The City of Brownwood is moving forward with plans to construct a 2 mile walking trail near Gordon Wood Stadium and the Bert Massey Sports Complex with the help of a TxDOT grant.

The Brownwood ISD board of trustees approved a letter of commitment for the proposed “Camp Bowie Walking Trail” Monday night since part of the trail will cross district property.  In order to be considered for this grant, a signed letter of commitment is required from the BISD school board.

Jodie Kelly, Staff Engineer/GIS Coordinator for the City of Brownwood and Andrew Chisholm, Environmental Specialist with TxDOT, outlined the proposed trail and the grant at Monday’s school board meeting.

“We would like it (the trail) to start just outside the parking lot of the middle school and cross over to Calvert Road,” said Kelly. “It will go down Calvert Road and turn into where they are demolishing the old baseball/softball fields, and it goes around the football stadium and crosses Milam Drive and loops around the new baseball/softball complex.”

The proposed project cost of the trail is $552,661 with $442,000 of it coming from the Transportation Enhancement Grant.

“The goal of the transportation enhancement program is to put people walking instead of driving and taking cars off the road,” said Chisholm.

Kelly said that the trail will be constructed similar to the one currently at Riverside Park.

“It’s 8 foot wide concrete sidewalk basically,” Kelly said.  “It will be ADA accessible, and there will be crosswalks at each street crossing.”

BISD superintendent Reece Blincoe encouraged the public to take advantage of the trail once it is built with more people walking and jogging in the area now than in years past.

“I think you are seeing a whole lot more people moving in Brownwood, and I think that this would help us continue in that effort,” he said. “On weekends we would for sure let people park in the parking lot and access the trail right there at the beginning and take off.”

Pictured at top, Chisholm shows the proposed path of the walking trail as Kelly outlines the project at the BISD school board meeting Monday night.

In other topics addressed at Monday’s BISD school board meeting

-BISD approved a revised agreement with the Brown County Appraisal District.

-BISD approved TASB-initiated Update 96, affecting local policies DEC, EFAA, and FEB.

-The board discussed the use of CSCOPE and asked staff to help get more information about the district’s use of CSCOPE out to parents and the public.

-The board heard a report that Average Daily Attendance is down by 61 students from budget projections at this time.  If the trend continues, it could cost the district over $300,000.