TOPEKA — A conference committee of state representatives and senators are working out the final details of the bill a plan to make the Prairie Spirit Trail the state’s longest and skinniest park – 51 miles by eight feet — to be presented when legislators return this week. Rep. Bill Feuerborn, D-Garnett, said there’s no controversy involving HB 2434, which also includes other parks, and the legislature will likely approve it within few days and Gov. Mark Parkinson will sign it. Naming the trail a state park will give the Department of Wildlife and Parks more flexibility in using park equipment on the trail and will open possibilities for more federal grants, Feuerborn said. The 51-mile trail follows an abandoned railroad from Ottawa, through Garnett and to Iola. The trail sees about 55,000 visitors each year and the state hopes making it a park will boost numbers.
Tuesday, April 27, 10:30 a.m.
