Civil & Engineering and Sport & Recreation Management students provided design alternatives, cost estimates, and fitness recommendations for a proposed fitness trail connecting several community facilities and amenities in Keokuk.

The community of Keokuk seeks to develop more outdoor recreational opportunities for use of people of all ages, which they consider integral in recruiting and retaining residents. They hope to add new trails and route development, however the cost and access to land can be prohibited.

The Keokuk Hawthorne Elementary (K-3), Southeastern Community College and Keokuk Catholic Schools have contiguous campuses of an area of nearly 40 acres, which is a mix of grassy prairie and oak woods. There is a lack of connected sidewalks to all of these facilities. A small informal patchwork of foot trails run between them, however, are not formally maintained.

Keokuk officials sought assistance from UI students for the design of an outdoor fitness trail that would have easy to maintain exercise stations along the path. Connecting these facilities could be of great use to students and community members of all types.

This project included two phases from University of Iowa students.  During the Fall 2019 semester, Civil & Environmental Engineering students designed the trail route and surface.  During the Spring 2020 semester, Sport & Recreation Management students developed a plan to move the project forward.