{"id":6248,"date":"2016-03-15T20:01:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T03:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/?p=6248"},"modified":"2016-03-15T20:01:59","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T03:01:59","slug":"nations-worst-nature-trail-unceremoniously-destroyed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/?p=6248","title":{"rendered":"Nations Worst Nature Trail Unceremoniously Destroyed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Trail-Closure\"<\/a>When Forest City opened up the Prairie Dog and Pigeon Preserve Nature Trail<\/a> in late August of 2014, it did so with little fanfare. And now, less than two years later, the trail has been torn away, making way for an actual legitimate project. \u201cWe were definitely just screwing with people back then,\u201d said Forest City Spokesperson Janelle Ayers. \u201cThe whole thing was done so haphazardly, I can\u2019t believe more people didn\u2019t make a bigger deal about it. I mean, the cheap blacktop trail and that comically out of place wooden fence<\/a>, it was unsightly.\u201d Ayers says the idea behind the original project was to simply continue distracting residents from the fact that nothing had been done<\/a> in accordance with its original promises regarding the area. \u201cWe had construction guys out there doing stuff, which we hoped would give the appearance that something was in the works. Obviously, it was nothing, just a horribly built trail and fence. The workers weren\u2019t even on an actual construction crew.\u201d\nMost residents are happy to see the trail give way to actual progress. \u201cThat phony piece of blacktop garbage was awful,\u201d said Eastbridge resident Skylar Weber. \u201cIt was flooded most of the time, and a haven for bugs and weeds. Glad to see actual work will be done.\u201d Resident Megan Stagemeyer agrees. \u201cThe trail was such a tease,\u201d said Stagemeyer. \u201cAt first we thought, \u2018oh, great, a trail.\u2019 But then, after it was completed, we thought, \u2018is that supposed to be a trail?\u2019 So, having it removed by an actual construction crew is a step in the right direction.\u201d Resident Chris Stevens didn\u2019t even know the trail was on the chopping block. \u201cI just was driving on 26th one morning, and poof, it was gone,\u201d said Stevens. \u201cMy heart got really warm, and not from the coffee.\u201d\nAyers said Forest City never intended to make a formal announcement on the destruction of the trail. \u201cWhat would we have said?\u201d asked Ayers. \u201cFrom our perspective, it was a diversion, not a project. We can\u2019t really have ceremonies regarding faux projects we just made up. Let\u2019s be honest, Forest City has a whole \u2018House of Cards\u2019 thing going on. Everything we do is for a reason. You people just don\u2019t know why yet.\u201d Ayers said construction is now under way for the long-awaited actual park<\/a>. \u201cOf course it will have a trail as well. But not that sham of a trail we installed a couple years ago. I can\u2019t believe you people fell for that.\u201d ]]>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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