Editor’s note: Stanley R. Mitick, Morrison, IL, has been committed to the Morrison-Rockwood Recreational Trail since its inception. He prepared the following remarks for the Ribbon Cutting ceremony held on Thursday, June 19, 2014. Because of recent knee replacement surgery, however, he asked Glenn Ackeburg, also a member of Friends of the Parks Foundation, to read it.
Thank you all for being here for the today.
No one is more excited today than are the members of the Friends of the Parks Foundation, on the Grand Opening of the phase-one portion of the recreational trail to the park. It is beautiful, isn’t it? And we welcome the riders of the annual GITAP week-long ride, who are the first group to use the trail, and who will be staying overnight in Morrison tonight.
It has taken many years to reach this point. It has been the number one priority of Friends of the Parks since the Mayor, at the time, requested our help to expand recreational facilities for the benefit of the Morrison community and area. This trail appeared to be a natural addition to the recreational parks system within the City. There have been a lot of headwinds, road blocks, and disappointments along the way, including the lack of funding available which would permit the City to accept the grant from the IDNR (Illinois Department of Natural Resources.) The Friends of the Parks committed to raise the 20% contribution required from the City. A couple of years later, the money [had] been raised, and the City accepted the grant.
The Friends of the Parks have so many people and organizations to thank for all the help and support that they have given.
- We thank the City of Morrison for sponsoring the project and accepting the Friends of the Parks’ commitment to raise the City’s 20% of the total construction costs, and the Mayor and City Council for approving the design and construction of the trail.
- Our very special thanks to the hundreds of people, businesses, and organizations who generously donated the money to make this project possible.
- Thanks to the three landowners who generously gave the City easements for the trail to pass over their land.
- [Thanks] to Whiteside County for its generous monetary donation and to Mt. Pleasant Township and Kent Shepard for their cooperation and support.
- Also, our thanks [go] to the IDNR for giving the grant which is making this all possible. Special thanks to George Bellovics and David Sellman of IDNR for counsel and support.
- [Thank you] to Fehr-Graham engineers for the design of the trail and to Law Construction, who built it.
- Our thanks to Ed Barsotti of the League of Illinois Bicyclists and to the many other supporters that have given us encouragement and advice.
- A special thanks to Don Jirasek, who gave a very generous donation of money to landscape the trail area, as a memorial to his late wife. It will take most of the year to complete the landscaping plan.
- And [thanks] to the Morrison Area Community Foundation for the money to purchase two, large, steel benches to be placed along the trail.
Thanks to you all for your support. We are excited to get started on the project ot complete the phase-two trail to Morrison-Rockwood State Park.