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| RE-ELECT NICHOLS for NRD |
| Outdoor Recreation |
| Trails provide an opportunity for healthy outdoor activity for all ages. |
| A 4.7 mile section of the MoPac Trail, from the Sarpy County Fairgrounds south to the Platte River, is currently in the final stages of construction. |
| The NRD joins with cites and counties to build approximately five miles of trails per year, mostly with 80% federal transportation T-21 funds and in connection with flood control and channel improvement projects. |
| Over eighty miles of hiking and biking trails in the metro are regularly used for exercise, to connect neighborhoods, and transportation routes to shopping and employment. |
| The Board approved a $1M cost-share grant to the City of Omaha in 2003 to help revitalize seventy of the existing city parks that provide important urban greenspace. Many better parks are older parks which have not received capital improvements in decades. |
| Helping to make this section possible was the generosity of a well-respected longtime Sarpy County leader. Louis G. Riha and his wife Shirley purchased the abandoned Missouri-Pacific Railroad line and in turn donated it to the Papio-Missouri River NRD for the trail. |
| The MoPac Trail will continue westward along Highway 31 and cross the Platte River at the Lied Platte River Bridge to eventually connect Omaha and Lincoln. It is scheduled for completion in 2008. |
| The NRD also has an annual ongoing cost-share program available for cities throughout the District to make park improvements. Priority for the 50/50 cost-share grants is on significant tree planting and green space and good use of the floodplain. |
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| As you can see, I have been an avid biker for a long time. I will continue to support quality recreation for greater enjoyment of natural resources for all ages. |