CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — There’s the Ruby Jack Trail, and Thom’s Station – just a couple of options in Carl Junction.
“Trying to get the trails to attach to each other, you know, through the neighborhoods, that type of thing,” said Steve Lawver, CJ City Admin.
It’s the vision in the Carl Junction Park and Trail Master Plan, which outlines a long list of additions and new features for those who explore on foot or by bike.
“Thom’s Station and Ruby Jack well, they don’t physically have a connection and that’s part of it. And we have enough area around like the community center where we could put a walking track in around the community center, that type of thing or even improve that the Thom Station trail in areas where it’s not improved,” said Lawver.
The goal is to give residents a walkable community, improving recreation and exercise options.
“What we’d like to get all of those connected together so that you can make a big loop if you’d come from Carthage on Ruby Jack, you can make it through Thom’s Station and then down through Lakeside Park and it would be a very long trail system then,” said Lawver
The master plan also calls for adding points of interest like exercise stations, as well as connecting to existing park features.
“Memorial Park, and through the Veterans Memorial and with the splash pad, there’s enough room that you could put a walking trail around it also and you get those connections and those that would make it very nice,” said Lawver.
City workers are still trying to determine the cost of the master plan.
They expect to implement it in several phases in the coming years.
