Reply to Rock Island trail meetings

Rep. Tom Hurst, who represents a large portion of the area around the Rock Island Trail corridor in central Missouri, has announced three "Informational Meetings" about the upcoming Rock Island Trail.

The Rock Island combined with the Katy Trail will make a 457-mile cross-state tr
The Rock Island combined with the Katy Trail will make a 457-mile cross-state trail loop


It is very important that trail supporters attend these meetings, so that local elected officials and Missouri State Parks staff know who much strong local support there is for the trail


Meeting schedule:
•Owensville - Thurs Jan 21, 2016, 6:30PM
Owensville VFW Post 6133

•Freeburg - Thurs Feb 11, 2016, 6:30PM
Freeburg American Legion Post 317 Hall, Freeburg, MO

•Eldon - Thurs Feb 25, 2016, 6:30PM
Eldon Community Center, 309 E 2nd St, Eldon, MO 65026


Rep. Hurst announced the purpose of the meetings:


The meetings will be to discuss questions concerning the possible trail through the Rock Island corridor and implications and actions for adjoining landowners—fencing, crossings, hunting seasons, etc. Attendees will be Senator Kehoe, Bill Bryan and staff with DNR, me, and anyone else who would like to attend to either ask or answer questions. Afterwards, I will stay around for open questions on any subject.

We need to have plenty of trail supporters at these meetings so that local elected officials and Missouri State Parks staff know there is strong support for the trail. Please spread the word and plan to attend if you can.

Is anyone going to the Owensville meeting tonight?

I could not go tonight, but I hope to attend one of the meetings in February. I am anxious to hear reports from anyone who attended tonight, especially bicyclists. I'd like to know what the attitude of the crowd was, just so I can be prepared mentally. The last time I attended one of these, well, they did not seem to like people like me.

Very informative. Lots of questions and good answers. All in all it was conducted well.

Will there be meeting notes published anywhere?

I would be surprised if there are any meeting notes/minutes. These are pretty informal meetings without a lot of structure. They are more "town hall" type meetings for Rep. Hurst to hear from his constituents.

Here are some interesting press notes from the meeting: http://www.gasconadecountyrepublican.com/news/gasconade_county/article_8775b284-c51a-11e5-b0a3-83c86717d150.html

why do we have to pay for fencing since they should have already had fences since it was a RR track, didn't they want to keep their animals off the tracks?

Thanks for sharing that, Rocky. Very interesting. It sounds like the meeting wasn't as confrontational as I had expected. Good luck Rock Island Trail!

Is Hurst a cycling trail person or just a politician?

Rep Hurst is a farmer/small business guy from Meta, MO. He represents several counties that the trail will run through. He is also on the House Trade & Tourism committee.