KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A father-daughter duo spent the last 14 years advocating for a trail to be built in a greenway in their Northland neighborhood, and this week it officially connects a school to a park, which was their dream all along.
Tim and Jenny Johnston began their efforts in 2010, when Jenny was at Park University and her younger brother was at Briarcliff Elementary.
Tim realized a greenway behind Briarcliff Elementary led all the way to Kansas City, Missouri's Water Works Park.
"I asked the kids, I said, 'Would you kids like to play in those woods if we did something?' Oh yeah, what kid doesn't like to play in the woods?" Tim said.
Ten years, a partnership with the city, and $1.5 million in city-funded grants later, the approximately 1-mile ADA-accessible trail was completed this week.
"This project prioritizes safety, accessibility and connection for all community members," KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday.
Tim, whose daughter with special needs uses a rollator, wanted to make the trail ADA accessible.
"Why should they not have the opportunity to explore and enjoy the neighborhood?" he said.
Tim and Jenny's goal was to give back to their community.
"Kids are able to safely walk to school, residents can safely move about the neighborhoods because we don't have sidewalks here," Jenny, who is also the president of the Northland Chamber of Commerce, said.
Tim, who raised his three children in the Briarcliff neighborhood and continues to live there, raised his children to love their community.
"I've always told my kids at a young age, you have to give back, you have to give back to the community," he said.
Both Jenny and Tim use the trail regularly.
"The 12-and-13-year-old kids that still ride their bikes, when I'm walking along in here, they go, 'Thank you, Mr. Johnston,'" Tim said.
Even with a completed trail, Tim's work isn't done. He feels the upkeep of the trail is — at least partially — his responsibility.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
