International Mountain Bicycling Association South Central Regional Director Steve Schneider visited Iola to check out plans for the Lehigh Portland Trails, which will feature both a rail-trail-style gravel trail and and singletrack hiking/biking trails.
Students from the University of Kansas Alternative Breaks program will be coming to Iola October 11-15 to volunteer with Thrive Allen County and help to construct the Lehigh Portland Trails.
One of the interesting features of the Lehigh Portland Trails will be the use of a historic bridge on the main trail. The Hegwald Bridge was built in 1909 and moved to the Lehigh site in May 2014.
A nice little crew converged on the trail on September 20th, working on a rough clearing of trees and brush along the eastern part of the trail corridor.
The Lehigh Portland Trails are hosting a public work day on September 20th, 2014. Volunteers are invited to visit the trails to get a sneak peek at the development, and to help with clearing the backbone trail.
Lehigh Portland Rail Trail construction is underway. Here are some before pictures. It’s going to be a beauty!
The Lehigh Portland Cement Company operated in Iola, Kansas until 1970. Here are a few images of the plant over the years.
In May 2014, the Kansas Health Foundation announced their latest Healthy Living grants, and one of the 22 grants awarded was a $100,000 grant for the Lehigh Portland Trails in Iola.