New signs will mark trail system

Through partnership with an array of entities, the SCCC Connections Trail System continues to grow. Now, new signage will mark the progress that’s been made and identify the pathways to visitors on campus.

A welcome sign will soon be installed at the northernmost edge of SCCC property, where team members created an extension for pedestrians who might want to access the trail via the Wal-Mart parking lot’s south edge. Though the signs are already on campus, weather has delayed their installation. In addition to the north “entrance” to the trail another Welcome sign will likely be installed in the center of campus, where pedestrians can access various spurs just north of the Cosmetology building. Already, several team members access the trail system for midday exercise walking.

Although a city-installed sidewalk routes along the east edge of Kansas Ave. from the intersection at 15th and Kansas to the area facing the Industrial Tech Campus, pedestrians might find it easier to walk the on-campus route on the return trip, or simply enjoy a view with less traffic.

“The trail system is now opening routes through the more ‘open’ areas of our campus property, and the resulting walk goes past the agriculture department fields, and the outdoor classroom,” said SCCC President, Dr. Ken Trzaska. “We envision the system as eventually offering quick access to nature at the same time it connects our community members to key areas in Liberal.”

The trail system has thus far been financed primarily through grants from the Sunflower Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, both in tandem with the Liberal Area Coalition for Families, as well as the Kansas Department of Wildlife.