News Release:
KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Mark Holland, Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, in partnership with Healthy Communities Wyandotte, invites you to attend the Grand Opening Celebration of the Armourdale Hike and Bike Route – Island View Loop. The event will be held Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. located on the levee, just west of 18th Street Expressway and Kansas Avenue.
“I’m thrilled that our levees are finally open to the public and I can’t wait to take my bike for a ride along the river,” said Mayor Holland, who is a strong supporter of improved community health and helped found the Healthy Communities Wyandotte (HCW) initiative in 2009. Operating within the Health Department, HCW now serves as a countywide coalition aimed at mobilizing residents and partner organizations to improve health. “Encouraging our residents to walk, run and ride on our trails is key to the health and well-being of Wyandotte Countians.”
The initial levee trail is a 1.3 mile trail with a surface sufficient for walking and running but may be challenging for road bicycles.
The trail takes its name, “Island View Loop” from the famous river island that can be seen from the levee and from the Kansas Avenue Bridge.
The celebration will consist of remarks from Mayor Holland, Unified Government District 2 Commissioner Brian McKiernan, President of the Armourdale Renewal Association Patty Dysart and Chair of the Kaw Valley Drainage District Board, Bundy Jenkins. Attendees are encouraged to stay after the ceremony and walk the trail!
Representatives from The National League of Cities (NLC) will also be attending the event Saturday to help officially recognize Kansas City, Kansas for recent completion of key health and wellness goals for Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC). LMCTC is a major component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s comprehensive Let’s Move! initiative, which is dedicated to solving the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. LMCTC calls upon local elected officials to adopt sustainable and holistic policies that improve communities’ access to healthy affordable food and opportunities for physical activity through five goal areas.
“We’re excited to join First Lady Michelle Obama in her efforts to reduce childhood obesity in the United States,” said Mayor Holland. “One of the ways to do that is to provide safe places for kids and families to be active. This new trail is one of those places.”
NLC is working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Association of Counties and other nonprofit organizations, to assist local elected officials who join LMCTC as they implement policy and environmental changes to prevent childhood obesity.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded NLC a grant to provide technical assistance to local elected officials working to create healthier communities and prevent childhood obesity, including those participating in LMCTC.
For more info and updates please visit the event site on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/1487142534860196/)
