Smoothing the pathway for bikers, runners

Attention, bicyclists.

And runners, and skaters:

Use a little more caution these days on the Fox River Trail.

The Aug. 23 flooding of the Fox River affected the trail in many areas.

There's been standing water on some of it; silt has been deposited; and water has deteriorated the path in spots. Some sections washed out.

Logs, branches and garbage also floated up onto the path.

The Kane County Forest Preserve District expects to clean it up during the next two to three weeks.

In non-flood news: On Aug. 23, a few people -- OK, four -- braved the stormy weather to attend a meeting about the fate of the north bridge in Island Park in Geneva.

The Geneva Park District intends to replace the 76-year-old bridge and had solicited comments from the public about several design proposals.

One man asked that officials make sure that whatever surface they use on the bridge deck is not slippery. Wooden planks are dangerous to bicyclists and runners when wet, he said.

The park district's consultant presented four ideas. One is a bridge with a wooden deck and steel rails. One was to rebuild the bridge exactly as it looks today. Another was to reduce the number of piers, and the fourth would replace the concrete side walls with railings similar to those on the State Street Bridge.

That last option was suggested by Geneva Historic Commission members earlier this summer, and it surprised the parks officials, given that history fans tend to want to have things look just like they were when they were first built. The bridge is in the historic district, so it needs the commission's approval.

But putting in rails would allow small children to see the channel they're crossing better than the concrete walls. Now, parents have to hoist children up to see over the bridge.

One man also suggested the district consider building bump-outs in the middle of the bridge where pedestrians could stand and take in the scenery without getting in the way of bicyclists, runners and park district maintenance vehicles. Batavia is building bump-outs on its new bridge on Wilson Street, and bridges in downtown St. Charles have them.

The consultant, the park district director and the parks superintendent liked that idea and agreed to take it back to the drawing board.

Plans will be presented to the Geneva park board and to the historic preservation commission in September.

The district is looking for state money to help build the bridge. It estimates it could cost $700,000 to more than $1 million, depending on which design is chosen.

It wouldn't be replaced until 2009 at the earliest, but more likely 2010, because of the red tape involved in the grant submission and approval process.