MARSHALL — Plans to move part of the Camden Regional Trail off of County Road 7 in Marshall got the go-ahead from the Marshall City Council this week.

Council members voted to approve a realignment project that would move a segment of the trail onto city flood control property instead.

Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson said the proposal had drawn some concerns from residential and business property owners near the trail, on topics ranging from possible trespassing to crossing safety.

Anderson said the trail realignment was part of a larger project that had three areas of construction.

“The trail is being realigned to take this portion of the Camden Regional Trail off of County Road 7, and to align it straight with existing trail segments,” Anderson said.

Currently, the Camden Trail takes a path that briefly turns onto County Road 7 near the intersection of Westwood Drive in Marshall before continuing on the other side of the county road. The proposed realignment would instead keep the trail running along the top of the Redwood River levee, and go straight across County Road 7 with a crosswalk and a flashing pedestrian beacon.

The preliminary estimated cost of constructing the new trail segment and removing the old one is about $156,000, including a 20% contingency. The city has received an Active Transportation (AT) Grant of $360,381 for the project that includes the trail realignment.

Anderson said the city had also received some feedback from property owners near the trail project.

“There were concerns brought forward by the adjacent residential property owner regarding the extra pedestrian traffic next to the property, trespassing onto private property by both people and pets, proximity of the trail to the home, and user safety crossing the highway, as well as drainage issues on the property,” he said.

“People not picking up after their pets is a chronic problem on all of our trails, and in all of our parks,” said council member Craig Schafer. “Our promise (to the property owner) was for the city to make every effort to be good neighbors.”

City staff have also taken time to look into issues like drainage at the site, Anderson said. The trail could be pitched so that water would drain away from neighboring properties and toward the river, he said.

Council members voted to approve the trail realignment design.