Roundtable on Van Peenen Park use Oct. 30

With no resolution in sight and tensions building around the usage of Decorah’s Van Peenen Park, the Decorah Parks and Recreation Board has set an Oct. 30 special hearing for all trail users to come together and be heard. 

Trail users — including hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, horse riders, runners, fishermen, cross-country skiers and nature viewers — are invited to meet at city hall for a roundtable discussion at 6:30 p.m. that day to explore potential compromises regarding the long-standing issues of trail usage in Van Peenen Park. 

The park was deeded to the city in 1976 for horseback riding, hiking and cross-country skiing. Since then, mountain biking has been enjoyed in the park, and trails have been expanded to accommodate mountain bikers. Animosity has grown between various trail users over the years, and Decorah city staff, along with Decorah Parks and Recreation, are hoping the Oct. 30 meeting will be the first step in putting an end to the more than two decades of dissonance between trail users. 

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