City officials in Wichita Falls say construction is progressing on several outstanding sections of the Circle Trail, the long-running effort to build a continuous trail loop linking parks and neighborhoods across the city.
Sections under construction
District 4 Councilor Mike Battaglino said work is underway on the segment connecting Lucy Park to the Bluffs along Seymour Highway.
"The portion connecting Lucy Park to the Bluffs, basically along Seymour Highway, is moving along very well," Battaglino said. "I actually went over there yesterday and checked it out. So construction is moving along."
A separate project would extend the trail from Lake Wichita Park to Barnett Road. Battaglino said that project is scheduled to come before the council on May 19.
"Connecting Lake Wichita Park over to Barnett, that is going to be coming to us on May 19," Battaglino said. "4B will be looking to apply for certificates of obligation in order to fund that portion of the trail."
Funding approach
Battaglino said the city is timing new debt to coincide with older obligations rolling off the books, in order to limit the impact on taxpayers.
"You don't want to take on debt as a city where you're putting that impact back on the taxpayer," he said. "Right now we have some of our debt that's rolling off. So applying for certain certificates of obligation is allowing us to do additional projects."
Some portions of the trail have faced delays, including the Lakeshore Drive section. City officials say the goal is a fully connected trail system that ties together parks, neighborhoods, and community spaces.