Why I am Excited About Ankeny's Prairie Trail (BLOG)

Why Prairie Trail?

I will start off by saying that Prairie Trail may or may not be for you. This concept is not for the individual who likes to keep to themself or the person who wants to maintain their large yard. The idea of Prairie Trail is to enjoy large green spaces with your neighbors. Here is the best I can explain why I love the idea and the concept of Prairie Trail. 

“Go deep!” That is what my brother would say to me and I did. My grandparents built a home around 1950 something in Austin, Minnesota. The neighborhood they lived in had alleys and no driveways in the front of the homes. I remember we could run 50 yards for a long pass and we didn’t have to worry about tripping on driveways, being backed over by a neighbor leaving home or running into a parked car. The driveways were off the alley way in the back of the homes. We would go visit my grandparents over holidays and we became friends with the neighbor kids because we ran through their yard freely.

If you don’t want kids or your neighbors to touch your lawn it may not be for you. This was great. Neighbors would gather in the alley to share newspapers or drinks. I grew up on a farm and I loved being around people, so I fell in love with this type of neighborhood. When I heard that Prairie Trail was bringing this concept to my town, I was excited. 

There are so many great benefits to this. I have been around long enough to see our society moving faster and faster. With today’s technology we work more and faster all the time. The smaller yards and neighborly settings allow you to spend less time doing chores and more time relaxing with friends and family. It is a fact that we live longer if we smile more.

I love the idea of having a park across the street where my kids can play within eyesight and I don’t have to mow it. That is just me. When I want to wind down I (personally) don’t want to mow. I love taking walks and exercising and Prairie Trail is offering many great trails and parks for just that. 

Finally, we are seeing some dirt turn in the District. This is the beginning of another great aspect of Prairie Trail. I grew up in Clarinda, Iowa, and I was able to enjoy the good old fashioned town square. Vaughn’s books and Ben Franklin was frequented by me and my buddies on our dirt bikes. We could go uptown and walk around the square and visit different stores.

I love having the retail on Delaware but you have to be in cars and you can’t just walk from one place to the next because of the congestion. The District may take some time to develop, but it is a walk away from any home that will be built in Prairie Trail. This is a huge benefit to Ankeny.

Just think you will be able to shop and spend an entire afternoon or day right in our very own town square. I am so excited to see this District develop. Prairie Trail offers us a place to slow down our minds and relax while we do better things for our bodies by using our legs to get us around. 

Like I mentioned at the beginning, this concept may not be for you and that is OK. I hope that your support can still be there for those that do like the ideas behind the vision of Prairie Trail. Even if you would not want to live there, it will be a great place to hang out and enjoy life.

-- Tim Scheib

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