Shawnee County adopts Trails and Greenways Master Plan after yearlong study

The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners voted 2–0 on Feb. 5 to acknowledge and adopt a Trails and Greenways Master Plan developed by WSP USA in partnership with Shawnee County Parks and Recreation.

The plan, presented by Andy Frye and Steve Rhodes of WSP and introduced by Parks staff Tim Lorent, summarizes roughly a year of work and public outreach and was funded by Shawnee County alongside a Blue Cross Blue Shield program called Pathways to a Healthy Kansas. "This plan was funded both by Shawnee County, as well as the Blue Cross Blue Shield corporation with their Pathways to a Healthy Kansas," Frye said, describing goals that include increasing physical activity, healthy eating and avoiding commercial tobacco use.

WSP said the study covered all quadrants of Shawnee County, used existing gatherings for outreach (including events in Rossville and Founders Fest), and validated potential alignments in the field, accounting for road right-of-way, ditches, sidewalks and floodplain constraints. Rhodes described short-term and long-term segments and stressed connectivity between small-town networks and the existing Topeka system: "Our ultimate goal was a connective network type of concept," he said.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about regional connections, rights-of-way and trailheads. Frye said multiple routing options were identified — including river corridors, dikes and gravel roads — so the county would not be "pinned to one specific" alignment if political or physical obstacles arise. On e-bikes, Frye said the team did not develop new policy in detail but expects existing county regulations revised a few years ago remain appropriate.

The plan also includes guidance on integrating trails with stormwater management and flood-plain considerations and will be delivered with GIS files for county use and potential public map layers. Parks staff said they will post the plan and the GIS deliverables online.

During public comment, Myron Line winner of Rossville praised the plan as an economic boost for small towns and urged coordination among Shawnee County Public Works, Parks & Rec and the Planning Commission to implement the vision.

Commissioner Rippon moved to acknowledge and adopt the plan; Commissioner Cook seconded. The motion carried 2–0. The board noted adoption provides a roadmap for future projects but is not an immediate mandate to begin construction.

Next steps identified in the presentation include publishing the plan and GIS files and scheduling additional community open houses and outreach to refine implementation priorities.