Officials break ground on Riney B Trail

Monday marked the beginning of phase one of a 1-mile, all-purpose recreation trail that will be built on the 72 acres wrapping around the Jessamine County Aquatic Center off the U.S. 27 bypass.

County magistrates and engineers gathered with members of the Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation department for the official ground-breaking of the Riney B Trail, which they believe will highlight the county’s natural beauty and also promote health and wellness of its citizens.

“It’s for biking and walking, and it’ll start at the (Saint Joseph-Jessamine) property and run back to the end of our property (at the Jessamine County Aquatic Center),” said Duane McCuddy, director of parks and recreation.

McCuddy said the plan is to eventually get a trail all around Riney B Park in the next few years. Monday’s ground-breaking is only phase one of that much larger plan with an expected completion time of the next five to six weeks.

“We hope to get a trail around the park, but this will be our first part of it,” McCuddy said. “Funding permitting, it will all be completed in the next couple years.”

The program received a 50-50 grant of $125,000 to begin building phase one, but will look to the city or county for more grants to complete the entire project.

The trail will be unique in the county because of its location next to the water park plus the large diversity of wildlife on the 72-acre property, McCuddy said.

“I think this will be great for the community; the park is where a lot of people don’t know about, and this will bring them here,” he said. “But we’ll be working on it for the next couple of years.”

Eventually, the trail and park will cater to anyone who enjoys actives such as animal and bird watching, swimming or just a playing a round on the 24-hole disc golf course.

There are also plans for a dam to be built to help create an “ideal” place for anglers, McCuddy said.