There's a master plan in place for developing the Luverne Loop trail, and it's online and available in print for public perusal.
"This plan helps us identify what needs to be done and prioritize how we do it," said Holly Sammons, Luverne Economic Development Authority director.
Sammons credits local bicycling enthusiast Preston Vermeer for his vision of a path that would loop around and through Luverne.
But Sammons has used her professional connections and key resources to connect Vermeer's vision with the expertise and funds to make it happen.
"This isn't just a jaunt around Luverne," Sammons told Luverne City Council members Nov. 17 when she presented her 142-page plan.
"This will help us set ourselves up for success 30 years down the road."
The 7.1-mile, asphalt Luverne Loop trail for non-motorized uses will incorporate the 6-mile Blue Mounds Trail for 13 miles of continuous path that will make Luverne a biking destination.
“Thirteen miles is apparently the magic number for biking,” Sammons said.
The Loop, estimated to cost $2 million once complete, will be developed in four phases over a five-year time period.
Phase 1 is 1.5 miles that is scheduled to start next year. It includes Veterans Memorial Pond west across Highway 75 through Tonto Park to the top of the existing berm west of the city. The trail then will turn south along the west side of the school ball fields to Dodge Street.
Phase 2 is a 1.6-mile segment that will run south of Dodge Street to Hatting then turn east past the ice arena to Highway 75.
Phase 3 will cross Highway 75, travel north along the highway and then turn east at Hatting and north on Freeman. It will then head east to the Rock River, then north to the planned trailhead at Redbird Field.
Phase 4 will extend north from the Redbird Field trailhead across Main St., with crossing improvements. It will then join the existing Blue Mound Trail.
In order to be a “trail of regional significance,” it must be 10 feet wide, Sammons said, so the plan calls for eventually widening existing sidewalks and the city portion of the Blue Mound Trail.
The exact course of the completed Loop will be determined in later phases, but Sammons said a preferred route would bring the southeast part of the trail through conservation ground owned by Warren Baker.
It would bring bikers and hikers through pristine wooded areas of the Rock River. "Our goal is to get people to the Rock River," Sammons said.
"This route has a phenomenal view, and it's peaceful and quiet. … Some people who have lived in Luverne all their life have probably never been to this spot. It's a hidden gem."
She said the land is enrolled in Reinvest in Minnesota, a conservation program that may prohibit easements for the trail.
The Loop master plan includes basic information about the trail and its proposed routes, but it also includes ideas for improving blighted areas and developing potential trailheads along the route.
For example, shelter structures, benches, playground equipment, garbage receptacles and other details are sketched out in the master plan, which also shows how planting more trees and parking areas could improve public access and enjoyment of the trail.
Also specific ideas for the Redbird Field trail head and parking and fishing piers at the Creamery Pond are included in the plan.
Although a good share of the plan includes indefinite proposals and ideas, Sammons said the document will be a useful tool going forward.
"We finally have it all in one place so people can know what we're doing and why," she said.
She added that the plan has been in the works for nearly two years and that many local professionals and citizens have been involved in developing it. They are listed in the acknowledgement pages at the start of the document.
Mayor Pat Baustian commended Sammons on her efforts. "This is a wonderful plan and you've put an immense amount of work into it," he said. "Kudos to you and to the committee."
Sammons said the fact Luverne's Loop now has an approved master plan (which identifies key characteristics and community advantages) makes it more eligible for state and federal grant funding.