys and girls club,” Napier said.
By CHARLES RICHARDS
eParisExtra.com
Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
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