PF looks to rebuild 2 miles of Centennial Trail

POST FALLS — Pale green lichens greet the feet of those who set upon the North Idaho Centennial Trail from the Washington/Idaho border east into Post Falls.

Interspersed along the asphalt pathway of the first mile or so are divots, crumbling edges and cracks that have been patched at least once in recent memory.

"The whole stretch of river trail, it’s just a great thing for the community to have," Scott Burgess said Friday while out walking his dogs, Simieo and Kai. "So many people use it."

A North Idaho resident of the state border area, Burgess and his canine companions use the trail a few times a week. He said although he is concerned about the signs of people camping on the north side of Interstate 90 along the Spokane River, he is happy with how the trail is a community asset for the public to use.

“I really enjoy it, the dogs enjoy it," he said. "It's just great access to be able to jump down here. It’s quiet, so to speak."

The city of Post Falls is in the process of applying for a $390,000 Recreational Trails Program grant through the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to rebuild the first 2 miles of the North Idaho Centennial Trail. 

"The trail replacement is needed because we are looking at a 40-year-old paving that has greatly outlived its life," Post Falls Parks and Recreation Director Dave Fair said.

The grant application will be submitted at the end of January and will be reviewed by spring with results expected in May or June. However, Fair said because it is such a large request for a Recreational Trails Program, he feels chances are slim it will be approved.

The Recreational Trails Program of 1998 allocates funds for recreational trails and trail-related projects. The typical grant funding level for the program is annually about $1.5 million. Funds can be used for maintenance and restoration of existing recreational trails; development and rehabilitation of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages for recreational trails; purchase and lease of recreational trail construction and maintenance equipment; and construction of new recreational trails, with restrictions for new trails on federal lands, according to parksandrecreation.idaho.gov.

Grants approved for 2023 included the first construction phase of the Kootenai Point Trail in Idaho Panhandle National Forests, trail construction for the Bureau of Land Management Shoshone Field Office and heavy trail maintenance in the Payette National Forest.

The North Idaho Centennial Trail project initially began in 1987. The first 5 miles of trail were dedicated in October 1990. The final link between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls was completed in 1996.

    A trail user rides near a crumbling asphalt edge Friday on the North Idaho Centennial Trail.
  

    Lichens and cracks can be seen Friday near the faded mile marker paint on the North Idaho Centennial Trail.