Project Completed October 2008
In 2008, the Watershed Committee received a $100,000 Recreational Trails Grant through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to complete the trail system at the Watershed Center. This grant was specifically geared towards connecting the Watershed Center to the surrounding neighborhoods via a bridge across the spillway dam, a stream crossing of the South Dry Sac creek, and a small trail extension.
Volunteers from the Mill Ridge neighborhood helped Ozarks Greenways staff rough in a nature trail connecting their neighborhood to the South Dry Sac Greenway. The WCO, with the assistance of Greene County and the city of Springfield, installed a stream crossing on the South Dry Sac. this completed the trail connection from Mill Ridge to the Greenway, which leads directly to the Watershed Center.
In October 2008, the last major segment of trail around the Watershed Center site was finished with installation of the Kelley-Stokes Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge was dedicated on November 14, 2008 with more than 75 people in attendance. The bridge is 105 feet long, made of 95% recycled steel, is decked with 100% recycled composite decking and painted with environmentally friendly paint.
Additional funding for the Kelley-Stokes Pedestrian Bridge was provided by the C.W. Titus Foundation, Doing Steele and Carson-Mitchell Inc.