The Green Circle Trail has a new loop on the west side of Stevens Point.
The loop, which links the Clark Street bridge with the Highway HH bridge on the west side of the Wisconsin River, was formally opened Wednesday, Sept. 26, in a ceremony at Jackson School.
The 12 property owners or their representatives who allowed the use of their land for the loop were introduced. They include Carl Lemke for Stora Enso, Bill and Monica Pritchard, Gerald and Janet Courtney, Matthew and Virginia Liu, Norman Wanta, Warren Sroda, Dave Galecke, Fred and Char Hopfensberger, Carl Pnaszek of CAP Services, Robert Moodie, Terry Lee of Wisconsin Central Railroad and Emery Babcock of the Stevens Point Area Public School District.
Ian Kurzinski, president of the Student Council at Jackson School, officially cut the ribbon to open the path after two hiking groups met where the trail meets W. Zinda Drive.
One group, consisting of some older community members, started from the HH bridge, while the other group, consisting of Jackson School students, started from the Clark Street bridge.
The 2.5-mile trail basically follows power lines west of W. River Drive on the north side of HH as the lines cut toward Jackson School and then to W. River Drive at the Wisconsin Central Railroad tracks.
The trail then crosses W. River Drive at the CAP Services building and follows a levee along the river to Clark Street.
"This completes the symbolic connection of the west side with Stevens Point," said Roy Menzel, a member of the Green Circle Board, during remarks at the beginning of the ceremony.