'Lake Loop' Moves Ahead of Other Rec Trail Projects

Residents living in Champions Village, which is along Highway 36 and North Cape Road, will be asked for a little patience as the recreational trail from Durham Drive to Highway 36 will be diverted from 2014 to 2019 planning. The section would have connected that development to the rest of the Muskego trail system.

Stepping in front will be a 'lake loop' series of trails, which weren't scheduled to begin until 2015.

The Parks and Recreation Board met Monday night, and debate arose on whether the city should finish the southern section of its recreational trail plan as scheduled, or start to focus on the higher population centers next.

"You would have a whole section of trail that would be complete, and it's something we've talked about for some time," explained Parks Director Craig Anderson. Recently the Durham Drive construction project had added about two miles of paved trail from Woods Road to North Cape. The stretch on North Cape Road was to be the final portion of that trail.

However board members Alderman Dan Soltysiak and Gerald Hulbert felt that not as many people would use that stretch of trail versus others that are on the list that are located in Muskego's more densely populated areas.

"Champions Village is 350-400 people versus about 4,500 that live around Little Muskego Lake; I'd like to focus on the areas where people actually live," Soltysiak said.

However, member Butch Ledoux felt that the city needed to finish what it had started.

"We've heard that we never finish things, and we've had these unconnected sections of trails, and here we have an opportunity to finish a section, and we should before we move on," he said. "I'm also thinking we should get some studies done on the costs involved with these trails, because I think we're going to be buying a lot of land to get them in."

The board ultimately saw the "Little Lake Loop" as a higher priority and chose to approve the change despite LeDoux's dissent, and will move up the following sections on the priority list to as early as 2014:

• Hardtke Drive, from Martin to Muskego Drive 
• Woods Road from Racine Avenue to Plum Creek 
• Lannon Drive from Janesville to Martin
• Martin Road from Lannon Drive to College Avenue
• Hillendale Drive from College Avenue to Field Drive
• Racine Avenue Hillendale to Lions Park Drive

The recommendation will go on to the Public Works Department, as further adjustments could come to the list to coincide with planned city road projects.