The construction of the new walking trail in Roeland Park’s R Park got under way this morning. The trail is expected to be completed next week.

The installation of the .46 mile limestone trail follows a successful fundraising effort by a group of Roeland Park residents that was capped with a Bacon, Blues and Brews fundraiser last month at the community center. Jan Duncan of Synergy Construction Co. in Roeland Park, the contractor for the project, estimates six construction days will be needed to complete the trail.

The trail is the first project to be completed in the R Park master plan. Funding was received from the Sunflower Foundation, based in Topeka, which has a mission of improving the health of Kansans. The Sunflower grant was matched by the citizen fundraising. Sunflower also matched funds with the city to provide 20 new trees along the trail and signage for the park which will be completed in the spring of 2015.

The citizens fundraising initiative for R Park is now focusing on raising money to purchase benches along the trail, picnic tables, trash receptacles and bike racks. A number of trees lining R Park are ash trees that will be removed in 2015. The emerald ash borer already has been confirmed to be present in the park trees.