A pre-construction meeting was recently held for the Iola River Walk Project.
The $706,324 project will begin marking center lines shortly, with the main part of the construction to take place after the Iola Car Show.
Project Coordinator Cliff Mischler said the project will be owned by the village of Iola.
“All the funding will be filtered through them, and their insurance will cover liability considerations where the property is concerned,” Mischler said. “Eventually, we will want community involvement. We want the community to feel that they have ownership in this as well.”
The Lions Club has adopted the River Walk Project and will contribute volunteers to help facilitate its development.
The club will also shoulder the long-term maintenance, after the construction phase is over.
The project has received one half of a $353,162 matching grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and $180,000 in local donations.
The balance of the $176,571 DNR grant is available to put toward the project. A total of $173,162 in funding will then be needed to complete the project.
The walk will be located south of Mill Street, on the river back between North Main Street and Town Line Road and.
It is expected to be completed by December.