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A ramp will be added to Joplin’s Frisco Greenway Trail to make it more accessible.
The ramp was made possible by a $1,700 grant from Active Lifestyle Events to the Joplin Trail Coalition on Tuesday.
“The very day we were pouring concrete, a mother was pulling a wagon with her children,” said Bob Herbst, a trail consultant with the Joplin Trails Coalition. “We knew we were making the right decision because she was having a really hard time getting off.”
The coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining Jasper County’s multi-use trails, including the Frisco Greenway and Ruby Jack Trail.
The concrete ramp was installed about a month ago on the west side of the St. Louis Avenue portion of the Frisco Trail.
Herbst said the ramp will make the trail more accessible for people with limited mobility. Previously, it had a 2-inch lip, making it difficult to move strollers, wheelchairs, etc. He said he has heard of people in wheelchairs getting stuck on the edge of the concrete sidewalk because it was so difficult to transfer from the gravel to the concrete sidewalk.
“People just couldn’t get over that big lip and stopped using the trail for that reason alone,” Herbst said. “We decided this trail should be accessible to everyone, whether they have a wheelchair or not.”
Audie Dennis, president of Active Lifestyle Events, said the Joplin Trails Coalition is a hidden gem in the community.
“Trails like this don’t just happen,” Dennis said. “It takes a lot of volunteers and a lot of hard work. It’s work that often goes unrecognized, but it allows everyone in the community to enjoy the trails and nature.”
Dennis said funding projects that make trails available to everyone in the community fits into the active lifestyle mission.
“We hope this will expand access to our community and ensure no one is left behind,” Dennis said. “If you’re having trouble accessing the trails for these reasons, we encourage you to get out and give it another try.As an active lifestyle event, we want to promote health and fitness throughout our community. That’s what I think.”
This grant was funded by proceeds from past Joplin Memorial Runs. Active Lifestyle Events has donated more than $350,000 to organizations including Bright Futures, United Way, Rebuild Joplin, Bill and Virginia Leffen Center for Autism, Stained Glass Theater, and Joplin Humane Society.
The final Joplin Memorial Run is scheduled for May 18 in downtown Joplin. Dennis said the organization plans to continue supporting the community through grants like this one even after the program ends.
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