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Gunn Park Trails Signage project nears completion
Those using the Gunn Park trails will be able to find their way more easily, thanks to a Sunflower Foundation grant and work from Frank Halsey, trail enthusiast.
The grant provides funding for directional and mile markers signs along the trails. While the signs help visitors know where they are in the park, they also will be helpful in the event emergency response personnel are called to assist an injured bicyclist or hiker.
It was Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou who prompted the project by asking "If somebody gets hurt down there, how am I going to find them?" Halsey said.
"I know the trails. When I'm talking to people that know the trails, I say, 'back by the rock climb,'" Halsey said. "We have certain names for them as well, but other people don't know that. When you get back in there a half a mile and somebody falls and breaks a leg and they need to call 911, they know where to tell everybody to go."
He said the discussion began about placing mile markers along the trail, but there "is a fair amount of cost" involved. Halsey said he began looking for funding options and learned about the Sunflower Foundation -- Health Care for Kansas grant, "Sunflower Trails: Improvements to Existing Community-Base Trails."
Because he had learned the Young Professionals League had applied for the same grant for a project at Ellis Park, Halsey said he waited a year before submitting an application for Gunn Park's trails.
"This specific grant was for mileage, and what they wanted was those that are out exercising know how far they've hiked or biked," Halsey said. "So it fit really well with what we needed. It allowed us to put markers in for EMS, but also serves the purpose of allowing people to know how far they've gone."
A mountain bike enthusiast, this year Halsey experienced an accident that reminded him of the importance of the trail signs.
While competing in the Marmaton Massacre, during the second lap, he was crossing a walking bridge "that I didn't need to cross" because the creek wasn't that deep.
Other bicyclists had crossed through the creek and splashed water up on the wooden bridge. When Halsey tried to cross, his tire slid on the wet wood, causing him to crash.