Phase two of the Belva Deer trail project will begin this spring.

The Keokuk County Board of Supervisors approved a bid of approximately $393,000 from DeLong Construction for the grading of the trail that runs from Highway 92 to Lake Belva Deer. This phase is a restart for the trail, which was originally graded in 2011 and planned to be paved until funds ran short. Now the trail has received contributions from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, Keokuk County Endowment Foundation, Keokuk County Conservation, and Iowa’s Transportation Alternatives Program, which cover the costs of phase two to address erosion issues on the trail and regrade it. The county is working to acquire funds for phase three to pave the trail.

County Engineer Andrew McGuire comments on the project, “The value is really having a trail facility. We have a number of trails for equestrian use and for hiking in Belva Deer. What we don’t have is a hard-surface trail that lends itself for the younger riders and for the younger pedestrians. So having a place for families to go for walks at Belva Deer or maybe just to go walk on a hard-surface trail is an amenity that we don’t have in Keokuk County.”

Phase two is not funded by local tax dollars and is anticipated to begin May 15.