Officials Say Lake Wobegon Trail Needs TLC

ST. CLOUD (AP) - Fifteen years after it opened, the popular Lake Wobegon Regional Trail in central Minnesota is showing signs of age.

Local officials are searching for ways to pay for fixes. They're considering user fees and also have their eyes on the state's Legacy Fund. That account contains set-aside sales tax dollars from a voter-approved tax increase five years ago.

Cliff Borgerding, who is president of the Lake Wobegon Trails Association, acknowledges that projects for new trails present stiff competition compared with repair and maintenance.

The Lake Wobegon trail draws hundreds of thousands of bicyclists, walkers, snowmobilers and in-line skaters every year.

Minnesota's state trail system contained 560 miles of paved trails as of 2012. That's up from 475 miles five years before.