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WALLIS — Five local governments have joined together as a local government corporation to plan and build a 31-mile shared-use trail along a former rail line west of Houston and are hosting the second of a series of public meetings from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, at the Wallis Columbus Club Hall, 703 Columbus Road.
During the first public meeting in March in Eagle Lake, the organization said more than 50 attendees heard a brief overview of the history of the project, met the members of LGC, visited different stations to share their ideas on trail access and use, desired amenities, and community character. According to a release, the structure of the public meeting on April 11 will be the same, but the conversations will be different as attendees share their ideas and ask questions.
“The LGC has partnered with the National Parks Service to take the next steps toward designing and building the trail,” said Belinda Halfin, LGC President. “Through a series of public meetings, we hope to hear from all of the communities along the trail to learn how they want to use and access it, what they hope it looks like, what’s unique about each community, and how we can highlight each community’s character in the design.”
The organization said the trail will run alongside FM 1093 from Fulshear to Eagle Lake to provide hiking and biking opportunities for local residents, serve as a tourist destination, offer alternative transportation options between communities, and connect more communities with opportunities for connections to other trail projects in the region.
“The 1093 Rails to Trail will be a great asset to the communities,” Halfin said “and we need community members to help get it on the ground.”
The LGC and National Parks Service said it will host at least one additional public meeting in Fulshear in May.
The 1093 Rails to Trails Local Government Corporation was established in February 2022 and is a non-profit organization acting on behalf of Austin County and the cities of Eagle Lake, Fulshear, Wallis, and Weston Lakes. The LGC said it will enter an agreement with the Fort Bend Toll Road Authority to plan and build a shared-use path along a 31-mile stretch of former rail corridor.
For more information about the 1093 Rails to Trails project, visit 1093railstotrails.weebly. com or email 1093RailstoTrails@ gmail.com.
