Granger Group Working To Add Trails

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A radial slab of concrete with the embedded shape of a bike crank represents the future of cycling in Granger. Trails have sprouted from two sides of the circle, but there’s still room for two more routes to begin.

This is the city’s trail hub, and it’s at the heart of the Granger Trails Committee’s vision.

“We go off of what the community’s goals are, and we ensure that funds are properly directed towards those goals,” said Alishia VanDrimmelen, co-chair of the Granger Trails Committee.

Like many small towns, there is currently little biking infrastructure in Granger. VanDrimmelen said the committee’s main goal is to add more of it within city limits. That’s evident in the group’s most recent big accomplishment: a pedestrian bridge over Oxley Creek near the trail hub.

“Now the west side of town can easily access safely over to the east side where the elementary is,” VanDrimmelen said. “That’s huge. That’s used so much now.”

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The committee’s next goal is to widen existing sidewalks and add new ones, leading to the site of the future Woodward-Granger Middle School on the north edge of town.

City administrator Kirk Bjorland said Granger has gotten more serious about prioritizing biking as the town has grown. As new housing developments pop up, Granger now negotiates with developers to add paths on a case by case basis.

“We are a small community. Back in 2021, the community posted for a city administrator for the first time,” Bjorland said. “So back in 2021, was the first professional strategic structure Granger was putting into place to accommodate the future growth.”

The trails committee was formed several years before that. It's separate from, but affiliated with, Granger’s city government. Even though city business has become a bit more formal, Bjorland said he wants to preserve the unique partnership.

 ”They are a very active group for us and we don’t want to dismantle that,” Bjorland said.

“Problem solving and collaborating and trying to come up with solutions is my cup of tea,” VanDrimmelen said.

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And she has her sights set beyond Granger. Once the biking infrastructure is more developed within city limits, the trail committee will focus on connecting with nearby cities.

“Where our town is located, we have access to so many trails that are just outside of the city. For instance, the High Trestle Trail, that’s just north of us,” VanDrimmelen said.

Granger has identified two possible routes of particular interest outside its borders.

• A connection to Grimes, which could run through the Brenton Slough wildlife area

• A trail along Highway 141 that would go east of town toward Saylorville Lake

Both routes are very early in the planning stages, with many logistics that need to be addressed.

“We need to come up with a plan for how we are going to cross 141 safely to connect to the Brenton Slough trail,” VanDrimmelen said of one of the challenges.

Fundraising is another struggle for the committee. VanDrimmelen said they are getting better at it, but they need more support. She said the group – which is made up of 12-15 people – could use more members. They also need more people to show up to their fundraising events, like the Granger Days 5K in August.

VanDrimmelen hopes the committee’s current efforts will lay a solid foundation for when Granger is a much larger town. She points to the new pedestrian bridge over the creek as proof that trails are needed and will only become more necessary.

“I think that was the biggest wow factor for the community. Like, ‘Wow, this is what the committee is doing, it’s coming to fruition,’” she said.

“We’re empowering because they’re an active, committed group,” Bjorland said.

Click here to visit the Granger Trails Committee’s Facebook page.