January 2026 Trail News
- LCTA
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Welcome New Board Members for 2026!
Whether hiking, biking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, snow adds a new layer of fun. You can hike into the evening with the reflection of light off the snow, creating a naturally lighted trail. Check it out and enjoy your Linn County Trails, year round!
Melanie Lentz moved to Iowa in June 2017 and was quickly introduced to the trail system! She has been a frequent cyclist/jogger ever since, mostly Boyson to Center Point or Downtown CR to Ely. Melanie owns Training by Mel, a personal training business in Robins. Prior to coming to Iowa, she worked for the Secret Service in Los Angeles! Mel is excited to be part of the group responsible for getting things done for the trails that she has enjoyed for several years now!Â
Todd Goodell and his wife Donna have been married for 38 years with 3 kids and one grandson. He worked in education, with most of his career at Linn-Mar serving as a counselor and Cross-Country Coach. Since retiring over 6 years ago he has been working part-time and doing some volunteering. Todd and his Donna love to bike and have been doing Ragbrai for a number of years now. They primarily bike on the local trails but also have traveled to other states to utilize their trail systems.  Todd is looking forward to serving on the LCTA in order to meet new people and give back to the community!
And farewell to board members, Dave Dechant and Shannon Bisgard. Dave served for many years as Treasurer and Fundraising Chair. His energy and organization ignited LCTA to dream big! We thank Shannon for his assistance with Farmers Markets and other events. See you both on the trail!
Three New 2026-2027 Capital Campaign Projects As We Continue to Connect Linn County Trails!
Emmons Street Trail Bridge in Hiawatha (above)
LCTA has pledged $100,000 to the Emmons Street Trail Bridge to safely connect neighborhoods to the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. Emmons Street is a low volume street that crosses highway 380 with no on off ramps. This is an ideal location to allow residents to enter the amazing metro area trail system. Hiawatha has done an incredible job mapping out their city for great trail access.
Edgewood Rd Trail (above)
Another focus of The Linn County Trails Association’s next Fundraising Campaign is a portion of the Edgewood Road Trail. LCTA has pledged $100,000 to Cedar Rapids for design work on the segment of the Edgewood Road Trail between O Avenue NW and the intersection of Wiley Boulevard and the Cherokee Park Trail. As shown by the diagram, this new separated trail segment will connect the Edgewood Road Trail with the Cherokee Park Trail. A real win win for the NW side of Cedar Rapids.
Cedar River Bridge (above)
LCTA has pledged $100,000Â to Linn County Conservation to assist with designing the trail bridge over the Cedar River (Dan Biechler Bridge) to connect the Morgan Creek Trail from the NE to the NW. Pictured are the piers close to HWY 100 that can be used in the actual construction of the bridge! The Morgan Creek Trail is close to being completed and we just need this vital link!