Mason City council approves contract to look at what improvements need to be done for High Line Trail

MASON CITY — The City Council in Mason City this week approved hiring the local office of WHKS to provide services relating to the High Line Trail project.The city back in March finalized the purchase of the railroad right-of-way property from the Union Pacific for the purpose of constructing a recreational trail connecting the northern and southern parts of the community.

City engineer Mark Rahm says that includes four bridges that are in various conditions and require inspection and analysis prior to being incorporated into the trail system.   “They have four to seven bridges in that area, and we have one that we would like to address just as soon as the report comes in and we can we get some recommendations on what to do there to improve the safety that bridge.”

Rahm says his department will also be looking at what needs to be done to prepare the land to become a trail.  “My department is going to get out and start doing some surveying later this summer and fall, and start to put some plans together for those trails, and we hope to have our first project next spring.”

The contract with WHKS will include field inspections, analyze the information and preparing for the city a report with their conclusions and recommendations on what needs to be done for the trail. That contract is for up to $5200.