Trail Amenities & Safety
In Phase III, the trail was divided up amongst the club members and each member researched, selected and placed amenities appropriate for their part of the trail network. The students chose things such as a picnic/playground area, a parking lot, bridges to cross the creek, lighting, emergency phones, trash receptacles and drinking fountains. Various team members visited parks and playgrounds already in the city to get ideas of what they liked and what they didn't like as they prepared their plans.
Nathan's Playground
We proposed a playground to the city because there was little space for kid's to play at the apartment complexes bordering the greenbelt area. Nathan, one of the original team members of the Polk GIS club worked on designing a combination playground and picnic area. Since the the greenbelt was surrounded by apartments we thought it would be nice if the parents had a place close by where they could let there kids go have fun while they could read a book or something. We thought it might be nice so that the people in the apartments could just walk out there back door and there would be a place for kids to play or where they could take them for a picnic. There would actually be two playgrounds; a small fenced in playground for toddlers and younger children with age appropriate swings and toys, and a larger area for older children including climbing apparatus, swings, slides, and even some basketball goals.
Matt's Parking Lot
Matt noticed there was already a 'dirt' road where the city currently accessed the greenbelt from a nearby business when ever they needed to mow or otherwise work on this area, so, he drew up plans for a parking lot to be built along that current dirt road and to be accessed from that same business's lot as part of his trail area amenities. The parking area would provide parking for both cars and bicycles.
3-D Analyst
Matt also volunteered to begin learning 3-D Analyst independently. 3-D Analyst is a part of Arcview that projects a map with three dimensional virtual view of the trail site.
Final Trail Proposal
Presentation to our City, School, & Community
On May 5, 2005, the original five members of the GIS Club's Walking Trail team made a formal presentation of their project. The club invited local city government, school, community, and business people from the City of Carrollton, Texas to their presentation. A group of around thirty people came and saw our plans that we had been working on since November, 2005. They were impressed with the trail project and the work all five of the students did. The students expected a polite thank you and a 'pat' on the head for a job well-done. The guests expected a 'kid' show. Everyone was surprised. The city representatives were very impressed with the quality of work these seventh and eighth grade students had put in their project and the quality of their presentation. Within the next week the club received a letter from the city asking permission to use their plan and retain the club members as consultants on the project. Local area businesses began volunteering to donate materials for the construction of the student project and the city created a fund to receive and manage these donations. To view a short video clip of the original presentation and the Power Points used in the presentation you can go to [external link] the GIS Club's web site.
